Hello fellow Part 15'ers,
It's hard to believe I've been here at part15.us for a little over six years! I have had a legal Part 15 AM station on the air during most of that time.
Hello fellow Part 15'ers,
It's hard to believe I've been here at part15.us for a little over six years! I have had a legal Part 15 AM station on the air during most of that time.
I used to work full-time in terrestrial radio, both on-air and as an operations manager for a local AM station. That gig ended in 2004 when the station owner began seeking someone to LMA the station, which eventually did happen. I have not found another radio job since. They're all on the bird or satellite, apparently.
My station started out as Internet-only on July 9, 2001, with a contemporary Christian format. That did okay for a couple of years, but after K-Love and WAY-FM came to the market, listenership dropped and it seemed like CCM was not really needed.
In July of 2003 I decided to change to a country format. Along with the format change I put a Part 15 AM on the air at 1160 kHz. The country station on AM 1160 and the Internet launched on July 27, 2003.
Around 2007 I installed a Rangemaster and moved to 1610 kHz. On 1160 I ran as a daytimer by choice; on 1610 I was able to run 24 hours a day.
In 2011 my audio line to the transmitter was chopped in two by someone removing some tree limbs. At about the same time, with the help of my family, I was able to acquire a used former construction trailer to use as the radio station's studios. I've spent the past year paiting the trim and such.
Now I'm beginning to rebuild the atation into its new home. As mentioned earlier, I'm trying to save up to move to the Talking House i AM radio transmitter with the ATU. I'm in a slightly more rural location outside of the city limits.
Big D Country has a Facebook page at
I've posted some pictures of the rebuild as it takes place.
I know some folks have adversarial relations with other radio stations. If possible, GO make friends with some of them, especially the engineers.
Stations have donated music, as you can tell on the Favebook page, and I have a 45 foot tall tower here on the ground for the LPFM, if that ever comes to pass. Most of the engineers here know me and I have had no problems from any of them.
The station has two feeds: the Live365 feed is the "commercial" feed and does have some ads in it. Those, and contributions from listeners and friends, is how we survive at all. The Radio Terra feed is non-commercial but is playing the same playlist or live on-air feed, whichever is running.
I'm not doing much live programming during all the move, but I was doing weekdays 10 to 3 EST and plan to return to doing that in August.
As most of you know, I am legally blind, since birth. I was supposed to never be able to do anything but did work in radio in Tallahassee for 24 years up until 2004.
In any event, Big D Country, as a country station turns 9 years old in July. Thanks to those who have rooted for the station and helped with advice, and sometimes, stuff, along the way.
Incidentally, our only local classic country station, a rimshot FM, was sold in April, and the format changed to talk. Locally, I haven't listened to anything besides my own station and some streaming stations since April 16. So I'm adding more classic country into the mix. Thanks to a recent donation of country albums, should get even better as time goes by.
I am so glad you shared your story, Big D Country. It is one of the very wonderful radio stories that make part 15 the life-long pleasure that it is.
Country music is a format that is never new or old. It is always in style.
I admire and respect you so much.
I believe we have talked before.
I am very close to being legally
blind. I have been completely
blind several times - detached
retinas and other complications.
I have some understanding of your
situation. You certainly have done
a fantastic job of hanging in there.
I always have known that WJJD was a
big deal. Who could imagine, a 50 kW
daytimer?
Anyway, we have probably gone over all
of this before.
I'm in there rooting for you!
Bruce, DRS2
Thanks for the kind words of support. Bruce, we have corresponded before here from time to time. My vision is 20/400 due to inoperative congenital cataracts. I can do a lot of activities but do not drive on the highway (just around the farm here.)
My real name is Alan. I got interested in radio when I was 12 and the "radioboy" nickname somehow got started. Mt love of radio apparently is terminal, so the nickname just kind of stuck. I use "Radioboyalan" on the air.
I'm near Tallahassee, but not in it. I'm in the middle of an area once known as the Lafayette community. It's in east Leon County.
12 years old was a big time for me,
too, regarding radio. I got a two
channel 100 miliwatt CB walkie talkie.
