[BC] Wow, I wonder if y ou feel the same way about AM?

[Jeff Glass]

In a message dated 2/2/2010 8:36:03 PM Central Standard Time, broadcast-request at radiolists.net writes:

>Jeff, you may not think this is a big deal, and from where you live it 
>may not be, but in the highly populated areas, it really is a problem.

>Why shouldn't I be able to listen to Baltimore FMs, many less than 40 
>miles from my home?  I used to be able to hear them.  I have a great 
>receiver, a Yahama T-7, mesh tuned analog tuner.

>--chip

Chip:

As long as the stations you're trying to pick up are not getting hammered by legal interference, nothing stopping you from listening to stations 40 miles away. Understand that the 50:50 (interference protected, 50% of the locations, 50% of the time, 30 foot high receive antenna)  contour goes out 32 miles with a 50 kW FM at 500 feet. So you're stretching the protected zone rubber band, and you are in what I call the "fluff zone"  This is the coverage area that the FCC does not protect, and the area that usually goes byby as soon as someone on your CO, or adjacent channel upgrades their facilities.

That's the way the FCC set up the allocation tables.

Jeff Glass