How is Radio reception & Cable/Satellite TV in Maine... (Union: homes, to live)

[CT2MEwoodnutt]

Hello Group,

How is AM radio [especially] and FM radio reception in Maine?
Also, does most of Maine have Cable TV, or Satellite service, (Direct TV/Dish Network, etc) and Internet access?

My wish to live free out in the woods, like Life On Walden Pond, but I've gotta have my radio/TV and Internet. I'm also fond of Internet Radio listening....Radio Australia, Radio New Zealand.

I especially enjoy listening to AM radio at nights to CHML - Hamilton Ontario, when they have those 'Old Tyme Radio Shows'!

I also enjoy 'listening to The World', on my very fine Drake R-7 Shortwave receiver.
I'm a Radio hobbyist, but not a 'Ham'.
'Guess you could call me a Radio Voyeur, as I don't talk on the air, I just like to listen!

I could easily string up miles of wire, to pick up those rare, bouncing ionospheric little electrons!

BTW- Where in Maine is the US Naval Low Wave transmitting facility, which they use to communicate to our US Subs, out in the Atlantic?
-I'd love to visit the site someday!

...standing by, listening.

CTwoodnutt

[DauntlessDan]

I also enjoy 'listening to The World', on my very fine Drake R-7 Shortwave receiver.

The answer to your question(s) has interest to me as I am also a shortwave listener as well as one that receives television (mostly PBS) through an antenna.

[AustinB]

The navy towers are in Cutler.

The radio reception is as good here as anywhere. sat tv is also available here, we aren't Antarctica afterall. cable is a hit or miss affair.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by CTwoodnutt

Hello Group,

How is AM radio [especially] and FM radio reception in Maine?

I have noticed that at night there are a lot of AM radio stations we can pickup.

... Also, does most of Maine have Cable TV, or Satellite service, (Direct TV/Dish Network, etc) and Internet access?

Cable is mostly urban. It takes a certain level of population-density before digging all those miles of trenches to lay cable makes financial sense. When homes are 1/2 mile apart [or further] a cable company would never be able to recover the expense of the wire.

Satellite: anyone can get a private dish setup for their home, anywhere. Just be willing to pay the monthly fee.

WWW access: every phone company is different. Our phone company just upgraded to 'dsl' as we arrived. But they far over-extended the distance capability of their nodes. As a result, it may technically be 'dsl' but, it is pretty slow.

If you search on this forum, one of posters goes by 'Starwalker' has a great story she tells about finding WWW access in Maine.

... BTW- Where in Maine is the US Naval Low Wave transmitting facility, which they use to communicate to our US Subs, out in the Atlantic?
-I'd love to visit the site someday!

...standing by, listening.

CTwoodnutt

That is Cutler, call-sign NAA. They blast 1.8MW on the 24Khz band, with 200 baud.

I dealt with their signal during all of my Active Duty career. So when I came to Maine that was a high priority tourist spot for me.

Cutler can be picked up in the North Atlantic, South Atlantic, Mediterranean, Arctic, as well as the North Pacific.

[woxyroxme]

Of course I have a pic of the Cutler towers.



I was able to get plenty of AM signals in Eastport at night but shortwave is hit or miss, the area may be within the 45° range of a 30° beam or the 60° range of a 45° beam of a rhombic antenna directed at the U.S.

There are two SW transmitters in Maine, WBCQ in Monticello and world harvest radio in Greenbush.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

AM reception is very good at night.There is very little Rf interference.

Cable is usually in cities only.

DSL is slower than you expect. Video is quite choppy. You can't watch TV on most DSL links.



I especially enjoy listening to AM radio at nights to CHML - Hamilton Ontario, when they have those 'Old Tyme Radio Shows'!


".standing by, listening.

CTwoodnutt"


You will be amazed at how quiet the background is.

[Brodels]

I echo the comments about AM radio reception. You can get the news stations from Boston and New York. Growing up I used to listen to the New Jersey Nets on the radio when I was located in far Northern Maine. On certain nights, I have been able to listen to stations from as far west as Chicago and as far south as Philadelphia.

Folks are right in saying that cable is more likely to be available in the cities; however, I know that many smaller towns that are relatively close to larger cities also have coverage. DSL can be quite fast in some spots, but in my experience, it varies by location. I know some people who have had wireless internet (not cell phone network-based) from companies in Aroostook County that have towers. It hasn't always worked very well for them.

I have listened to shortwave radio on my handheld receiver and have been able to get many stations, but I'm not really a seasoned listener, so it's hard to say how my experience compared to the norm.

The bottom line is that there are options here, but they decrease as you move away from the more urban areas, and you probably shouldn't expect it to be as good as you might get in Boston or New York.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

I have a Yacht Boy shortwave radio. One night I was listening to Radio Moscow. I used to listen to their reports when they were occupying Afghanistan. The program came to an end and an announcer said, "The following program will be a variety of foreign music."

I was reaching for the radio when a young announcer came on and yelled, "Are you READY for some GOOD - OLD - FASHIONED ROCK AND ROLL?"

At that moment I realized the the Soviet Union was over.

[woxyroxme]

Originally Posted by Northern Maine Land Man

I have a Yacht Boy shortwave radio.

I have one too, Grundig makes good radios.

[CT2MEwoodnutt]

Originally Posted by woxyroxme

I have one too, Grundig makes good radios.

I own a Drake R-7 receiver, a Sony 2010 and the older Sony 2001 radios, all very good, (well, the little older 2001 isn't as good as the other two, but still works).

I recently built a very cool 4' x 4' air-core tilt able, & turnable MW antenna!
I expect to pick up the planet Pluto with it!

I love radio listening, Internet Radio listening and enjoy cable TV shows.
...don't have much else...so that's my entertainment!

(I've got to go see that Navy Low Wave site someday! Do they give tours of the facility, would you know)? My late cousin was a longtime US Radioman, from Meriden CT.

Thankx for the input on this topics folks,

CTwoodnutt