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[HCDX] Tocobaga DX #72
TOCOBAGA DX #72
21 May, 2004
CLEARWATER, FLORIDA, USA
E-mail: tocobagadx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
For otherwise unlisted low power FM, pirates and TIS
stations within Florida, visit my "Florida Low Power Radio
Stations" at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~tocobagadx/flortis.html
© 2004, Terry L Krueger. Retransmit or quote all or any
portion only with full credit given to TOCOBAGA DX and all
attributed sources. All frequencies are in KHz unless
otherwise stated. Times in GMT/UTC unless otherwise stated.
INTERSTATE LOVE SONG...
The below radio report is mostly a result of a brief hiking
trip to north Georgia and the fringes of Tennessee and North
Carolina.
But first, a devoted attempt to bore you with a quick blurb
on where I visited:
My first stop was the Etowah Indian Mounds, northwest of
Atlanta. This is a great place to walk, reflect and (as I
did) eat a packed lunch atop the biggest of the mounds,
63-feet high. The Ocmulgee mounds and grounds (just east of
downtown Macon) are much larger, but the three mounds here
are still quite impressive. Unfortunately, the interpretive
museum is closed for remodeling and, save for grounds
maintenance crew, no park staff was present.
A quick trip to the Chickamauga National Military Park [War
Between the States battlefield] was odd: the seven-mile
interpretive drive passes monuments erected to apparently
every group that served from both sides. The museum has a
phenomenal collection of (seemingly at least a thousand?)
authentic circa-1860's muskets and carbines enclosed in
glass cases. These are truly amazing to see.
The nearby Ft. Mountain State Park (Georgia) was the most
impressive, with the 8.2-mile Gahuti Trail and a couple of
the shorter ones an absolute must for hiking. Near the top
of the mountain are the stone walls built by pre-Columbian
Indians, presumably as a defensive line.
Amicalola Falls State Park (Georgia) was the only mission
abort: a huge updraft lightning storm hit just as I arrived.
I opted for lunch at the lodge's restaurant (a decent brunch
buffet) followed by a quick view of the waterfalls (in the
rain), then my departure.
I also visited Black Rock Mountain State Park in extreme
northeast Georgia -- the only park I was not impressed with,
then on to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for the
afternoon, a night and full following day. Also, brunch and
people-watching at the Shoney's in Gatlinburg.
My last park stop was at Tallulah Gorge State Park
(Georgia), where I once again tackled the 1,200 metal steps
down into the gorge (and back up -- that's the brutal part).
On my last day in Georgia, I dropped in on old [WORJ-FM,
Orlando] friend and CANAVDX alumni Mike Cooper at Stone
Mountain. Good to see him again, as well as his
21-month-old little girl!
As always, a stop at the Plantation House (Arabi, Georgia)
on I-75 is a "must" for fresh roasted peanuts, peanut
butter, peanut brittle, pecan brittle (ouch, this is good)
and a fill-up.
530 GEORGIA (TIS) unidentified, (northeast of) Atlanta;
while driving south on I-985/I-285 on May 18 around 8:45
a.m., I noted a fair-to-weak signal with a nonstop relay of
the local NOAA Weather Radio. The signal somewhat peaked
around Exit 107 (Sugar Hill), though still popping up
occasionally until lost near the Stone Mountain Freeway
exit. Could this be the City of Alpharetta's listed TIS?
And there was something else on 530, with a subaudible het,
but never any worthy audio. (Krueger-FL)
730 GEORGIA (TIS) WSTT, Thomasville; May 15, 10:00 a.m.
Nasty audio -- overmodulated with the weirdest self-imposed
pseudo powerline noise-type hash. Under all this was a
snake oil program on how I should order pills that will cure
all ocular deterioration problems, including glaucoma. This
station should be located just south of El Paso, TX and with
50-100 kW. Listed owner is a Marion L Williams.
(Krueger-FL)
830 GEORGIA (TIS) William B Hartsfield Atlanta International
Airport; huge and seriously overdriven signal noted in
passing with short parking loop by female, May 15, 12:30
p.m. on I-75 south of the airport. Once again, where's the
FCC (who like to bust FM pirates, but ignore things such as
this). (Krueger-FL)
1610 GEORGIA (TIS) unidentified, Chatsworth/Ellijay area;
threshold male loop (uncopiable text) atop Ft. Mountain
State Park's peak on May 16 at 11:30 a.m. The signal
briefly peaked (still poor) on State Route 52, about 4-5
miles east of the park. (Krueger-FL)
1610 NORTH CAROLINA (TIS) Oconaluftee Visitor Center, Great
Smoky Mountains National Park; May 17, 2:30 p.m. Still
active with male loop, getting out a couple or so miles.
