Does anyone else get massive station bleed around Cary

[dsc]

when listening to Air America? I have had to drive to Cary a few times this month and have listened to Air America while doing so. It is fine in Raleigh and most of Knightdale but when I get around Cary I get bleed from 680 which apparently carries Limbaugh. My radio has no other problems that I know of and 1360 is pretty far from 680. I am thinking of complaining to the FCC but wanted to check here first to see if maybe it is my radio.

[highnooner]

1. I live in Raleigh

I have heard that as well. The WPTF 50K watt tower is about two miles from there. A friend who knows about that stuff says that it is possible to get that bleedover because of that huge signal. Even though 1360 and 680 are pretty far apart, they are mirror images on wavelength or something like that. Therefore, bleedover is possible. It is not a conspiracy. It has been that way for years.

[dsc]

2. I didn't mean to imply conspiracy

but isn't it part of the radio station's job to prevent that from happening. Why should I, or anyone else, who wishes to listen to Franken have to listen to Limbaugh instead? Thanks though for the confirmation that it isn't my radio. I didn't think it was but wished to remove that as a possibility. I will have to check with the FCC.

[LastDemocratInSC]

3. The problem is probably in your radio

1360 is 680 times two. Many radios have poor internal filtering and as a result a radio signal at one frequency can interfere with a signal at a multiple of its frequency. It's not the radio station, it's your radio.

The bottom of the AM broadcast band is 520 KHz (520,000 cycles per second). The top of the band is 1710 KHz (1,710,000 cycles per second). Radio signals from 520 KHz to 860 KHz can interfere with other signals from 1040 to 1720 (twice the 1st frequency) in receivers with poor filtering. This is common.

The fact that WPTF at 680 KHz is a 50,000 watt station makes the problem much worse for the station at 1360, but it's not WPTF's fault. If you call the 1360 station I'm sure they'll tell you that they're very aware of the problem.

[dsc]

4. I drive quite a lot

I have driven in Ohio, PA, NY, MD, WV, VA, NC, and SC all in this car. Literally the one and only place this happens is in Cary with that station. I can listen to that station from West of Chapel Hill to a bit east of Raleigh. Only in that spot does it happen. I find it more than a little hard to believe that it is my radio.

[LastDemocratInSC]

5. You've found "the perfect storm" in radio terms

Your "perfect storm" is the result of 4 different things adding together:

1 - The Air America station is WCHL in Chapel Hill. Its broadcast frequency is 1360 KHz, which is twice the frequency of the interfering station, WPTF in Raleigh, whose frequency is 680.

2 - WCHL broadcasts at 5,000 watts during the day and 1,000 watts during the night (weak compared to WPTF). WPTF broadcasts at 50,000 watts at all times (the max power allowed in the United States).

3 - Only the very best radios can reject interference between nearby stations under the above conditions. Car radios aren't the very best available.

4 - WCHL's weak transmitter site is north and east of Chapel Hill. WPTF's beastly transmitter is in ... Cary ... where you experience the problem.

WPTF's transmitter is located near the intersection of East Chatham Street and Maynard Road in Cary.

It's unlikely that anyone ever receives WCHL well in Cary, at any time of the day.

WCHL is licensed as a local station while WPTF is licensed as a regional station. If you're in Chapel Hill and can't hear WCHL because of WPTF you've got a case with the FCC. The same is true if you're in Cary and can't hear WPTF because of WCHL, but that's not likely to happen.

Physics and math are working against you, unfortunately.

[LiberalinNC]

6. I do get the same problem(s) as you w/ 1360 am...but I also

have the same problem in N. Raleigh and parts of 440, especially between Wade Ave. and Six Forks.

[Vox_Reason]

7. I've experienced this many times in the car

Those upthread have explained why it happens.

WPTF: A 50kwatt blowtorch of fascist propaganda.

I listen to 1360 as much as I can. It's so refreshing--comparing their programming and WPTFs is really eye-opening. WCHL is positive, community focused--WPTF is constantly trying to stir up right-wing hatred. Only Tom Kearney and Bob Langford are the only locals worth listening to on WPTF. Kim Komando and Clark Howard are worth checking out, and they do have Art Bell latenight on weekends, but other than that, it's fascist cheerleading all the time.