91.7 to 104.9 WRBB ??

[rapking]

I was checking out WRBB website ( http://www.wrbbradio.org/index.php?n=info ), and the site said that WRBB moved from 91.7 to 104.9 in 1970 , Is that right ? I thought WRBB moved ( 91.7 to 104.9 ) in 1978 or 1979 ,And Why did WRBB Move to 104.9 ( Battle With that N. shore station )?

 

[RF]

I was the student engineer from 1978 to 1984 at WRBB during the time that the move to 104.9 went down. The WRBB website is in error about the dates. In 1970 it went from being an AM carrier current station to an FM station on 91.7 FM. The move to 104.9 is a different story altogether. FCC docket # 20735 which was passed in 1978 required 10 watt radio stations in the non-commercial portion of the FM band to raise their power to 100 watts or move into the commercial portion of the FM band and stay at 10 watts. This was because the FCC deemed 10 watt radio stations as not an efficient use of the non-commercial band. Their intent was to make room for 100 watt or more radio stations. WRBB was unable to go to 100 watts because the University of Massachusetts, Boston, had applied to put on their station, WUMB, at 91.9 and this would have created interference for WUMB which was not allowed. The FCC had sent a notice to the trustees at Northeastern University, the license holders of WRBB, of the intent of UMASS to license this station on the adjacent channel. The trustees did not realize the importance of the letter and the cutoff date to protest the WUMB license passed without the staff at WRBB knowing. So at that point WRBB was forced to move into the commercial portion of the FM band. After a lengthy study of the FM band it was found that WRBB could shoehorn their signal on 104.9. This was well before Doug Tanger put WBOQ on the air. WRBB and Tanger later agreed that they would cope with the mutual interference from each other and later WBOQ went on the air which seriously limited the range of WRBB (which went from 7 miles or so down to about 2 miles).

So that is the story.....

 

[pauseone]

I could have sworn that the move to 104.9 went down around 1982 or 83. I was in the 9th grade during this time, and I couldn't wait for a heavy rotation urban station to be in Boston. Unfortunately, I resided on the outskirts of the city, so RBB was only available to my receiver late within the evenings.

 

[RF]

The actual day and date we turned off the 91.7 transmitter and then turned on the 104.9 transmitter is fuzzy to me since that was 25 years ago but 1982 is in the ballpark. Although something in my mind thinks that it was early 1982.....maybe late 1981 . WUMB is celebrating their 25th year on the air so we would have had to be off 91.7 by the time they started broadcasting on 91.9 FM. So late 1981 to early 1982 is probably the better time frame. The good thing was that we were able to maintain the 91.7 signal on the air until we switched frequencies since the tower and transmitter was located at the Ell Student Center. The new 104.9 transmitter and tower still resides at the top of the West Apartments on the Northeastern campus. So when we were ready we just shut 91.7 and turned on 104.9 FM. It was pretty neat.

 

[rapking]

After thinking it over , I believe the move came in 1980 or 1981 ( I could be wrong ) , I was a Young Teenager, Living in Roxbury ( Within WRBB Signal ) at that time .

 

[pauseone]

Nah King, It had to be about 82 because I did not find out about WRBB until late 81. I used to call in and hassle the dj's about them bumping up their signal. I was wet behind the ears ;D

 

[mgpt6]

WBRS Waltham had to go to 100.1 FM from 91.7 in the early 80s for the same reason. 104.9FM was on the air as WVCA , run by Simon Geller for many years before WBOQ.

 

[Oldschool Zone]

The actual switch of WRBB signal from 91.7 to 104.9 is the summer of 1982. in mid August. The station was off the air for nearly 24 hrs during the switch.

 

[RF]

Oldschool you are right. It's clearer now. The station went off for a day so that the some of the audio processors could be moved up to the new transmitter site and the new phone lines for the audio and remote control could be wired up. I remember walking around the station and having no music playing or anybody on the air. A really weird feeling for a station that was, at that point on 24 hours.

 

[starchild]

It was a long time ago but I remember that to be true also RF. By '82 we had already flipped.
We were there.(You,Ralph,Eddie Q,Sha Sha,Chuck,Ayesha Diamond,etc.)
We painted the new logo on the walls.
-Starchild

 

[Eli Polonsky]

WBRS Waltham had to go to 100.1 FM from 91.7 in the early 80s for the same reason. 104.9FM was on the air as WVCA , run by Simon Geller for many years before WBOQ.

