WLAV Tower Relocation - new update 7/29

[Arthur Mometer]

This was a huqe topic, so let's keep it going.

The last post was about the other tower near the WNWZ site, which has the WGRD-FM auxiliary, which is 1.7 kW at 120 meters HAAT and for a short while had the main WGRD-FM licensed facility. That area is about 6 miles closer to WWDV, which is too far from the WLAV LIC facility for ideal replication of the nondirectional service area. The tower there is 500 feet though.

[radionut]

I think once the re-location to the GVSU happens the Average WLAV will no longer have reception issues. It all comes down to where the Sales people are selling. I highly doubt much is being sold in eastern Kent County. Ionia, Montcalm, Barry and Eaton counties. I'm sure a some though.

[Trophyhead]

I had a sketchy signal on Sunday morning when I tuned in "Breakfast in the Basement." Writing to you on the anniversary of Uncle Ed's birth, let me say I was thankful to hear "Juke Joint Jump" by Elvin Bishop, Steve.

Will this WGVU arrangement strengthen the quality near US-131 and Pine Island Drive?

Signed,
Curious

[Trophyhead]

Where the freeway crosses Pine Island is a pretty good rise in elevation from the West River intersection, that's for sure.

Not to be an "old horse," but I remember tuning in Aris on LAV with a fringe signal when I was up by Reed City in the 80s, and being able to pull in 96.9 by Mt. Pleasant.

A thumb-shaped Sony is not the most discerning device with which to make assertions about the changes in their signal.

[bosco]

They have the STA to go to the GVSU tower. My guess is that it is "just" product availability. With the TV repack going on across the country, antenna manufacturers are way behind on orders and tower crews are very much booked up.

[Arthur Mometer]

[Arthur Mometer]

MW Said: My guess is Cumulus/WLAV is having to wait a very long time for a directional antenna to be manufactured that meets the necessary specs for the GVSU site.

There's someone on this board who could do it.

[cckadlec]

I had assumed they had long since moved to Allendale, but didn't take much of the process into consideration (and not very invested in them to care too much). Just seemed they picked up and moved to the WBBL tower pretty quickly when they had to, so I figured maybe they'd do the same here. But at the same time, here in Fremont, while their signal improved quite a bit after they got the Allendale approval - which could very well be conditions this time of year compared to summer - it still has the null in the exact same spot (as it did with the WBBL tower) where I can still hear either Zion or Sheboygan, depending on the day.

[Arthur Mometer]

Before we were so rudely interrupted by the computer hack destroying our painstaking work, we had determined that the WBBL tower site was not suitable for a permanent location for WLAV, because of short spacing to WQHH DeWitt and possibly WUFN Albion, even under Section 73.215. Unless some major rule changes are proposed and or adopted, and implemented, that is still the case. There are some innovative techniques being used for translators on such channels, but I don't recall seeing that in the REC proposals either. I need to look at that again however.

Keep in mind that the WBBL site was chosen because it was and still is a Greenville station. WBFX 101.3 also ended up out there because after the old WMAX-FM was sold to the owners of WION Ionia, they wanted it to serve Ionia with a 70 dBu signal. They could not be WMAX-FM at that time because they were no longer coowned with WMAX 1480. And with the COL still in Grand Rapids, they changed it to WYON. Then they squeezed in 101.7 into Muskegon Heights, originally WKJR-FM, which complicated or prevented a TL move back closer to Grand Rapids. Pathfinder later even bought it with the idea of moving back near the WLAV-FM tower. They got as far as pushing 101.7 almost into Lake Michigan.