Message posted by z.z.zzyzx (Member since 11/16/2021) on September 25, 2024 at 11:11:06 PST:
That 99.9 station is probably it. I'd be curious if it ever identifies. There's nothing in the FCC records. The antenna pattern would be close to omnidirectional, probably cardioid with a notch in the direction of the tower, as seen from the antenna. It could be a deep or shallow notch. It would be circularly polarized to minimize fading in mobile receivers. That's standard practice for almost all FM broadcasters. It looks like an off the shelf antenna. I can think of two possible uses... The military has long had broadcast capability for use with psyops and propaganda. The Commando Solo C130 aircraft is a good example, but it stands to reason that they would have ground based transmitters as well. So, this could be part of some sort of test setup. Another possibility would be use of a subcarrier with some sort of data or other program material. It's called SCA or 'subsidiary communications authority' and is used for MUZAC and other subscription services. So, it's a good source of a high power signal to send something to cheap receivers. Lots of stations use SCA for additional revenue. But you could hide something non-critical in plain sight. I'd keep an ear on it to see what comes out!
In Reply to: Re: New radio tower at the Area 51 Back Gate complete! posted by Joerg (Webmaster) on September 25, 2024 at 10:41:18 PST:
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