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Arrr: Pirate station changes frequencies, boosts power
By adamg on Mon, 09/28/2009 - 1:05pm
Hot 97, which thumbed its nose at FCC investigators and set up shop in Dorchester after being chased out of Hyde Park, has changed its frequency to 87.7 MHz and apparently boosted its power, too: Last week, I could barely hear it here in Roslindale; today, at the new frequency, it sounded like it was next door. It was still IDing itself as Hot 97.
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Comments
87.7 mHz?
Isn't that below the bottom of the FM band and therefore not receiveable on most radios?
Well, I got it on my radio
In my 2007 model car. Maybe time to head to the Shack? :-).
Some radios
US-licensed stations begin broadcasting at 88.1 MHz proper (analog TV channels occupy lower reaches), but the band traditionally starts at 87.5 MHz. Japan starts its FM band at 76 MHz, actually. It's not impossible to get a receiver that picks up the low end (Japanese-made radios often can) and once the FCC decides what to do with the freqs abandoned by analog TV, the band may be expanded in the US.
So yeah, it's not impossible to pick up 87.5 in the US. But unless you're into pirate radio, analog TV audio on the radio (oops, not anymore) or you're using one of those iPod FM adapters in the car, there's not much call for it.
When I lived in Columbus, Ohio
we would get local TV channel 6 audio at the very bottom end of the FM band. I think tuning to 88.1 was sufficient to receive this.
TV on the radio was great
You used to be able to pick up the audio from Channel 6 in Providence around the southeast shore; I remember picking it up in New Bedford at the very least.
I would get channel 6 audio
I would get channel 6 audio when passing through the Providence area. 88.1 wouldn't be able to do it, but 87.9's close enough.
My car radio starts at 87.9, which is considered kind of a "zeroth" FM frequency. It was intended as a place for displaced educational FM stations to migrate to ( there used to be a lot more 10-watt high school stations in the 1970s ), in areas where there was no tv channel 6.
Though only a few stations took this option, so now you have a frequency that every radio gets but has almost no stations on it. It's very popular for pirates.
At one time when I was in L.A. there were two high-power pirates sharing 87.9. One was in the Hollywood area and would be heard as far as LAX, the other was in the San Fernando area, was in Spanish, and even had commercials. The mountains between the two kept them from interfering with each other.
Of course in Boston, 87.9 would interfere with 88.1, so hence they're using the somewhat less accessible 87.7.
Yup, it's below the FM band
Yup, it's below the FM band as allocated in the US. But in other countries the FM band starts at 87.5 so some radios can pick it up.
Actually, 87.7 corresponds roughly to the audio portion of TV channel 6. I've heard that in some places there are "tv" stations set up primarily to broadcast FM audio, with a low-power video signal to satisfy the FCC's definition of a television station.
Indeed
Most notably in New York, where "Pulse" broadcasts a dance music format on 87.7
I never thought of that. I
I never thought of that. I usually listen to that station when I'm driving through. Its not very strong though, at least in my car. I get it for maybe 50 minutes on the drive. Another dance station, 88.9 philly/burlington lasts me a good 2 hours.
My MP3 player on the other hand lets me go down to 85.1, for use in other countries I guess.
> Its not very strong
> Its not very strong though, at least in my car.
A TV station might sound a little muffled when listened to on an FM stereo for technical reasons. I believe the FM broadcast channels are a little wider than what's permitted for TV sound, and in FM more bandwidth means more dynamic range for the audio.
Also I'm not sure if analog stereo TV uses the exact same format as FM stereo. Does the stereo light come on when you listen to 87.7, or is it only in mono?
I cant answer that question,
I cant answer that question, I didnt notice if it did or didnt, and wont be driving through NYC again anytime soon.
From what a quick internet
From what a quick internet search says, the format for TV MTS is different from that of FM stereo. For example the pilot tone that turns the stereo light on, and lets the radio know there's another channel of audio, is 19 kHz for FM stereo but 15 kHz for TV stereo. So if you were in Providence listening to Channel 6 on your car stereo, it would always appear as mono.
However if Pulse is intended to be listened to as a radio station, they may be using the format a radio station would use.
HOT 97
roslindale?....i can hear this station fine in WINCHESTER!-
87.7 is also used in NYC by "PULSE FM" (a real- i think radio station)
you can always tune to channel 6 on the old school analog TVs and the audio should be right about 87.5-87.7 anyways :)
Update: in mid June of 2011,
Update: in mid June of 2011, the station abruptly left the terrestrial airwaves but still broadcasts online. Facebook fans of the station were wondering "where are you?" Speculation is that the FCC raided the illegal operation and seized their antenna and
transmitter. (In May of 2011, a similar raid--and $15,000 fine--
happened at "Datz Hits 99.7", an illegal broadcaster in the area
who caused interference or non-reception of legit station WCRB 99.5,
now owned by the public broadcasting folks on Guest St.--as well as interference to aircraft radio.)