[BC] FM Stereo Question

[Bob Groome]

Mono will help. But, some radios won't stop on non-stereo stations. Maybe look at your azimuth pattern to be sure you are getting all the signal you can legall get. Pattern optimization is what that is called. Also make sure the antenna is really circularly pattern.  

RF first then audio processing. One percent change in piolt won't help much. 

-- 
Bob Groome
www.bobgroome.com
Work E-mail: bgroome at eriinc.com
 

On Feb 27, 2010, at 11:33 AM, ChuxGarage at aol.com wrote:

I'm trying to maximize my newly acquired 2500 watt FM station.  The good news is it is on a 495 foot tower. The bad news is it's no flame-thrower and the 60 dbu contour goes right through a town that I consider essential to the financial health of the station.  On some radios, it is no problem. On others the signal it is quite noisy, or even nonexistent.  I'm sure that there is nothing I can do to help the $11.96 drug store radios, but for folks with decent stereos, I'd like to have as good a signal as possible. 

I'm considering taking the station mono to see if that helps, but before I do that, I'm wondering if experimenting with the 19 kHz pilot level would make much difference? Right now it is at 9%.  I'm pretty sure lowering it would make things nosier, but how about increasing it to 10% (which I think it the edge of "legal")?

Has anybody experimented with this?  I realize that I'd sacrifice a little loudness for the increased pilot level.  I'm not interested in being the loudest signal on the air, but I'd like it to be one of the best sounding signals.