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Star 106.5
- Thread starter Mediaace
- Start date
Strange. I wonder if you were picking up KEZR in San Jose.
Anything is possible, Stewie. There were no local spots or imaging to help locate the service area of the station. It was as if they potted up the game and just let the game audio run continuously. They were running a stereo pilot FWIW. I was at Mosquito Road coming from a friend's house. By the time I reached Grocery Outlet heading east on Broadway, I had realized what was going on with the Star music, sweepers etc. returning to the dial position.
Stewie,
I have an update to that 106.5 station running sports. Specifically a Philadelphia Flyers game. I was in that same location in Placerville this afternoon and again received the station running a hockey game. KUDL (Star 106.5) was again overtaken by this station. I grabbed some audio for a friend of mine to analyze and turns out I was picking up 106.5 WLQR (106.5theticket.com) from Toledo, Ohio! A Cumulus station. They were running Michigan State Lottery, local Ford dealer other area spots between there and Toronto.
Anyway...thought I'd pass this on!!!
I have an update to that 106.5 station running sports. Specifically a Philadelphia Flyers game. I was in that same location in Placerville this afternoon and again received the station running a hockey game. KUDL (Star 106.5) was again overtaken by this station. I grabbed some audio for a friend of mine to analyze and turns out I was picking up 106.5 WLQR (106.5theticket.com) from Toledo, Ohio! A Cumulus station. They were running Michigan State Lottery, local Ford dealer other area spots between there and Toronto.
Anyway...thought I'd pass this on!!!
106.5 WLQR (106.5theticket.com) from Toledo, Ohio??? Everything I know about FM says that's NOT possible. Totally believe what you heard but trying to figure out "the how"?
Just looked up WLQR and it's only a class A FM station in Ohio which only adds more doubht.
Hmmmmmm...
That's a head scratcher
What Station could it be?
What Station could it be?
Mediaace, thanks for passing the information on.
Over 1650 nautical miles exist between Placerville and WLQR. The curve of the earth just doesn't allow for this.
Plus, 106.5 is 50kW broadcasting from a tower only about 5-10nm to the west.
More than likely, you're hearing a pirate broadcaster using an Internet stream to feed a low power transmitter. Likely only broadcasting when WLQR is broadcasting the game. Why? I have no idea.
How clear is the signal?
Does it seem lower in modulation than other stations on the dial?
Over 1650 nautical miles exist between Placerville and WLQR. The curve of the earth just doesn't allow for this.
Plus, 106.5 is 50kW broadcasting from a tower only about 5-10nm to the west.
More than likely, you're hearing a pirate broadcaster using an Internet stream to feed a low power transmitter. Likely only broadcasting when WLQR is broadcasting the game. Why? I have no idea.
How clear is the signal?
Does it seem lower in modulation than other stations on the dial?
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That is very interesting. I've heard of some long-distance fm trophospheric ducting reception over 1,000 miles but never experienced it myself. WLQR puts out only 4.8kw which seems very unlikely to travel that far (compared to a full Class C), even during ideal propogation conditions. A low power Part-15 transmitter or similar seems most likely the case as Stewie mentioned, although you would think the owner would use a vacant frequency to avoid their own reception problems with KUDL.
I am familiar with Mosquito Road just north of downtown Placerville. I will definately check out 106.5 the next time in that area and see what comes in.
If it is indeed WLQR via tropo, well...that's what you call an awesome dx catch!!
I am familiar with Mosquito Road just north of downtown Placerville. I will definately check out 106.5 the next time in that area and see what comes in.
If it is indeed WLQR via tropo, well...that's what you call an awesome dx catch!!
The modulation was definitely less than 100%. KUDL's audio was present most of the time under the Philadelphia Flyers audio I was capturing. The first of two back-to-back days of this I was hearing various spots in the Toronto area and spots for the Michigan State Lottery. However, the second day I was hearing New York City area spots and sweepers for FM sports talker ESPN 98.7 and references to Sirius/XM 91 despite the play-by-play announcers allotting station legal I.D. on the Red Wings Radio Network.
I would think it might be a low power transmitter sending Sirius/XM audio but the station legal I.D. break and the local spots seemed to throw off that theory. FWIW, there was a steady stereo pilot. Perhaps someone here can make better sense of this. Just wanted to pass on my findings for other geeks to sort out. Big D, the exact spot is a parking space just to the left side of the bus stop structure. The space closest to Mosquito will set you in the position I was receiving this signal. Let me know what you find. Thanks for the replies, guys!
