AAARRRRR maties!! RI pirate stations...

[Jacko]

So in my bi-weekly visit to the Ocean State today, I wanted to give my update and ask questions about those pirate broadcasters in Rhode Island. First off, 89.3 ICE-FM. Is this station still a pirate, or has it actually acquired a license but just not listed on the FCC database? The station's presentation, at least today, seemed like a professional broadcast (somewhat), with an announcer on the air to tell the time, weather, and announce the phone number into the studio. He also mentioned about listeners coming to the studio and that they were setting up chair there. Hmmmm...

Caught the usual suspects driving through Providence this afternoon, 103.1 and 107.7 FM. On 103.1, it seemed they were broadcasting a dead carrier, unless it happened to be the 10 seconds I had it on that there was no audio coming out. Caught some bilingual chat on 107.7 as well, but where I was (Pawtucket), the station was losing steam, so I couldn't listen for long.

I also caught a pirate in Pawtucket that I never heard before on 90.1. The sound was way overmodulated, in mono and very muddy sounding, but they were playing Spanish music. When I got into Attleboro, there was different 90.1, but this may have been from a passing iTrip or Satellite transmitter, as the signal was splattery and suddenly disappeared.

Is there a chance that the FCC are going to crack down and have these stations walk the plank?

Jacko<P ID="signature">______________
I live for my dream,
And a pocket full of gold.
</P>

 

[jeffryan]

> Caught the usual suspects driving through Providence this
> afternoon, 103.1 and 107.7 FM. On 103.1, it seemed they
> were broadcasting a dead carrier, unless it happened to be
> the 10 seconds I had it on that there was no audio coming
> out.

You could have been driving or parked next to a car tuned to Pro-FM. For some technical reason I can't explain, it will blank out that frequency. WSNE will do the same thing to WBCN in some spots. It seems that two nearby radios tuned to frequencies 10.8 MHz apart will cancel each other out. It's a strange phenomena that an engineer could probably explain better. If I recall correctly, Canada was going to experient with a new ratings system along highways using this practice.

 

[Eli Polonsky]

> It seems that two nearby radios tuned to
> frequencies 10.8 MHz apart will cancel each other out. It's
> a strange phenomena that an engineer could probably explain
> better.

It's called the "intermediate frequency" of FM receivers. They actually transmit a weak signal 10.7 mHz off from the frequency they're tuned to, but the odd numbered tenths aren't used in this country, so you may hear the effect 10.6 or 10.8 apart.

 

[epsilon]

> First off, 89.3 ICE-FM. Is
> this station still a pirate, or has it actually acquired a
> license but just not listed on the FCC database?


UMass Dartmouth's WSMU is moving from 91.1 to 89.3 in June. ICE-FM is a pirate and will be gone soon.

 

[kenwood]

> > First off, 89.3 ICE-FM. Is
> > this station still a pirate, or has it actually acquired a
>
> > license but just not listed on the FCC database?
>
>
> UMass Dartmouth's WSMU is moving from 91.1 to 89.3 in June.
> ICE-FM is a pirate and will be gone soon.
>
>
>
>True , True and True, Mum's the word...............

 

[epsilon]

> >True , True and True, Mum's the word...............
>

It seems to be the worst-kept secret in the market.