Does anyone still have a Franken-FM by them?

[ThaDood]

These maybe gone soon, analog LPTV CH6's that use their audio carriers for the butt-load of the service and just have a stilled video carrier. The Audio carrier is 87.750MHz, thus falls within the 200kHz BW of most standard FM receivers tuning to either 87.7MHz, or 87.9MHz. http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2019/12/08/the-rise-and-possible-fall-of-frankenfms-is-one-of-the-most-important-radio-trends-of-the-decade/
Years ago, I use to listen to TV CH6 audio carriers, mostly in the vehicle, and I could listen to the 12PM, 6PM, or 11PM, newscasts while on the road. Hornell, NY had a CH6 translator for Elmira, NY's WENY TV36 (Everyone called them Weenie.). I could hear that CH6 translator for about 10 miles on either Rt 86, or Rt 36. Sporadic "E" Summer times I could hear several CH6's fighting it out for dominance. Most of WNY (Western New York.), you could hear TV Ontario on CH6 from Paris, ON, Canada, and CH6 Altoona, PA, and sometimes CH6 Albany. I even heard of a Franken-FM pirate on 87.750MHz playing 60's tunage and was still the low +/-25kHz deviation FM that you'd get from a TV station. This was on Rt 86 from the Cold Spring / Steamburg area around 2007. My guess was that someone got ahold of a VHF Low Band TV modulator, maybe for CATV, and cranked it up. I could hear that for about 5 miles! No ID, just 60's tunage. Does anyone else have a 'so-called' Franken-FM story?

[redhat]

There are a number of them throughout the country, and I'm rather surprised how brazen some of them are operating.  I was at a tower site several years ago that was hosting one of these stations.  They had a conventional FM stereo audio processor and were running 75 KHz deviation audio with the 19 KHz pilot tone.  They even were encoding the audio with Arbitron PPM!  If one wanted to push the issue, you could make the argument that the station in question is transmitting a non-compliant BTSC signal and therefore could be fined.  I doubt anything will happen, unless someone gets wind of a lot of revenue.

https://www.broadcastlawblog.com/2019/12/articles/franken-fms-the-fcc-asks-if-it-should-continue-to-allow-channel-6-lptv-stations-to-operate-as-fm-broadcasters/

https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/is-there-an-afterlife-for-franken-fms

+-RH

[Ray Lalleu]

The FCC should assign the TV channels 5 and 6 to FM audio broadcasting.
Many FM receivers are just waiting for a setting, at least for the Japanese FM band.

[chanito]

the 87.9 freak shows are all over South Texas, operating with impunity. The main ones around here carry some "La Pantera, Mexico, Mexico, Mexico!" branding and Mexican pop music.

[ThaDood]

The continuing story of this:       https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/headlines/fcc-will-consider-franken-fms-in-june

[liduck]

Thanks for posting!  I wondered what the story was when WNYZ-LD came back after the mandatory shutdown back in July 2021.  I never would've noticed the station if I hadn't been using a SDR and saw it down there and wonder how many folks tune it in by casual tuning.

[ThaDood]

And then there's this.   https://radioinsight.com/headlines/226483/fcc-report-5-22-fcc-to-consider-franken-fm-status-and-whether-to-expand-radio-service-on-channel-6/

[Pigmeat]

the 87.9 freak shows are all over South Texas, operating with impunity. The main ones around here carry some "La Pantera, Mexico, Mexico, Mexico!" branding and Mexican pop music.

The one in Arlen improved after the Mexican's took it over, Chanito. "All Gribble, All The Time." was a tired format. You could hear that guy all the way to McMaynorberry when the wind was blowing right. Octavio is a much better host and station manager.

[redhat]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlYQ-abUN9g

+-RH

[ThaDood]

Boomer FWD this to me:    https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/business-and-law/npr-hopes-franken-fm-resolution-includes-new-nce-stations          Yeah... I still don't forgive them for being the big killers of the 10W Class "D" FM stations in the 70's. The big problem that I have with this is with NPR behind it. Sure... If they get this, they'll just litter that portion of the 82 - 88MHz Band with all of their translators and maybe full powered stations. Uh-huh...

[HarryHydro]

Hi:
   I guess it was in the mid 80's. My neighbor and I, in NJ, use to TX FM mono, goofy stuff, on the upper end, 108.1'ish. Nothing accurate with frequency.  We'd put up Richard Prior and George Carlin stuff.  His station was WADD and mine was WINO. Probably less than a watt each. We'd take turns transmitting. The end of that came with military helicopters flying over the woods by our houses. 
  Then, there was a MUCH stronger station, more advanced as they would say they are changing to another frequency, and blip, they were there.  I drove around and tested their range. It was an easy 5 miles.  I can't remember their call..  It must have originated by our houses. Toms River, NJ area.

Those were the days...
Hydro