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Thunder Bay is a radio site in northern Ontario. It is the largest city on the north shore of Lake Superior and the centre of commerce for the region. It lies 150 miles northwest of Marquette, 260 miles northwest of Sault Ste. Marie, and 175 miles northeast of Duluth. The site utilizes Hillcrest Park, a popular park 150 feet above Lake Superior in the city of Thunder Bay and the more favourable Terry Fox Monument and Lookout 4 ½ miles to the northeast on the edge of the city at an elevation of 265 feet above the lake. Due to the proximity of local stations in town, radio overload can be a common issue at these locations.
THUNDER BAY, ONTARIO BANDSCAN
Terry Fox Lookout: 48°29’03.8″N 89°10’06.6″W (865 ft.)
on July 27, 2018 1040-1230 / 14°C (primary monitoring)
Hillcrest Park: 48°26’02.5″N 89°14’05.8″W (750 ft.)
on July 26, 2018 2115-2200 / 16°C (additional monitoring)
76 stations total / Average distance: 150 mi.
* station was received on seek
88.1 = 88.3
*88.3 CBQT ON Thunder Bay / CBC R. 1 Thunder Bay / 23.73kw / 55dBµ, stereo (5 mi.)
88.5 –
88.7 –
88.9 WCRR MI Manistique / K-Love / 24.5kw / 1dBµ, mono (214 mi.)
88.9 WOJB WI Reserve / Woodland Community R. / 100kw / 1dBµ, mono (207 mi.)
89.1 = 89.3
*89.3 CBON-20 ON Thunder Bay / Ici Première / 16.5kw / 55dBµ, mono (5 mi.)
89.5 WCLQ WI Wausau / 89Q / 90kw / 0dBµ, mono (247 mi.)
89.7 –
89.9 WHSA WI Brule / WPR News & Classical / 92kw / 1dBµ, mono (179 mi.)
90.1 WNMU MI Marquette / Public R. 90 / 100kw / 10dBµ, mono (159 mi.)
90.1 WGPO MN Grand Portage / N. Shore Comm. R. //90.7 / 1kw / 0dBµ, mono (42 mi.)
90.3 WHBM WI Park Falls / WPR Ideas / 35kw / 0dBµ, mono, very good (183 mi.)
*90.5 CKSI ON Thunder Bay / Thunder Bay Info. R. / 250w / 30dBµ, mono (6 mi.)
90.7 WTIP MN Grand Marais / N. Shore Comm. R. //90.1 / 25kw / 5dBµ, mono (73 mi.)
90.9 –
*91.1 WGGL MI Houghton / Minnesota Public R. / 100kw / 40dBµ, stereo (102 mi.)
91.3 = 91.5
*91.5 CKPR ON Thunder Bay / Hot AC / 100kw / 65dBµ, stereo (4 mi.)
91.7 = 91.5
91.9 WMTU MI Houghton / Michigan Tech Univ. / 4.4kw / 10dBµ, mono (97 mi.)
92.1 –
92.3 WJPD MI Ishpeming / Big Country / 100kw / 10dBµ, mono (157 mi.)
92.5 WIRN MN Buhl / MPR News / 26kw / weak (180 mi.)
92.7 –
92.9 WJZQ MI Cadillac / Z93 / 100kw / 0dBµ, mono (328 mi.)
92.9 WECL WI Lake Hallie / The X / 5.8kw / 0dBµ, mono (274 mi.)
93.1 CFNO ON Marathon / Hometown Sound / 50kw / 10dBµ, mono (120 mi.)
93.1 WIMK MI Iron Mountain / 93 Rock / 100kw / 0dBµ, mono (191 mi.)
93.3 WBSZ WI Ashland / Z93 / 71kw / weak (154 mi.)
*93.5 WKMJ MI Hancock / Mix 93.5 / 25kw / 20dBµ, stereo (99 mi.)
93.7 WCYE WI Three Lakes / Coyote 93.7 / 100kw / 5dBµ, mono (187 mi.)
93.9 WNBY MI Newberry / Oldies 93 / 50kw / faint (236 mi.)
94.1 –
*94.3 CJSD ON Thunder Bay / Rock 94 / 90kw / 65dBµ, stereo (4 mi.)
94.5 = 94.3
94.7 –
94.9 WUPZ MI Chocolay Twp. / The Bay / 100kw / 5dBµ, mono (157 mi.)
*95.1 CJOA ON Thunder Bay / UCB Canada / 250w / 50dBµ, stereo (4 mi.)
