Herald: Rapper Edo G on "WBOT 97.7" Dec 20?!?

[raccoonradio]

http://bostonherald.com/entertainme..._flavor_to_edo_g_show/srvc=edge&position=also

>> here in the Hub, the buzz surrounding the Roxbury hip-hop legend is all about an upcoming radio collaboration.
When Edo resumes his HOT 97 radio show, “Taking It to the Streets,” Dec. 20 (10 p.m. - 1 a.m. Sundays on WBOT-FM 97.7 ), he’ll be joined at the mike by Dory Greenberg\

WBOT is still on the air? I could swear that since Aug 21, 2006, 97.7 has been WKAF, a simulcast of WAAF.
And indeed a quick check of 97.7 while in my car in Beverly turned up a strong signal that was the same as
107.3...now there is a pir--er, undocumented broadcaster at 87.7 doing rap, so maybe that's what the Herald meant...?

Now if the arr-shiver-me-timbers, walk-the-plank operation at 87.7 is what they meant, I'll correct them.
(is 87.7 officially a freq the FCC licenses? or does it start at 87.9 or 88.1?)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WKAF

>> The end of WILD-FM came after a farewell song about 7:00 pm EDT on August 21, and the station began a stunt of a computerized voice

 

[raccoonradio]

The Wikipedia entry for WKAF states that "Hot 97's format is now airing on 87.7 WPOT, a pirate radio station without a license." I should add that if any rap fans tune to 97.7 on Dec 20 at 10 pm, they will instead hear a program called "Bay State Rock" on Entercom's WKAF.

 

[carmen]

wow ive never heard of DJ Strawberry vanilla shake

does WTBU actually broadcast on 89.3 or is that just some joke? when i lived in Allston i just got planet compas

 

[raccoonradio]

You can pick up 89.3 in certain buildings at B.U. and maybe in the general vicinity but very low power under Part 15. See http://www.wtburadio.org/

 

[aaronread]

Does WTBU actually broadcast on 89.3 or is that just some joke? when i lived in Allston i just got planet compas

Yeah, they do. It's a building-by-building system called "Radiating Cable FM", or sometimes "Leaky Cable FM", originally purchased from LPB Communications back in the late 1980's / early 1990's (not long before I was the student Tech Dir there). It's an FM modulator and a 1 watt amplifier run into multiple lengths of Andrew NF-2D cable. If you have the length of the cable right, it lets the signal "leak" evenly out and radiate from the cable about 50ft (through walls) and maybe 200ft through air. As I said: building-by-building. Even with a good radio, go about a block away and the signal is just gone. WTBU only wired 700 Commonwealth Ave (Warren Towers) and the three West Campus dorms (adjacent to Nickerson Field) with the FM systems. Some other dorms had "Carrier-current AM" systems that were 20 watt AM transmitters coupled to the electrical wiring of the building, making all the AC wires into a low-grade (very low) broadcast antenna. Again, it didn't go more than a few dozen feet outside of the building. When I was there (1994-98) there were AM transmitters in Shelton Hall, Myles Standish Hall, 640 Commonwealth Ave (the COM building, where the studios were) and Danielsen Hall. There *were* AM transmitters in The Towers dorm, and Audubon Court (South Campus) but they were either destroyed in a flood or stolen (respectively).

It's all unlicensed, but legal, under the 47 CFR Part 15 rules; FM transmissions are limited to a signal strength (not wattage) of 200 millivolts/meter measured at 3 meters from the radiating element. For LPB's systems, the FCC would accept "3 meters measured from the exterior of the building" which was a practical consideration.

These days I'm not positive if WTBU bothers with the RCFM or CCAM transmitters anymore. They were being fed audio via "Program Audio Service" lines leased from Verizon (or whatever it was called back then) at ridiculous cost. Basically they were 15kHz dry copper pairs.

That PAS network is entirely redundant now that BU has a cable TV system (something previous BU President John Silber steadfastly refused to allow) and I do know that WTBU has their audio carried on a campus cable TV channel. And realistically, the RCFM/CCAM systems are redundant, too...between the webcast and the cable TV audio, that's all they need to reach their audience of students, alumni and parents. Every time I'm in Boston I usually end up driving through the BU area and I'll flip on 89.3FM and/or 640AM and lately I never hear anything...not even dead carrier. So it's possible they shut down the transmitters.

 

[carmen]

interesting. ive heard of 'leaky cable' placed along train tracks for signalling. and for rebroadcasting in auto tunnels

the 1 watt inside the faraday shield of steel rebar buildings epxlains why i didnt hear it..

 

[carmen]

Every time I'm in Boston I usually end up driving through the BU area and I'll flip on 89.3FM and/or 640AM and lately I never hear anything...not even dead carrier. So it's possible they shut down the transmitters.

now that ipods have FM recievers, it might make sense to throw a 5w transmitter on a roof somewhere, with a figure-8 pattern covering comm ave

 

[robotique]

Edo G's show is every sunday night at 22:00 until 01:00 Monday on the 87.7 pirate and online at hot97boston.com. Its good stuff!

 

[beantownradio25]

87.7 is now louder sounding and another signal upgrade as of today ;D

And speaking of undocumented stations in Boston, has anyone ever noticed the crazy bass in Big City 101.3's EQ?

 

[mgpt6]

And Big City 101.3 has been back in mono the last few weeks.
Boston College used to have a carrier current AM station at 640 am, but moved to audio on Cable TV Ch.47 about12-15 years ago for campus broadcasts. Wonder if they may lose Ch.47 in Comcast's Calvary Project to reclaim analog Ch 23-69 for digital only?

 

[chrisradioanimal]

What did they upgrade at 87.7 the power or the antenna height again?

 

[carmen]

And speaking of undocumented stations in Boston, has anyone ever noticed the crazy bass in Big City 101.3's EQ?

big city too much low end on my Yamaha reciever, for sure

Choice's transmitter mutes for half second a few times a minute, which is more annoying. its been broken for ages

also anhnoying is 1710 AM. but with a directoinal antenna you can choose between RadioUn's simulcast and brockton (whats it called? Merveille, or Ma Ville or somethinhg?)

 

[beantownradio25]

And Big City 101.3 has been back in mono the last few weeks.
Boston College used to have a carrier current AM station at 640 am, but moved to audio on Cable TV  Ch.47 about12-15 years ago for campus broadcasts. Wonder if they may lose Ch.47 in Comcast's Calvary Project to reclaim analog  Ch 23-69 for digital only?

Really? It sounded like Stereo to me today, but maybe I'm wrong because the signal seemed stronger in the Suburbs then it had been in the last few months and I know they gave up alot of coverage when they went stereo.

 

[nd2023]

What did they upgrade at 87.7 the power or the antenna height again?

Isn't it already 5000 watts? People have reported hearing WPOT over 30 miles away. 5000 watts near the ground will go that far.

I can't believe the BU student who's joining Edo G is that stupid to realize that 87.7 is a pirate station, considering she's majoring in communications. Working at an illegal radio station isn't exactly the best thing to put on a resume.

The FM band officially starts at 87.9. 87.7 is the audio of analog channel 6 and can be heard on many FM radios (but not all). There is no channel 6 anywhere near Boston. WPOT is just an idiot broadcasting his FM transmitter on 87.7. What's to stop me from broadcasting on 87.7 in Boston and interfere with Hot 87?

The Boston Herald got one letter and one number wrong.

 

[mgpt6]

BIG cITY 101.3 FM was in mono this afternoon. I think they want to maintain a coverage area comparable to Hot 97 at 87.7FM which Big City cant do in stereo but can if in mono.