When WRBB originally moved to 104.9, Geller was running WVCA at a much lower power than what it later became as WBOQ. I think Geller might have been running something like only 1000 watts. It mainly covered just the North Shore, and caused very little interference to WRBB in their listening area around metro Boston.

When WVCA was bought and it became WBOQ, the power was raised to 3000 watts, which causes a lot more interference to WRBB around parts of the Boston area. WRBB was completely cut out in some areas where they could be heard previously, such as Cambridge and Somerville. I used to even hear WRBB occasionally out in Newton and Waltham, where WBOQ now covers.

A similar thing happened to WBRS when 100.1 in Southbridge, MA moved their transmitter to the Worcester area in the late 1990's and went up to 3000 watts, now Classic Hits "The Pike" WWFX. When WBRS first moved to 100.1 the Southbridge station didn't get out here, but since their move in the late '90s it's cuts up WBRS all over greater Boston where it could be heard before. WBRS now only comes in cleanly in Waltham and parts of Newton and Watertown. "The Pike" cuts it up even in Cambridge and Boston, where WBRS used to have (weak) coverage. Surviving Class D FM stations such as WBRS and WRBB are not protected from such interference situations.

 

[mgpt6]

I think that WVCA antenna was in Glouchester and it got moved to Beverly when it became WBOQ.If memeory is right , VCA was 1kw, and BOQ is 3kw , directional. Also, one will lose BRS in North Waltham behind Prospect Hill going north on 128/95.

 

[Eli Polonsky]

I think that WVCA antenna was in Glouchester and it got moved to Beverly when it became WBOQ.If memeory is right , VCA was 1kw, and BOQ is 3kw , directional. Also, one will lose BRS in North Waltham behind Prospect Hill going north on 128/95.

I believe WBOQ's transmitter is still in Gloucester, but the antenna was upgraded and the power was increased when it was bought and it became WBOQ. The studios were moved from Geller's house in Gloucester to Beverly.

 

[webcastboy]

WBRS Waltham had to go to 100.1 FM from 91.7 in the early 80s for the same reason.

Not quite the SAME reason. Actually WBRS tried to upgrade to 100 watts on 91.7 but the FCC rejected them...with good reason, 91.7 is on the I.F. channel for 102.5 WCRB. See? It was more than the studios being 1/4 mile apart that bound the fates of the two stations. Seriously though, by the time WBRS gave up on 91.7 all the other NCE freq's were long since precluded by Class A (or greater) facilities...so 100.1 was the next best thing. At the time it actually was pretty good...100.1 used to get out there pretty nicely for a 25 watt facility. But then...

A similar thing happened to WBRS when 100.1 in Southbridge, MA moved their transmitter to the Worcester area in the late 1990's and went up to 3000 watts, now Classic Hits "The Pike" WWFX. When WBRS first moved to 100.1 the Southbridge station didn't get out here, but since their move in the late '90s it's cuts up WBRS all over greater Boston where it could be heard before. WBRS now only comes in cleanly in Waltham and parts of Newton and Watertown. "The Pike" cuts it up even in Cambridge and Boston, where WBRS used to have (weak) coverage. Surviving Class D FM stations such as WBRS and WRBB are not protected from such interference situations.

...Eli tells the story succinctly enough. That WWFX move nuked about 50% of WBRS's coverage and there was nothing they could do. Well, almost nothing. They COULD have applied for 89.3 in Leominster or 88.5 (or 91.5) on Cape Ann (all three of which several other parties filed for) and tried to get a Class A primary signal. Then they could have filed to convert their grandfathered NCE Class D FM license into a Class D FM translator license. Under those rules, they probably could've jacked the ERP over 100 watts at least, maybe even up to the max of 250. True, true, commercial band translators must be fed their programming via over-the-air reception and any of those primaries I listed would put a very, very weak (if anything) signal over Waltham. But I think it would've been enough to be plausible. Maybe even enough to really pull in an actual signal with a really directional antenna and excellent tuner.

I didn't see Northeastern filing for any new stations, either. They might've been able to do something similar. Damn shame.

