107.7 FM Virginia House Radio - Richmond VA 8 August 2019

[R4002]

NOAA Weather Radio audio loop from tune-in (at 2015 UTC) until 2130ish UTC, OM DJ came on with Happy House Radio Richmond Virginny ID, a couple false starts, banjo music, then more DJ talk about good ol’ mountain music...music continuing at 2138 UTC.

Received on the car radio.  “Patty On The Turnpike” at 2139 UTC. 

Driving around downtown and the signal is jumping up and down but it’s still sounding quite nice at 2146 UTC. 

SIO 555 downtown!

ID as “Commercial Free Virginia House Radio...relics from the past, country and non-country” at 2148 UTC.
107.7 FM downtown Richmond.

“That Knotty Old Cane” at 2153 UTC.

more old style country/bluegrass to 2203 UTC.

Checked again at 2300 UTC and bluegrass was still going strong.

[ChrisSmolinski]

Nice catch!

[R4002]

They were still going strong with some Johnny Cash "One Piece At A Time" this morning at 1050 UTC / 0650 local time tune in.  No call letters heard at TOH or BOH.  I listened to them for a bit on my PL-606 portable in the backyard last night and they are transmitting in mono.  Overall a good sounding signal, pretty wide though.   There was a translator for WLES-AM on 107.9 that recently changed frequencies, so the closest in-market station is now WBBT-FM on 107.3 MHz.   Tuning around this morning revealed a dead carrier on 107.9 MHz, or the 107.7 station is wide enough to quiet the receiver on 107.9 MHz (this is on the car AM/FM radio).  On the PL-606, 107.8 and 107.9 are quiet like there's a dead carrier there.

[R4002]

Virginia House Radio 107.7 FM pirate station Richmond, VA

Tuned back in around 1710 UTC, they were relaying the local NOAA Weather Radio station...several seconds of silence then a DJ ID around 1711 UTC or 1712 UTC - Virginia House Radio Richmond Virginny, a slight pause and into more good ol’ time music.

Still sounding good in downtown Richmond at 1717 UTC.  107.7 FM on the factory Chevrolet car radio and antenna. 

[R4002]

Virginia House Radio 107.7 FM still going strong this afternoon local time in Richmond, VA.

[R4002]

Heard them again this morning (0640 local time, 1040 UTC) on 107.7 MHz FM.  Noted that 107.9 MHz is quieted on my radio, they might be closer to 107.75 MHz or even 107.8 MHz. 

They appear to be switching back and forth from relaying the local NOAA Weather Radio station (WXK65 on 162.475 MHz) and playing both pre-recorded programming and what appears to be a live DJ. 

There was a translator for a local Class-D religious AM station (WLES on 590 kHz AM) on 107.9 MHz (W300DK) but they recently moved down to 97.7 MHz (W249CI), making 107.9 MHz clear again.  The closest legal station in this market is on 107.3 MHz (WBBT-FM), making 107.7 MHz a pretty good choice considering how congested the FM band has become with all the translators and repeaters on the air now.  Would-be clear frequencies (for example, 106.9 MHz) are occupied by powerhouse stations just outside the market area - in this case, its WAFX out of Suffolk, VA doing 100,000 watts 980 feet above average terrain, even though they're about 65 miles away from Richmond you can still hear them quite nicely with a halfway decent radio/antenna. 

The FM band is pretty busy, even in a medium city sized market like Richmond.  I can't imagine what the pirates in the northeast (Boston, NYC, etc.) are dealing with in terms of interference. 

[R4002]

I tuned back in to 107.7 FM at 1210 local (1610 UTC) 27 August 2019...and only heard a carrier.  Unmodulated as far as I can tell...107.7 MHz is quieted. I checked 107.9 MHz and it’s also quieted, with bits and pieces of audio from a distant station breaking in at points.

Presuming it’s still Virginia House Radio on the air on 107.7 FM - it’s just a carrier / dead air. 

[ChrisSmolinski]

Presuming it’s still Virginia House Radio on the air on 107.7 FM - it’s just a carrier / dead air.

They're playing the "Top 100 Country Music Songs"

[R4002]

Right?

Checked 107.7 FM again around 0645 local time (1045 UTC) and music was being played, sounded like old fashioned baptist church music.  Good signal SIO 444 or better.  Fully quieting my receiver on 107.9 MHz as well.  No ID heard on 107.7 MHz - presumed Virginia House Radio FM pirate station Richmond, VA.

[R4002]

Back to bluegrass and fiddle playin’ (live) recordings at 1210 local time. 

[ChrisSmolinski]

Back to bluegrass and fiddle playin’ (live) recordings at 1210 local time.

Reminds me of the old WAMU 88.5 out of DC before they went all NPR all the time.

[R4002]

A lot of the stuff I've heard was obviously recorded with basic equipment in a church somewhere...lots of variation in audio quality and volume.  They've also played what sounded like old vinyls (complete with lots of pops and static cracks, etc). 

They're also still quieting 107.9 MHz pretty well.  When I checked this afternoon during lunch break I could hear bits and pieces of WBQK (itself a simulcast of WXTG-FM out of Virginia Beach, VA) out of West Point, VA, but for the most part the 107.9 FM frequency was quieted.  They're throwing a wide FM signal for sure. 

[ChrisSmolinski]

They're also still quieting 107.9 MHz pretty well.  When I checked this afternoon during lunch break I could hear bits and pieces of WBQK (itself a simulcast of WXTG-FM out of Virginia Beach, VA) out of West Point, VA, but for the most part the 107.9 FM frequency was quieted.  They're throwing a wide FM signal for sure.

Not necessarily a good thing.

[R4002]

They're also still quieting 107.9 MHz pretty well.  When I checked this afternoon during lunch break I could hear bits and pieces of WBQK (itself a simulcast of WXTG-FM out of Virginia Beach, VA) out of West Point, VA, but for the most part the 107.9 FM frequency was quieted.  They're throwing a wide FM signal for sure.

Not necessarily a good thing.

Exactly.  WBQK isn't exactly a local station but still.  I think the station on 107.7 FM is throwing a wide signal out there, or they're closer to 107.75 or 107.8 MHz instead of 107.7 MHz.   I need to do more sleuthing / monitoring around with my PL-660 instead of my car radio (which can only do the FM band standard 200 kHz steps).   They sound good on 107.7 on all receivers I've used though. 

I checked this afternoon around 1300 local time and they were playing music.  Yesterday at 1620-1630 local time I heard what sounded like a preacher in a church (could hear people in the background coughing and chattering from time to time).  The preacher was offering his prayers for [list of absolutely everyone].  Literally at least 10 minutes of "and pray for the..." - was still going when I switched the car off and went inside. 

They do have an interesting mix of material, the stuff I heard yesterday could very well have been live or very recently recorded.  [/list]

[R4002]

Virginia House Radio 107.7 MHz FM Richmond, Virginia 6 Sept 2019

Still going strong at 0645 local time 6 September 2019 in downtown Richmond with “City On The Hill” some good old timey banjo music. SIO 555 at best points...now experiencing some major QRM as I type this (0647 local, likely due to distant station QRM, possibly WTOP’s simulcast on 107.7 MHz or WMOV-FM).  SIO 444 now.  Good signal with a few moments of dead air at 0648 local....then more music and positive ID by OM - Virginia House Radio Richmond Virginny 0648/0649 local with music underneath - always good to hear Virginia House Radio on 107.7 FM!