From my location in Hillsboro, I used to be able to hear out-of-town stations at 104.7 and 107.1 MHz with reasonably clear signals. In the last months, translators sprang up on the West Hills on both of those frequencies. Now both of these frequencies are a jumble of noise. With my rooftop antenna in its current location on the chimney, I can rotate it to bring in either the out-of-towner or the translator, but neither is very listenable in stereo. If I take a portable radio and move it around, I hear the audio flip back and forth between the translator and the out-of-town station.

What kind of usable coverage area can these translators get with such relatively strong out-of-town signals hammering away at them? Also, the 104.7 translator is relaying KWYQ 90.3 from Longview, WA. When I tune in 90.3, KZRI has a pretty strong signal, and if I turn the antenna to try to null it, I can barely hear KSLC. There is not as much as a trace of KWYQ. How can KWYQ possibly be getting a clear signal into the translator--or are they using some means other than over-the-air pickup of the 90.3 signal?

This is sad. It is almost as if the FCC is working really hard to make the FM dial as noisy and cluttered as a "graveyard" AM frequency at night.

104.7 may be getting it's KWYQ signal from another translator, probably either 93.5 or maybe 102.3, which would meet the FCC definition of a "terrestrial feed."

Placing co-channel translators within 100 miles or so of C2 or better stations doesn't seem like a good use of the spectrum in most cases. The Air 1 people learned the hard way with a 93.1 translator in Newberg, co-channel to Eugene's KKNU at the time. "New Country 93" often came screaming in over the translator withing the "city grade" contour of the translator.

Wow! I can pull in the 93.5 translator from Woodland. This must be where the 104.7 translator gets its feed. Major Armstrong would be proud.

Somewhat on topic, I punched in Charlie and hit the backwards seek to get to the Game. The first stop was the pirate on 96.5 followed by the K-Love translator on 96.3. Then, I hit it again and it landed on 96.1! I waited for the song to end and found out it was Mix, out of Olympia! It came in fairly strong through the rest of the Banfield and down 205, nearly to Clackamas, except for some side interference from 96.3 when I got closer to their antenna. I don't ever remember hearing it with any consistency before in that area. They're supposed to move to a new tower. Have they done that yet?

"The first stop was the pirate on 96.5"

Humm..I'll have to have a listen!
I've already heard atleast 2 pirates on FM,by chance. (Energy98/Party98,and the 'Jamaican guy' on 100.7)
I haven't had the radio on in a while though.
Does anyone know of any recent pirate activity? freq,area,etc?

-I've already heard atleast 2 pirates on FM,by chance. (Energy98/Party98,and the 'Jamaican guy' on 100.7)

That would be 3.

From my location in Hillsboro, I have no problem separating 107.1 east (country) from 107.1 south (K-love) by rotating my antenna. Ditto for 104.7 southwest (KDUK) and east (religious). I can not hear the Way FM station on 90.3 to the north anymore, but KSLC is usually pretty good.
I am using an APS-9 FM antenna, and an old Radio Shack 10 element FM Yagi on another tuner at the other end of the house. Similar results with either antenna.

I'm using a Radio Shack VU-120 combo VHF/FM/UHF antenna. I'm in a little bit of a hole, near downtown Hillsboro, so I don't have a clear shot to the West Hills towers. This may change soon, as I am supposed to be getting a 50' telescoping mast today.

This morning, I tried 104.7 and 107.1 in the car, and on both frequencies, I hear the audio going back and forth between stations. Work is near the airport, so I didn't have a chance to get much closer to the translators today.

96.5 is "K-Gay-BC." Their slogan is "Playing dance music for the gay & lesbian community." They have a habit of playing an old song followed by a dance club song.

98.1 has been silent for a few years. The Beaverton "Energy 98" was busted by the FCC, and Party 98 disappeared around the same time.

100.7 has been silent for a few years. The last time I heard this signal, they were running Ernie Hopseker's History of Portland Radio documentary. This happened shortly after I put the documentary on the Internet. I think that they must have downloaded it from my website. The 100.7 transmitter must have been somewhere on the West Hills, judging by its coverage.