 

[Eli Polonsky]

That WWFX move nuked about 50% of WBRS's coverage and there was nothing they could do. Well, almost nothing. They COULD have applied for 89.3 in Leominster or 88.5 (or 91.5) on Cape Ann (all three of which several other parties filed for) and tried to get a Class A primary signal.

But, none of those other applications that were filed for those frequencies in those areas were granted, which leads me to think that WBRS wouldn't necessarily have had any better luck getting one of them either. There still has not been any stations granted on those frequencies in those areas, so I'm guessing the FCC has deemed them unavailable.

 

[RF]

Starchild......I have sent you a message through the board. Check your "My Messages" Inbox. - RF

 

[necrat123]

There are two FM antennas up at the WBOQ transmitter site. I was up there in the Spring getting photos for the website. The older antenna matches historical coordinates and height for WVCA. WBOQ is on the American Tower tower on Kondelin Rd in the Cape Ann industrial park in Gloucester, near Manchester By-The-Sea.

 

[Eli Polonsky]

That WWFX move nuked about 50% of WBRS's coverage and there was nothing they could do. Well, almost nothing. They COULD have applied for 89.3 in Leominster or 88.5 (or 91.5) on Cape Ann (all three of which several other parties filed for) and tried to get a Class A primary signal.

But, none of those other applications that were filed for those frequencies in those areas were granted, which leads me to think that WBRS wouldn't necessarily have had any better luck getting one of them either. There still has not been any stations granted on those frequencies in those areas, so I'm guessing the FCC has deemed them unavailable.

I was just looking at the recent FCC applications. Now I see why you mentioned those frequencies in the Leominster and Cape Ann areas. Lots of parties trying to jump in an open window for those right now. Mostly religious network broadcasters, and a few simulcasts of Boston-based public radio outfits.

 

[LA_Guy]

I did both moves...

104.9 was the only frequency available for WRBB, though their D.C. consultant recommended 92.1 which I rejected because I believed that UMass had bigger aspirations then the 200 watt signal they were running from the gravel pit in Quincy at the time. Turns out I was right! There was some talk of installing a directional FM antenna atop the Pru for 104.9. They could have run as much as 15 or 20 watts towards the 105.1 in RI. It was rejected due to cost.
The original WRBB move was done when their antenna was still on the Ell Center. The station went off for the day so a 1 bay 104.9 antenna could be temporarily installed in place of the 3 bay 91.7 antenna. I provided a loaner Versa Count exciter tuned to 104.9 and on they went.

Later on, they moved to the existing transmitter site, using an RCA BTE-15A exciter I sold them as a transmitter. If I recall, the exciter was located in an elevator motor room. One day the room got up to over 120 degrees, the AFC on the transmitter unlocked and it went on a trip all over the FM band. They got fined by the FCC for that.

With regards to WBRS, originally they used an LPB solid state transmitter (it was a rebranded QEI with a meter panel). Their 91.7 antenna was a 4 bay horizontal Marti FM antenna. When they moved to 100.1, they installed a five bay Shiveley circular antenna. They actually dropped ERP from about 40 watts to 25 watts.

After a while, the antenna interbay wiring became damaged, so we salvaged the bays and got an FCC waiver to run 25 watts transmitter power into the top two bays. We bought a 30 watt Bext exciter for the main transmitter, and used the LPB into the next two lower bays for a standby system. The bottom bay was eliminated. The interbay wiring is all homemade by me-though it's identical to the Shiveley wiring for the 2 bay version of their antenna.

As far as I know, that's where they stand now...though they might have retired the LPB by now and replaced the Bext as main.

 

[SERy694]

necrat123....I was OM at WBOQ at startup in 1988. Original antenna was/is an 8-bay on a small stick located almost directly across the street from the CB Fisk organ factory in the industrial park. We started WBQQ on that tower, but soon moved to a new 3 bay (ERI) on a much larger tower erected, originally, by a security firm (JK Security), located a few hundred yards North of the first site. I don't know the history of the site since I left BOQ in '94, but I'll assume the "American Tower" facility to which you refer is the same location. I thought that the old 8-bay had come down at some point....is it still there? My craziest moment relating to WBOQ vs WRBB was the night I was driving out of (around and around and around) the parking garage near Quincy Mkt with radio set to 104.9. At North side of the bldg, I'd hear BOQ. When I'd get to the South end, WRBB. Bach and forth, as it were. Hope this info helps the discussion.