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So what is really on 1500 in Long Beach

K

K6JHU

New topic based on the 1500 discussion below.

I have heard the time signals on 1500 in Long Beach near the Orange County line. Another poster tells me that is Cal Trans testing.

I have also heard at the same frequency (1500) and location re-broadcasts of several out of area stations (Las Vegas and Atlanta for example). I do not believe that Cal Trans would be doing that. I have not yet heard a legal ID. Those are indicative of a priate.

So what do we have here. Cal Trans being creative, or a pirate masquerading as Cal Trans?
 
Robert Gonsett posted this about his beliefe it's a pirate.

ON THE 1500 KHZ LONG BEACH PRESUMED PIRATE

I have a further update for you on the Long Beach pirate.
The signal is full scale on Willow Street between Palo Verde
and Studebaker Road. I also have a new video posted on U-Tube
covering my reception of the pirate at the location mentioned
above. The URL below brings up the video.

My monitoring was done at night on Wednesday, July 9, 2008.
The pirate overpowers and drowns out the co-channel skywave
signal of KSJX, 1500 kHz, San Jose, CA.

At least the pirate has fixed the time announcements
being broadcast. They are now correct!

Anonymous

http://www.youtube.com/user/mwdxdotcom
 
Could someone please start a pirate that covers Westside Los Angeles? I'm tired of missing out on these pirates like KBLT that I can't hear!
 
scooty430 said:
Could someone please start a pirate that covers Westside Los Angeles? I'm tired of missing out on these pirates like KBLT that I can't hear!
Click to expand...

Why don't you ask someone while they're at it to rob a bank or abduct a child? They're illegal acts, too.
 
I'd say co-opting the public airwaves and having the FCC sell them out to the top bidder is the crime here. The guy operating a pirate out of his basement is a modern day Robin Hood.
 
scooty430 said:
I'd say co-opting the public airwaves and having the FCC sell them out to the top bidder is the crime here. The guy operating a pirate out of his basement is a modern day Robin Hood.
Click to expand...

The difference here is that Robin Hood was a big hero who helped people against a totally unjust government. In the actual story, the legitimate king wound up allying himself with Robin Hood against the tyranny. I don't think we have that problem here.

Robin Hood was for the good of everybody. Most radio pirates have been for their own self-gratification. Who exactly have they helped?
 
Obviously not a part-15 operator.

I pass by that intersection in Long Beach on my way home. I know there's a guy with a major ham antenna near there. Maybe it's him.

The funny thing is that the FCC's field office is right up the road on Studebaker in Cerritos.

I check it out tonight.

C5
 
Last time I was up at the 91 in Cerritos opposite teh Field Office I listened to 1500. No signal there. That is planning on somebody's part :)
 
Carmine5 said:
Obviously not a part-15 operator.

I pass by that intersection in Long Beach on my way home. I know there's a guy with a major ham antenna near there. Maybe it's him.

The funny thing is that the FCC's field office is right up the road on Studebaker in Cerritos.

I check it out tonight.

C5
Click to expand...

Not likely that a ham operator would do that, if it is in fact a pirate. Could just be an over zealous part-15 broadcaster. Maybe someone can get a triangulation fix and find the guy before the officials do. I've seen a lot of ads for putting your own station on the air and though they are careful to insulate themselves from accusations that they are selling illegal equipment they give you carefully nuanced suggestions on how you can increase your coverage.
 
A question for you engineers and repeater fans: What kind of device generates the time announce heard on the video???
 
nmoore6676 said:
Carmine5 said:
Obviously not a part-15 operator.

I pass by that intersection in Long Beach on my way home. I know there's a guy with a major ham antenna near there. Maybe it's him.

The funny thing is that the FCC's field office is right up the road on Studebaker in Cerritos.

I check it out tonight.

C5
Click to expand...

Not likely that a ham operator would do that, if it is in fact a pirate. Could just be an over zealous part-15 broadcaster. Maybe someone can get a triangulation fix and find the guy before the officials do. I've seen a lot of ads for putting your own station on the air and though they are careful to insulate themselves from accusations that they are selling illegal equipment they give you carefully nuanced suggestions on how you can increase your coverage.
Click to expand...

Well, I drove all around Studebaker Rd, Palos Verde and Willow and tuned in with both my car radio and a little Sony AX-15 AM stereo radio I carry with me. I heard nothing.

So the guy either signed off for the evening or maybe forever.

C5
 
RicoGregg said:
scooty430 said:
I'd say co-opting the public airwaves and having the FCC sell them out to the top bidder is the crime here. The guy operating a pirate out of his basement is a modern day Robin Hood.
Click to expand...

The difference here is that Robin Hood was a big hero who helped people against a totally unjust government. In the actual story, the legitimate king wound up allying himself with Robin Hood against the tyranny. I don't think we have that problem here.

Robin Hood was for the good of everybody. Most radio pirates have been for their own self-gratification. Who exactly have they helped?
Click to expand...

