Perdido Key (Pensacola) AM Bandscan Highlights-March 22-29, 2014

[cyberdad]

Two teachers in the family usually means spring break at Perdido Key, and this year was no exception. Specifically, the location where we stay is 23 miles west-southwest of downtown Pensacola, directly on the gulf at the Florida-Alabama state line. Our building being on the Florida side....about 50 yards in. Here are some highlights my "small but mightly" SRF 37 Walkman. (I had the Eton E-10 with me, but it was pretty useless).

530: R. Enciclopedia (Cuba), Weak days/good nights
540: WFLF Very week daytime. WASG had set up shop here a couple of years ago with 2.5kw from a stick about 40 miles away. My last time here it produced a fair signal. No trace of it last week. I presume they're off.
570: WTBN very weak but alone daytime. R. Reloj (Cuba) takes over at night
590: WDIZ fair daytime with R. Nacional (Cuba) underneath. R. Nacional takes over at night
620: WDAE fair-good daytime. Strongest Tampa Bay signal. Disappears into the slop at night.
640: R. Progreso (Cuba) mixing with KTIB (I presume) days. Progreso takes over at night
660: WXQW day. Hard to believe there's 10kw ND less than 30 miles from me on this channel and the signal is only fair at best. I did hear WFAN one night.
670: R. Rebelde (Cuba) fair-weak day, strong at night. WSCR pops in every now and then. Almost always underneath the Cubans
680: WCNN. This signal isn't often heard elsewhere at night...including even parts of Atlanta. But it's pretty strong and pretty reliable at night around Pensacola.
690: WQNO: Fair-good days. Not up to what it was as WTIX, but respectable. Unlike WTIX, it disappears at night.
710: WNTM days fair with Cuba underneath. At night, Mobile disappears and Cuba takes over. The Cubans' former periodic audio issues appear to have been solved. Perhaps the Chinese rebuild project is working. The multiple transmitters the Cubans use here are still apparent with the nighttime echo (but less pronounced)
720: WGN at night. Fair and reasonably reliable
740: I keep trying for KTRH here at night, and I keep (mostly) failing. No trace of it daytime. Also heard CFZM and KRMG here a couple of nights. (No WYGM)
750: WSB reliable at night, but seems weaker than in the past.
780: WBBM Fair at best but present nightly
810: Bahamas the topic of another thread. I didn't notice it.
820: WWBA with a respectable (fair) signal daytime. WBAP with a similar grade signal at night
830: WFNO: Fair daytime signal. No trace of WCCO (or much of anything else) at night.
840: WHAS: Fair...at best. nights. The semi-local in Mobile has a daytime signal that could best be described as "pathetic", but of course conductivity in the area is also "pathetic".
870: WWL good. 160 miles, 50kw, saltwater path. All adds up to easily the best 24/7 signal on this stretch of beach. I did hear R. Reloj underneath most nights.
890: R. Progresso very weak days. Strong at night with WLS mixing. Hadn't heard Cuba here during daytime before, so I guess the China rebuild may be helping.
950: The usual good signal from R. Reloj at night. No trace of it (or much of anything else) during the day.
970: WFLA very weak daytime. Seemed weaker than in the past.
1000: The "off again, on again" 1kw ND1000 in Robertsdale AL was "on" with religion and a surprisingly good day signal. Especially considering the bad ground conductivity.
Night was XEOY on top most of the time, with WMVP present more often than not.
1040: WHBO fair daytime. No trace of WHO at night.
1060: WLNO fair-weak daytime. Nowhere near its former WNOE self. At night XEEP takes over with a good signal
1070: Tried for KNX at night. No luck. Pensacola WNVY has a good day signal. I guess 15kw ND can do that for you.
1120: KMOX fair at night
1130: KWKH used to have a good night signal here. Mostly lost in the slop last week. Didn't they rebuild their array? New pattern?
1180: Battle between Cuba and R. Marti apparent day and night. Cuba generally on top.
1360: WMOB: Fair-good. Daytime signal on the beach is fair-good. Best Mobile signal. Longtime regulars may remember the thread from a couple of years ago when this station was being heard at night all over the midwest...and beyond. Their pattern suggests the day signal should be pretty much gone by the time it reaches the beach at the state line. But that's not the case at all. Perhaps they're not in pattern with their 9kw. Whatever, they sound good.
1510: KAGY (Port Sulphur, LA) 1KW over a salt water path makes for a good daytime signal (with cajun music). Better than what WLAC takes over with at night.
1600: KLEB (Golden Meadow, LA), More power (5kw), more salt water to traverse, and more cajun tunes. Result: another good daytime signal.
1620: WNRP: Pensacola X-bander has a respectable day signal for the area. Fair at the beach. Cuba blows it out at night.

This isn't a complete bandscan. Just some highlights. Let me know if anyone has specific questions on stuff I didn't address here.

 

[radioman148]

Years ago when I used to visit New Orleans (nearby), WLS was like a local everynight. Now with the 890 from Cuba it's a totally different situation down there.
Thanks for the report Cyberdad.

