WRMI 6915 AM 2356 UTC 16 Feb 2016

[EliteData]

You make some very interesting points, ED. This is one of the weirdest "pirates" I've heard. It's still going on and on, 0721z...

further, i just thought of this additional comment but decided to just post it instead of editing my post.
we all know the FCC has had severe budget and staff cuts and the end result has been steep priority levels based on the level of importance when it comes to "shutting down" a radio pirate.
i believe "pirates" in the SW band arent as "high priority" to the FCC unlike FM "pirates", they will only respond if the SW "pirate" is causing major severe interference (to anything) on an ongoing continuing basis.
for obvious reasons, SWBC stations dont care if a pirate is "stealing" their listeners like FMBC stations do.
i believe its the FCC's idea and intent to "stomp" or "disrupt" SW "pirates" by simply permitting SWBC stations to broadcast on or near the frequencies used by SW "pirates".
this would make total economical sense for the FCC who already has a thin budget to begin with but, i believe many SW "pirates" will simply move to "elsewhere" frequencies though "elsewhere" frequencies should be chosen very carefully, because if a SW pirate is causing interference to another assigned operator on or near that frequency (or causing interference of any kind), this would give the FCC a valid reasonable request to "up the budget" in locating and shutting down that "pirate" causing the interference (remember priority level and level of importance).
instead of wasting what little resources are available to "catch" a SW "pirate", why not open the band up to high power SWBC instead ?
it may be tough to hear WRMI at night but i suspect daytime operations (NVIS) will be much different.

[ChrisSmolinski]

Still heard at 1314z.

I'm not sure this is an attempt to reduce pirate transmissions on 43 meters. If so, I'd expect to see WRMI operating on 6925 instead of 6915 (which actually causes more problems for MARS than pirates).  If anything, you might see some folks looking for WRMI that instead end up finding a pirate transmission. Actually, if anything, this creates some interesting opportunities for pirate operators... 

[EliteData]

Still heard at 1314z.

I'm not sure this is an attempt to reduce pirate transmissions on 43 meters. If so, I'd expect to see WRMI operating on 6925 instead of 6915 (which actually causes more problems for MARS than pirates).  If anything, you might see some folks looking for WRMI that instead end up finding a pirate transmission. Actually, if anything, this creates some interesting opportunities for pirate operators...  

not necessarily "reduce" but "disrupt".
6915 is close enough to 6925 to cause somewhat a disruption even at moderate signal strengths for those who have regular SW radios.
monitoring the frequency this morning, i heard COTHEN ALE (testing the reliability of the frequency) a couple of Khz below 6915 on SSB but within the 5Khz audio bandwidth of WRMI.

If anything, you might see some folks looking for WRMI that instead end up finding a pirate transmission.

thats what im betting on why TOM has 24/7 operations in the 43 meter band with WRMI, "folks looking for pirates and finding TOM on WRMI instead".
edit @1508:
as i expected, monitoring 6915, i heard a strong VFO "swooshing" carrier appear for a few seconds then disappeared as if someone is playing around, i wonder what else will make surprise appearances.
1525 - someone sending CW now
1527 - CW stopped
1546 - CW started
1549 - CW stopped

[Pigmeat]

Hell, Ralph is on 5015, too. He's giving Radio Rebelde on 5025 a plastering.

[halifaxtap]

0046 Feb 18 (UTC)  Can hear these guys about S3-4. Sounds like some religious stuff/ hollering.. pretty unusual for a pirate.

[Nella F.]

6915.   Just audible and often "unusable."   Ron

                         Heard That!  

[Pigmeat]

It's been about a decade but wasn't WEWN on 6875 kHz for awhile? It used to annoy the Hell out of me when I was broadcasting as it had a faint spur on 6925 kHz. that was tough to distinguish from a pirate running low power in SSB.

Once I figured out what it was, I'd go on over the spur. Of course, I generally went on over anything in sideband as a matter of principle. If I want to hear cat's fight, I'll open a window.

[ChrisSmolinski]

It's been about a decade but wasn't WEWN on 6875 kHz for awhile? It used to annoy the Hell out of me when I was broadcasting as it had a faint spur on 6925 kHz. that was tough to distinguish from a pirate running low power in SSB.

That sounds right. I also recall when WYFR used 6915, and I think KNLS did at one point also. As others have said, this does give us another propagation beacon. Pretty weak here at 1150z, I can hear a little audio, but not much.   For those of us in the northeast, WRMI is a little too far away for good NVIS propagation during the daytime, and too close to hear when the band goes long. So kind of the best of both worlds 

[Rizla]

Elite Data, your comments are spot on and your suspicions of why may be, sadly, quite correct. This subject keeps rising like Dracula, what on earth could be the reason other than $? On the other hand, like you and Chris said, the pirates will simply move if necessary.

[BOR]

I can't understand why the FCC would authorize a commercial broadcaster to use 6915 kHz. It is not part of any internationally recognized SW broadcast band. I doubt the U.S. military will be amused by this move as 6914 kHz was one of their commonly used MARS frequencies. This is all very strange. If the FCC did it on purpose to, let's say, discourage pirates from using that portion of the spectrum, I think they failed miserably. 6915 was rarely used by pirates who mostly operate from 6925 and up. I certainly won'y be listening to WRMI on that frequency as every time I've tuned it in, it's been Brother Stair and his moronic followers on there.

BOR