Letter to CGC Communicator

Santa Barbara County's Newest FM Testing

KAKV, on 106.7 and licensed to Lompoc in Western Santa Barbara County (near Vandenberg AFB), has been on testing since Monday, January 25. They are playing a mix of adult standards, pop standards, show tunes, and elevator music. It usually ID's only at the top of the hour, but the ID is unusual. After a short burst of a modem-like tone, a female synthesized voice says "KAKV", followed by a male human voice saying "Lompoc". But the real story here is the coverage. I'm assuming they're on from their licensed site, and not using the facilities (from another site) for which they have a CP. No other FM's are on from their licensed site. It (unlike any other northern or western Santa Barbara County FM) covers the South County (Goleta, Santa Barbara, and Capinteria) fairly well, bad news for anybody who wants to listen to KROQ, which used to be (until now) quite usable in the car at many points around the area. There is now quite a large area (on Highway 101 from Gaviota to Ventura and perhaps even south of there) of coverage overlap; in some places it's all KROQ, in some places it's all KAKV, and in many places it's just plain a mess. I even heard KAKV right on the coast entering Ventura southbound on Highway 101. I wouldn't be surprised if it gives KROQ a bad time in areas of Ventura and Oxnard that are right on the water.

If they are using their licensed facilities, they are running 1.1 KW omnidirectional from a site near the eastern central border of Vandenberg AFB. They have a CP for 3.5 KW directional, with a null to the southeast (towards Santa Barbara and Ventura). There is another FM on from the CP site (KRQK on 100.3 running 3.7 KW omnidirectional, which does not get into the Santa Barbara area hardly at all). I don't know if KROQ cares about this overlap; I'm sure their contours don't cover Santa Barbara and vicinity (I believe they're on Flint Peak in the foothills between Glendale and Burbank). They are (or maybe were?) available in the Santa Barbara area on cable through the optional Music Choice service. I wonder what 106.7 looks like at the cable head end these days? Could be interesting.

I think perhaps someone at the FCC was out to lunch when this allocation was made. I've been waiting for this one to come on because it looked like trouble to me. If I'm not mistaken, their licensed site is either at or very near the site of the 145.12 MHz two-meter repeater, which has coverage down the coast through Palos Verdes and even some of the Orange County beach cities. This should be interesting.

73,

Dennis Gibson
WB6TNB
dcgibson@earthlink.net

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©1998 Society of Broadcast Engineers Chapter 36 San Diego. All rights reserved. For more information, to become a member or a sponsor, or to make suggestions or comments, e-mail sbe36@broadcast.net. Write to P.O. Box 710702, San Diego, California 92171-0702.  

Edited by Gary Stigall. Updated Feb 5 99.