(Krueger-FL)
1610 TENNESSEE (TIS) Sugarlands Visitor Center, Great Smoky
Mountains National Park; May 18, 9:00 a.m. Nothing but an
open carrier, getting out less than a mile for those who
want to hear nothing. (Krueger-FL)
1620 FLORIDA (UNLICENSED) unidentified, Tampa; a
provisionally new one (it is morphed from a
previously-active AM unlicensed station). Noted this for
the first time May 19th at 6:15 p.m. on southbound I-275,
just south of the Bearss Avenue exit. Signal grew to an
excellent level westbound and just east of the Dale Mabry
exits. Nonstop (presume satellite-fed programming) Latin
American tropical/ballads format. Audio quality (very
clean) immediately recalled the old 1640 kHz "La Pimerisima
16-40 AM" transmitter, which I located at the Arena Plaza at
3434 W. Columbus Drive, near Raymond James Stadium. This
one went silent nearly two years ago. The antenna was still
there when I checked only three or four months ago. But
now, the stick is gone and the web design/hosting company it
operated from on the 2nd floor is no longer here. The
signal was traced today to a location near the North
Boulevard and Martin Luther King, Jr. intersection, which is
roughly a couple of miles east of the former location. I
suspect this is operated by the same proprietor who ran it
on from the business on 1640 (where the format was
exclusively nonstop Puerto Rican salsa-type music). The
signal covers much of Tampa-proper, making it half way
across both the Howard Frankland and Courtney Campbell
Causeway bridges into Pinellas County. (Krueger-FL)
1640 FLORIDA Florida Dept. of Transportation/Turnpike,
Okahumpka; heard at fair level on the I-75 Lake Panosafkee
bridge the morning of May 15, and again on the return.
Peaking to excellent level at Exit 321 (Sumterville), with
male looped references to State Road 50, guard rail
replacement, the Florida Turnpike's Ocoee exit, etc.
(Krueger-FL)
89.1 MHz FLORIDA (UNLICENSED) unidentified (ex-"Flavor FM"),
Lauderhill; May 20: this space is still being taken up by a
station. Very strong and stereo, although I can't be
certain that this is the same station that I heard almost a
year ago. They are off the air during the day (maybe due to
the new law that went in effect in Florida) but appear after
5 p.m. from my observations. They are still doing rap with
live dj's and seem to really play a lot of sped-up hip hop
songs with live phone calls. (via "Richard Nervous"-FL)
89.3 MHz FLORIDA (UNLICENSED) Land o' Lakes; this station
has been listed on my FLPRS for awhile, but we learn that it
remains active, as reported to me on May 16th. (a source
who wishes to remain anonymous-FL)
92.1 MHz GEORGIA WDQQ "Wild Adventures Radio", Adel; May 19,
3:15 p.m. Nonstop randomly cycling loops on the tourist
park, one singing ID drop heard. Bet I know what Valdosta
market station never appears in the books. Owned by
Adventure Radio Group, LLC. Lots of billboards promoting
the park and 92.1 along the Interstate. The owner of this
and the park also recently purchased Cypress Gardens (Winter
Haven, Florida) and plans on re-opening it this summer.
(Krueger-FL)
92.7 MHz FLORIDA (UNLICENSED) unidentified, Tampa; the
Kreyol station noted early Saturday morning May 15th, 6:40
a.m., with usual kompa vocals, stereo. Peaked south of
Busch Boulevard on I-275. (Krueger-FL)
96.7 MHz FLORIDA WZHP-LP, Dade City; May 15, 7:10 a.m.
Actually, my very first LPFM log. "96.7 The Switch"
slogans, voice-tracked Christian rock format with the same
male voiced short spots for local businesses between.
(Krueger-FL)
96.7 MHz GEORGIA WYZK, Valdosta; May 15, 7:15 a.m.
Mentioned here only because this overtook WZHP-FM just north
of Dade City. Classic Rock format, clear WYZK ID. Of
course, confirmed the same station when passing through the
Valdosta area on I-75 a couple of hours' later.
(Krueger-FL)
101.1 MHz FLORIDA (UNLICENSED) "Radio Nouvelle Vision",
Pompano Beach; May 20: still on the air and they do live
phone- in shows in the afternoons and play the same music
style. Very weak signal from south Ft Lauderdale into the
Hollywood area on I-95. I'm not sure where this one is
originating from, but it cannot be heard in the Cypress
Creek area of Ft Lauderdale. (via "Richard Nervous"-FL)
102.1 MHz FLORIDA (UNLICENSED) "WHGE" Hunter's Green
Elementary School, New Tampa; a feature in the May 21, 2004
edition of the Tampa Tribune by Michele Sager: "Parents
waiting to drop off their children in the morning at
Hunter's Green Elementary can listen to a new station on
their radios. The school's radio station, WHGE, 102.1-FM,
began broadcasting last week. The station simulcasts the
student-produced television show from 8 to 8:15 a.m.
Listeners get a daily dose of patriotic songs, weather,
sports reports and school news. Eventually the station will
add a looping track of expanded information that will run
throughout the school day. The low-watt station can be
heard within a 1-mile radius of the school." (Note: Part
15-compliant, not a pirate -- Krueger).
###
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