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Who knows more about IU football, DD or JMV?

It's weird how little of Indy those cover on certain days. In August I was at 465 and 69 and turned the radio to each station. 107.5 didn't come in at all, and 93.5 died out just north of Top Golf.

Sunday on the way home from Bloomington 107.5 gave me coverage of the Colts game all the way to Shenandoah High School. I had to switch to Kicks96 at that point.
I no longer remember much college physics but the reach has to do with wave length. AM has better distance. I can actually get Ft Waynes 1100 and occasionally kdka from Pitssburg.
 
I no longer remember much college physics but the reach has to do with wave length. AM has better distance. I can actually get Ft Waynes 1100 and occasionally kdka from Pitssburg.
I, and many of my generation grew up listening to WLS. I've heard some impressive stories of how far that signal reached, especially at night. I can remember also being able to get KMOX at times at night.
 
I, and many of my generation grew up listening to WLS. I've heard some impressive stories of how far that signal reached, especially at night. I can remember also being able to get KMOX at times at night.
Wcfl 1000 - music
Wls 890 - music
Wgn 720 - Cubs
670 - white sox (I forget the call letters) maybe wmaq.
I could get those just east of south bend.
 
The oversimplified version - Wavelength and Power are the two drivers. AM radio has a longer wavelength and can bounce off the ionsphere so with enough power it can be worldwide. FM radio has a smaller wavelength (higher frequency) and is effected by curvature of the earth aka Line of Sight. You might hear ham radio guys talk about it in meters, 2M, 10M, etc... those are just ways of identifying the wavelength and ultimately the range.

You never hear an FM station described as a "50,000 Watt Blowtorch!" because they are limited by line of sight and power restrictions. Watts are the AM claim to fame, since that signal bounces over the horizon. FCC lets AM stations up the power at night too (or at least they used to) That's why I could listen to the Pacers play the Spurs at night when I was a kid on 1440 AM out of San Antonio or the Reds on 700 when you're in the UP of Michigan.
 
The oversimplified version - Wavelength and Power are the two drivers. AM radio has a longer wavelength and can bounce off the ionsphere so with enough power it can be worldwide. FM radio has a smaller wavelength (higher frequency) and is effected by curvature of the earth aka Line of Sight. You might hear ham radio goes talk about it in meters, 2M, 10M, etc... those are just ways of identifying the wavelength and ultimately the range.

You never hear an FM station described as a "50,000 Watt Blowtorch!". That's the AM claim to fame, since that signal bounces over the horizon. FCC lets AM stations up the power at night too (or at least they used to) That's why I could listen to the Pacers play the Spurs at night when I was a kid on 1440 AM out of San Antonio or the Reds on 700 when you're in the UP of Michigan.
What causes AM signals to be so much more affected by weather?
 
What causes AM signals to be so much more affected by weather?
It has to do with how the signal is modulated. Atmospheric disturbances affect the entire modulation of AM because its signal encoding is based on the power and the disturbances cause fluctuations in the power. FM is unaffected because it's encoded in the frequency and the power fluctuations don't affect frequency.

It's been a while since I studied for my amateur radio license. I'm at the end of what I can remember. If you guys start asking about antennas and ground planes, I'm leaving the thread.
 
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What causes AM signals to be so much more affected by weather?

You couldn't have asked a question with a more complicated answer... it's a combination of so many things. The stations frequency, overall signal strength, temperature, humidity, interference from nearby mechanically generated signals... even air pressure in some cases.

Again, far too much to give simple answers and I was never a station engineer... not even close to qualifying....but I understand a little about it and here are a couple of things to consider...

Rain and snow . Water is an electrical conductor, and absorbs radio waves. The effect will be to reduce signal strength,which can cause a digital signal to break up or an analogue signal to have speckles. The problem extends all the way up to satellite signals. For reception through trees, the added water content in leaves and trunk can reduce reception.

That's a start for ya....
 
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It's weird how little of Indy those cover on certain days. In August I was at 465 and 69 and turned the radio to each station. 107.5 didn't come in at all, and 93.5 died out just north of Top Golf.

Sunday on the way home from Bloomington 107.5 gave me coverage of the Colts game all the way to Shenandoah High School. I had to switch to Kicks96 at that point.
I was at St. Clair and Martin Luther King and the signal was going out......that's about a mile from the Emmis building as the crow flies.
 
I was at St. Clair and Martin Luther King and the signal was going out......that's about a mile from the Emmis building as the crow flies.

The signal comes from the stations tower not from their downtown studios and business offices.
I can't recall right now exactly where the 93.5 or 107.5 towers are located but I'm pretty sure they're somewhere in the far edges of Marion County.

With all of the metal, concrete and additional signal interference in downtown Indy it's not uncommon for any station to have small pockets, like the St. Clair & MLK intersection, where the signal is interrupted. Also, while it might appear to you and me that the weather is perfect there can still be some unusual things going on in the atmosphere that can wreck havoc on the FM signal...
 
