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Need signal reports for 87.9 pls

R

radi0chik

Guest
I just returned from the wildest goosechase I've ever been on. A friend of mine in Lewisville called me to ask if I knew of a pirate in that area on 87.9 - I said no but that freq is common for modulators in cars and the like.

He headed to Dallas to pick up me and my FIM-71 and we took off. It sounded pretty strong in Irving... getting stereo broadcast (mixed in with 93.3 audio) and actually moving the needle somewhat on the FIM-71. So we started doing a drive around the estimated perimeter (downtown irving, we though) but when we got west/southwest of that, we were hearing it stronger.... so we headed across 360, and up - then across 183. It faded in and out several times - losing stereo lock. Then we got another high signal hit at 820/183 interchange.... got stronger going towards Beech st. Then we lost it again.

I'm convinced this is not just one transmitter. There were too many strong signals in too many locations to be just one....or it's got better coverage than a class C station here does. It's spanish church stuff from what I could tell - I don't know but a dozen words in spanish. I DID hear a phone number once, 817 area code, but by the time my brain decoded 817, they'd finished the rest of the number.

They signed off at midnight... actually SIGNED OFF. Like gave a schedule for what normally happens during the day, thanked people, and signed off, then the transmitter(s) went off.

Several times while driving around we could have swore we heard "doubling" where 2 transmitters were beating against each other - other times they seemed like they were phase-canceling each other out.

So, if you happen to tune past 87.9 and get a stereo lock, remember the closest major intersection... and let me know if you wouldn't mind. Or if you know spanish and can decode their phone number faster than I can, we can reverse-look it up. They were putting callers on the air earlier but there was an awful ground loop whenever that happened.

I'm guessing its a network of churches.... all getting the same feed off satellite, and each one transmitting it to their community.

Back to your regularly scheduled bickering programming ;)
 
You will be my hero if you can get this off the air. They are splattering all over KNTU. I thought they were in south fort worth, because of the way they fade as I travel north and east from 820/287. My guess was around 35 and 20.
 
I first noticed this signal on Labor Day Weekend. I was at the NTB store in Burleson on Wilshire (174) by Wal-Mart. I cannot hear it in my house though so the signal isn't too strong for me. The audio seemed somewhat distorted too. I was surprised to hear it 2 days later in the parking lot at my office in North Richland Hills. Good luck in finding this one.
 
you guys already heard this and you didn't tell me???? :mad:


Shame on you!

I'll continue chasing.
 
radi0chik said:
I just returned from the wildest goosechase I've ever been on. A friend of mine in Lewisville called me to ask if I knew of a pirate in that area on 87.9 - I said no but that freq is common for modulators in cars and the like.
Click to expand...

Most of the modulators I have seen don't go down to 87.9. I've had several as the technology improved - from the old analog tuned versions to the 4 frequency versions to the synthesized ones. None go down to 87.9 except maybe the old analog tuned one.

Violating the law for Jesus - I hope these clowns get arrested and shut down for good!
 
MacOConnor said:
This pirate was discussed briefly earlier in this thread:
http://www.radio-info.com/smf/index.php/topic,70721.0.html (87.9 FM NE TARRANT COUNTY)
Click to expand...

Well that's what I get for not reading this board every day :)

I'm on it now. I'm guessing at least 500 watts on a tall tower/building. This thing kicks ass in DALLAS.

I'll look a bit farther south this next time. I was scouring N Ft Worth last night.

Thanks guys!
 
What an appropriate topic for International Talk Like A Pirate Day! I was just telling my daughter, who is moderately obsessed with pirates (Carribean-style), that it's too bad we can't tune in a pirate radio station to celebrate the occasion. Maybe this afternoon, though I'd be surprised if it'll be audible in Mesquite, right under the 88.5 tower. Avast!
 
