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Heard 97.5 got hacked
- Thread starter dm2024
- Start date
before anyone asks..how?
i would almost bet $20 they feed the transmitter with a barix box and never changed the default user name and password
this same method of hacking and content being broadcast after being hacked is whats happened to other stations recently.
i would almost bet $20 they feed the transmitter with a barix box and never changed the default user name and password
this same method of hacking and content being broadcast after being hacked is whats happened to other stations recently.
I doubt it, 97.5 on a Barix? There was EAS tones, so hacker probably hacked the Sage or Monroe EAS box, recorded a custom message and sent it over and over.
I doubt it because i know the Chief Engineer there, im not sure if he is still working there with all the layoffs but they had Comrex units and good remote equipment, and to use a Barix, no way the CE would do that.
I doubt it because i know the Chief Engineer there, im not sure if he is still working there with all the layoffs but they had Comrex units and good remote equipment, and to use a Barix, no way the CE would do that.
KFNC was dead air when checked around 4:40pm today.
The program audio has long sounded as if it was fed by a somewhat flakey internet connection, with occasional dropouts and stuttering. Better now than it used to be when those problems were much worse.
Programming was still going as normal on 92.5. Currently not near my HD radio to check 97.9 HD-2.
The program audio has long sounded as if it was fed by a somewhat flakey internet connection, with occasional dropouts and stuttering. Better now than it used to be when those problems were much worse.
Programming was still going as normal on 92.5. Currently not near my HD radio to check 97.9 HD-2.
No, they didnt hack the EAS...... hacking the IP based STL is exactly how this has been done .. repeatedly, time and time again when uits happened at muiltiple stations.
Could they have another IP STL at KFNC? Sure, but Barixs' are easy to hack, i dont think the others are
Multiples stations had their EAS units hacked.
I see a clip of it here in the comments. My Facebook app won't open the video for some reason Log into Facebook
Programming back to normal on KFNC at a 6:10pm check.
Lance is saying it was a Barix hack...
ESPN 97.5 Houston Victim Of Barix Hack
For years now radio stations using the default Barix logins have been victims of audio feed hijackings. This afternoon Gow Media Sports “ESPN 97.5” KFNC Mont Belvieu/Houston TX fell victim. During the station’s broadcast of the Philadelphia Eagles/Dallas Cowboys game, the hijacker began running...
radioinsight.com
SnottyNose799
Banned
I recognize the track in the video--it's a Johnny Rebel song. Someone obviously just trying to cause trouble.
Almost assuredly the default creds. 92.5 had the same thing going on too, but it got hijacked several years ago.
SnottyNose799
Banned
How can any smart engineer not change default passwords? Hopefully they can fix the flaky internet connection mentioned earlier in this thread, too.
As for the hack in 2006, I bet someone else had a microwave link closer to the transmitter site they were using if that was before Barix boxes. Aren't STL/microwave link frequencies listed with the FCC too along with AM/FM ones? That would make it easier for troublemakers.
Anyway it sounds like the 2006 hack was done by amateurs with improperly grounded equipment, that second bit of audio with the other noise and speech may have been the engineer hurriedly changing the STL channel before fixing the feed properly?
As for the hack in 2006, I bet someone else had a microwave link closer to the transmitter site they were using if that was before Barix boxes. Aren't STL/microwave link frequencies listed with the FCC too along with AM/FM ones? That would make it easier for troublemakers.
Anyway it sounds like the 2006 hack was done by amateurs with improperly grounded equipment, that second bit of audio with the other noise and speech may have been the engineer hurriedly changing the STL channel before fixing the feed properly?
I doubt the WBAB hijackers were also behind the KFNC hack - too many years and miles between them - but I suspect they knew about it and referenced it with their song choice.
SnottyNose799
Banned
Well, unrelated to all this hacking, sometimes Barix boxes get reset and play the music mix of Barix Radio which apparently starts up on them by default. I've heard this several times on various stations, unfortunately for them it hasn't always been fixed right away. How to listen Barix Radio with Exstreamer ?
This is all kind of surprising to me...
I have used Barix boxes for a few very limited purposes (e.g. many moons ago at a station for a region-wide high school football scoreboard show, church service, etc.). They are okay and cheap.
I can't imagine using them for a STL in market 6. I have had criticisms of some of Comrex's software QC, but it is a professional tool. Tieline is very good also.
I would not and do not use Barix on even a small translator.
KFNC isn't dominating the market, but it is still a 100 kW that covers more than 2.6 million with a 60 dBu signal or greater, which probably puts it easily in the top 5% of FM stations in the entire country.
I have used Barix boxes for a few very limited purposes (e.g. many moons ago at a station for a region-wide high school football scoreboard show, church service, etc.). They are okay and cheap.
I can't imagine using them for a STL in market 6. I have had criticisms of some of Comrex's software QC, but it is a professional tool. Tieline is very good also.
I would not and do not use Barix on even a small translator.
KFNC isn't dominating the market, but it is still a 100 kW that covers more than 2.6 million with a 60 dBu signal or greater, which probably puts it easily in the top 5% of FM stations in the entire country.
The problem with barix is if you have even a remotely shift incoming mains power (outages) or shifty internet, the barix does not always reconnect properly. Deva boxes are a step up and worked great on shifty internet connections at another sttaion in alaska.. more expensive then a barix but way less than a comrex.
We have a Comrex as our TX STL and barixes as our RX STL at our sites. Now that we have starlink, it works great.
KFNC is pretty much the bottom dweller in the market. Consistently pulled numbers in the low zeroes before the station ended its subscription to the ratings. Worst signal of all the rimshots. Lots of layoffs and recently axed 25% of its local programming. Most of the commercials appear to be local direct accounts slotted ROS, with some national barter mixed in.
This is a station that is hanging by its fingernails. I’m surprised it has lasted this long. There have apparently been attempts to sell it, but no takers.
I agree with all of that. We have established here long ago how bad 97.5 is. Total agreement.
But, we are talking about a signal that covers millions of people and is sports with a lot of inventory. What is the most conservative estimate of KFNC bills? 750k per year? A million?
A pair of the newest Comrex boxes is less thank 4k. Come on now!
Broadcast Supply Worldwide
bswusa.com
We are not talking hundreds of thousands for a new GV transmitter. It's probably less than the office supply budget.