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I'm puzzled by a local radio station WPKN, that's if 30 miles is local. I am using 2 tuners either a Sansui TU-717 or a McIntosh MR71 on a rotational antenna, Radio Shack FM6-15-2163, with an A/B switch. When one is in use the other is turned off,and both show I'm receiving in stereo yet the sound stage is skewed way over to the left as if the right channel is not working. If I switch to Mono the image centers itself. This is the only station that does this. I checked with FM Fool and it tells me I have "Line of Sight" at 30.8 miles, I checked it out with Google Earth and it seems like it's clear. My antenna is in the attic and about 150ft above sea level the transmitting antenna is 830ft above sea level.So why can't I get a true stereo image. Perhaps WPKN needs an
alignment. It has been like this for a few years now.Thanks, Acass.
Edits: 12/06/14Follow Ups:
Acass,WOW, memories! I went to the University of Bridgeport from 1964 till early 1970 (slow learner). WPKN "Purple Knight Network" was the school FM (10 Watt - TUBE FM / AM Carrier Current in the dorms) radio station. It went "public" once the university was acquired by Rev Moon, and the station repertoire turned VERY ECLECTIC - which everyone from then on seemed to LOVE.
I helped wire the "new" studios in the student center sometime in the early 70's during the time when the Kent State Massacre shut down college campi in the US. Again, what memories of this time in our nation's history!!!!Visited them about a year ago and NOTHING HAD CHANGED in how many years??? (disgusting carpets) - total lack of money for this and many college stations. Was "chief engineer" for a few years there and when I lived off-campus I would tune across the FM band and marvel how good the station "sounded" versus most of the commercial stations - didn't realize at the time that what I was hearing was the "benefit" of an ALL TUBE (with the exception of a CBS Volumax limiter - or maybe it was Audimax - versus the early transistors probably used in most all other commercial stations boards and transmitters. MUCH better dynamics!!!
Please call up the station and report what you are hearing. Maybe they don't know any better!
FWIW; I repaired a tuner a few years back and then "tuned across the dial" to check it out. One of the local (Oneonta, NY) FM stereo radio stations didn't light the FM stereo light and I thought something was wrong with the tuner - but other stations were OK. I ran into the station manager a few weeks later and "reported" what I heard. He said - "O yeah, our FM stereo multiplex generator broke a while back and we are getting it fixed but one of the few guys who can work on these said it would take a while". It apparently had been broken (and off the air) for at least 3 months and I was the first person to "complain".
SO - FORGET what you may think of the current state of FM broadcasting - what are "listeners" actually listening to - and more importantly, do they even care???!!!
Cheers!!!
Charles
Edits: 12/07/14
I think the problem may have been mine, I went through my antenna connections from top to bottom re-trimmed and cleaned them and now it is working fine.
As you say it is very eclectic, a few years ago when I was a young man, I spent a week at home sheetrocking a couple of ceilings and listened to WPKN all day, they had a different genre every day ending on Friday with middle eastern music. Not the old stuff but young guys playing their music which was traditionally flavored.
At the moment they're playing early cowboy bands most likely 20's/30's.
Acass.
AHH - "a few years ago when I was a young man" .......
I can't believe I complained about it, today it has a huge beautiful sound stage. I guess they just use it on Sundays and when they have guests over, a bit like our front room (Parlour)when I was a kid.
One other bit to remember is that sometimes the station manager will turn off the stereo broadcast - "because during the talk shows - its all mono anyway...."
Don't assume that the station has it right.
Happy listening
WPKN: That brings back old memories when I used to regularly visit a friend who lived in Upstate NY. Nolan had and apparently still has a terrific how of blues and doo-wop.
Bob Shapiro I see is still on with a great show of American roots music. We used to goof that he had the worst radio DJ voice ever. Great free-form station!
Edits: 12/09/14 12/09/14
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