Pirate at 90.1

[mgpt6]

The Pirate at 90.1 in Medford and Somerville is back. In mono and probably only 10-20 watts. People at WZBC 90.3 are aware of this Pirate.

 

[carmen]

format?

same as occsainally-on 90.1 playing hiphop and mentioned a 'network' of stations in upstate NY, including NTSC? relay for Radio Energie?

 

[chrisradioanimal]

I google searched Radio Energy and found this: http://www.radioenergyboston.com/. They even have a picture of the FM tower right on the page.

 

[Eli Polonsky]

It was loud and clear, splashing WZBC, when I was on Route 60 in Medford between Route 93 and Malden (stopping for cheap gas).

But, a few miles north on 93 by the Stoneham exit, it was gone. It also barely comes in, if at all, where I live on the Cambridge side of Somerville between Davis and Union Squares.

 

[robotique]

whoops


i didn't see this thread a minute ago when i started my own thread about it ....

 

[robotique]

it definitely is // to am 1620.


btw, am i a hypocrite for only disliking pirates that are on the non-comm band?? Hot 87.7 cool, 96.5, 99.7, 101.3 not a prob....but 90.1 ??? I get pissed!

 

[robotique]

and not to be a snitch.... but they were rebroadcasting an NPR piece and then talking about it.

 

[aaronread]

btw, am i a hypocrite for only disliking pirates that are on the non-comm band?

Not in Boston you're not. There's an abundance of smaller stations with lower ERP scattered across the entire NCE band in greater Boston. Ergo, a pirate on most any NCE frequency will almost certainly cause real-world interference to a licensed station. And that interference will be more significant because the licensed station has a smaller reach to begin with.

Whereas in the commercial band, the minimum distance separations tend to mean slightly more "room" for a pirate to set up shop and not cause quite as much interference.

Of course, in greater Boston, any pirate anywhere on the FM band (and almost anywhere on the AM band) will cause technical interference as determined by contours and minimum-distance separations from the FCC. That's just how packed the dial is. But "interference" in the real world is an incredibly variable concept...with receiver quality, antenna quality, atmospherics, terrain, etc, all factoring in. With that in mind, I think everyone knows that a pirate in the NCE band is "doing more damage" in the real world than a pirate in the commercial band. Hence why I think it's quite justifiable to be mad at a pirate in the NCE band.

They even have a picture of the FM tower right on the page.

Even money that's just a stock photo of an FM antenna from somewhere else. (shrugs)

 

[carmen]

Even money that's just a stock photo of an FM antenna from somewhere else. (shrugs)

yes but station id is epic and unassailable

 

[robotique]

btw, am i a hypocrite for only disliking pirates that are on the non-comm band?

Not in Boston you're not. There's an abundance of smaller stations with lower ERP scattered across the entire NCE band in greater Boston. Ergo, a pirate on most any NCE frequency will almost certainly cause real-world interference to a licensed station. And that interference will be more significant because the licensed station has a smaller reach to begin with.

Whereas in the commercial band, the minimum distance separations tend to mean slightly more "room" for a pirate to set up shop and not cause quite as much interference.

Of course, in greater Boston, any pirate anywhere on the FM band (and almost anywhere on the AM band) will cause technical interference as determined by contours and minimum-distance separations from the FCC. That's just how packed the dial is. But "interference" in the real world is an incredibly variable concept...with receiver quality, antenna quality, atmospherics, terrain, etc, all factoring in. With that in mind, I think everyone knows that a pirate in the NCE band is "doing more damage" in the real world than a pirate in the commercial band. Hence why I think it's quite justifiable to be mad at a pirate in the NCE band.

exactly. I hope WZBC takes action and the FCC acts swiftly.

 

[robotique]

Even money that's just a stock photo of an FM antenna from somewhere else. (shrugs)

yes but station id is epic and unassailable

that is HILARIOUS