760 Broadcasts

[SWC Bonfire]

What is up with the Ticket's broadcast signal? Is there some sort of temperature inversion and they have to turn down their wattage to keep their signal from propragating? It barely comes in on my drive to work, and at noon it is no longer listenable. A few weeks ago this was not a problem.

Does anyone else have this problem/know if this is merely a weather related phenomenon, or do they have to reduce power to control their signal?

[Taco]

No I know at night they turn down the signal

But during the day i haven't had troubles picking up the station

[SWC Bonfire]

I know they have to reduce wattage at night due to signal propagation; I'm talking about 7AM to 7PM.

I used to be able to pick the station up all the way to US290 in Austin; now it starts crapping out on me before I get to San Marcos. Maybe there is a new source of interference affecting that frequency; other AM stations seem to come in fine.

[travis2]

What is up with the Ticket's broadcast signal? Is there some sort of temperature inversion and they have to turn down their wattage to keep their signal from propragating? It barely comes in on my drive to work, and at noon it is no longer listenable. A few weeks ago this was not a problem.

Does anyone else have this problem/know if this is merely a weather related phenomenon, or do they have to reduce power to control their signal?

It's not an inversion problem. At night, AM stations (because of their low frequency) are able to transmit over long distances via "sky-wave", or reflection off of the ionosphere. This is the mechanism by which WOAI 1200 is able to be heard over such a large area.

The FCC license for an AM station also includes its broadcast area...daytime and nighttime. If a station "owns" a certain area, another station on that frequency must defer to the original station when plotting out their broadcast area.

AM antenna farms have multiple antennas, unlike FM or TV stations which, because of their higher frequencies, are limited to "line of sight" broadcasting. Multiple antennas allow the station to "shape" its transmit pattern (a single monopole produces a circular pattern).

At night, a station has two (well, three) options to prevent encroachment into another station's territory. One, they can change the relative phasing of the transmit antennas to re-shape the pattern. Two, they can switch to a lower-powered transmitter. Three...they can do both.

[travis2]

I know they have to reduce wattage at night due to signal propagation; I'm talking about 7AM to 7PM.

I used to be able to pick the station up all the way to US290 in Austin; now it starts crapping out on me before I get to San Marcos. Maybe there is a new source of interference affecting that frequency; other AM stations seem to come in fine.

Could be...could also be a change in their daytime pattern. Maybe a phone call to 760...

[Ballcox]

^I've noticed the problem as well. I drive in to work every day and would have no problems picking up 760 from outside San Marcos all the way to Seguin. Now, I can't get any signal at all, and barely pick up 760 when I get to Seguin. It used to come in clear as a bell, was wondering what had happened.

[SWC Bonfire]

^I've noticed the problem as well. I drive in to work every day and would have no problems picking up 760 from outside San Marcos all the way to Seguin. Now, I can't get any signal at all, and barely pick up 760 when I get to Seguin. It used to come in clear as a bell, was wondering what had happened.

See, I'm not crazy. I sent Nate Lundy an e-mail; we'll see if he passes it on to the right person.

Ballcox, sounds like we travel in the same territory. You commute TO Seguin? (I'm going the other way, I'll wave at you next time).

[SWC Bonfire]

A Response to my e-mail from Nate Lundy:

Thanks for the email...

For the past while, we have operated at a better signal pattern on a temporary permit from the FCC. However, last week we made the necessary changes to put us back in our "normal" transmition pattern and strength. So, it is going to be a problem from time to time for the future. I wish I had better news for you, but that is unfortunately the hand we are dealt by the FCC.

[SWC Bonfire]

Getting ready for some static on the drive home...

[1369]

Unless you're hooked on the local 760 shows, you might think about XM. You can get Bruno on channel 143.

[Ballcox]

^Thanks for the info Bonfire. That really sucks, I prefer 760 over 1300 out of Austin. The strange thing is that I can now pick up 1300 all the way to Seguin, but not too long ago couldn't pick it up much outside of San Marcos. Oh well, trying to get the wife to spring for $ needed for satellite radio ain't going to happen.

[N.Y. Johnny]

What is up with the Ticket's broadcast signal? Is there some sort of temperature inversion and they have to turn down their wattage to keep their signal from propragating? It barely comes in on my drive to work, and at noon it is no longer listenable. A few weeks ago this was not a problem.

Does anyone else have this problem/know if this is merely a weather related phenomenon, or do they have to reduce power to control their signal?

Only at Noon? When was the Ticket EVER LISTENABLE???

/rimshot

[N.Y. Johnny]

Unless you're hooked on the local 760 shows, you might think about XM. You can get Bruno on channel 143.

8AM EVERY MORNING i'm there on SPorting News Radio!
Bruno kicks ass and hasn't missed a beat...its cool i can catch Opie And Anthony later all day on replay so I didn't miss nothing

[hussker]

I can actually get the afternoon broadcasts but not the AM shows. I live in College Station.

[tw05baller]

bonfire, i noticed it too

[Clandestino]

760 screws up when i drive on huebner from i-10 down to bab ... other than that it is fine..