It didn't transmit very far, but I
listened to channels 11 and 14 all
the time. Then I took it apart to
try to "make it better."
What a big mistake that was.
I did a lot of other things with
radio around that time.
That's when I first heard WJJD -
probably in the 1968 to 1972 range.
Those were the days. Best wishes
Alan. I hope to talk to you again.
Bruce, DRS2
All this talk about being bit with the radio bug at a young age is making me reminisce about when my dream started.
Flashback to August 2000. I was 9 years old. I had just started a friendship with my friend Jeremy (AKA the Cruise in Cruise & 450, My DJ nickname is 450. Don't ask me why. I have no idea. LOL) and we were bored on a Summer afternoon. I dug up a cassette recorder and a blank tape from my closet and we started talking and taping music off the radio. We called it Channel X (Sound familiar?). Our format was a mix of pop and alternative/grunge. We taped music off Kiss 107 (at that time it was a station in it's infancy) and 97.3 Channel Z (My then favorite station and inspiration for the Channel X name). When Entercom sold off the Cincinnati market to Bonneville, it was a sad day for radio in Cincinnati. I miss WAQZ. But that's another story.
Flash forward to December 25, 2001. I was 10 years old. Jeremy bought me a wild planet Radio DJ toy for Christmas. It probably had only a 1mW transmitter, but Channel X was officially on the air. On a clear night, Jeremy once DXed Channel X in his bedroom 500 feet away. We used that transmitter until it died in 2005.
Channel X was silent until July 2010. I was 19 years old. I went to a discount store in Portsmouth, OH (I was volunteering at my cousin's yard sale 100 miles from home) and purchased a Music Gear BIG-FMT iPod transmitter. It only cost $7 but broadcast an FM stereo signal on 106.3MHz 500 feet away (Sounds illegal, but the studio was in a second floor room. I know the transmitter was legal. FCC certification number WDR-CBCBT505). We used the transmitter for about a year, and it burnt up. Cheap Chinese crap can't withstand nonstop use.
That brings us to today. Currently, we are off air for 2 reasons. For one thing, we have no transmitter. We are trying to save up for a real professional transmitter. We're drunk off the radio elixir and can't get enough. Hahaha Also, we have no power. The severe weather yesterday left 176,000 Duke Energy customers in Greater Cincinnati without power. Owensville has power, but there's more downed lines between my house and the city limits. I'm using wifi at McDonalds and charging my laptop through their electricity. As soon as its charged, I'll be coming home to a dark house. Ugh! Last night, I drove home from work and the last 6 miles of my trip were completely black. This blackout included 2 towns and the roads connecting them. Someone told me that last night, there was no power from just south of Batavia all the way to Wilmington (35 MILES AWAY!!!!!!!!!)
That's the Channel X history (and a small rant about the blackout). We turn 12 in August. Hopefully in 12 more years, we will have a part 15 network.
I just thought I'd share the story.
I'm amazed that you guys were able
to get the Wild Planet transmitter to
go 500 feet. A lot of people experimented
with that unit. I know of one person who
took just the transmitter out and repackaged
it in a metal case. I remember reading
somewhere a couple of years ago that some
experimenters had done something to improve
the transmitter. I believe it involved some
fairly major circuit mods.
I wish there was some easy way to get you back
on the air. I have been thinking of inexpensive
transmitter circuits. But in order to get
them to work, you have to have a fair amount
of electronics knowledge.
I have an "Ipod type" transmitter similar to
the one you described. It is certified.
I don't believe it's available now. I bought
it for 12 dollars. It's a Maxell P-13. A
very strange little unit, that I have mentioned
on the Part 15.US board a couple of times.
It's a very good transmitter for just inside the
house and maybe for part of the yard.
The problem is, it only transmits on 88.1, 88.3,
88.5 and 88.7. 88.3 is usable here, just
barely.
Well, the price was right, anyway.
I hope you can push forward with your station.
I know you will keep us informed.
Best Wishes,
Bruce, DRS2