Salt Lake's newest, er... station.

[dxstuboy]

It appears we have a new pirate radio station in Salt Lake City, on 93.7. If you live near Murray/South Salt Lake/Millcreek/Far eastern Taylorsville, chances are you might be able to hear the station.
It plays a seemingly endless playlist of instrumental jazzy type songs. It is so powerful, I can hear it nearly two miles from my home. I only hear it at my home when I have my FM-6 on the roof aimed southerly.

Now MILOFM has competition I guess, but I am not attempting to break the law as much as this guy surely is. MILOFM dies before I get 1/4 of a mile away. Also, KLGL used to make its way up here daily, but not any more. Thats a violation of the law right there... interfering with a station I can hear and want to hear. Since I'm moving back to Wyoming shortly, I figure I might as well just let it go. I was considering giving the FCC a ring. What say you guys?

[CAwasinNJ]

Is there any possibility that you're hearing a legal station? I was monitoring 93.7 out along I-215 near the north interchange and was getting a mix of at least 2 different stations. One was in Spanish and the other was music mixed with a professional sounding announcer. The English one I'm pretty sure was KLGL, and it was coming in very well. Much better than usual. Both faded by the time it was sunset. With the warm weather, we've got the possibility for some ducting going on, so I thought that might be it. If the pirate you heard was getting out that far (I was in West Valley when I stopped listening) then he's way over the limit.

Looking out 124mi from Farnsworth, the only station licensed is KLGL.. No construction permits at all. Lots of apps though. It could have been farther away and coming in, though Radio Locator only knows of two licensed stations it could be and both are in Texas. Possible but not likely, and that wouldn't explain the jazzy stuff you heard.

Oh, and you're way outside KLGL's protected contour, so the interference issue doesn't exist. The power levels would be enough though.

[kenglish]

I heard this downtown on Wednesday, and at home (Midvale) intermittently Wednesday night and Thursday.

It popped in and out at home over several hours. I was wondering if it might be e-skip from KJZY in Santa Rosa, California.

[dudeman]

I heard it, too. Comes and goes. It would come in strong in some areas south and way out west (by Bangerter) but weak in other areas of the valley. It must be a skip because it didn't sound like a pirate. Dxstuboy, even if it were, why would you be so uptight as to want to call the FCC? Do you really listen to KLGL? Is it really something that affects your daily life in a way that you must complain...just because? Thought that was a little strange.

[CAwasinNJ]

There are a lot of reasons to have pirates shut down. It may not be interfering with licensed stations here, but it might be interfering with KLGL in an area that is protected. We don't know. And even if it isn't now, there's no legal difference between being 100% over the allowed unlicensed power and being 1000% or 10000% or more over. It's just not allowed. There's a good reason for that. We tried just allowing broadcasters to do whatever they wanted and it was a mess. And that was in the days when you had to be a big corporation to be able to afford the equipment. Today anyone can get a transmitter for a few bucks. And that causes yet another problem. These pirate transmitters are very often not built with the proper tolerance or maintained as they would need to be for that kind of power. That allows spurs to go all over the place. Remember that right above the FM band is the public safety (police, fire, ambulance, aircraft, etc.) band. You start transmitting over those services and someone could get killed.

We have a licensing procedure for a reason. It's essential to make sure that the spectrum is usable.

[dxstuboy]

CA, in reference to a legal station, as far as I know, no. He started broadcasting about June 1, and I figured it was someone with a local XM left on, but I tested it the other day and could hear it nearly 2 miles out. It could be the Spanish you heard was a bleed, or he could be broadcasting Spanish now. 102.3 bleeds onto 99.9 a lot as does 97.5 and most Humpys. They just smash 99.9 if I have the antenna on the roof pointed one way. In the car that doesn't happen.

