AM Frequency of the week: 570

[cyberdad]

How low can you go? In this case we're going nearly to the bottom of the band at 570. What are you guys hearing there?

For me here at "you-know-where", it's mostly splatter from local WIND (560). I use the word "local" loosely, given that WIND's four-tower array is situated 65 miles southeast of me in Indiana. But it IS aimed right at me.

At night, 570 is still relatively empty. But, with WIND nulled, I have heard WKBN and WNAX every once in a while. More often, however, it's 500-watt WKYX from Paducah, KY. Also aimed right at me.

 

[purpledevil]

By day, it's all KLIF Dallas, although at my location in north Houston it is noticeably weaker than its low end counterparts from San Antonio (55 KTSA), or Austin (590 KLBJ). At night, KLIF drops into the oblivion and it's a whole lot of nothing at 570kHz.

 

[crainbebo]

As for me in Yakima, KVI is 24/7 on 570 from Seattle. Poor-fair by day, fair-good at night. Sunsets usually bring KCFJ Alturas CA mixing with KVI. Nights is again usually KVI, but I have heard CKWL Williams Lake, KNRS Salt Lake City, KLAC Los Angeles, KCFJ when on late, and even WNAX Yankton SD on good eastern evenings, mixing with or under KVI.
Wanted on 570 - CKSW Swift Current (my only unheard SK...and I have heard CJSN-1490!) and KLIF Dallas. Those would be great to hear. Bonus points for Ellele (Kauai), HI - but I would have to go to the ocean at sunrise to hear KQNG.

-crainbebo

 

[radioman148]

In the near north Chicago burbs my experience is very similar to Cyberdad's. I don't recall hearing WKBN, but WNAX has been in there at night & most often it's Paducah, Ky.
Daytime is all WIND splatter.

 

[gr8oldies]

East Tennessee day, moderate WWNC from Asheville NC, with something underneath, probably WIDS, Russellville KY.
Night, WWNC and/or Radio Reloj, mixed with others

 

[schmave]

Here around Columbus, Ohio, it's a very weak WKBN by day and really nothing at night.
Because it's such a quiet channel in this region at night, I haven't listened much. When I have, I've occasionally heard Radio Reloj deep in the mush. Once several years ago, I heard WKBN at night, but that's about the extent of it.

 

[cyberdad]

I should have mentioned R. Reloj when I launched the thread. It used to be fairly common around here. Not all that often on top, but you could hear the time pips in the mix. But now, for whatever reason, it's probably been a couple of years since I've heard it. Have to confess, however, that I don't usually spend a lot of time on 570.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

By day, it's all KLIF Dallas, although at my location in north Houston it is noticeably weaker than its low end counterparts from San Antonio (55 KTSA), or Austin (590 KLBJ). At night, KLIF drops into the oblivion and it's a whole lot of nothing at 570kHz.

In Plano North of Dallas, it was possible to null KLIF at night and hear WNAX. I also caught a WNAX ID one night when I drove just North of the KLIF towers in their null.

 

[purpledevil]

In Plano North of Dallas, it was possible to null KLIF at night and hear WNAX. I also caught a WNAX ID one night when I drove just North of the KLIF towers in their null.

Now that's quite interesting, Bruce. WNAX is one that I have never caught down here, but not for lack of trying. The problem with WNAX at night is that it is directional away from Texas. So, when KLIF buries itself in the noise at night here in Houston, WNAX is facing the wrong way for me to catch even a glimpse of it from way up in South Dakota. Even without KLIF having the strength to reach this far south in the State, it is still directional towards us. Up in Bellville at night, I can get a so-so signal from KLIF, which has never faded enough to pick up WNAX. Of course, as I'm sure your experience mirrors, during the day it doesn't matter which way you null, KLIF remains strong enough to not allow anyone else to overtake the dial setting.

 

[schmave]

I remember hearing KLIF many times at night when I lived in League City. It was never really strong, but always there when I checked 570, right along with Radio Reloj.
In the interest of full disclosure, I haven't lived down there since November 2009, so things certainly could have changed.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

Now that's quite interesting, Bruce. WNAX is one that I have never caught down here, but not for lack of trying. The problem with WNAX at night is that it is directional away from Texas. So, when KLIF buries itself in the noise at night here in Houston, WNAX is facing the wrong way for me to catch even a glimpse of it from way up in South Dakota. Even without KLIF having the strength to reach this far south in the State, it is still directional towards us. Up in Bellville at night, I can get a so-so signal from KLIF, which has never faded enough to pick up WNAX. Of course, as I'm sure your experience mirrors, during the day it doesn't matter which way you null, KLIF remains strong enough to not allow anyone else to overtake the dial setting.

I was surprised myself. But it was in Plano, TX, a decent percentage of the way closer to SD. The exact location was Apple Valley Place and Custer Road, in case the geometry has anything to do with it. It was a GE Superadio 3, which generally can throw some pretty good nulls because of the long ferrite bar antenna. I could do it fairly dependably, although once done the novelty wore off pretty fast. Time for a new challenge! WNAX appears to throw a notch towards Dallas at night as you say, but it doesn't look like a deep one. It is a three tower nighttime array, I bet only two of the towers line up with Dallas because they appear to have a secondary notch. The KLIF tower array, however, is four towers (Radio Locator has that wrong - I've driven by it many times). KLIF and KTCK both have four towers lined up N/S, a few miles apart. It is easy to mistake one for the other! But all of KLIF"s towers line up with WNAX creating a deep null. I was shocked to hear "WNAX" coming out of my car radio for an instant along the 121 freeway, then I looked over and saw the KLIF towers almost lined up as I drove past the null.

