88.9 FM Pirate?

[CADXER]

For the past few days I have been hearing a station on 88.9 FM just playing music of different varieties. Never heard any voice announcements, let alone station IDs.

I can hear the station with good signal in the Lincolnshire/Buffalo Grove area. It is still audible driving south on Rt. 53 near Algonquin Rd, but after that it is overtaken by WEPS, Elgin.

Pirate or a new station testing?

 

[avtosalon]

That's not 88.9 WMXM from Lake Forest College? Perhaps somebody forgot to insert the ID's and sweepers before they went away for summer break.

About 6 months ago, WMXM had a big power increase. Prior to that time, the signal was very weak. I think they were running much less than the 350 watts allowed on their license.

The station didn't reach some parts of it's city of license (Lake Forest, Illinois). WMXM could only be received at the campus and downtown area. WYMS from Milwaukee used to blow it away about 2 miles from the college, but not anymore...

 

[CADXER]

Well WMXM would be the closest 88.9 station to Lincolnshire, where I hear it with the best signal. If they really increased their power I guess it is a good possibility that it is WMXM. What threw me off is the lack of any IDs or voice announcements.

In the last 30 years of DXing in the Chicago area (northwest side & western suburbs) I never heard WMXM. The usual stations I heard on this frequency were WRRG, WEPS and WYMS.