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Problems At KVRI 1600 (Vancouver, BC)

SomeRadioGuy

SomeRadioGuy

Every night since this weekend, I’ve tuned by the blaster that is 1600 between 10-1030 and am treated to the usual s9+100 signal ( no joke! ). .. but theres no audio.

I posted to a DX email list about this and someone from the Vancouver area replied Friday morning the 23rd and said there was audio. Just heard from a DXer at 510pm Pacific Fri in South Burnaby BC and he said there's no audio.
 
Several Dxers tonight are reporting that the station is dead air except for a legal id at top of hour
 
Listening to 1600 now, here in the Seattle metro, and hearing KOPB Eugene and probably KOHI St. Helens, Oregon.

KVRI hasn't been as strong here over the past month -- mostly due to crap MW DX conditions. Last time I tuned into them I didn't notice anything awry with their signal otherwise, though.
 
An update: I'm hearing the top of the hour ID's, pretty loud on the channel, and no other sign of KVRI any other times. It there's a dead carrier on top of the channel the rest of the time I can't really tell on my PR-D5.
 
boombox4 said:
An update: I'm hearing the top of the hour ID's, pretty loud on the channel, and no other sign of KVRI any other times. It there's a dead carrier on top of the channel the rest of the time I can't really tell on my PR-D5.
Click to expand...

Kelly A said:
Waste of utility power.
Click to expand...


Yup, its just a dead carrier with nothing more than a top hour id. Its been going on for a week
 
As of right now, 5:30 a.m. PDT, KVRI 1600 are back on with Sikh prayer music. Very faint in the channel, competing with KOPB, but it's there. Just noticed it starting up maybe 1/2 and hour ago. Not sure what power they'd be running. A lot of the reception of KVRI varies from night to night anyway. But it's in there.
 
boombox4 said:
As of right now, 5:30 a.m. PDT, KVRI 1600 are back on with Sikh prayer music. Very faint in the channel, competing with KOPB, but it's there. Just noticed it starting up maybe 1/2 and hour ago. Not sure what power they'd be running. A lot of the reception of KVRI varies from night to night anyway. But it's in there.
Click to expand...

I think theyre running normal or near normal power because well after dark, the signal hasnt changed much here that cant be easily explained as "conditions"
 
I'm in the Vancouver area and just tuned in for the heck of it (it's not a station that I normally listen to). I heard it loud and clear though. KVRI has always been more reliable than KRPI on 1550. The audio quality on 1550 has been anything but great, with audio that sounds like a low quality stream at times (complete with stuttering).
 
fordranger797 said:
I'm in the Vancouver area and just tuned in for the heck of it (it's not a station that I normally listen to). I heard it loud and clear though. KVRI has always been more reliable than KRPI on 1550. The audio quality on 1550 has been anything but great, with audio that sounds like a low quality stream at times (complete with stuttering).
Click to expand...

Hmm things back to normal?
 
fordranger797 said:
I'm in the Vancouver area and just tuned in for the heck of it (it's not a station that I normally listen to). I heard it loud and clear though. KVRI has always been more reliable than KRPI on 1550. The audio quality on 1550 has been anything but great, with audio that sounds like a low quality stream at times (complete with stuttering).
Click to expand...
Yeah, I heard some stuttering on KRPI a week or so ago. Otherwise the audio sounded clean, though.
 
Two of the BC/NW-Washington Punjabi stations seem to have gone "dark" program-wise but still have an open carrier. KRPA (AM 1110 Oak Harbor) and KWLE (AM 1340 Anacortes) have been giving us the "silent treatment these for several days now. The online stream is in a continuous loop too.

I know there might be some leasing changes at KRPI or KVRI per discussions on several of the radio-oriented discussion sites. Any idea guesses to what's going on with Radio India Ltd (AM 1110 / 1340)? Canadian cross-border crackdown time? After all, we have the BC elections ongoing. Besides that provincial issue, there's quite a squabble currently between India and Canada rwith the Punjabi-speaking community right in the middle of things.

Oh yes, AM 1550 still has that goofy clicking noise.
 
