Someone's broadcasting an oldies format on 1650am in North Dallas

I stumbled across a station on 1650 am this week. It's a pretty decent oldies format. The station is based somewhere in North Dallas and says that's where it serves. I can pick it up on Central Expressway from about Mockingbird in Dallas to around Parker in Plano. I even heard it at night (being beaten to death by some stations skipping in) on Thursday night as I drove to work.

The cool thing is that whoever is running this also has old local commercials. I heard a 7up ad from probably the 60s or 70s. I heard an old car ad too. There are several others. The DJ came on and had a current concert list of old groups that are playing in various places nearby. (mostly at the Oklahoma casinos)
He also had a very good automated female voice reading the weather.

The website for the station is oldiesradio.us. It supposedly streams, but I can't get the stream to work.

I would think this might be a part 15 station, but it's pretty strong for that. Just curious if anyone knew anything about it?

Smells like a pirate. The closest licensed 1650 to Dallas is in Fort Smith AR.

This stream link works for me.
http://oldiesradio.webcast2000.com:8880/

I should have done a bit more searching for the stream and information on the station. I got the stream working on the TuneIn app. The station is run by the same folks behind the Lake Shore 1650 part 15 station in Rowlett. They had been running it out there on 1680, but took that down in January. A simple look at how far this station can be heard in my drive home from work says it is not a part 15. The transmitter has to be somewhere around the High 5, probably to the west of central and north of LBJ.

DavidEduardo said:

There is a big clue as to the nature of the station if you scroll down the station page... where there is a link for "Pirate Radio".

Click to expand...

yes, but that's for a different stream.

This 1650 has no relation, or very little, to KLSR 1650. The North Dallas 1650 has been running for several years now, maybe getting towards a decade of operation. That being said, the station belongs to a well known long time area broadcaster. It is a legal part 15 station likely using a hamilton rangemaster. The second stream is obviously another project and refers to no actual pirate radio station.

Sounds like Steve Eberhart's 1650 that has been up and running for several years.

jayweaver said:

Sounds like Steve Eberhart's 1650 that has been up and running for several years.

Click to expand...

That may be, but why have I not been able to hear it until now? And if it's a legal part 15 station, how can it be heard from Mockingbird in Dallas to Parker in Plano?

I got the stream to fully function within iTunes.

Been listening for 20-30 minutes....and I'm liking what I'm hearing. Familiar favorites mixed with some more obscure (albeit good, i.e. "Sky Pilots" by Eric Burdon and the Animals -- I never played that at the oldies station I jocked at for about five years) titles makes me wish this was on a full-power terrestrial FM.

I know...I just asked for the complete impossible.

I was over in that part of Dallas several years back after he put the station "on the air" and heard it on my vehicle radio. It's been on the air for some time now. I think he put "Oldies 1650" on the air before he bought the station in Gainesville, which is a pretty neat little station. Good sound, community oriented. Steve has learned how to survive in North Texas Radio.

This has always been a pretty good station, I think there was a small period where it was off the air for a bit. I also seem to remember it having a different name as well. The signal gets out very well I've even picked it up inside a skyscraper.

JoeFM said:

I heard it when I drove through the area last week. Definitely not a part 15 operation but, like, who cares? Officially, anyhow? Take a look at how many years have passed since the FCC took enforcement action against a pirate operating on AM band.... AM has been slowly dying since the mid-80s. Less than 10 percent of all radio listeners ever switch over to AM, and for the younger listeners the percentage can barely be measured. I say let this guy have his fun.

Click to expand...

I basically agree. I like the station. I was just surprised to hear it over such a distance. I will say, if that doesn't work out..he could do what you're doing Joe. There are several subchannels on LPTV stations here he could lease.. or maybe just have his audio run under their slide that says "this channel for lease."

Years ago I had the crazy idea of trying to get my college radio station on the SAP channel of one of the TV stations that broadcast in stereo. Never could get the administration behind that idea or behind buying an AM station that was up for sale. We were on the college's cable TV channel. That was it. And we were interrupted any time they ran some other show. (though that was rare)

tested said:

I basically agree. I like the station. I was just surprised to hear it over such a distance. I will say, if that doesn't work out..he could do what you're doing Joe. There are several subchannels on LPTV stations here he could lease.. or maybe just have his audio run under their slide that says "this channel for lease."

Years ago I had the crazy idea of trying to get my college radio station on the SAP channel of one of the TV stations that broadcast in stereo. Never could get the administration behind that idea or behind buying an AM station that was up for sale. We were on the college's cable TV channel. That was it. And we were interrupted any time they ran some other show. (though that was rare)

Click to expand...

It's likely too expensive to do this now, given the mess that Internet radio has gone through following the CRB's new rates.

R