95.3 = 95.1
95.5 WIFC WI Wausau / CHR / 98.6kw / 1dBµ, mono (247 mi.)
*95.7 WHWL MI Marquette / Gospel Opportunities / 100kw / 5dBµ, mono (160 mi.)
95.9 WMQA WI Minocqua / Kool 95.9 / 22kw / 1dBµ, mono (186 mi.)
96.1 –
96.3 WLXT MI Petoskey / Lite 96.3 / 100kw / faint (298 mi.)
96.5 –
96.7 WJJH WI Ashland / Real Rock J96 / 50kw / 0dBµ, mono (154 mi.)
96.7 WMJT MI McMillan / Eagle 96.7 / 50kw / faint downtown (214 mi.)
96.9 –
*97.1 CITB ON Thunder Bay / Thunder Bay Tourism R. / 1w / 45dBµ, stereo (4 mi.)
97.3 WHDG WI Rhinelander / Hodag Country / 100kw / 5dBµ, mono (214 mi.)
97.3 CBON-19 ON Nipigon / Ici Première / 2kw / 1dBµ, mono (52 mi.)
97.5 –
*97.7 WOLV MI Houghton / The Wolf / 6.5kw / 20dBµ, stereo (97 mi.)
97.9 –
98.1 –
98.3 WRUP MI Palmer / Cl. Rock //92.7 / 2.6kw / 5dBµ, mono (149 mi.)
98.5 –
*98.7 WGLI MI Hancock / The Rockin’ Eagle / 52kw / 30dBµ, stereo (100 mi.)
98.9 CBQY ON Nipigon / CBC R. 1 Thunder Bay / 2kw / 5dBµ, mono (52 mi.)
99.1 WIKB MI Iron River / True Country / 60kw / 0dBµ, mono, very good (167 mi.)
99.3 W257CZ MI Houghton / The Lift //1400 / 250w / 5dBµ, mono (97 mi.)
99.5 WNGE MI Negaunee / Oldies 99.5 / 3.6kw / 2dBµ, mono (157 mi.)
99.7 WIMI MI Ironwood / The Storm / 100kw / 20dBµ, mono (151 mi.)
*99.9 CJUK ON Thunder Bay / Magic 99.9 / 250w / 70dBµ, stereo (4 mi.)
100.1 WRHN WI Rhinelander / Jack FM / 100kw / 10dBµ, mono (197 mi.)
*100.3 WUPT MI Gwinn / The Point / 100kw / 10dBµ, mono (157 mi.)
100.5 WDTX WI Rothschild / Sports Fan 100.5 / 25kw / faint (253 mi.)
100.7 WOBE MI Crystal Falls / Radio Now / 100kw / 1dBµ, mono (191 mi.)
100.9 –
*101.1 WUPY MI Ontonagon / Superior Country / 100kw / 25dBµ, stereo (120 mi.)
101.3 WSUE MI Sault Ste. Marie / Rock 101 / 100kw / faint (264 mi.)
101.5 –
*101.7 CBQ ON Thunder Bay / CBC Music Thunder Bay / 25kw / 50dBµ, stereo (5 mi.)
101.9 WKQS MI Negaunee / Sunny FM / 13kw / 10dBµ, mono (149 mi.)
102.1 –
*102.3 WHKB MI Houghton / K-Bear 102 / 6kw / 15dBµ, stereo (97 mi.)
102.5 WCMM MI Gulliver / The Moose / 60kw / 5dBµ, mono (214 mi.)
*102.7 CILU ON Thunder Bay / LU Radio / 134w / 40dBµ, stereo (6 mi.)
102.9 WMKC MI Indian River / Big Country Hits / 100kw / faint (283 mi.)
103.1 –
103.3 WFXD MI Marquette / 103-FXD / 100kw / 25dBµ, stereo (149 mi.)
*103.5 CKED ON Shuniah Twp. / Energy 103-104 / 10w / 25dBµ, stereo (4 mi.)
103.7 –
103.9 –
104.1 WXVM WI Merrill / V. of the Master / 7.4kw / weak (235 mi.)
104.3 WVCN MI Baraga / VCY America / 100kw / 15dBµ, stereo (131 mi.)
104.5 CFQK ON Kaministiquia / Energy 103-104 / 50w / 5dBµ, mono (13 mi.)
104.7 WHWA WI Washburn / WPR News & Classical / 17.5kw / 5dBµ, mono (150 mi.)
104.7 WYKX MI Escanaba / Kix Country / 100kw / 0dBµ, mono, good (198 mi.)
104.9 –
105.1 –
*105.3 CKTG ON Thunder Bay / Country 105 / 100kw / 60dBµ, stereo (4 mi.)
