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A second transmitter site, in an attempt to improve coverage, has been <br />' established on the Faculty Laboratory and Office Building (FLOB). Although <br />this is the tallest building on the University campus, it does not provide <br />' acceptable coverage in many areas around Chapel Hill, including the University <br />Mall shopping center. Coverage is also extremely poor in the southwestern <br />' corner, the northeastern corner, and some areas in the northwestern comer of <br />the County. <br />Numerous options were investigated and a taller tower at Eno Mountain <br />' was considered. The practical limit to increasing height is 500 feet due to <br />environmental and FAA regulations. The cost of such a tower would be over <br />' $300,000. Our studies indicate that a 500 -foot tower would not provide County- <br />wide coverage. <br />An antenna mounted at the 700 -foot level on one of the tall broadcast <br />' towers near the Chatham County line would provide County -wide coverage. <br />However, even if these towers could support additional antennas and <br />' transmission line, there are two reasons to seek other solutions: (1) there would <br />be a recurring monthly tower space rental, and (2) a receive antenna mounted <br />' that high would be subject to significantly increased interference from out -of- <br />County stations. <br />The transmitter at Eno Mountain can be heard throughout the County. <br />tY . <br />' If a person is using a portable radio in a poor location, they can move a few <br />feet and find a better spot for reception. Unfortunately, the optimum locations <br />' for reception are not always the best for transmitting back to the receiver at <br />Eno Mountain. The user has no way of finding the optimum location for <br />transmitting. Thus, the major problem is receiving from portable radios in the <br />z <br />f ROJECTS <br />orporation <br />