GoodSoundClub - Romy the Cat's Audio Site

In the Forum: Off Air Audio
In the Thread: FMFool – a truly useful tool

Post Subject: FMFool – a truly useful toolPosted by Romy the Cat on: 7/5/2008

The scan below, is courtesy to http://www.fmfool.com/

Callsign
These are the call letters that the FCC uses to uniquely identify broadcasters. Many broadcasters will have multiple entries for their call sign (for translator and booster stations).

Channel
This is the broadcast channel for the station.

Xmit(kW)
This is the amount of power (in kilowatts) that the broadcaster is transmitting in your direction. Since many broadcasters use directional antennas to focus most of their broadcast energy into populated areas, this power level may be different than the raw power level shown by the FCC. This value has already been adjusted for your location according to the radiation pattern registered with the FCC.

Rx(dBm)
This is the predicted receiver signal strength of each channel at your location, specified in dBm.

Path

This indicates the path travelled by the signal to get from the transmitter to your location.

LOS: Line-of-sight
1Edge: Single edge diffraction
2Edge: Double edge diffraction
Tropo: Tropospheric scatter

Dist(mi)
Distance from your location to the transmitter, specified in statute miles.

Azimuth

Azimuth direction for the transmitter (0=North), relative to true north. The numbers have been color coded according to the transmitter direction for easier identification of channel clusters. Transmitters coming from approximately the same direction will have similar colors, matching the colors in the outer ring of the radar plot.

Magnetic north readings are also provided for easy compass pointing. When using a compass for orientation, the "North" end of the needle should point to the red colored "N" on the radar plot. You can use the magnetic north azimuth values (in parentheses) to aim your antenna via compass.

LOS
This is the estimated height necessary (at the given coordinates) in order to reach the line-of-sight path of the transmitter. This can be used to judge the severity of a terrain obstruction. This height is specified in feet above ground level. Note that it is possible to have excellent reception even without line-of-sight access to the transmitter. This column is provided for informational purposes only.

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Callsign	These are the call letters that the FCC uses to uniquely identify broadcasters. Many broadcasters will have multiple entries for their call sign (for translator and booster stations).
Channel	This is the broadcast channel for the station.
Xmit(kW)	This is the amount of power (in kilowatts) that the broadcaster is transmitting in your direction. Since many broadcasters use directional antennas to focus most of their broadcast energy into populated areas, this power level may be different than the raw power level shown by the FCC. This value has already been adjusted for your location according to the radiation pattern registered with the FCC.
Rx(dBm)	This is the predicted receiver signal strength of each channel at your location, specified in dBm.
Path	This indicates the path travelled by the signal to get from the transmitter to your location. LOS: Line-of-sight 1Edge: Single edge diffraction 2Edge: Double edge diffraction Tropo: Tropospheric scatter
Dist(mi)	Distance from your location to the transmitter, specified in statute miles.
Azimuth	Azimuth direction for the transmitter (0=North), relative to true north. The numbers have been color coded according to the transmitter direction for easier identification of channel clusters. Transmitters coming from approximately the same direction will have similar colors, matching the colors in the outer ring of the radar plot. Magnetic north readings are also provided for easy compass pointing. When using a compass for orientation, the "North" end of the needle should point to the red colored "N" on the radar plot. You can use the magnetic north azimuth values (in parentheses) to aim your antenna via compass.
LOS	This is the estimated height necessary (at the given coordinates) in order to reach the line-of-sight path of the transmitter. This can be used to judge the severity of a terrain obstruction. This height is specified in feet above ground level. Note that it is possible to have excellent reception even without line-of-sight access to the transmitter. This column is provided for informational purposes only.