Help with receiving the 89.9 FM signal
Our FM signal is produced by a transmit power of about 2 Kilowatts, which is still considered low power by
commercial FM broadcast standards. Our broadcasts are mono to help our coverage. But if you live outside
our primary coverage area you may have difficulty receiving WRRO 89.9 FM, so we would like to suggest
some options for improving reception at home.
Use a good antenna:
The antenna is a very important element in a home FM radio receiving system. It supplies a strong signal to the FM
receiver ensuring clear WRRO 89.9 FM reception. A good antenna is particularly important for low noise. Here are several
suggestions to improve your antenna.
Use an external antenna:
Often an external antenna can provide better reception than the built in antenna supplied with many radios. A simple
inexpensive external antenna is the twin lead style folded dipole. This type of antenna can be purchase at Radio Shack for
$7. If your receiver has a 75 ohm antenna input you may also need a 300/75 ohm transformer also available at Radio
shack. Click here for further information
Buy a high gain directional FM antenna:
If you are located in a fringe area where our signal is weak a high gain directional FM antenna can greatly improve your
reception. There are many suppliers of such antennas and some examples are given here.
Solid Signal offers a 6 element antenna for $27
Winegard offers a 4 element antenna for $41
There are many other options for high gain directional antennas, omni directional antennas, and indoor antennas on the
Internet and eBay. It may also be useful to use a preamplifier with a high gain antenna if you are in a particularly bad
location for FM radio reception.
Point the antenna at the WRRO transmitter:
If you have a directional antenna be sure to point it at the WRRO FM transmitter site located in Edon Ohio. A rotator may
be a useful addition to your outdoor antenna system to make it easier to bring in reception from a variety of FM stations
which might be geographically spread around the Northeast Indiana area. The precise location of the WRRO 89.9 FM
transmitter is North Latitude: 41 deg 32 min 58 sec. West Longitude: 84 deg 46 min 17 sec. The altitude is 382 meters
ASL. This is the approximate coordinate for 324 South Michigan St., Edon, Ohio.
Use your TV antenna:
Many TV antennas also cover the FM band. So hook your FM receiver to your TV antenna using a power splitter and see
if WRRO reception improves.
Place the antenna as high as possible:
The signal strength presented to your FM receiver by your antenna will increase the higher the position of your antenna,
either indoors or outside. If your antenna is outside your home mount it as high above the ground as possible. Don’t allow
the roof or other structures to block the path of the signal from the transmitter to your antenna. If a combination television
and FM radio antenna is already installed on your roof, it can be connected to both your TV and FM receiver using a
power splitter. WARNING! Roof top antennas of any sort should have lightning protection.
Additional ways to improve 89.9 FM Reception:
In addition to using a good antenna here are some other ideas to improve WRRO 89.9 FM reception at your
location.
Buy a more sensitive receiver:
Not all FM radio receivers are created equal. Some are more sensitive and produce a better listening experience than others.
Generally you get what you pay for with the more expensive receivers being better. Clock radios are usually among the poorer
FM receivers, partly because their antenna is very small and there is no provision for the connection of an external antenna.
Listen in your car:
Most car radios are better than many radios which are used indoors. Car radios are very sensitive for reception in a mobile
environment and in fringe areas. They also have a good antenna mounted on the car body or embedded in window glass. Car
radios also get a better signal just by virtue of being outdoors, and are not susceptible to the signal attenuation produced by
being inside buildings.
Use a car radio in your home:
Because car radios are very sensitive receivers some listeners have converted them for home use. This approach requires a
+12 volt DC power supply, an external set of speakers, and an antenna but can work well in some situations.
Those with basic mechanical and electrical skills should find this type of project easy to accomplish. You are likely to be able to
use a car radio indoors if you are able to receive an adequate signal while in your automobile as it's parked near the point of
reception. So try listening to WRRO 89.9 FM in your car while parked in your driveway, on the street, or in the parking lot
adjacent to your dwelling or workplace. Some inexpensive sources of automobile receivers are the typical auto stereo retailers
like Car Toys and auto salvage yards. +12 volt power supplies are available from Radio Shack, sparkfun Electronics, DigiKey,
or other sources of electronic parts.
Reduce interference from electronic devices:
All radio signals, including WRRO FM, continue to sustain increasing interference from more and more electronic devices in
our environment. Interfering background noise, which can degrade FM reception, can be created by such things as nearby
computers, monitors, electrical appliances, power lines, and HD television displays. WRRO 89.9 FM transmits enough power to
overcome most noisy situations in our primary listening area. But if you live at a location where the WRRO 89.9 FM signal is
weak you may be able to improve your reception by eliminating local noise sources which might interfere with our signal.
Try reducing interference by turning off devices in your home one at a time to see if reception becomes more clear. Also
reposition the device and/or its cables to see if reception can be improved. If noise is radiating from cables connected to an
interfering electronic device like a computer monitor, you may be able to reduce the problem with clamp-on ferrite filters from
Radio Shack. Place them on the cables of the offending device as close to the device as possible and see if reception
improves. If the interference comes from your neighbors their equipment may be in violation of FCC rules. Talk to your
neighbors first. You may also hear an improvement if you move your FM antenna farther away from the interfering electronic
device.
Recognizing interference from other radio stations:
At some locations where our signal is weak you may experience interference from other FM stations which are broadcasting
either on our frequency or on adjacent channels. If you are closer to those stations than to our transmitter they may interfere
with your reception of our signal. There is no recourse in this situation as all FM broadcast stations adhere to the same FCC
regulations. Or you may experience interference with an inexpensive radio which is close to a very high power FM transmitter.
If you experience either on channel or adjacent channel interference please identify the interfering station and let us know. If it's
a legal station there's nothing we can do. But if it's an illegal pirate station, which sometimes happens, please let us know as
soon as possible so that we may notify the FCC.
Dealing with changes in the signal strength:
We sometimes receive calls from listeners who hear us better on some days than on other days. While the transmitted strength
of our signal is kept very constant 24/7 there are other factors which could cause variations in the quality of your reception. For
example, changes in the weather can make a difference, especially if there is rain, ice or snow about, or even a hot Summer
day. A reception problem caused by changes in the weather is self-correcting as conditions return to normal. But if the quality
of your reception is suddenly reduced and remains poor, it is likely that something changed in your immediate surroundings. A
new source of interference may have popped up, or maybe your antenna orientation changed, or the antenna has become
broken.
Listen to WLYV AM:
If you are unable to listen to WRRO 89.9 FM try WLYV AM at 1450 KHz. The quality of the sound on our AM signal is not
as good as our FM signal.
Listen to WRRO on the Internet:
You can always listen to WRRO on the Internet. We stream normal programming 24/7 to the Worldwide Web. Please
check the Listen page on this website for details on how to tune in. The Internet stream provides CD quality audio which is
interference free.
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We want to meet the needs of all our listeners, over the air or on the web, and involve you in the truth and
beauty of our Catholic faith. We hope these options provide you with viable solutions if you are presently
having reception difficulty. Please call or email us if we can be of further assistance.
Thanks and God Bless,
Redeemer Radio