WAEI 97.1 - dead transmitter?

[Thom Rounds]

Hey guys,

I've noticed that the signal from WAEI has been in the crapper for the last three days or so. I know that will probably come as good news to "True Grit" but it's getting to be a bit ominous.

I can barely pick up the signal in my driveway in Albion, which is especially odd since I can see the tower from here (unless they recently moved, the FCC database shows them as transmitting from the WABI-TV site in Dixmont).

Even more bizarre is the fact that I can barely pick them up IN DIXMONT where the transmitter is supposed to be! For that matter, their signal in Bangor is pretty pathetic, too. It's as though they're only running on the exciter (with the transmitter still in line and shut down).

I've heard rumors of an engineer outing at Blueberry, should I take this as confirmation of that rumor?

Do I have to fix everything myself? ;D

 

[Mainedude2007]

The little I can pick them up they seem to be in mono, so maybe they're having a STL issue between Bangor and the transmitter? They flipped 101.3 to mono and 96.7 to stereo no problem, but apparently they have issues with 97.1 (not to mention 97.1 has been stereo and talk for 4 months, they switched 96.7 and 101.3 hours after they flipped the formats)

 

[Thom Rounds]

The little I can pick them up they seem to be in mono, so maybe they're having a STL issue between Bangor and the transmitter?

I wondered about that, too; but no, it's not the STL (or at least not just STL), their 97.1 signal level is way down "like a mother flea calling to its young".

I also noticed the stereo pilot is gone, and that happened about the same time. Usually the composite is generated at the last processor in the chain, but not always. Hard to imagine how killing the stereo pilot would result in a piss-weak signal, unless they were generating their composite at the exciter and switched to a different one that just can't cut it.

They flipped 101.3 to mono and 96.7 to stereo no problem, but apparently they have issues with 97.1 (not to mention 97.1 has been stereo and talk for 4 months, they switched 96.7 and 101.3 hours after they flipped the formats)

I noticed that, too. I was suprised they left the 97.1 stereo pilot on for as long as they did (I was also suprised to find that WEEI was actually feeding them stereo, as their spots and liners were very noticably stereo).

After this much time, I would think someone at Blueberry would be getting rather pissed off about this! I sure would if it were my station.

As an engineer, I'd be really embarrased to have one of my stations perform that poorly.

 

[True Grit]

Hey guys,

I've noticed that the signal from WAEI has been in the crapper for the last three days or so. I know that will probably come as good news to "True Grit" but it's getting to be a bit ominous.

I can barely pick up the signal in my driveway in Albion, which is especially odd since I can see the tower from here (unless they recently moved, the FCC database shows them as transmitting from the WABI-TV site in Dixmont).

Even more bizarre is the fact that I can barely pick them up IN DIXMONT where the transmitter is supposed to be! For that matter, their signal in Bangor is pretty pathetic, too. It's as though they're only running on the exciter (with the transmitter still in line and shut down).

I've heard rumors of an engineer outing at Blueberry, should I take this as confirmation of that rumor?

Do I have to fix everything myself? ;D

Yes. Yes, you do.

Sorry, I don't check this Maine link very often; I pretty much stick to the Northern New England board. I noticed the problem, too but assumed it was a maintenance and/or ice issue, though I did find it odd that the problem went on as long as it did. I don't really have a negative opinion on the current 97.1...as far as sports goes, I'd much rather listen to 'ZON, but the bedtime Dollar Store radio brings in 97.1 much better than AM 620 at 1am.