[IRCA] New TIS on 1040 in Santa Barbara

[Dennis Gibson <wb6tnb@xxxxxxx>]

I very seldom do local daytime bandscans but I did one this morning and it paid off. There is a new TIS on 1040 her in Santa Barbara. The callsign is WQBT795 and it is running 10 watts from 5593 West Camino Cielo in Santa Barbara (off Highway 154). The broadcast didn't repeat itself the same way twice in a half hour listening session. Some parts appear randomly; kind of like a CD player in shuffle mode. It said that broadcasting began on April 11 at 6:00 PM and that they will be testing for several weeks before permanent broadcasts begin. They were doing a little bit of everything; announcements from Caltrans about road conditions and relaying our local NOAA weather station (KIH-34 on 162.400). 

The licensee (per the FCC web site) is the San Marcos Pass Volunteer Fire Department but the station calls itself the San Marcos Pass Emergency Radio System. On June 27, 1990 there was a major brush fire (called the Painted Cave Fire) near the transmitter site. When it was all over there was one fatality, 500 homes had been destroyed in less than four hours, and it caused at least $250,000,000 in damage. It was an arson fire and the person who started it has never been caught. There are a couple of suspects but there's not enough evidence to charge them with a crime; it would be murder due to the fatality.   

I think I know why they want this station!

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