Most pirates (at least the ones I'm thinking of) are conducted as hobbies, with the main focus being getting music out that isn't otherwise heard. For instance KBLT in the Silver Lake area became a little community hub - even Red Hot Chili Peppers and some other local acts dropped in.
 
Beachdog said:
Robert Gonsett posted this about his beliefe it's a pirate.

ON THE 1500 KHZ LONG BEACH PRESUMED PIRATE

I have a further update for you on the Long Beach pirate.
The signal is full scale on Willow Street between Palo Verde
and Studebaker Road. I also have a new video posted on U-Tube
covering my reception of the pirate at the location mentioned
above. The URL below brings up the video.

My monitoring was done at night on Wednesday, July 9, 2008.
The pirate overpowers and drowns out the co-channel skywave
signal of KSJX, 1500 kHz, San Jose, CA.

At least the pirate has fixed the time announcements
being broadcast. They are now correct!

Anonymous

http://www.youtube.com/user/mwdxdotcom
Click to expand...

I live close to Willow Street. I can't hear anything unless it's off the air now
 
scooty430 said:
Most pirates (at least the ones I'm thinking of) are conducted as hobbies, with the main focus being getting music out that isn't otherwise heard. For instance KBLT in the Silver Lake area became a little community hub - even Red Hot Chili Peppers and some other local acts dropped in.
Click to expand...

The ticks and time checks don't sound like the usual prate stuff. Maybe this was some project that got out of hand. To be honest if you were going to get any coverage with a part-15 you would have to bend the rules a bit. With background and all of the electronics in a modern home they wouldn't get much coverage even in a dense urban area. I built one as a kid (many years ago and I was nine) but even then I couldn't get out to my buddies a couple of blocks away in a suburban area near Dayton Ohio. So I extended the antenna a bit and got weak reception at their homes. I lost interest in it and later got a Novice Class Ham ticket which was more fun.

It is possible the operator read the posts on here and shut it down. That would be a better outcome than getting popped by the man. If it was unintentional, or misguided, then so be it. If he is a scofflaw and goes back on then bring in the troops.
 
Much a do about nothing. I talked to the Cal-trans radio Techs. Cal-trans WAS testing on 1500 -- with the clock ticks. They are looking for a replacement channel for the LICENSED "TIS" station "WPET-710" located on a 50 foot pole on the southside of the 405 freeway -- just east of Studebaker Rd. ( 33-47-11.1 N by 118-05-39.2 W ). Cal-trans was BUMPED from 620 AM -- when Mexico authorized a new AM Broadcast station on 620 in BC, Mexico. It was only Cal-tans testing. Or YOU could call Cal-trans - District 7 HQ -- at (213) 897-3656 and ask for Douglas Failing. You jerk.
 
I suppose in this day and age nobody would hear a pirate anyway. The typical audience for a pirate (under 30 and musically/technologically dialed-in) does not listen to radio.
 
For The Record

1500 Long Beach signed off, for good, on July 9, 2008 at approximately 7:30 PM, following a visit form a Gentleman from the FCC.

The Time Signals heard lately were from this station. Anyone claiming to have recorded the station later in the evening must be confused as to the date.

Any signals heard after this might be from Caltrans, although I have no personal knowledge of their operations. There have been some continuous tones on the frequency, though.
 
If this was Caltrans testing, my guess for the transmitter location based on
an earlier post with lat/long information is at the base of the 605-north
on-ramp from the 405-south. This is the bridge that spans the
405/605 freeways and give you a good view to the northeast. At the
beginning of this ramp there is one post with a camera and a second
post with a dipole antenna. That could be the transimitter location, but
the antenna installation does not look particularly new compared
to the camera post which has been in place for at least 5 years.
 
scooty430 said:
I suppose in this day and age nobody would hear a pirate anyway. The typical audience for a pirate (under 30 and musically/technologically dialed-in) does not listen to radio.
Click to expand...

You have really got to stop posting stuff that just is not true.

12-30 year olds: Weekly cume, 3,449,000 persons which represents 95.8% of all persons in that age range.
 
Beachdog said:
Robert Gonsett posted this about his beliefe it's a pirate.

ON THE 1500 KHZ LONG BEACH PRESUMED PIRATE

I have a further update for you on the Long Beach pirate.
The signal is full scale on Willow Street between Palo Verde
and Studebaker Road. I also have a new video posted on U-Tube
covering my reception of the pirate at the location mentioned
above. The URL below brings up the video.

My monitoring was done at night on Wednesday, July 9, 2008.
The pirate overpowers and drowns out the co-channel skywave
signal of KSJX, 1500 kHz, San Jose, CA.

At least the pirate has fixed the time announcements
being broadcast. They are now correct!

Anonymous

http://www.youtube.com/user/mwdxdotcom
Click to expand...

So that's all this Cal Trans "pirate" did-- imitate WWV? ;D
 
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