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KIRB 890AM Fairfield?

S

SwapMeetLouie

I was in Vacaville over the weekend and was scanning the AM dial when I picked up what sounds like a new radio station. It identified itself in a tape loop as KIRB, the information station for Travis Air Force Base (just outside of Fairfield). The announcer spoke with a strong Bostonian dialect. I was also able to pick up the station clearly in Fairfield. I checked http://www.radio-locator.com and, according to the website, those calls are unassigned. I did a search of KIRB here, on Google, on the Travis Air Force Base website, and nada.

The station sounds legit, but it gives no legal ID. Coincidentally (or not) one of the officials in charge of communications at TAFB is James Kirby, here's the link: http://www.travis.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123087667 . Does anyone know anything about this?
 
A friend of mine has heard it when driving through the area a few times in the last month.

it seems to have significant power as he heard it over 40 miles. I wonder if KIRB is akin to what KTRK 1670, operating from Ft Meade, Maryland back around 1997? Maybe they are testing some kind of antenna system or transmitter.

Although, my friend did mention that the announcement said "Your station for emergency information, weather" and etc....
 
This is most likely something like a TIS (Travelers Information Station) at Travis AFB -- I can't recall the name for emergency stations. We have one on 530 KHz in Martinez. They usually have a callsign like WPTR 552. Some of them broadcast a looped ID, but I discovered one in San Francisco or Daly City that was actually using it for non-commercial programming which would be pre-empted for emergency information. A DX'er buddy of mine here in the Bay Area picked one up from San Luis Obispo, so they are capable of getting out, especially at night. You just need a hot receiver in your car, and a quiet listening area. I've picked up talking real estate signs from more than a mile away.
Just checked out the FCC data base, and there are competing apps for 890 KHz in the Chico and Olivehurst areas, so this station will most likely have to move when one of those stations goes on the air.
 
Johnnyrockin said:
Just checked out the FCC data base, and there are competing apps for 890 KHz in the Chico and Olivehurst areas, so this station will most likely have to move when one of those stations goes on the air.
Click to expand...

Not necessarily. They put in a 840 kHz. TIS on Highway 580 here in Livermore. Previously, you could listen to KMPH (also on 840 kHz.) from Modesto around town. Now, not so much.

DJ
 
Thanks for the comment, Johnnyrockin, but I don't think this is a TIS. The TIS stations I've heard all give their callsigns just like you describe- KIRB does not. The tape loops lasts about a minute, and the announcer says "this is KIRB 890" and a few seconds later, "I say, this is KIRB 890." I believe it's an emergency information station for Travis Air Force Base, but I'm curious as to why it never properly identifies itself. Could this be James KIRBy, an official at TAFB, playing around with some base transmission equipment? It sounds to me like the voice on the tape loop is not that of a professional broadcaster, someone that doesn't know how to do a legal ID.
 
SwapMeetLouie said:
Thanks for the comment, Johnnyrockin, but I don't think this is a TIS. The TIS stations I've heard all give their callsigns just like you describe- KIRB does not. The tape loops lasts about a minute, and the announcer says "this is KIRB 890" and a few seconds later, "I say, this is KIRB 890." I believe it's an emergency information station for Travis Air Force Base, but I'm curious as to why it never properly identifies itself. Could this be James KIRBy, an official at TAFB, playing around with some base transmission equipment? It sounds to me like the voice on the tape loop is not that of a professional broadcaster, someone that doesn't know how to do a legal ID.
Click to expand...

Being a federal TIS is possible.. and not all of the records are kept by the FCC, as they are licensed by someone else.

I wouldn't discount this as being wrong or not legal..... we just don't know exactly what it is yet.
 
I just realized something to add to the discussion -- Military facilities are not licensed by the FCC, but I have no example of a TIS-type station on the AM band operating under that kind extra-FCC kind of authority.
 
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