Don't know how many hated him, but he usually 'didn't play well with others'. He could lose his temper like few others, & still manage to keep his gig. Knew sports, stats & sports history better that most, even better than Chris Berman, of ESPN. Fantastic memory & recall powers. If you didn't mind his short temper, attitude (sometimes), & self appreciation, he could tell you sports things, like few others could. Probably very hi iq.

Mark certainly knew his sports, and i wonder if the internet didn't hurt him, in that all the talk guys now have access to knowledge only Mark had access to prior to the net.

seems like Mark is the first Indy sports talk guy i remember, and the rest all followed.

wasn't he also a regular on Bob & Tom for awhile. (among his many other gigs).

his impressions were great, and imo he earned an impressionist greatest compliment, in that people would do an impression of his impression of someone, rather than an impression of that someone.

btw, did he ever get that Dixie Chopper?
 
Mark certainly knew his sports, and i wonder if the internet didn't hurt him, in that all the talk guys now have access to knowledge only Mark had access to prior to the net.

seems like Mark is the first Indy sports talk guy i remember, and the rest all followed.

wasn't he also a regular on Bob & Tom for awhile. (among his many other gigs).

his impressions were great, and imo he earned an impressionist greatest compliment, in that people would do an impression of his impression of someone, rather than an impression of that someone.

btw, did he ever get that Dixie Chopper?
Wasn't 'Mark' originally from Brownsburg? Don't know about the Dixie Chopper. If I recall correctly, I don't believe Patrick was his real/legal surname. If Mark could handle the callers & guests ok, he'd be easier to listen to than DD or JMV. Listeners would definitely get more sports information.

I believe you're right about the internet hurting his brand/what he did best, kind of like the internet hurting the subscriptions, revenue & popularity of newspapers like the Indy Star. His impressions were off the charts great. I thought I read several years ago he left the state (maybe for the northeast?). His hi iq stood out very early when listening to him. You're right about the Bob & Tom gig, & he seemed to keep very, very busy, jobs wise.

Yes on the impressions, & I believe he went national with his sports show for awhile. I doubt he ever has a hard time finding any kind of work, probably any kind he wants. He'd be great in sales, marketing/advertising/closer, ect., ect... I could easily see him in Hollywood as well. He'd be close to 70 by now, I think? Storen was his surname. Wow, just googled him, & he's only 62 now. I think he did have prematurely grey hair though, which probably made him look older than he was. The internet says he's also still based in Indy. Wonder if he's VanPastorMan? :) He's probably alive & well on this board somewhere. :)

Yep, he was very, very funny, very quick witted, & sharp as a tack, always, & skinny/wiry as a rail. Great comedian, host & MC. He also hosted 'Hoosier Lottery' (best host they ever had) & 'Hoosier Millionaire'. Yep, he can do whatever he wants, & the $$$ will always come flowing in. Great local success story. He should be in Hollywood. It would seem like a natural to/for him.

I liked his Harry Caray & Marge Schott impressions best. Harry was always drunk, & Marge was, well, always Marge, if you know what I mean. :) I do a good Howard Cosell 'Speaking of Sports' impression.
 
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The signal comes from the stations tower not from their downtown studios and business offices.
I can't recall right now exactly where the 93.5 or 107.5 towers are located but I'm pretty sure they're somewhere in the far edges of Marion County.

With all of the metal, concrete and additional signal interference in downtown Indy it's not uncommon for any station to have small pockets, like the St. Clair & MLK intersection, where the signal is interrupted. Also, while it might appear to you and me that the weather is perfect there can still be some unusual things going on in the atmosphere that can wreck havoc on the FM signal...
That’s all fine and dandy. But not getting the signal of the Colts and Pacers flagship station in downtown Indy is really, really not good.
 
That’s all fine and dandy. But not getting the signal of the Colts and Pacers flagship station in downtown Indy is really, really not good.
My thoughts exactly. Not sure you can consider yourself the flagship station when the majority of the fanbases have to listen to other stations for the game.

Can't stream that either. An incredibly rich guy found a way to make more money.
 
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Wasn't 'Mark' originally from Brownsburg? Don't know about the Dixie Chopper. If I recall correctly, I don't believe Patrick was his real/legal surname. If Mark could handle the callers & guests ok, he'd be easier to listen to than DD or JMV. Listeners would definitely get more sports information.

I believe you're right about the internet hurting his brand/what he did best, kind of like the internet hurting the subscriptions, revenue & popularity of newspapers like the Indy Star. His impressions were off the charts great. I thought I read several years ago he left the state (maybe for the northeast?). His hi iq stood out very early when listening to him. You're right about the Bob & Tom gig, & he seemed to keep very, very busy, jobs wise.

