Local coverage — red contourGenerally the best reception area, where most radios with a reasonable antenna should receive the station.

Distant coverage — purple contourReception may be weaker. A good car radio or a receiver with a better antenna may be needed.

Fringe coverage — blue contourSignals may be very weak or unavailable. A good receiver and antenna may help, but interference can prevent reception.

Not every map displays all three contours. Each image includes its own legend and distance scale; maps are not all drawn to the same scale.

Radio-Locator uses FCC engineering data. FM predictions consider effective radiated power and antenna height above surrounding terrain. AM predictions consider transmitter power, antenna pattern, frequency and ground conductivity.

Radio-Locator defines the local, distant and fringe FM contours as 60, 50 and 40 dBµ, respectively. For AM groundwave coverage, the corresponding levels are 2.0, 0.5 and 0.15 mV/m.

Directional antennas, terrain and ground conductivity can produce uneven coverage shapes.

These contours are estimates, not reception guarantees. Your receiver and antenna, hills, valleys, nearby buildings, electrical noise and other stations can affect what you hear.

At night, AM signals can travel long distances by reflecting from the ionosphere. This can bring in distant stations and increase interference with local stations. Use the labeled daytime and nighttime KMFR maps for their respective operating periods.