It happens. It’s callled, ““tropospheric ducting.”” It’s weather related.
I can assure you, with the exception of piss-poor internet service from TWO different companies we require to bring 100.3 in Lowell to you, any other station coming in LOCALLY on our frequency making us fight to be heard is purely a weather related phenomenon.
It’s common with spring and fall wide temperature swings, and in the summer when the air is more “unstable” around the times of stronger storms.
Usually a layer of cold air that wants to sink (as cold air does if you remember your high school science) and a layer of warmer air that wants to rise are trapped with the cold above and the warm air below. Neither can move, and it literally forms a “duct” like those in your house that move your air around. When that happens, signals originating far away can enter the duct and they’ll come down wherever it ends. Sometimes for simplicity this is literally called “Ducting.”
We’re in that season now….with rapid and wide swings in temperatures.
WION’s FM signals, both 100.3 in Lowell for Kent County and 92.7 in Ionia county are small FM’s. We’re only ALLOWED to have 250 watts on each FM, as opposed to our nearly FIVE THOUSAND on our AM Stereo 1430. The larger corporate entities own the “big” FM’s and there is nothing larger available for we, the smaller broadcaster. Even if we had more power to send out our great programming, FM would still be quite susceptible to this type of happening.
Rest assured, we watch our meters. We check our blinking lights. We record and check-on any kind of massive variation from what our transmitters consider “normal” readings….
So, when you have difficulties with one of our FM’s, please either switch to our AM signal, or…use our FREE streaming service, which brings you AM stereo….a sound you’ll find much more pleasant than the big city stations who may play the same music, but they play it LOUD AND SPED UP. We promise no “ear fatigue” from listening to us, you can listen for hours on end with the clean, pleasant sound we offer on ALL our methods of listening.
Don’t wish “Ducting” away. It means it’s still somewhat warm out. It’ll be cold again soon….and we’ll all be INSIDE listening to America’s Biggest Little Radio Station, Hailing from Ionia, Michigan…..WION!
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