570 at night is a mess here in Houston. I am sure WNAX is somewhere buried in the clutter along with KLIF, but it is not pleasant to listen to a jumble for any length of time.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

I was surprised myself. But it was in Plano, TX, a decent percentage of the way closer to SD. The exact location was Apple Valley Place and Custer Road, in case the geometry has anything to do with it. It was a GE Superadio 3, which generally can throw some pretty good nulls because of the long ferrite bar antenna. I could do it fairly dependably, although once done the novelty wore off pretty fast. Time for a new challenge! WNAX appears to throw a notch towards Dallas at night as you say, but it doesn't look like a deep one. It is a three tower nighttime array, I bet only two of the towers line up with Dallas because they appear to have a secondary notch. The KLIF tower array, however, is four towers (Radio Locator has that wrong - I've driven by it many times). KLIF and KTCK both have four towers lined up N/S, a few miles apart. It is easy to mistake one for the other! But all of KLIF"s towers line up with WNAX creating a deep null. I was shocked to hear "WNAX" coming out of my car radio for an instant along the 121 freeway, then I looked over and saw the KLIF towers almost lined up as I drove past the null.

570 at night is a mess here in Houston. I am sure WNAX is somewhere buried in the clutter along with KLIF, but it is not pleasant to listen to a jumble for any length of time.

Well this is interesting! It looks like they must have taken down one tower. I can clearly see the base, but - no tower!

https://www.google.com/maps/place/3....989907,1320m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x0

I wonder what is going on - a temporary waiver due to a storm knocking down one, an engineering change?

 

[rbrucecarter5]

Well this is interesting! It looks like they must have taken down one tower. I can clearly see the base, but - no tower!

https://www.google.com/maps/place/3....989907,1320m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x0

I wonder what is going on - a temporary waiver due to a storm knocking down one, an engineering change?

And KTCK is different, too! Not four in line any more!

https://www.google.com/maps/place/3....9404769,281m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x0

Gee - move away for 6 years and everything changes!

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

It's amazing sometimes what you can do with doglegs as opposed to inlines. Not always, but sometimes.

But it may also be worthwhile to see if you can get to 250 watts Class B with just two towers, rather than one tower Class D at night. At least then, you can sell off part of the land and not be subject to new interference as a Class D.

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

Has anyone mentioned WMAM? At just 250/100 U1, its an amazing little ubiquitous but weak groundwave within 150 miles of Marinette, WI. But now that WTCM is 50000 watts, much of its former open service area is obscured. It was considered Class III or Class IV at one time, but because its less than 250 watts at night, it's considered Class D now.

 

[cyberdad]

Has anyone mentioned WMAM? At just 250/100 U1, its an amazing little ubiquitous but weak groundwave within 150 miles of Marinette, WI. But now that WTCM is 50000 watts, much of its former open service area is obscured. It was considered Class III or Class IV at one time, but because its less than 250 watts at night, it's considered Class D now.

I was tracking WMAM during my road trip last week, which was effectively around Lake Michigan with a couple of detours. As has been the case previously, I first encountered a useable signal just north of Milwaukee, with WIND being more of a pest than WTCM. Once I got past Marinette/Menomonee. I had WMAM for about two-thirds of the way to Sault Sainte Marie.

The next day, I had it a couple of times during my drive down 131 in the lower peninsula, but usually, I couldn't pull it out from under WTCM.
I didn't hear WMAM in Sault Sainte Marie day or night, and I have no memory of every hearing it here at my home northwest of Chicago. One place where it does have a good signal (day and night, IIRC) is Door County, Wisconsin. (For those unfamiliar, that's the bigger portion of a large peninsula that juts out into Lake Michigan beginning at Green Bay).

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

The new 50000 watt stations tend to have only one, solid state, 50000 watt transmitter, and with power transistor junctions blowing out from static discharges, it's difficult to maintain them at full power, at least from what I have been told. The older 50 kW stations usually have a few generations of transmitters to use for backup. Some have as many as three 50 kW transmitters. Although WMAQ used to have just a 5 kW auxiliary, and there were times that they were on it. As recently as around 1990, Norm Nathan revealed that WBZ was on 10000 watt backup that evening. I called in. Wish I had a tape of it. In Flint, when WMAQ was on this auxiliary, probably with the less efficient auxiliary antenna, it was actually weaker than WAIT with 5000 watts from Elmhurst. But you could hear it, and not that bad either, in the 50 uV/m groundwave range. But with stations like WTCM on a backup transmitter, it would give an opening in some of the areas in West and Central Michigan for WMAM where it used to come in without adjacent channel interference. WIND is there too, but on the side of the major lobe. Used to get it well with a vertical wire and a slightly modified, Tom Kneitel designed circuit, one transistor preamp in West Central Michigan.

 

[cyberdad]

WIND is there too, but on the side of the major lobe. Used to get it well with a vertical wire and a slightly modified, Tom Kneitel designed circuit, one transistor preamp in West Central Michigan.

I was a little surprised at how well WIND's night signal was doing in the southwest corner of Lower Michigan on my trip last week (in Watervliet). Very respectable, listenable signal.

The other extreme was WKZO on 590, thirty miles away from me. The 5kw ND Day signal was pretty bad, and the 5KW directional signal was almost inaudible. Certainly explains why I never here WKZO nighttime at my home QTH, a hundred-odd miles farther west.

 

[jim-satx]

During the day in S.A., a weak KLIF Dallas and a weak XEBJB Monterrey fight it out among some splatter from 580 XEMU. At night they both get significantly stronger but continue the fight. I can sometimes hear Radio Reloj in their null.

One time last November after my local sunset, I logged "Great Country" KGRT in Las Cruces, NM. Never heard it since.

 

[icybluelake]

In eastern Iowa the mighty WNAX, all day and all night. With occasional punctuation in the background from the mighty Radio Reloj.