Okay! Tonight MetroEast held an open house and I had an opportunity to stop by to signup as a volunteer and learn more about the operation. Here are some of the details:

They've completed a transaction to buy 107.1 K296FT and it currently is rebroadcasting 89.9 KBPS. I'm not sure if having a construction permit for KZME will allow them to start broadcasting on the translator sooner, but they will definitely be looking into it.

They plan on having a primarily local music format. I don't know if having local talk will be an option, but they seem extremely interested in working with the public as a whole to determine their needs.

Their primary website will be http://www.kzme.fm/ and they will be starting out with podcasting and webstreaming well before the transmitter is good to go on Mt. Hood.

They have a goal to have the KZME transmitter on-the-air by November 2009.

Financially they'll be separate from the public access television side, except for administration. So, they are looking for cash donations and donations that could help them get their broadcast studio up and going.

More information as it breaks :-)

K296FT is a new translator for KXPC down the valley? If they got it they paid some serious cash for a 28 watt station on Stonehenge.

What happened to KXPC... K296FT is indeed rebroadcasting 89.9 KBPS.

Did they have to switch the translator to simulcasting KBPS because they are not allowed to rebroadcast commercial stations? It would be nice if they could rebroadcast 90.3 KSLC in the interim period before KZME signs on.

When was KXPC pulled from 107.1 K296FT? Rebroadcasting KBPS-FM in Portland, is a waste of a signal.

Clicking on the website resulted in this:

Sorry, 'www.kzme.fm' does not exist or is not available.

Try this: http://www.mctv.org/kzme/

Skeptical:

That's where the website "will be". It's just not there yet :-)

Radioxpert:

I'm not sure when the signal was pulled, it sounded like the transaction to buy the translator was fairly recent so maybe in the last few weeks... As Alfredo_t said above, I think that it's primary because they wanted to keep the translator on-the-air and they can only translate another non-commercial station.

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I really hope they get a studio site found soon. I'm eager to get in and help, but without at least a room to start putting stuff together there isn't much to do except start fundraising. Talking with their CEO Rob Brading, he would like to see them lease a building in old town Gresham and set up a storefront style radio studio.

Once a studio starts to come together, they can start doing podcasting and webstreaming. Checking over some various FCC rules, I'm thinking that they'll even be able to start using their translator before main station is on. (Run it like a satalator.)

If anyone here is interested in getting a charter membership with KZME for $35, Dennise would be the one to contact (her info is at the bottom of http://www.metroeast.org/kzme/). Their fundraising goals are $141,000 by June 2009. $5,000 from donor support, $6,000 through special events and the rest through grants, business support and other activities.

K296FT appears to be rebroadcasting the KBPS RDS information, is it also retransmitting the HD signal?

The translator is just passing KBPS' full composite analogue baseband signal which includes the stereo pilot at 19kHz, the (L-R) stereo subcarrier at 38kHz and the analogue RDS info at 57 kHz.

In theory, it would be possible to translate the entire analog & HD signal, but this would require a highly linear signal path through the translator and a wide bandwidth. Most likely, the HD is not being translated. I will have to try to see if I can receive HD on 107.1 this Saturday (I don't have time to try it tonight).

I got fairly close last night receiving a good signal and the HD light never came on my radio.

I'll be driving by it again tonight and I'll probably try again, just to make sure...

I'm pretty sure they were relaying KXPC, as of yesterday morning. It must have changed later in the day. Wouldn't they need separate HD equipment to transmit an HD signal and wouldn't they need to sign with Ibiquity? I can't believe any of that could occur so quickly! For the record, I don't hear 107.1 in HD.

Wow, you guys work fast! Yes, KBPS-FM will be re-broadcast on K296FT until MetroEast has their new station on the air. The KBPS-FM RDS data is managing to be passed through the translator. The receiver and transmitter are not capable of passing the HD waveform. However, we are toying with the idea of throwing together an HD translator. We did order such a beast for our new station KQDL, 88.1 in the Dalles, to be on the air in a few weeks.

Have you considered putting the AM on HD2? It would give much better coverage and probably wouldn't need the full 48, if you wanted more for the main channel.

Does Ibiquity collect royalties from translated HD signals?

Semoochie - KBPS-FM has held off on purchasing the additional hardware required for HD-2. We're at least another 10 months away from that. That's a good idea about the AM on HD-2, and we've considered it. No plans yet, though.

Alfredo - The wonderfulness about a pure "RF to RF" translator is that no iBiquity licensing is required and nor royalties are collected.

With only 26 watts of FM analog, 107.1 K296FT would have only .26 watts of HD! Large chunks of the Portland metro would be served, especially with car radios, with just as many chunks having no HD detectable. Nevertheless, an interesting experiment to do. When the HD translator arrives in the mail in a few weeks, it will need to get broken-in on 107.1, for sure.

Not to throw a wet blanket on Semoochie's idea, but KBPS-AM has no plans whatsoever to have anything to do with HD broadcasting in the foreseeable future...even as somebody's HD2 channel. Plans are currently underway to develop a new KBPS-AM website and to begin streaming our programming. FYI...that stream will be excusively KBPS-AM, even during the hours that KPSU is being broadcast.

