Dead air on 106.3

[nd2023]

Last night in north Jersey I heard a station transmitting dead air interfere with Thunder 106. Could the translator be going on the air soon, or is it just a pirate station? Also I noticed 106.7's HD has been off for days.

 

[Jeffrey]

Last night in north Jersey I heard a station transmitting dead air interfere with Thunder 106. Could the translator be going on the air soon, or is it just a pirate station? Also I noticed 106.7's HD has been off for days.

Maybe the translator is doing testing. Radio locator still shows it.

 

[pjc1961]

Could be they're getting ready to fire up the translator again - or at least the over-the-air 106.7 HD2, which indeed has been off for several days. Plus settle on a permanent format for the signal(s).

A couple of hints: they've only been running the Country Road national format on the online feed of WLTW HD2 since Thursday 7/28/11 and they've been using the drop-in liner "New York Country 106.7 HD2" since at least Saturday 7/30/11 - the first time they've used that liner since the translator was born back in May.

Online feed of WLTW-HD2: http://www.iheartradio.com/mediaplayer/?stream_id=5030

 

[Barry]

Perhaps poster Jeffrey could let us know whether he has had heard anything unusual on 106.3. He had said he received the translator quite well in Manhattan and Brooklyn, back when it was broadcasting.
I doubt that the translator would go back on the air on 106.3, without securing the permission of WKMK. That's the country station which had submitted complaints from their listeners concerning interference from it. And WKMK had made it clear they would not tolerate any signal loss due to the translator.
I do hope that New York Country returns to WLTW HD2. The Country Road format that they rebroadcast from Clear Channel has good personalities, such as Michael J. And New York Country used to add a few classic country songs during the morning hours.
By the way, the version of New York Country that is linked in the previous post is playing the music from Country Road, with the dj's removed. A cost saving measure?

 

[nd2023]

Maybe 106.3 was translating 106.7-HD2, and since the HD is off the air, the translator had dead air.

 

[jvn]

It's a little past 2 AM on a Sunday Morning and I just clicked on the link about and heard the New York Country 106.7 HD2 Liner. As for the post of the DJ's being removed there was one on when I tuned in.

 

[xmradiopro]

There's a pirate on 106.4 FM heard in South Queens...I wonder if i'll be able to receive the 106.3 Translator station once running...

 

[nd2023]

106.4?!? What a stupid pirate!

Unless you have a really selective radio, you can't get the translator.

 

[JoeyBagODonuts]

106.4?!? What a stupid pirate!

Unless you have a really selective radio, you can't get the translator.

Or an analog tuner.

 

[nd2023]

106.4?!? What a stupid pirate!

Unless you have a really selective radio, you can't get the translator.

Or an analog tuner.

Even an analog tuner would need to be very selective to separate a weak 106.3 from a strong 106.4

 

[xmradiopro]

I have a very good radio..currently I'm getting Thunder Country on 106.3 FM...don't know if this station will get in the way of the translator once lauched...I live in South Queens.

106.4?!? What a stupid pirate!

Unless you have a really selective radio, you can't get the translator.

 

[ansky212]

The only way they could re-launch the translator would be to reduce the power or have a directional pattern to the northeast so the signal goes away from NJ. Otherwise it's just going to cause the same interference as it did before.

 

[Jeffrey]

Perhaps poster Jeffrey could let us know whether he has had heard anything unusual on 106.3. He had said he received the translator quite well in Manhattan and Brooklyn, back when it was broadcasting.
I doubt that the translator would go back on the air on 106.3, without securing the permission of WKMK. That's the country station which had submitted complaints from their listeners concerning interference from it. And WKMK had made it clear they would not tolerate any signal loss due to the translator.
I do hope that New York Country returns to WLTW HD2. The Country Road format that they rebroadcast from Clear Channel has good personalities, such as Michael J. And New York Country used to add a few classic country songs during the morning hours.
By the way, the version of New York Country that is linked in the previous post is playing the music from Country Road, with the dj's removed. A cost saving measure?

I checked today and heard nothing. In midtown at 106.3 fm and in north Williamsburg Brookyn you only get static. In the evening you get pirates but I haven't heard the translator at all or what seems to be apparent testing.

 

[Jeffrey]

The only way they could re-launch the translator would be to reduce the power or have a directional pattern to the northeast so the signal goes away from NJ. Otherwise it's just going to cause the same interference as it did before.

If their directional pattern went northeast they would interfere with WFAS which blankets northern Manhattan, Queens and as far north as Williamsburg depending on troppo.
Oddly enough I notice it comes in well on the Williamsburg Bridge consitantly.

 

[DToTheJ]

106.4?!? What a stupid pirate!

I wonder if this pirate radio operator has a penchant for driving on the left side of the road all the time? :

 

[Barry]

Could be they're getting ready to fire up the translator again - or at least the over-the-air 106.7 HD2, which indeed has been off for several days. Plus settle on a permanent format for the signal(s).

A couple of hints: they've only been running the Country Road national format on the online feed of WLTW HD2 since Thursday 7/28/11 and they've been using the drop-in liner "New York Country 106.7 HD2" since at least Saturday 7/30/11 - the first time they've used that liner since the translator was born back in May.

Online feed of WLTW-HD2: http://www.iheartradio.com/mediaplayer/?stream_id=5030

As WLTW's HD signal has been off the air for several weeks, I called Clear Channel. They told me that Engineering reports significant problems with the equipment, and did not know when the HD would return. I inquired what would be the format for the HD2, and was told the PD would disclose that once everything was fixed.
It seems that numerous stations in the area have experienced serious technical issues with their HD gear.

 

[Steve_Green]

Wrong side of the road. Good one, D to the J !

As far as 'significant engineering problems' on HD goes as a theory : Euphemistic rubbish. The engineers on the clock are not the Three Stooges. People who found that they owned the HD capabilities are the ones who overreached .... have now realized it .... and are trying to blame the miscalculation of avarice on everything but the Rapture. Makes one wonder if a 'new' Kool-Aid flavor now comes in a refitted name from 39 years ago called 'Quad'.

 

[nd2023]

Maybe the engineers realized that there is no point replacing the HD transmitter for Lite FM. No one's listening in HD after all these years, and their 106.3 translator is silenced. If they ever do get that translator back on the air, they could just simulcast another Clear Channel station's HD2.

Kind of like my thoughts about replacing my portable HD radio when it broke this weekend, I probably wouldn't have replaced it since there's nothing good on HD2 for me, plus the HD signals are choppy so I can't listen while moving. Luckily it came back to life so I didn't have to sink any more money into my HD radio.

I'm sure as the HD transmitters fail one by one, engineers and station management will realize that HD radio has been a money pit for a decade and hasn't generated any ROI yet. Nobody has the HD radios and nobody wants them even if it comes with their car. Sony stopped producing the XDR-F1HD which was the best analog and HD radio tuner, since only DXers were buying it.