Yes on the impressions, & I believe he went national with his sports show for awhile. I doubt he ever has a hard time finding any kind of work, probably any kind he wants. He'd be great in sales, marketing/advertising/closer, ect., ect... I could easily see him in Hollywood as well. He'd be close to 70 by now, I think? Storen was his surname. Wow, just googled him, & he's only 62 now. I think he did have prematurely grey hair though, which probably made him look older than he was. The internet says he's also still based in Indy. Wonder if he's VanPastorMan? :) He's probably alive & well on this board somewhere. :)

Yep, he was very, very funny, very quick witted, & sharp as a tack, always, & skinny/wiry as a rail. Great comedian, host & MC. He also hosted 'Hoosier Lottery' (best host they ever had) & 'Hoosier Millionaire'. Yep, he can do whatever he wants, & the $$$ will always come flowing in. Great local success story. He should be in Hollywood. It would seem like a natural to/for him.

I liked his Harry Caray & Marge Schott impressions best. Harry was always drunk, & Marge was, well, always Marge, if you know what I mean. :) I do a good Howard Cosell 'Speaking of Sports' impression.
Mark Patrick Storen is from Brownsburg, Nephew of Mike Storen cousin of Hanna Storm. Dad of MLB closer Drew Storen Great memory and sports knowlegde particularly Baseball. WISH TV Sports anchor for several years before Bob and Tom stuff. Impressionist as you point out. Did a great Don Fischer (Flush Man) while talking to Don himself. Played basketball at Ball State I believe. Was fortunate to be able to follow Drew during his career.

Mark certainly had the ability to rub some people the wrong way. He and Pam moved to SC.
 
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Mark Patrick Storen is from Brownsburg, Nephew of Mike Storen cousin of Hanna Storm. Dad of MLB closer Drew Storen Great memory and sports knowlegde particularly Baseball. WISH TV Sports anchor for several years before Bob and Tom stuff. Impressionist as you point out. Did a great Don Fischer (Flush Man) while talking to Don himself. Played basketball at Ball State I believe. Was fortunate to be able to follow Drew during his career.

Mark certainly had the ability to rub some people the wrong way. He and Pam moved to SC.

I've known Mark since he first started in radio at WNDE in '79... I was at Q at the time and we got to be friends.... Mark is one of the shrewdest businessmen I know. He made a small fortune with his interests.. One way was by owning his own SIROUS... (or whichever satellite radio net,.. I can't remember for sure)... baseball program. Mark is sharp... his dad owned a real estate & tax service in B'burg and he did my taxes for a couple of years in the early 80's. Yes, he's now living high up in the Smokey Mountains, enjoying life with Pam and his grandkids... Mark played baseball at BSU, not basketball... He played on our softball team and he was always the best player in the league... One hell of an athlete... at B'burg he was the QB, along with starring in B'ball and of course baseball.

We actually worked together at a couple of stations over the years and while it's true some people didn't care for his sarcastic humor, I did and he always had me... ROTFLOL.... He's a great guy, if you know him.
 
I've known Mark since he first started in radio at WNDE in '79... I was at Q at the time and we got to be friends.... Mark is one of the shrewdest businessmen I know. He made a small fortune with his interests.. One way was by owning his own SIROUS... (or whichever satellite radio net,.. I can't remember for sure)... baseball program. Mark is sharp... his dad owned a real estate & tax service in B'burg and he did my taxes for a couple of years in the early 80's. Yes, he's now living high up in the Smokey Mountains, enjoying life with Pam and his grandkids... Mark played baseball at BSU, not basketball... He played on our softball team and he was always the best player in the league... One hell of an athlete... at B'burg he was the QB, along with starring in B'ball and of course baseball.

We actually worked together at a couple of stations over the years and while it's true some people didn't care for his sarcastic humor, I did and he always had me... ROTFLOL.... He's a great guy, if you know him.
I thought Dave 'The King' Wilson was also very, very funny as well. Didn't he go to CA. several years ago, then return to IN. a couple of years ago? Is he back at Q-95? On Q-95, 'Bob & Tom Show', (from a listening standpoint, & I didn't listen a lot, but when I did) it seemed/sounded like Bob was laid back & easy to get along with. It seemed like Tom was just the opposite, & I felt/sensed tension between Kristy Lee & Tom. Tom could (seem to) get under people's skin, very naturally.

A youtube can't miss, ratings success would be D. Dakich & Tom Griswold, live, interviewing each other, non stop, for 24 hrs. I don't subscribe to youtube, but I might for that. Tom would cut Dan to pieces, quick. We could bring in Mark Patrick to MC/host/play by play. :)

Dakich is funny. He cuts everyone to pieces, live, on air, then wonders why nobody wants to get interviewed by him. :) I'm surprised Jimmy Irsay hasn't put out a hit on him, & Dan still has a job where Colts games are broadcast & bringing in money..
 
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That’s all fine and dandy. But not getting the signal of the Colts and Pacers flagship station in downtown Indy is really, really not good.

I've never ever had a problem picking up the signal anywhere in the downtown area... or most of Marion County... Maybe you have a crappy radio in your car.
 
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