On the subject of HD, I have made no secret of the fact that I find the way the monopoly of HD radio has been jammed down our throats objectionable. And everyone knows there are significant problems with AM HD. Another point...with limited dollars available to my program here at Benson, and with the cost of an HD exciter twice as much as the transmitter that can broadcast the signal, frankly the money it would take to put HD on the air is better spent on our students. If and when the FCC ever decides to do with radio what it is doing with TV and mandate digital transmission I, of course, will comply...but until then Ibiquity can kiss my a$$.

from All Access today

Portland-Area Translator Sold
BROWN BROADCAST SERVICES, INC. is selling FM translator K296FT/WEST HAVEN, OR to METROEAST COMMUNITY MEDIA for $90,000. The translator reaches part of the PORTLAND market.

Take the KZME music survey:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=SNlsquqpKBMaVg6TgUN5Vg_3d_3d

I received this survey from their Director of Organizational Advancement, Dennise Kowalczk, just this afternoon. Also, it appears that your name and email are optional too...

I thought that it's interesting that they are asking if you have an HD radio, that could be a good thing if they eventually get better signal coverage...

KHMD ? they need to fix that error.

Perhaps because KNRK HD-2 and KOPB HD-2 provide some competition to the format that they will be promoting?

Transfer of the license for the translator on 107.1 was granted a few days ago and then rescinded.

Ouch! This would have been a real boost for KZME in the Portland area.

http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/app_det.pl?Applica tion_id=1268704

The "petition to deny" in the Public notice comment file does not seem to be on-line.

EMF... No explanation needed... :-P

Hopefully this will just be a short, temporary setback...

@Bill_Cooper

I have turned a few people onto the nice AM Stereo signal this year. Many CAR radios work with it, and I get the comments I've always gotten on AM Stereo.

People generally like it.

(And talk would be way better with that modulation than it is with HD)

Right now, I click on "Public Notice Comment" near the bottom of the page (Jr. Tech's link), which yields a page stating:
Petition to Deny filed by Educational Media Foundation on 11-3-08.

Opposition to Petition to Deny filed by Brown Broadcast Services, Inc. on November 17, 2008.

My only thought is... what I'd like to know is why they're against it. They have a gazillion different translators all over the place, each broadcasting the exact same thing, and there are a ton of frequencies in the Portland area.

Additionally, they're practically protesting a radio station that isn't even on the air. How vain can that be?

Perhaps a clue here?

http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/fmq?state=&call=klvu&city=&arn=&serv=&vac=&freq=0.0&f re2=107.9&facid=&class=&dkt=&list=1&dist=&dlat2=&mlat2=&slat2=&NS=N&dlon2=&mlon2 =&slon2=&EW=W&size=9

Perhaps Brown Broadcast Services is taking a stand against the proliferation of religious organizations mx'ing available translator openings.

The station is already on the air and licensed. It looks like Brown filed its opposition to the petition before it was granted so whatever happened later is unrelated.

Semoochie:

The station that Brown has licensed is on-the-air, however EMF is opposing the transfer to MetroEast Community Media.

I was referring to the proliferation of 107.1s mentioned in the link of the previous post. That made it sound like an interference issue. It sounds more like they want to stall it as long as possible to keep another noncomm from competing with them for support.

EMF = Evil Mother F***ers

Is the BBS 107.1 currently on the air? It might be interfering with their 107.1 in the valley?

The 107.1 translator has, indeed, been on the air for a few weeks. I would not consider this an interference source for the full-powered 107.1 stations, as the signal is too weak. Driving around Hillsboro, for instance, the reception on 107.1 flips back and forth between the translator and KLVU.

I suspect that EMF's objection to the license transfer of the 107.1 translator has more to do with the fact that the license is getting transferred to somebody other than them!

Still on the air, still rebroadcasting KBPS-FM.

I was fully thinking of EMF's 107.1 when I wrote my previous post. Off the top of my head, I know that in the Portland area, they also have either translators or full-power stations on 88.7, 90.3, 95.9, 96.3, 97.7, and 102.7. That's plenty of other frequencies to hear the same programming (OK, I know some of them are K-Love and some are Air 1, but ask me if I care).

If one wants even further info, I invite them to use this page on the FCC site, for the state type in "OR," and the Licensee name input "Educational Media Foundation," then run a search. For comparison, do the same thing but running "CBS%," "Citicasters%," or even "Bicoastal%." That should provide enough info. for anyone.

EMF - 69 records
CBS% - 6 records
Citicasters% - 7 records
Entercom% - 6 records
Salem Media% - 3 records
Bicoastal% - 46 records

97.7 is near Newberg but 92.7 is close to Camas. It's still a fair amount of signals. I'm surprised they let 89.5 go!

89.5 is co-located with their 90.3 and 88.7 Air1 and Klove on Mt Hood...they made a few bucks by selling it to Family Radio who wanted to get to NW Oregon for years.

I find it somewhat ironic that this site will also be used by KZME:

http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/fmq?list=0&facid=176013