Currently I am in Baltimore, MD and the FM band over here is disgustingly crowded. Using my Tecsun PL 880- here is the FM band
88.1 WYPR Baltimore
88.3 WRAU Ocean City MD
88.5 WAMU Wash DC
88.7 WAMU HD sideband hash
88.9 WEAA Baltimore HD
89.1 WEAA HD HASH
89.3 WPFW Wash DC
89.5 WSCL Ocean City
89.7 WTMD Towson, MD (local)
89.9 WTMD HD HASH with WOEL Elkton, MD barley audible
90.1 WCSP Wash DC
90.3 WCSP HD HASH
90.5 WKHS Wharton, MD (WXPN 10kW translator)
90.7 NONE
90.9 WETA Wash DC
91.1 WHFC Hartford, MD
91.3 WBJC HD HASH
91.5 WBJC Baltimore
91.7 WBJC HD HAS
91.9 WGTS Wash DC
92.1 WERQ HD HASH
92.3 WERQ Baltimore
92.5 WERQ HD HASH
92.7 WWXT Prince Fredrick, MD
92.9 WPOC HD HASH
93.1 WPOC Catonsville, MD
93.3 WPOC HD HASH
93.5 WTTZ-LP Baltimore MONO WZBH Millsboro, DE
93.7 WSTW Wilimington, DE
93.9 WKYS Wash DC
94.1 WKYS HD HAS
94.3 WINX St Michaels, MD
94.5 WDAC Lancaster, PA
94.7 WIAD Wash DC WDSD Dover, DE
94.9 WRBS Co-channel interference
95.1 WRBS Baltimore (1 mile from where I am)
95.3 WRBS Co-channel interference
95.5 WPGC Morningside, MD
95.7 WWIN HD HASH
95.9 WWIN Glen Burnie, MD
96.1 WWIN HD HASH
96.3 WHUR Wash DC
96.5 NONE
96.7 WCEI Easton, MD
96.9 NONE
97.1 WASH Wash DC
97.3 WENJ Millville, NJ
97.5 W248AO Baltimore
97.7 WIYY HD HASH
97.9 WIYY Baltimore
98.1 WIYY HD HASH
98.3 NONE (mainly tropo DX)
98.5 WYCR York, PA (WEAK)
98.7 WMZQ Wash DC
98.9 WDCH Co-channel interference
99.1 WDCH Bowie, MD
99.3 WDCH Co-channel interference
99.5 WIHT Wash DC
99.7 WIHT HD HASH
99.9 Translator frenzy! W260BV (WQLL) White Marsh, MD W260BM (WNAV) Annapolis, MD WFRE Fredrick, MD WWFG, Ocean, City
100.1 W261CD Baltimore (WZBA-FM)
100.3 WBIG Wash DC
100.5 WBIG HD HASH
100.7 WZBA Westminster, MD
100.9 WAAI Hurlock, MD
101.1 WWDC Wash DC
101.3 WNCL Milford, DE (WEAK)
101.5 WBQB Fredricksburg, VA
101.7 WLIF HD HASH
101.9 WLIF Baltimore
102.1 WLIF HF HASH
102.3 WMMJ Bethesda, MD
102.5 WQSR HD HASH
102.7 WQSR Baltimore
102.9 WQSR HD HASH
103.1 WRNR Grasonville, MD
103.3 WARM Lancaster, MD
103.5 WTOP Wash DC MONO
103.7 WXCY Harve De Grace, MD
103.9 NONE
104.1 WPRS Wash DC (WZFT HD HASH)
104.3 WZFT Baltimore
104.5 WZFT HD HASH
104.7 WAYZ Hagerstown, MD
104.9 W285EJ ("HFS") White Marsh, MD
105.1 WAVA Arlington, MD MONO
105.3 NONE
105.5 WJZ HD HASH
105.7 WJZ Catonsville, MD
105.9 WJZ HD HASH
106.1 W291BA Baltimore
106.3 WWMX HD HASH
106.5 WWMX
106.7 WWMX HD HASH
106.9 WWEG Myersville, MD
107.1 Spanish pirate somewhere in Baltimore and also WTDK Federalsburg, MD
107.3 WRQX Wash DC
107.5 WRQX HD HASH
107.7 WLZL HD HASH
107.9 WLZL College Park, MD
As you can see, the FM band is so crowded, I find it hard to believe that the FCC is okay with this. The HD sidebands should not be allowed, ESPECIALLY in the Balt/ Wash area. In order to allow for the hobbyists and LPFMs to exist well enough to serve the areas they are licensed to, the HD sidebands inhibit that.
Thoughs?
I counted up 4 NONE's. That's better than where I am in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, where there is one NONE, and one MAYBE (depending on where you are) - at least from my car radio.
There's no doubt that the FM bands are crowded in urban areas.
Oh yeah well come to Connecticut, where and if a channel is open, some station on Long Island New York has it taken. The major issue here is Rhode Island, which is the smallest state has to have radio stations that serve Rhode Island, so their carriers carry into Connecticut. Massachusetts, has some of New England's strongest radio stations, quarry WAQY 102.1 from Springfield MA and look at their 60dBu contour, it covers a lot of New England, so does WGBH radio 89.7 from Boston MA, they are Massachusetts Public Broadcasting station. There are several other stations, but the point I am trying to make is that for those market areas in New England and New York to have their stations, they all consume the entire FM broadcast band here, leaving NOTHING open for anything, and to think 6 Hartford Connecticut based AM stations have been granted FM translators, adding to the already congested FM dial.
Most of Long Island New York's FM stations are broadcasted from towers on the eastern tip of Long Island New York, obviously, with only Long Island Sound, which of course, is a large body of salt water, their signals have nothing to be absorbed or obstructed by, so they come into Connecticut LOUD AND CLEAR!!
Massachusetts is a wrap around state, meaning it is to our north and to our east, eastern Massachusetts has stations that kill a lot of western Connecticut's radio stations, specially during light tropo, even worse when tropo is very high. WPLR 99.1 New Haven, CT. is killed by WPLM 99.1 Cape Cod, MA. in my area, but I am way closer to New Haven than Cape Cod by a long shot.
But oh, if I chose to use 87.9MHz for my part 15 uses, just to get off the already congested FM channels, HB and it's cast of idiots calls the FCC on me.
Bruce.
to expand the FM band to what it is in the rest of the world, and like New Zealand set aside a small space for hobby broadcasting.
Mark
How does the "hash" from HD appear on two different frequencies from the same station? Seems that one station has their regular signal and the HD has two others? None of this is here(Canada)
Even still as Artisan said there was still 4 places empty. Which is one less than here in Toronto on a Chev. Cobalt car radio.
AFIAK I have tried several FM frequencies here in Deltaville, VA and the only Legal frequency for FM is 100.1 Mhz. If that was taken than we'd have to go to the gray side.
Mark thanks for addressing what we've talked about at The New Radio Revolution. I've actually changed my AD Trigger files to represent The New Radio Revolution and what we are trying to do. Since I don't want to play ADS for stores on FM I've figured how to do separate ads for the Net so I can still play those Walmart ads and on FM there will be none.
This way the FCC won't go after me befcause I don't play adverts.
I haven't really noticed HD on FM causing much adjacent channel interference, could be different in the clogged northeast though.
it doesn't take much to wipe out an HD signal, they don't put out much power.