 

[gar hi]

If you're still there, I wonder if you could hear 1340 WTAN from Clearwater during the daytime.

They are 1000 w ND and as far as I know, there shouldn't be any locals where you are on that frequency to interfere.

 

[cyberdad]

Years ago when I used to visit New Orleans (nearby), WLS was like a local everynight. Now with the 890 from Cuba it's a totally different situation down there.

I remember that very well. And WLS still has a pretty good night signal...but it's no match on the gulf coast for the (apparently) beefed up Cuban on the channel.

On a personal note, WQNO/690 is worth mentioning. When we first started coming to the beach near Pensacola in the late '70s, we stayed in a unit that had a built in Nu-Tone intercom system with a built in AM/FM tuner that you could play in every room and get great reception along with great audio. We'd set it to WTIX and leave it there on 690 day/night for the duration of our stay. (And as often as not, it would already be set there). You couldn't do that now with the current WQNO...even in the daytime.

 

[cyberdad]

If you're still there, I wonder if you could hear 1340 WTAN from Clearwater during the daytime.

They are 1000 w ND and as far as I know, there shouldn't be any locals where you are on that frequency to interfere.

We arrived for two days on P-cola beach on the 20th, then moved on for a week at Perdido Key two days later. Left the area on the 22nd.

To answer your question, there IS a Pensacola local on 1330...and something of a monster at that. WEBY runs 25kw days before dropping to flea power (79w) at night. The day pattern throws lots of RF right at the beach, so at P-cola beach 1340 is more or less an impossible task. At Perdido Key at the Alabama state line it's a different story. WEBY is still strong, but WTAN is a daytime regular. Other unidentifiable stuff underneath, but WTAN does pretty well for making the hop across the gulf with just 1kw.

Interestingly, WEBY is the successor to a station in Milton, FL (just to the northeast of Pensacola) that occupied 1340 for years. WFSH. WFSH made the move to 1330 (I want to say about 15 or so years ago), and then morphed into WEBY and 25kw. Also for whatever reason, WEBY seemed to be a bit weaker last week than on my past visits. I'm not sure if they're having transmitter issues, running on an STA, not running at full power, or if I'm just imagining stuff in my old age.

At any rate, you probably wouldn't be able to hear WEBY in the Tampa Bay area, since they have a pretty severe null to the east and southeast.

 

[kenglish]

My brother and his wife were in Perdido Key last week....you probably saw them while you were there, and didn't know it .
I haven't been to Pensacola for about 50 years. Sounds like some good DX'ing down there...maybe I need to go back.
Mike Mashburn, one of the hosts on WEBY is a cousin from my Father's side of the family. Make them send you a QSL......

 

[cyberdad]

My brother and his wife were in Perdido Key last week....you probably saw them while you were there, and didn't know it .
I haven't been to Pensacola for about 50 years. Sounds like some good DX'ing down there...maybe I need to go back.
Mike Mashburn, one of the hosts on WEBY is a cousin from my Father's side of the family. Make them send you a QSL......

I saw a lot of people in Perdido Key last week. The place was jam-packed....mostly with spring breakers! I'm not sure if any of them besides me were DX-ers, but indeed it IS a good DX spot. Lousy ground conductivity meets salt water paths from three directions....east, south, and west. And in summer, you can flip over to FM and get loads of tropo! It also used to be a good place to hang out on the tropical bands...when there was still a significant degree of activity on SW. Thanks also for the heads up on your cousin on WEBY. I'll listen for him next time we're down there.

 

[Icangelp]

cyberdad.

I haven't gone back to look, but I think I read in one of the NRC DX News issues that 1060/WLNO was granted an STA at reduced power.

Thanks for another edition of "On The Road With cyberdad".

 

[crainbebo]

I think getting a used Grundig/Eton E5/G5 will make wonders. I have had a G5 for close to seven years now, while it has been beat up, dropped and had the antenna broke off about three times, the thing still works like a tank with my "gorilla hands". Wouldn't be surprised for the radio to make 12 or more years before it dies.

-crainbebo

 

[cyberdad]

cyberdad.

I haven't gone back to look, but I think I read in one of the NRC DX News issues that 1060/WLNO was granted an STA at reduced power.[/QUOTE]

Wouldn't surprise me. I know WTIX/WIST/WQNO had been on STA...and may still be for night broadcasting. I had heard or read somewhere....maybe even on this board....that keeping WLNO correctly operating its day and night patterns was problematic, even before Katrina hit. Yet with the exception of WYLD, the other New Orleans daytime signals seem to be doing about as well as they ever have. This includes the 1kw signals on WVOG (600), WSHO (800), and even WBOK (1230). At Pensacola Beach the local 1230 (WDWR) completely blew out WBOK. But at Perdido Key, WBOK was mixing with with Pensacola almost equally.

And crainbebo.... Good suggestion. I do have the SuperRadio II. It's in great shape, but it's awkward for travel. So I think it may be time to quit contemplating and get off my (duff) and buy a new...or used...radio. The E-10 is about ten years old at least and has become pretty useless. I'm still missing my Realistic DX 375, but I did squeeze about 20 years out of that one. Talk about a tank!