RF101 said:
Two of the BC/NW-Washington Punjabi stations seem to have gone "dark" program-wise but still have an open carrier. KRPA (AM 1110 Oak Harbor) and KWLE (AM 1340 Anacortes) have been giving us the "silent treatment these for several days now. The online stream is in a continuous loop too.

I know there might be some leasing changes at KRPI or KVRI per discussions on several of the radio-oriented discussion sites. Any idea guesses to what's going on with Radio India Ltd (AM 1110 / 1340)? Canadian cross-border crackdown time? After all, we have the BC elections ongoing. Besides that provincial issue, there's quite a squabble currently between India and Canada rwith the Punjabi-speaking community right in the middle of things.

Oh yes, AM 1550 still has that goofy clicking noise.
Click to expand...
It’s news to me that there’s a shakeup on these frequencies (1550 and 1600). But I can’t understand Hindi or Punjabi, so I’d have to rely on someone to tell me that the programming is different. Were 1550 and 1600 basically canned national formats? I know that the local Punjabi programming that was on 1550 has migrated to much better signal on 600 (that’s located in BC). That gives the lower mainland three Indian-centric stations (600, 1200, and 93.1).

Either way, I’d expect programming to return on 1550 and 1600 at some point since leasing a border blaster is probably cheapest way to get your content on the air the lower mainland. I’m not sure I’d call 1110 a “border blaster,” but I’m sure you can hear it well in Victoria.
 
A quick update . The listed stream for KVRI is *not* what is coming over the air on AM 1600. I think the Radio Punjab audio stream is not reaching the KVRI studio site. AM 1600 may be playing "filler" instead. Both over-the-air and the Internet stream seem to have the same air talent.
 
It's pretty confusing to figure out what kind of programming is on each station, but I think I've got it figured out (somewhat)...

KVRI 1600 and KNTS 1680 are related and are co-owned, yet it looks like the website only mentions KVRI 1600 and seems to be targeted only towards their listening audience in Surrey and Vancouver. I'm not sure if KNTS 1680 regularly just runs a simulcast of the same programming or not. Regardless, it looks like the studio for this station is located in Surrey, and it is indeed local programming. Perhaps their listeners in Seattle don't care if it's the same (but to be fair, there are far less listeners in Seattle). Interestingly, it looks you end up at the KVRI website if you try to look up KWLE 1340, so I am not sure what is up with that. Maybe it's somewhat of a translator targeted at reaching Victoria.

It looks like KRPI 1550 is also local. The website isn't built as well at KVRI, but it looks local to me. As I recall, Sher-e-Punjab was using the 1550 frequency before, but now they've found a new legal home on 600am in Vancouver. I guess another organization took over the border blaster frequency after they abandoned 1550.

KRPA 1110 appears to be where the "Radio India" format went. The studio is listed as being in Surrey as well.

For those who don't already know, there is one advantage of using these AM stations on the US side. It allows you avoid the requirement of catering to different multicultural programming (as required by the CRTC). All of the stations based in Vancouver (with a callsign that starts with "C") must air a certain percentage of programming in other languages. If you're on 1550 or 1600, you don't need to.
 
KRPI ("BBC Broadcasting, Inc.") has filed for an extension of their STA. This explains why the signal is so weak right now:

--- STAX Discussion -----

Station KRPI is licensed to operate on 1550 kHz at a power of 50 kW day and 1 0
kW night, using different directional antenna patterns (DA-2). In the STA request, BBC
Broadcasting Inc. ("BBC") reported that there was a problem with two of the RF contactors
used to switch between day and night operation.

Since then, BBC hired an engineer to replace the contactors on the antenna
switching system and to verify the day and night patterns. But when the engineer
attempted to return the transmitter, it would only produce 5 kW due to serious internal
problems. Another engineer has been hired to assess the state of the transmitter and
make recommendations. This engineer is scheduled to be on site in early November.

As a result, BBC respectfully requests an extension of the Special Temporary
Authorization for a period of 180 days to operate KRPl(AM) into the licensed daytime
directional antenna at night with nighttime power reduced to 0.9 kW. Daytime operation
will continue to operate with its licensed facilities.

-----------------------------
 


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