KRCU installs new antenna, equipment in Ellsinore

KRCU, the public radio station on the Southeast Missouri State University campus, has installed a new antenna and other equipment at its repeater station, 88.7 FM in the Van Buren and Ellsinore region of Southeast Missouri.

The new antenna replaced a temporary unit and has enabled the transmitter there to improve its signal strength and boost its power to 50,000 watts, according to KRCU general manager Dan Woods.

The enhancements "allow KRCU to provide a better signal to listeners and reach more people than the temporary antenna allowed," he said.

The new antenna and equipment installation follow a frequency transfer to 88.7 FM in April and a recent move of the station's transmission site to Ellsinore from Van Buren. The move initially resulted in a weakening of signal strength from 100,000 to 12,000 watts. Pending licensing and approval by the Federal Communications Commission, the transmitter strength will return to 100,000 watts.

Once fully powered, the repeater station will reach nearly 80,000 potential listeners in Poplar Bluff, Van Buren, Ellsinore, Doniphan and Piedmont in Missouri, as well as parts of northern Arkansas.

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