The Tucson community station on 91.3 mHz is looking to raise $750,000 for a variety of improvement projects, but almost half of it will go toward a booster in midtown. The station is currently powering 340 Watts @ 3642 feet HAAT.
Said The Arizona Daily Star: “Currently, it broadcasts air from a transmitter atop Mount Bigelow, but formations such as Pusch Ridge block the signal from reaching parts of northwest Tucson. The problem itself dates back about 20 years,’ said Randy Peterson, KXCI’s GM…The booster transmitter would be attached to the existing Los Altos tower in midtown. The total cost of installing and operating the new transmitter for three years is $350,000, said Peterson. After that, the station believes funds generated by new members will take care of the increased operations costs.”
The booster should help us the station reach about 30% more of Tucson, he told the paper.
KXCI offers eclectic programming, from Democracy Now to Indie Rock, Hip-Hop, Latin jazz and bluegrass.
See the Arizona Daily Star story here.
A booster, which by definition is on the same frequency as the orignal signal will create a lot of interference to the orignal signal in all areas where both can be heard. Boosters are best used only where the original signal is extremely poor or not heard at all. A midtown location could cause significant degradation of the orignal signal in most of Tucson while gaining only in the northwest. I’m familiar with the current transmitter lcoation and spent 15 years as a radio braodcast engineer in Tucson. I was there when KXCI moved to Mt. Bigelow. A translator, which by definition is on a diferent frequency, would be a far better choice. I hope that is what they are really planning.
Comments are closed.