Robert Brooks said:
What an appropriate topic for International Talk Like A Pirate Day! I was just telling my daughter, who is moderately obsessed with pirates (Carribean-style), that it's too bad we can't tune in a pirate radio station to celebrate the occasion. Maybe this afternoon, though I'd be surprised if it'll be audible in Mesquite, right under the 88.5 tower. Avast!
Click to expand...

Been sampling 87.9 myself, with no luck so far. All I get is static.

R
 
Oh wait! I improved my antenna setup a bit, and it's coming in now. Clean signal, but very poor audio quality.

R
 
More info...

I got a "tuned" light on my radio when I knocked it down to 87.8, but no stereo carrier. I'm near Town East Blvd @ Galloway. I'm pulling in the signal using AT&T's Home Entertainment Sat dish as an antenna.

R
 
You're doing better than I am Robert.
I'm downtown Dallas and we can't hear it here. It's west of here somewhere for sure. The stereo carrier was fading in and out when we were looking around Dallas county last night... matter of fact it was fading in and out in Tarrant county too.

Course then there was the time that the signal came in really well to Dolly Parton's "Islands in the Stream" - as a trucker drove by the other way. ;)
 
Wow... a trucker Ipoding Kenny & Dolly to his radio? ??? :eek:

;)

The volume on 87.8 / 87.9 is quite low, probably a mere 25% of KEOM's. I'm still getting a clear signal, but no stereo carrier.

I ought to play some of this station to our staff. Maybe someone there is fluent in Spanish.

R
 
I noticed this Saturday from Valley Ranch. It was very strong at times as I drove around--mostly when I was near the top of a hill (surprise).

At one point it was very clearly a church service. The guy speaking was very concerned about El Diablo.

I also got a fairly good signal on I-35 at Loop 12.

It was off on Tuesday, but back on today.
 
its on tonight... very strong in NE Ft Worth. That's where I'm headed. If at first I don't succeed....

I don't think I'm the right demographic to be ridin around that area after dark though :/
 
Still picking it up in Mesquite. Seems a bit louder too, and still a clean signal. It's still showing "tuned" on 87.8, but not 87.7 or 87.9. Stareo carrier remains missing.

R.
 
Paul Boomer said:
It was loud and clear in South Ft. Worth tonight. I started listening about 6:30PM.
Click to expand...

Probably because you were right underneath it. :) Found it around 10:30ish tonight. Myself and a ham buddy n5un were out hunting most of the evening, starting 8ish or so. Never could get a GOOD signal... there were places it was better, and places it was worse, but we knew we weren't close. Finally at the 10pm hour, top of the hour, they started doing their call in prayer show or whatever...and gave their phone number. I recorded it, called a friend who was fluent in spanish, let her listen to it a couple times, and then run the number through whitepages.com. We never came up with a good match, but we DID get the phone number exchange that pointed us to the Berry St/S FWY part of town. Just the part I wanted to wander around in the dark.

At first we thought it was a tower (100 something foot) in a truck yard just east of Berry but upon closer examination the only antenna on that was a DB 224 at the top. VHF 2-way antenna. That's not it. I happened to look to the west and saw 2 red lights on a tower - that wasn't the "Eiffel tower" at morningside. We drove across the fwy and sure enough its another shorter tower basically SW of the big twr there on the fwy. BINGO. We got it. There's a monopole antenna at the top on the south side of the antenna - thats your transmit ant. I'd give ANYTHING to know what their TPO is. It's gotta be at least 500 watts and 1kw wouldn't surprise me.

ASR tower number is: 1212365 owned by a James Bell of Bell Interconnect Inc. There's a 2way shop there, with a Nextel sign outside... Advanced Metrocomm is what the sign says.

I wonder if James Bell KNOWS he's charging rent to an illegal station... and I wonder if the FCC will charge him with anything when they get these guys.

I'll be turning them in.
 
WHAT? And crash the party? Yer no fun Miss Avenger. ;D

Get any pics of the tower, or was it too dark?

R
 
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