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CAPE FEAR MEMORIAL BRIDGE CLOSURE: UPDATES, RESOURCES, AND CONTEXT

Problems getting 96.7 fm?

Since signing on Classical HQR at 96.7 last week, we have received many messages of thanks from classical listeners in New Hanover and areas in neighboring counties who are overjoyed to have classical music on FM 24 hours a day. But listeners elsewhere have reported reception problems.

While we will continue to make some minor modifications in the signal, the current signal strength is pretty close to the FCC-regulated maximum for this FM station. There is only so much authorized bandwidth to be found in the area, and while we found a good spot, it's not usable by all our 91.3 listeners.

We value all of our listeners as part of the WHQR family and want to help with this problem. We are working on some other solutions, and we will keep you updated on our progress. Here are some suggestions for right now, ranging from simple to more complex and long-term.

  1. Experiment with your radio. If possible, try different orientations of the radio itself or the antenna. If there is an input for an external antenna or antenna booster, consider purchasing one from Radio Shack or another supplier.
     
  2. Try a newer radio. Newer models sometimes have greater sensitivity than older ones. Be sure to keep the receipt, and make sure you have return privileges if this does not help.
     
  3. Purchase an HD radio if you don't have one. WHQR's HD2 stream is the same as the programming on 96.7. It may take some doing, since HD radios are not available in all locations. We are aware of an Insignia model retailing for about $50, sold by Best Buy stores and online at bestbuy.com.
    We are pursuing a group purchase of HD radios from either Best Buy or some other supplier, but we don't have confirmation on that yet. If we are able to do this, we hope it will allow listeners to obtain the radios for a lower cost.
    Vermont Public Radio has a helpful website about HDRadio.
    Other web sources:
    http://hdradio.com/get-a-radio/home-radio (all but the Insignia model shown are quite expensive audiophile models)
    http://hdradio.com (focuses on car HD radios, which are becoming more common)
     
  4. Listen online. WHQR streams both our HQR News (91.3fm) and Classical HQR (91.3HD2 and 96.7fm) through the "Listen Live" button on the upper left of our web pages. Most computers these days will launch players that do a good job with these streams.
     
  5. Listen via a smartphone. This is a sub-set of #4. If you go to whqr.org on a smartphone you can access the stream, as above. This can be run through a stereo system or a car radio through either an AUX port or an external device that sends an FM signal to your car radio. (Be aware that extended listening can result in data charges from your smartphone carrier).
     
  6. For listeners in Eastern Brunswick County (Bald Head/St. James/Southport/Oak Island), we are exploring the possibility of a second classical repeater to serve this area. This is an expensive project, and will not happen overnight. But we are exploring the possibilities.

We hope that there will still be lots of programming you will enjoy on 91.3, but if not, we hope these measures will provide some other options for you.
Thank you very much for caring about WHQR.

Sincerely,

Cleve Callison
Station Manager, HQR News and Classical HQR