Sequim: NPR & Other Radio Station Reception (Seattle, Vancouver: university, living)

[freepelican]

Hi. I am wondering about radio reception in Sequim proper and the surrounding area:

How well is the NPR station out of Seattle is picked up in Sequim. Also, is there another NPR station that comes in better there? Does the cable provider have NPR on their line-up?

What radio stations come in the clearest in the area?

Where is radio reception best/ok/worst in the area?

Thank you!

[Hemlock140]

I spend a lot of time there at my parents, and while driving switch to MP3 or CD when I get about to the other side of the Hood Canal Bridge. Sequim and beyond has terrible reception on the Seattle stations, especially AM. Actually, when I have scanned I find the best reception is from Vancouver, BC stations. I can't say what the cable provides as they have a dish, but most stations are available live on the internet. I was once listening to a football game and lost the signal but was able to get it in Sequim by connecting my Android to the car stereo
input.

[freepelican]

Thanks for the info!

I don't know if I can live without my NPR!! Got to find a way... yes, I do stream sometimes but it is a hassle compared to just turning on the radio/cable.

I was wondering if the Dungeness area might have better reception.

[poopskooper]

I'm kind of going out on a limb here as I really haven't paid attention to the radio reception in Sequim proper during the times I've been there. However, I've got to think that there has to be one of the NPR affiliates that can be heard over the air from Sequim. I guess we'll have to wait for somebody actually living there who listens to NPR to respond but there are three stations that I'm thinking of right now. I believe the three most prominent NPR affiliates in the state are the stations run out of WSU, UW, and PLU which all have repeaters, translators, or affiliate stations all over the state.

1. KWSU's Northwest Public Radio network has a station in Port Angeles, KNWP 90.1 FM

2. UW's KUOW has a number of repeaters in western Washington

3. Pacific Lutheran University's KPLU has numerous translators in the state

My hunch is one of those three has to be able to be picked up in Sequim but as I say, I can't personally say for sure.

[freepelican]

The online resources that I can find see to disagree. Some say the NPR signals are very weak in Sequim, while others say there is a moderate signal.

If you look through the list and signal strength of this site: Radio Stations in Sequim, Washington.

it seems to indicate the stations out of Bellingham and other areas northwest come in better than the Seattle area ones. This makes some sense if you look at a topographic map as there does seem to be a clump of smaller mountains if you draw a straight line between Sequim proper and Seattle. However, not sure if the area north of Sequim, especially Dungeness, might get a better signal from Seattle because it might just miss the clump of mountains? Also, I do know there is a KUOW tower in Bellingham but that doesn't show up on the list above. Then I also find it strange that according to the chart above the Port Angeles stations don't seem to come in as well as the stations in Bellingham!!

Then I found this page:
Sequim Washington Community Web, Portal and Information Directory

It states:

NPR stations, sorted by the strength of their signal in Sequim:

KNWP-FM: 90.1 - Part of KRFA-FM Northwest Public Radio, NPR and Classical Music
KNWP-FM: 90.1's signal is moderate in Sequim, WA.
Visit KNWP-FM 90.1's Web site Northwest Public Radio

KUOW-FM: 94.9 - Part of Puget Sound Public Radio Seattle's NPR News and Information Station
KUOW-FM: 94.9's signal is moderate in Sequim, WA.
Visit KUOW-FM 94.9's Web site KUOW News and Information

KPLU-FM: 88.5 - NPR News and All That Jazz
KPLU-FM: 88.5's signal is moderate in Sequim, WA.
Visit KPLU-FM 88.5's Web site KPLU News for Seattle and the Northwest

[HK357]

I frequent areas with limited NPR service.
Most NPR stations have live feeds on their websites. If you have a smartphone, you can get an app that live feeds any NPR station in the country to your phone, which you can hook to a sound system. I use NPR Player. It allows me to listen to KEXP Seattle when I'm in CA and KCRW Santa Monica when I'm in Seattle. Most of the time where there is weak or no radio coverage there may be 3G or wifi (since you're obviously on the internet) coverage. When driving in areas with no coverage, I can still listen to KCRW in the middle of Oregon as long as I have 3G coverage. Ain't technology great?

[rainforest338]

Yes, you can get NPR fine...all the way out to the Bogachiel River. It gets spotty around the Hoh River...so Sequim is fine. You would also get KNOP (the peninsula station) and even stations that are Canadian equivalents to NPR. The western part of Dungeness gets weak cell signal. It is okay at Cays Rd, but farther west and it can drop completely. You can get a cell booster for your computer.

[freepelican]

That's good news. Can you get KUOW out of Seattle?