I would think it might be a low power transmitter sending Sirius/XM audio but the station legal I.D. break and the local spots seemed to throw off that theory. FWIW, there was a steady stereo pilot. Perhaps someone here can make better sense of this. Just wanted to pass on my findings for other geeks to sort out. Big D, the exact spot is a parking space just to the left side of the bus stop structure. The space closest to Mosquito will set you in the position I was receiving this signal. Let me know what you find. Thanks for the replies, guys!
I would agree with Stewie that you're most likely hearing someone broadcasting a game they're interested in over an FM transmitter nearby. While flukes happen in radio reception (I can remember getting the former WCGY 93.7 out of Massachusetts and WZFX 99.1 and WRNS 95.1 out of North Carolina in Tulsa, OK), I can't imagine you'd hear the same station for prolonged periods over several days. It may be a pirate station, though it could also be a Part 15 device. I can't imagine someone in your area not knowing there's already a local station at 106.5, but maybe someone recently moved to the area.
An old friend of mine was a big fan of jazz and had a Part 15 transmitter in the early 90's. He would frequently use the local cable FM service to listen to the former KLON 88.1 out of Long Beach (now KKJZ). He'd use the Part 15 transmitter so he could listen to KLON on his walkman while mowing the yard. Not being a fan of top-40 music, he didn't realize there was a local top-40 station one tick of the dial next to the frequency he was using until his neighbor said, "Hey, you're into radio. Do you know why my daughter can't hear her favorite station sometimes? She hears jazz instead!"
An old friend of mine was a big fan of jazz and had a Part 15 transmitter in the early 90's. He would frequently use the local cable FM service to listen to the former KLON 88.1 out of Long Beach (now KKJZ). He'd use the Part 15 transmitter so he could listen to KLON on his walkman while mowing the yard. Not being a fan of top-40 music, he didn't realize there was a local top-40 station one tick of the dial next to the frequency he was using until his neighbor said, "Hey, you're into radio. Do you know why my daughter can't hear her favorite station sometimes? She hears jazz instead!"
It's possible, but rare. Hopefully this link will work here:
http://www.dxmaps.com/spots/map.php?Lan=E&Frec=AL2&ML=M&Map=NA&DXC=N&HF=N&GL=N
It's real-time propagation at VHF and UHF frequencies put together by a consortium of ham radio operators. There are certainly times when 50 and 144 MHz shows dozens of paths between the Midwest and California, indicating that FM propagation might be possible. The hams follow these things, of course, because it's their passion. That said, the fact that this was noticed only on Mosquito Road and on multiple days makes it unlikely that it was Sporadic E skip, although under ideal conditions it would be possible to receive that Class A FM on a car radio for sure.
I'm in the camp that believes it's a resident of the area who's a sports fan. He might live on the East side of a hill or somewhere else where KUDL can't be heard. Remember - this is FM in the mountains and the standard coverage maps are far from valid.
Dave B.
Indeed that would be an amazing DX.
And I agree using 106.5 on your part 15 (or greater) transmitter in Placerville would be a poor decision for sure.
So this opens up another theory.
Some of the SiriusXM radio FM modulators (perminently installed in vehicles) have been known to cause trouble like this. I was once driving listening to a rimshot FM and suddenly Howard Stern over took it at about 80% modulation, cursing up a storm. When I pulled off the highway, Stern faded away and the rimshot returned.
Was the quality of the audio highly compressed?
With the amount of noise in the audio, it was not clear what the compression level was. There was a lot of fading and co-channel fighting with KUDL only 15-miles away in Folsom - not the wisest frequency for such a purpose in these parts. Reading the replies here and thinking back to the situation, I have no doubt that what was being received was a low-power transmitter from a nearby residence. It seemed a bit far fetched receiving a DX from Toledo. Two days in a row should have been the first suspect. Again, thanks for everyone's replies arriving to a conclusion.
No problem. It's always interesting (and sometimes fun) when you catch something like that. Plus it made for some good chat on the Sacramento board.
Yeah, It's always fun
Can you post the Audio of it
Can you post the Audio of it
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