ABSTRACT
Frequency modulated (FM) radio field strength measurements provide data that can be of significant value to management, sales, programmers and engineers at the station level and to brokers and Federal Communications Commission attorneys, as well. Taking measurements from a vehicle with a horizontally polarized directional antenna 30' in the air is not time efficient, in part due to the need to repeatedly lower the antenna for safety reasons. Individual, single-location measurements of FM signal strength are typically unreliable. Mobile measurements require an antenna with an essentially non-directional horizontal radiation pattern. The FM measurement receivers that are sold with integrated software and Global Positioning System generally allow the measurement route and data to be output in a file format that easily imports into Google Earth. The measurement locations or route will normally be predetermined based on the purposes of the campaign.
