No Border Blaster This....WQHG862

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No Border Blaster This....WQHG862

Postby Tape Splicer » Sun Dec 08, 2013 3:09 pm

Was in White Rock over night and decided to try some DXing with the little nexxtech radio I obtained earlier this fall....

While trying to listen through the cross hash of Wi-Fi I came across station WQHG862 Blaine WA.

This station is a border "Pip-squeak" by any ones definition. This is the Washington State DOT border information station, giving traffic and Nexis lane information along with web site.

I wonder does Canada use such stations? Couldn[t find anything on Am or FM.
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Re: No Border Blaster This....WQHG862

Postby Tape Splicer » Sun Dec 08, 2013 3:22 pm

I should have added the frequency it is 1630 Khz ... I was in an apartment building just off of Marine Drive (8th Avenue).
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Re: No Border Blaster This....WQHG862

Postby skyvalleyradio » Sun Dec 08, 2013 3:41 pm

TS - the 1630 Blaine TIS is sometimes audible and quite loud here in the Goofy Islands. In Canada, we have a number of info/bulletin/weather/tourist-info/emergency stations. 88.7 in New West (too lazy to look up call sign) is an example as is 89.3 on the north shore, also 88.1 Squamish
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Re: No Border Blaster This....WQHG862

Postby Toomas Losin » Sun Dec 08, 2013 5:45 pm

1630 is WQHG816; I believe it's 10 Watts. The transmitter and antenna are visible in Google Street View along I-5. In 2011 it was strong enough one day for me to hear the entire 1-minute loop. Normally if I hear anything on 1630 it's KRND Cheyenne WY.

The last Canadian TIS-type station I heard on AM was "Expo Information Radio" on 1600 waaay back in 1986.

There used to be a TIS station in Olympic National Park on 1610 (KOD772) which I could hear sometimes on my "cheap but good" radio with internal antenna. Last logged in 1989 but long gone.

You know propagation is good if you can hear WQEL572 on 1610. That call is used by three US Coast Guard stations on the west coast of Washington (not sure how multiple locations can use the same call).
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Re: No Border Blaster This....WQHG862

Postby Tape Splicer » Sun Dec 08, 2013 6:17 pm

Toomas Losin wrote:1630 is WQHG816; I believe it's 10 Watts..

T L; I note that your call information is different to what I typed in....Without getting into a spitting contest, I listened several times to the loop and wrote down the 862... did I copy wrong from a mile away?

SkyValleyRadio; From "my" 11th floor ("radio shack") Lounge of our apt building I can hear several of the FM information stations. The New West station is CHNW (community help New Westminster which is off the air at present - and has been for quite a while).
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Re: No Border Blaster This....WQHG862

Postby jon » Sun Dec 08, 2013 6:29 pm

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Re: No Border Blaster This....WQHG862

Postby Toomas Losin » Sun Dec 08, 2013 6:38 pm

I could very well be out of date since I haven't heard this one in two years. My recording from Nov 2011 has a
clear "816" call but it is two years old. Maybe the call changed? Maybe they're using the wrong call?

Jon's links (thank you) suggest that if you heard an "862" then they're using the wrong call. I remember reading in some forums that it's not unprecedented for a TIS station to use the wrong call.
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Re: No Border Blaster This....WQHG862

Postby Tape Splicer » Sun Dec 08, 2013 6:47 pm

jon wrote:Hopefully, these links will settle this amicably:
]

Thanks for the information Jon... there is definitely no upset feelings here. T L's DX reports are very detailed and I have no reason to doubt his read of the station's call....I just noted we copied different calls and asked the question.
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