Dudeman, no vendetta here, just being a law abiding citizen who can and does listen to KLGL a lot. I have an FM antenna (Antennacraft FM-6) with a rotor on my roof, that I use to hear it. Also, 93.7 during E-skip (which this isnt -- keep reading) is an open frequency for me, and KLGL is often gone with another station in its place. The first time I heard this station and thought seriously about it was June 2nd, the day a huge e-skip event turned into an all day nightmare for some of the locals (will post a topic about this possibly). I thought it was Es but it never IDed and stayed in well after the skip was gone. The music strikes me as pirate typical as well, continuous with little breaks and no liners/etc.

I won't probably contact the FCC because I have little interest, I was just making this new station aware to this board. I am actually pretty welcome having another station on the air I just got a little upset that one of my open frequencies was gone, but its only south, so if skip comes from any other direction, I'm okay.

As far as your final post CA, I agree about protecting a licensed station's contour. That is why MILOFM is on 99.9, wayyy out of the Idaho station's reach. Now, if KLZX ever does move to 99.9 and I'm still here, I will gladly sign off. They have the right to be there, I don't. I have tested MILOFM's harmonics etc, and they are too weak to really cause issue with any other licensed stations, if that is of concern.

[David]

The "pirate" on 93.7 is not a new station per se. I recall posting a thread on the other SLC radio board two or three years ago about an FM pirate on 93.7 in Ogden. At the time someone suggested that I was probably hearing a part 15 FM transmitter that someone in my neighborhood was using to relay a satellite radio service to their FM receiver. But I could hear the station on 93.7 from the north to the south end of Ogden, so I'm sure it had to be a pirate. There was never any talking, just someone relaying one of the Sirius channels on 93.7. The pirate lasted for two or three weeks and then disappeared. Sounds like the station has now re-surfaced in the Salt Lake City area.

[Timmy]

Not directly related.. but you radio/tv folk might be into this: wireless.1saleaday.com/

Deal over... move along...

[CAwasinNJ]

Now that you mention it DX, the Spanish bleed was heading south on I-215 right about where the Salt Lake boosters from Ensign end their null, so you're probably right. I didn't even think to check those.

I wasn't concerned about Milo's harmonics for exactly the reason you stated. You're running legally, so any harmonics would be in such a small area that nobody would notice. I'm sure that's part of the reason the legal limits are that low.

David, I remember an incident like that, though I don't know if it was the same one you're thinking of. The one I remember was more like 5-6 years ago I think. I doubt any of them are related. That isn't exactly an original idea. Now, relaying an internet only stream, that would be a little more original.

[dspete]

Wow to my reading on this thread we must have some stock holders for Clear Channel here!!
I don't condone breaking laws but stations like MILOFM and KXRT (Which I listened online....NICE) you'll be getting a donation from me today!!!
Back to subject have what Corp Radio use to have Personality, Music with out a 25 song rotation, Selection of music styles, Hard work to put a small time station on air. And much more.
If 93.7 is rocking great for them maybe they are unlike you and just plain tired of stations that copy cat each other with same format..
The Bee sounds like 97.9 NOW which sounds like KSFI which sounds like KOSY and on and on

Don't break the laws but if you do I'm afraid there are some jealous people that will have you shut down for not believing in true radio and for you doing something they can't........

[Timmy]

Thanks, Pete!

[dxstuboy]

Thanks from me too Pete. Also, within a month, I plan on putting MILOFM streaming online again. This time you will actually be able to access it outside of my computer... hopefully. I have to figure out why my router blocked others from accessing the stream, like before.

[CAwasinNJ]

DP, I'm a bit confused. Who are the jealous people you're referring to?

[dxstuboy]

Shhh! The word is out. Some how the broadcaster has seen this board and is now on 87.9. Good move, the signal is better. It is significantly strong in the Sandy area. I heard it all the way from 9000 South to 3300 South. That's 100 times farther than MILOFM ever has gone .

And... might I add, the music selection is great, just identify yourself now

As of the edit below, he turned it off. Odd. Sounded just like a Ramsey shutting down.

[dspete]

Jun 8, 2010 22:14:05 GMT -7 CAwasinNJ said:

DP, I'm a bit confused. Who are the jealous people you're referring to?

The Big Kahunas
The Big Brothers of Broadcasting
The CC Boyz