96.5 has an impressive footprint as well, for a pirate.

What ever happened to KPRA?

KPRA (96.7) was raided by the FCC about a year after they started broadcasting.

Energy 98 wasn't on 98.1

Was it 98.3?

The FCC thinks it was 98.1. How do they have a case if they can't get the frequency correct? All of their documents say 98.1. Wonder what they were measuring on that freq?

IIRC, Party 98 broadcast on 98.1. I started rolling tape for historical purposes (like heck if I know what's happened to it now), but only after it started playing the same station sweeper over and over: "Party 98 - Playing music back to back to back, with no spaces inbetween."
After reading about what happened to the owner of Party 98, I always wondered if it was one of those things where one got the other in trouble, then packed up around the same time to avoid getting caught themselves.

"98.1 has been silent for a few years."

Not entirely,I've heard some activity around there within the last couple years.

Theedger: What do you know about this?

I know the case the FCC built against Energy 98 started with an email to the local field office with a link to a thread on this site. Looking over the materials collected by the feds (FOIA) shows several errors in fact. To date there has been no fine paid.

In any case one does not need to be in a licensed stations protected contour to file a complaint about a translator interfering in the reception of the full class station.

The translator can be bumped off the air due to such complaints. letters should be sent to the FCC, the licensed station, and the translator operator.

That's not really what I meant: I believe that if an existing translator was interfering with the protected contour of a new full power station, the former would be required to vacate the frequency.

the former (translator) would be required to vacate the frequency if said new translator comes on the air and interferes with ANYONES reception of any licensed station on the same or adjacent frequency...

Doesn't matter whether the person experiencing the interference is within the protected contour of the interfered with station.

If you are experiencing this problem you don't need to complain here, you need to formally complain to the FCC.

There are rules that address just this situation which can solve the problem.

Use them if you need to.

And YES, if a licensed station comes on the air on a frequency which is interfered with anywhere by a translator the translator must vacate the frequency... So long as someone formally complains...

I'm saying that under the scenario I described, no one has to complain. The translator is required to leave the frequency before the new station goes on the air.

Notalent,

In the southern part of the valley, K-Love's Coburg translator at 107.3 interferes with Jammin' 107-5. To make matters worse, this translator (on Buck Mountain) rebroadcasts a very fuzzy signal from Eugene's 100.9 translator. 101.1 KUFO's audio is heard, bleeding over 107.5! Could we get rid of this mess of a translator?

expert,

All you have to do is send the letter... be very specific and give all the details, frequencies of translators, frequencies of stations you are trying to hear, your location, etc.

anyone can send a letter to the FCC like this... Of course it would help if you are an "average listener" just trying to hear a licensed station as opposed to someone in the biz with a financial interst.

If you are in the biz, then find a regular listener who experiences the same problem and explain to them how they can write the letter.

I think 102.3 will soon if not now will be having the same problem.

I am not employed by any broadcast companies, and I have not financial stake in whether these translators are on the air or no. If I write a detailed letter, including the callsigns of the translators, do I still qualify as an "average listener," in the eyes of the FCC? In my letter, I would state that I used to be able to listen to the out-of-town stations on 104.7 and 107.1, but now that the translators are on the air, neither the out-of-town stations nor the translators can be received clearly from my location.

I have no problem with the 107.1 (KXPC) translator, since KLVU and KRQT don't put much signal into Portland. However, the 104.7 translator is totally clashing with KDUK in Portland, and needs to be pulled!

I have no problem with the 107.1 (KXPC) translator, since KLVU and KRQT don't put much signal into Portland. However, the 104.7 translator is totally clashing with KDUK in Portland, and needs to be pulled!

Frequencies like 96.7, 97.5, and 100.7 are still open for translators in Portland.

"I am not employed by any broadcast companies, and I have not financial stake in whether these translators are on the air or no. If I write a detailed letter, including the callsigns of the translators, do I still qualify as an "average listener," in the eyes of the FCC?"

Sure, why not... And it may be a good idea to copy both stations involved in each case.