At least a year ago I started hearing a dead carrier signal on 87.9 up on the Blue Ridge Parkway. No audio, just sounded like somebody left a transmitter on somewhere to the southeast. Part of the time last fall it had a pretty bad 60-cycle hum. Once in the summer (I think) I heard a faint signal identifying as WGNC 1450 AM (Gastonia). I was sitting on the continental divide at the time so pretty high up and about 60-70 miles NW of Gastonia. Could find no info on WGNC using a translator on FM200 (which AFAIK is illegal) but I did find some programmer's show carried on that station referring to that freeq so I wrote to him and got no response. I really thought somebody (or an FCC agent) was intentionally jamming the Mexican station on that same freeq in that same area. I didn't connect the WGNC feed with the silent carrier until last week.
Last week the silent signal suddenly got WAY stronger. I noticed it Wednesday 10/18, all over Yancey County. Went up on the Parkway and judging by cliff reflections it seemed to come from the southeast, same direction as the dead carrier. I could still hear the Mexican station being blanked behind it. Then Friday night I turned on the radio and the signal finally had audio on it, identifying as WGNC, complete with commercials and regular IDs. This would be completely consistent with the direction the dead carrier has been coming from -- Gastonia is about 70 miles to the southeast from that point. It now has enough power to spill over the ridge peak -- I can hear it all the way to Mitchell County. A year ago it wasn't anywhere near strong enough to do that.
Yesterday the signal went back to dead-carrier again after a weekend of simulcasting WGNC. The Mexican station I previously could monitor on FM200, which was itself pretty strong in spots, has been buried under the silent carrier. Today (just checked) it's still dead carrier with birdies in it. Always a mono signal, no stereo generator.
I'm wondering, is this a pirate intentionally simulcasting WGNC? Is it WGNC itself? I see they already have a license for a translator but it's at 101.1 at 200w, which would never make it this far.
Anyone else hearing this?
Last week the silent signal suddenly got WAY stronger. I noticed it Wednesday 10/18, all over Yancey County. Went up on the Parkway and judging by cliff reflections it seemed to come from the southeast, same direction as the dead carrier. I could still hear the Mexican station being blanked behind it. Then Friday night I turned on the radio and the signal finally had audio on it, identifying as WGNC, complete with commercials and regular IDs. This would be completely consistent with the direction the dead carrier has been coming from -- Gastonia is about 70 miles to the southeast from that point. It now has enough power to spill over the ridge peak -- I can hear it all the way to Mitchell County. A year ago it wasn't anywhere near strong enough to do that.
Yesterday the signal went back to dead-carrier again after a weekend of simulcasting WGNC. The Mexican station I previously could monitor on FM200, which was itself pretty strong in spots, has been buried under the silent carrier. Today (just checked) it's still dead carrier with birdies in it. Always a mono signal, no stereo generator.
I'm wondering, is this a pirate intentionally simulcasting WGNC? Is it WGNC itself? I see they already have a license for a translator but it's at 101.1 at 200w, which would never make it this far.
Anyone else hearing this?