Radio World’s Workbench by John Bisset is an industry classic, one of radio’s most-admired, and most-copied, columns. Find out why in each issue.
This tip is reprinted from the Nov. 22, 2006 issue.
Mike Zeimann is the station manager for WKDN(FM) in Camden, N.J. His tip is a quick formula for converting FM channel numbers to frequencies when you don’t have a cross-reference chart like the one in 73.201 of the FCC Rules and Regulations.
Mike has had this formula sitting in his desk drawer for years and refers to it regularly.
- Subtract 201 from the channel number
- Multiply the result by 0.2
- Add the result to 88.1
For example, let’s say the channel is 263:
- 263 – 201 = 62
- 62 x 0.2 = 12.4
- 12.4 + 88.1 = 100.5 MHz
Mike says while you could do the calculations in your head, he uses a calculator
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