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Too many pirate stations in Boston

N

nd2023

Banned
94.9 - Caribbean
96.5 - Religious in another language
97.3 - Spanish
100.3 - Urban AC
101.3 - Big City, hip hop and reggae
102.1 - Caribbean
102.9 - Choice, Caribbean
103.7 - Hip hop
104.7 - Reggae
106.1 - Touch, urban AC
107.5 - Mexican

That's enough pirate stations to fill up rapking's presets.
101.3 was the strongest, followed by 106.1 and 102.9. 97.3 seemed to go the furthest west from Boston, almost to Worcester, but was weak in Boston.
Next year, I bet I will find the same pirate stations still on the air, and many more new ones.
 
I LOVE THIS LIST !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dont forget 105.5 out in Worcester .
 
97.3 is a 50kw FM out of New Bedford which is portugesee. That one is legit not pirate. I get a laugh out of the pirate on 104.3 in Brockton that has BCN's IBOC hash under it...
 
Stations right next to legit stations (104.3, 105.5)...kind of like if some criminals moved next to your home
(and started stealing from your house...) Hopefully the FCC will swoop down on these folks especially, who
are causing real interference.
 
Where are you listening from? You missed a bunch!
Boston area, not previously mentioned in this thread:

88.5 (Occasional) Somerville - "Off Coast Radio" Freeform (remnant of "Radio Free Cambridge").
88.5 Dedham - Middle Eastern (was strong, seems to have recently gone off the air)
89.3 (Occasional) Mattapan?? - Caribbean (weak)
89.3 (Occasional) West suburbs somewhere - "College Radio" - '50s/'60s oldies
90.1 Dorchester or Mattapan?? - Haitian talk (weak)
91.3 Dorchester or Mattapan?? - Caribbean (strong, sometimes interferes with WMFO)
105.3 Mattapan "Vibe 105" - Caribbean/Reggae, w/RDS display (strong)
107.1 Dorchester or Mattapan?? - Caribbean or Haitian (weak)

In the East Boston/Chelsea area I've also heard 99.3 and different ones on 105.3 and 107.1.

There are also some on AM. 720, 1580, and a bunch above 1600.

The station on 97.3 is legitimate longtime commercial Portuguese station WJFD New Bedford. They've been cranking it out with 50 kW for decades. You're hearing their fringe signal up here. They blanket southeastern New England, and I'm sure they have listenership in Boston, RI and central MA in addition to their local area. Don't assume it's a pirate just because it's not in English on FM!
 
Around a hundred watts on average, given their signals. We will never know unless we can see their transmitter and antenna system. 101.3 claims to have over 1000 watts, and its signal blankets Boston and can be heard west of Newton. You can hear 101.3 in the tunnel, where the Route 128 stations have static. I forgot about 97.3 being legal, the music sounded like the kind of stuff pirate stations play.
 
rapking said:
I LOVE THIS LIST !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dont forget 105.5 out in Worcester .
Click to expand...

How would you feel if you owned a legit radio station and one of these illegals set up shop next door to you on the dial? Think about it.
 
kms575 said:
rapking said:
I LOVE THIS LIST !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dont forget 105.5 out in Worcester .
Click to expand...

How would you feel if you owned a legit radio station and one of these illegals set up shop next door to you on the dial? Think about it.
Click to expand...

I heard BBC Worlwide news service on the 105.5 pirate in Worcester. Why would the BBC lend credibility to an illegal US Radio station by letting the pirate station run this news service?
 
The BBC doesn't even know there's a 105.5 pirate in Woo-ster. The pirate is streaming BBC.
At least it's not a Caribbean station.
Does the 105.5 pirate make it to the Mass Pike?
 
kms575 said:
rapking said:
I LOVE THIS LIST !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dont forget 105.5 out in Worcester .
Click to expand...

How would you feel if you owned a legit radio station and one of these illegals set up shop next door to you on the dial? Think about it.
Click to expand...
If I think like all these out of town Boston radio owners I would not care . I am rich and giving the public GARBAGE CHEAP radio ( No D.J's , COL Who care's , Get your pink slip here, More Money for Me ) and I will happy that the public, still feel that pirate radio are the bad guys . Shut them Pirate down ! Bring more cash to me ! Cut the payroll ! I love 1996 ! FCC is my BEE-ARCH !!!!
 
i'm listening to the 88.5 pirate out of the somerville area right now. he's playing some jefferson airplane album in its entirety and babbling about having to go downstairs to release liquids from his body.


brilliant, lemme tellya
 
well thanks to trop or eskip 101.3 has been a local here in franklin nearly 30-40 miles away from boston. and i can get 102.9.101.3 ,97.5 normally as close as foxboro and walpole area.
 
