Campus AM FAQ

These are honest-to-gosh Frequenty Asked Questions about our AM broadcast.

What’s the frequency (Kenneth)?
URH can be heard at 1640 kHz AM.

What is the signal range?
Roughly, there seems to be a two-mile range from the UHH Theatre. That means that the UHH Campus to the mall has coverage, but read the caveat below about signal strength.

How strong is the signal?
This depends on where you are. If you are on campus, it is best in the areas around the Theatre. The UHH campus is mostly covered. The HawCC campus is covered with decent reception; if you have a good radio you can get it better. There are spots around town where the signal is good, and other spots where it does not reach. The signal comes in most clearly away from powerlines.

Will HawCC’s reception be improved?
Eventually. We plan to add another transmitter to the HawCC campus, but we are awaiting fullfillment of our funding from HawCC-ASUH before the final stage of construction can begin.

Is this legal?
YES. This setup is allowed under Part 15 of the FCC regulations. These rules allow individuals or organizations to set up 100mW (ver, very tiny) transmitters that are not very powerful. It is usually enough to just cover campus. URH intends to expand further in the future, so it would not be prudent for us to break rules and jeapordize our opportunities for future licenses.

Why go with AM? Why not FM?
It has to do with those Part 15 rules above. There’s not really an unlicensed FM setup that URH could use. A professional consultant was hired to recommend options for URH, and a low power Campus AM was determined to be the best option until an FM license can be filed.

So, URH is still working on the FM project, right?
Of course! FM broadcasting covering East Hawaii is still our ultimate goal. Campus AM is a way for URH to better reach listeners on campus until the time comes that we can get our FM license.

Who paid for all of this?
This project was jointly funded by UHH and HawCC’s Chartered Student Organizations. URH sends a big mahalo to each of these organizations for their investment in this project:
Board of Student Publications
UHH Student Association
Student Activities Council
HawCC Associated Students

Also, Vice Chancellor Dr. Keith Miser and Chancellor Dr. Rose Tseng contributed a good chunk of money for our station opening party. Thanks!