Unidentified 107.3 FM in San Diego Country Estates near Ramona

[powers]

I have been travelling to the Ramona area and San Diego Country Estates at various times over the past year or so and when driving out there last summer and scanning the radio dial, it stopped on a News/Talk station broadcasting at 107.3 . Upon listening it appears to be broadcasting Conservative talk station WMAL-FM in Washington, DC. It can be heard for at least two miles, maybe more. Every time I am out that way, I check it and it's still going a year later. It also appears to be coming from an internet feed or app, as during commercial breaks it appears to have local San Diego ads like for Ralphs and Sea World, so whomever is running it is just pulling from the internet, which geofences local ads. I have no idea why they are running this station, if it's illegally running or just a very good signal for a bluetooth rebroadcaster or other unit, except that it seems to be broadcasting continually so I don't think it's designed for one person's use. They are obviously intentionally broadcasting WMAL to the area. Does anybody else know what it is or have they heard the station?

 

[Weiserguy]

It sounds like a souped-up Part 15 transmitter (illegally so), coupled to a rooftop antenna with some amount of gain. Why is the pirate streaming WMAL? Damned if I know. Maybe a transplant from the D.C. region. It could be as simple as someone trying to get a signal and some familiar programming to a shut-in, and having a dangerously little bit of knowledge. If I'm right and this guy -- and it's always a guy, isn't it? -- tried it back East, he'd be risking his life and home every time an electrical storm wafted by.

 

[Frequency1]

We had a pirate in LA many years also rebroadcast WMAL.