105.5 = 105.3
*105.7 WCUP MI L’Anse / Eagle Country / 100kw / 25dBµ, stereo (100 mi.)
105.9 WEGZ WI Washburn / VCY America / 98kw / 5dBµ, mono (150 mi.)
105.9 WKHQ MI Charlevoix / 106 KHQ / 100kw / in and out (298 mi.)
106.1 –
106.3 WGMV MI Stephenson / Maverick 106 / 50kw / 2dBµ, mono (213 mi.)
106.5 WYTE WI Marshfield / Y106.5 / 100kw / 5dBµ, mono (267 mi.)
106.7 WSRT MI Gaylord / ESPN N. Michigan / 100kw / 0dBµ, mono (313 mi.)
106.7 WATQ WI Chetek / Moose Country / 35kw / weak in car (258 mi.)
106.9 WUPM MI Ironwood / Stereo 106.9 / 100kw / 5dBµ, mono (144 mi.)
107.1 –
107.3 –
107.5 WCCW MI Traverse City / The 70’s Station / 50kw / weak (305 mi.)
107.5 WDUZ WI Brillion / The Fan / 3.6kw / 0dBµ, mono (290 mi.)
107.7 WMQT MI Ishpeming / Q107 / 98kw / 2dBµ, mono (154 mi.)
107.9 –
Inconclusive signals: 96.9, 98.5
Station notes:
95.3 WVVE MN Grand Marais is off the air with future sign-on in August //106.7
96.7 WUPG MI Republic is at 800w instead of the licensed 50kw
99.5 WYSS MI Sault Ste. Marie is at 1.3kw from a backup tower instead of 100kw
105.5 WMKD MI Pickford is at 700w from a backup tower instead of 100kw
106.7 KZJZ MN Babbitt is off the air with future sign-on in August //95.3
Recommendations for this radio site: With Thunder Bay being the largest city in the region, nearly everything you’d need can be found in and around the city. Services and accommodations are plentiful here.
Among places to visit, there are a handful that come highly recommended. Fort William Historical Park is a Canadian fur trading village come to life. It can be found along the river on the southwest side of town. Follow that river west to see the amazing Kakabeka Falls. It’s just a 20-minute drive west of town to see the Niagara Falls of Northern Ontario. Mount McKay Scenic Lookout is also a must-visit for those in Thunder Bay. The Ojibwe-owned land can be found on the south side of the city and is a mountain (technically a mafic sill) with a lookout 390 feet above Lake Superior and a peak 890 feet above. There is a $5 toll to take the road to the lookout. Either the lookout or the peak, just 3 miles inland, can be substituted as a radio site with added elevation and better results.
Location rating: There are numerous pros and cons to Thunder Bay as a radio site. With a few work-arounds, it’s possible to make the city work for you.
The Hillcrest Park site is – simply put – to be avoided. Absolutely, it’s worth a visit; it’s a pretty park with a nice view, but leave your radio behind. I first monitored the band at this park upon coming into the city and found that reception was abysmal. Though there were numerous Michigan stations on the dial, the overload from the local stations at this location muted much of the band. Stations that had a solid signal simply registered as 0dBµ as if they didn’t exist at all. It was extremely challenging to record signal strengths with this behaviour and additionally, the interference muted many distant catches across the entire dial.
However, the Terry Fox Monument and Lookout site immediately off the Trans-Canada Hwy. (accessible from both directions) is a very easy location that can work quite well. The site is the home to the 9-foot tall bronze statue and monument, but also a tourist information centre with bathrooms. The grounds include benches and numerous picnic tables and is built as a rest area upon the eastern entrance of town. The added height helps distant reception, matching that of many other shoreline locations in the area, and although the site is closer to the most powerful locals a few miles away, it seems to lie close enough to be in the shadow of their worst interference, whereas the Hillcrest Park site a 10-15 minute drive away takes the brunt of both their interference and that of the low-powered locals in the city. The Terry Fox site has a steady stream of visitors. While there is ample space to roam, there is only limited shore-facing land here and the visitors sometimes hamper efforts or privacy.
For those with plenty of spare time, monitor the radio band instead at Mount McKay on the south side of Thunder Bay (details above). Whether at Mount McKay or Terry Fox, the number of nearby locals in Thunder Bay is troublesome like no other location on the north shore. Though the bandscans performed here were done so under a strong low pressure system bringing rain, endless overcast skies, and seemingly doom and gloom, results were still satisfactory. While it can still easily work out in your favour, it will take more effort than elsewhere.