Grabbing the CFSI radio signal
Q: When I’m in my car I can only get the new Salt Spring radio station in some areas. Can you find out why this is the case and if there are plans to make reception better in the future?
L.S., Salt Spring Island
A: Variable island terrain and FM wave emission characteristics are what the CFSI management team pinpoints as why the station cannot be accessed on some parts of Salt Spring Island.
Unlike AM radio waves that can travel the contours of the land, FM radio waves travel in a straight line and do not bend around the earth, explains station manager Bob Simpson.
CFSI 107.9 FM, being an FM station, is challenged by the extremely variable terrain of the island. When FM waves from CFSI’s transmitter tower on Mt. Erskine encounter mountains or large hills, the signals can be stopped or reflected back into space.
When asked why the station chose an FM signal, despite its challenges, Simpson said an FM station offers better sound quality for music; it is in stereo, where AM is usually not. AM is used primarily for talk radio, and given CFSI’s large musical content, the station decided FM was the way to go.
The management team says recent improvements to their transmitting antenna have given listeners better access in Cusheon Lake, Blackburn Lake, Seymour Heights and Dukes Road areas of the central island, as well as Lee’s Hill and Fulford Valley.
Simpson estimates the FM signal can access more than 70 per cent of Salt Spring Island.
The station is planning future upgrades and working with an engineer to improve listener reception.
For those unable to receive the station’s FM signal, the station offers live streaming online at www.cfsi-fm.com. Click “Listen Live Online” and open with a media player. CFSI suggests Winamp for Windows users, iTunes for Macintosh users and Rythmbox for those using Linux.
There are residents in the Beaver Pt. area on dial-up who cannot currently access online radio. The station hopes this will be resolved with a Shaw Communications’ federally funded broadband internet service upgrade.
Navigate the map below to see the exact location of the CFSI radio transmitter tower. The tower is 100 feet tall and receives a signal from the radio station (yellow icon) located at Suite 19A – 315 Upper Ganges Rd. Salt Spring Island, B.C.
View radio tower in a larger map