Nick said:
94.9 - Caribbean
96.5 - Religious in another language
97.3 - Spanish
100.3 - Urban AC
101.3 - Big City, hip hop and reggae
102.1 - Caribbean
102.9 - Choice, Caribbean
103.7 - Hip hop
104.7 - Reggae
106.1 - Touch, urban AC
107.5 - Mexican
All these pirates 101.3, 102.9, Touch 106.1 these are because of the loss of 1090, HOT 97.7 and Star 93.7. Out of every place (Seattle, Washington) has both Urban AC and PartyBluesAndOldies, ok, also Anchorage, Alaska has an Rhythmic AC station, (ANCHORAGE) of ALL cities. WAKE UP Boston Radio Management!! The least you all can do is bring back Star 93.7, or change Mike 93.7 to "FunkyTown 93.7" There are many radio programs out there that NO ONE knows about, that they would love to hear. The audience is out there, look at this list. Go to Lynn, Brighton, Dorchester, most music you hear (people driving down the street, or at block parties) are these music (Touch 106.1 music, Big City 101.3 music) the audience are out there, nevermind research, (go out there to the real people=Bus drivers, doctors, Church Pasters, Taxi Drivers, Parking Collectors in the Parking Garage, Hatian Security Guards) All these everyday regular people love these music. Wake up Boston Radio Management and do something about this.

That's enough pirate stations to fill up rapking's presets.
101.3 was the strongest, followed by 106.1 and 102.9. 97.3 seemed to go the furthest west from Boston, almost to Worcester, but was weak in Boston.
Next year, I bet I will find the same pirate stations still on the air, and many more new ones.
Click to expand...
 
It's possible with E-skip, tropo, whatever it's called, some people may be getting distant stations and you think they're a pirate but who knows; I was picking up a Spanish-language station at 98.3 yesterday and the presentation was so slick I thought maybe it was some station from Florida coming up here but who knows.

The thing about pirates: yes, it may seem charming, oh look, someone is setting up their own little station
and maybe they're quirky and have interesting programming but they are not legal. For one thing, they are
getting away with broadcasting but not having to pay fees, follow FCC regs, etc. For another, they may
infringe on a legit station's frequency, causing problems--I'm reminded of a co-worker from Methuen who
loves listening to Lost and Found on WMBR but there was a pirate on their freq so he was denied that show.
He called or wrote the FCC (he isn't into computers/e-mail) to complain and they were thrown off.

The dial is crowded enough. Add to this the people who _legally_ want to use a mini-FM transmitter to
re-broadcast either satellite radio just to their car, or an mp3 player just to their car. Legally since it only
goes a few feet. But they have a tough time finding a freq because of all the pirates.

Add to this the aircraft communications that can be disturbed because of pirates.

And so on. And you may say, well these folks are serving the community with a unique format. In some
cases it may be true but many pirates are redundant--they offer stuff other stations already have.
More than too many foreign language stations--there aren't enough already on the dial? WNSH just down
the street from me is now foreign, too. Why don't these pirates go to a legit station and try to put
these things on LEGALLY, and more powerfully? There are slots that can be filled. And look at the 87.9
up in Boxford or whatever it is...I was picking them up around Rt 1 in Saugus and Peabody yesterday.
Yeah, nice oldies, etc. But nothing new, nothing that isn't already on the dial. What if you live in
Boxford right next to them and want to pick up WMBR, a legit station?

I have come across some legit stations, LPFMs like WVEW-LP 107.7 in Brattleboro VT which had some
really different and unique programming. They are doing it LEGALLY.

For me pirate stations are no different than a guy who sets up shop as a doctor or dentist without having gone through medical school, and without getting a license. Or a 13 yr old kid who takes his parents'
car for a spin. NO LICENSE! We have rules and regulations in our society and they must be followed.
 
robotique said:
i'm listening to the 88.5 pirate out of the somerville area right now. he's playing some jefferson airplane album in its entirety and babbling about having to go downstairs to release liquids from his body.
Click to expand...

That's the transmitter of the former so-called "Radio Free Cambridge", which was busted a few years ago in its former Inman Square art gallery location, but their equipment was not confiscated and someone involved took it home to their own location near the top of Winter Hill in Somerville, and throws it on the air when they feel like it.

I zeroed their location to near Broadway around the top of Winter Hill because only in that spot it was strong enough to wipe out my car FM transponder, which I also set to 88.5.
 
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