Orioles/WBAL Agree to Multi-Year Deal

[waroriole]

FM is typically 30-40 miles before you get out of range.

AM can typically top that in the daytime and at time, can bounce and travel a couple of hundred miles.

When I was in college, in Alabama, I would get an AM Chicago radio station on Sunday nights.

[24fps]

When I was in college, in Alabama, I would get an AM Chicago radio station on Sunday nights.

Class A stations are allowed greater power for nighttime broadcasts. Prior to 1982 there were only a dozen or so in the US and their reach when the atmosphere was right is legendary. Some nights you could hear WBAP in Ft Worth or KMOX in St Louis or WSM in Nashville up and down the Eastern Seaboard.

[scOtt]

I'm okay with AM now but my last job just did not get any AM radio inside the building. It was a single level office off Coca cola drive in Hanover and something in the building blocked AM radio. It sucked. Now I drive a lot for work so I have no issues.

I've only worked one place I could pick up WBAL, second shift. Littlestown. Even there the signal was spotty. On top of that, any kind of manufacturing environment, with machines, AM radio is just destroyed. RFI interference. Still I prefer the AM. Reminds me of listening on the transistor when I was a kid, the Heathkit transistor radio I built.

[Number5]

Growing up in Carroll County, I would get both WCFL and WLS from Chicago and WKBW from Buffalo at night. All were loud and clear.

[scOtt]

Growing up in Carroll County, I would get both WCFL and WLS from Chicago and WKBW from Buffalo at night. All were loud and clear.

WKBW! Rocked the house.

[olehippi]

Where I live in western Howard Co., the signal from WBAL disappears into garbled static at dusk. I was elated when the Orioles went to 105.7 FM because the signal and sound quality was incredible. Before I retired last June, I could listen to the game on the drive home from work, then sync the TV video with the radio audio using a SportsSync AM/FM radio and listen to the radio audio - I love Joe Angel. Can't do that now with "no signal" WBAL and its frustrating as hell. I can't stand the constant babbling of mindless statistics by Gary Thorne, or listen to him and Jim Palmer talk about where and what they had for dinner while a game is going on. I was hoping the Orioles would go back to 105.7 FM.. Now I wish WBAL would buy an FM station and offer the game on both.

[Don Quixote]

The HD delay is pretty substantial. Back in the late spring I was in the eastern reaches of Pasadena listening to a game against the MFY, and I think it was on the order of at least 15-20 seconds. If I missed something on the WBAL feed, I would flip to the WIYY-HD4 feed to catch what it was - almost like DVR for radio, plus the sound is clearer. :laughlol:

[scOtt]

WIYY. What is that? Familiar but I can't remember. 98 Rock?

[glenn__davis]

The problem with 105.7 is that there's another 105.7 in Harrisburg that interferes with the signal as you go north. Incredibly frustrating.

I can pick up 1090 great during the day, though it gets a little fuzzy at night. Sometimes I switch over to 1280 in Hanover (I live in Manchester, northern Carroll County), and that's a little better.

So I much prefer the AM, at least I have a shot with that unlike 105.7 which is constantly going in and out due to the interference. But it's frustrating that I live about 30 miles from the city and can't get the game on the radio.

[InsideCoroner]

The problem with 105.7 is that there's another 105.7 in Harrisburg that interferes with the signal as you go north. Incredibly frustrating.

Precisely. FM is better if you're in the same city. Once you get further away, AM is a lot better because the dial is less crowded, while FM stations often have 100K+ watt powerhouses that quickly crowd out more distant signals.

I used to listen to a lot of games on the radio in the early '90s along with fellow OHer Owen21. We were in Reading, PA, about two hours' drive north, but on a good night we could get the signal pretty well. Even if you'd have moments that sounded like... "Carter swings, and SZZZH... a sharp grounder down the line. Worthington lunges to his right SZZZZZZH... Won't you take me to... funky town? Won't you take me SZZZZHHH... and Carter pulls into second with a double." But hey, it was the only way at that time to hear the games. I could live with the occasional interruption from Lipps Inc. or the Dazz Band.

[SilentJames]

WIYY. What is that? Familiar but I can't remember. 98 Rock?

Yeah, 98 Rock.

[srock]

WBALCashMoney!

Now DD can make those big deals.

Good for you folks up north, WBAL is a good home for the O's.

The 1st year arbitration eligible raises are covered!

[markdublya]

I'm just so distraught over the Manfra return....

[crowmst3k!]

Glad that WBAL and the O's are in it for the long haul. Being able to tune WBAL at night is great, although they do turn their transmitter down to directional at night (during the day it's a 50k watt powerhouse). If they kept it at 50k at night, the O's could be tuned up and down the east coast because it's a Clear Channel.

I've talked to some Brits who have been able to tune WBAL using a powerful antenna on their side of the pond at night.

If you prefer FM quality, get an HD radio and tune it to WIYY HD-4. Or just get MLB At Bat for your Droid or Iphone. It doesn't use much data, and you can get the game practically anywhere you get cell signal.

[Ohfan67]

Yes! The O's make an offseason signing. And people were skeptical.