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AM Frequency of the week: 850

cyberdad

cyberdad

Moving up four spots on the dial this week (with or without a bullet), what comes out of your radio when you set the dial on your radio to 850.

That's a fairly easy one for me to answer. I've got a 2.5KW local a couple of miles up the road, and it's aimed right at me. (WAIT). In the winter, from the upstairs floor of my house when the leaves are off the trees, I can see the towers.

At night, when WAIT is off, it's pretty much all KOA. It's not unusual to hear some noise underneath, but KOA is typically strong enough to keep whatever it is unintelligible.

WAIT (and its former incarnations) historically has signed off at Denver's local sunset, but for whatever reason when its been off, I've heard 5KW KFUO (St. Louis) several times at sunset with a good signal. I've also heard the 850 from Duluth, MN (then 10kw) a couple of times.
 
Reynoldsburg, Ohio
Daytime: A decent signal from WKNR. They send a pretty good lobe in this direction, but their signal 100 percent disappears at pattern change.
Nighttime: During the summer, very little if anything. Have heard KOA many times here during the winter. I have never heard WKNR here at night despite several tries.
 
Cañon City CO: 24 hours a day, KOA is not A-OK, just OK. Not enough good dirt, too many mountain ranges (including Pikes Peak) between SE Denver and here. Radio doesn't stop at KOA on a scan here.
 
In Charleston, 850 AM is a mix of signals. Daytime, we have WFTL West Palm Beach, mixing with WRUF Gainesville, each weak. Sometimes, Raleigh, NC comes in.

At night, Statesboro, GA is the dominant signal with its 1KW pointed east. Birmingham, West Palm, and others all come in.

KOA may be listenable 2-3 times a year here. I've heard it as close as Spartanburg normally at night, and in suburban Atlanta it comes in almost every night from my experience.
 
East Tennessee: The once mighty 50kW daytimer WKVL (original WIVK) isn't so mighty these days. Their original pattern beamed right into the Smoky Mountains, keeping the bears warm. After losing the lease on the tower space, the facility was off the air for a day short of a year, and sunrises, sunsets and sometimes even winter daytime skip brought WKNR. Now with WKVL only running 1kW from the 1400 tower in Maryville, WKVL still often makes it in. Otherwise, nighttime is KOA.
 
Nothing daytime. Nighttime used to be all KOA. Not anymore. It's more often there than not, but surprises me when it's absent. I'm looking for opportunities to hear something else at night on 850. Nothing interesting so far, but I have heard WKNR there in the past more than once, much to my surprise. From what I remember, WKNR is barely audible at night in the town where I attended college 30 miles WSW of Cleveland.
 
Houston KEYH daytime. Nighttime it is possible to null KEYH and get KOA with a lot of stuff underneath. Like other posters, I have noted a decrease in their signal in recent years. As early as the early 2000's, they sometimes made an appearance in the Dallas area during the day. But a local 850 signed on in Dallas. I also heard them in Jackson, Michigan at night. I doubt they would make it there, now.
 
West side suburbs of Detroit here (Plymouth)
daytime is a fairly strong WKNR - night time is a mix of WKNR and KOA (flip a coin as to who may be on top that evening)
On the eastern suburbs of Detroit, (Grosse Pointe) you are just far enough east where its a weak, but listenable, WKNR)

Isn't KOA the only (or one of a very few) NON-directional 50kw that are old 1-B,s?; I believe KNX was also the same , but their co-channel 1070 was in the Maritimes on Canada (not since shut down I believe), Why was KOA a 1-B, and not a 1-A, what did that mean from a practical standpoint since it was a 50Kw non-directional day and night station?
 
rbrucecarter5 said:
Houston KEYH daytime. Nighttime it is possible to null KEYH and get KOA with a lot of stuff underneath. Like other posters, I have noted a decrease in their signal in recent years. As early as the early 2000's, they sometimes made an appearance in the Dallas area during the day. But a local 850 signed on in Dallas. I also heard them in Jackson, Michigan at night. I doubt they would make it there, now.
Click to expand...

KOA is spotty , but can be had in Michigan ( I am only DX'ing with car radio lately)
 
schmave said:
Reynoldsburg, Ohio
Daytime: A decent signal from WKNR. They send a pretty good lobe in this direction, but their signal 100 percent disappears at pattern change.
Nighttime: During the summer, very little if anything. Have heard KOA many times here during the winter. I have never heard WKNR here at night despite several tries.
Click to expand...

WKNR doesn't send much your way at all
 
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North of Atlanta: Daytime its Birmingham AL (WXJC) with IBOC on both sides of it. Winter days, can bring WKNR thru much of the day. At night its a mix, including WFTL, and every now and then KOA in Denver.
 
YAKIMA WA
Daytime is a fair KHHO Tacoma, WA (Fox Sports).
Nights is all KOA Denver (News/Talk), however in strong Au condx 850 will be almost entirely blank (maybe a faint carrier).
One time sunrise log of XEZF Mexicali, BCN as well (Regional Mexican). Some sources say 1KW, others 250 watts. Not sure what power level I had.

On the want list is just one station, but I'm surprised I never heard them on the westside (especially sunrise)...KICY Nome, AK. It's a huge 50KW signal, heard many times in BC, WA and Oregon, even northern California...yet with the 3 foot loop I've never heard them. Just noise and KHHO.
Also, if their construction permit goes through, I will add WQRM Duluth to the want list. The CP is for 50KW days, 14KW Critical Hours, off the air sunset-sunrise. 50KW from 1300+ miles should get out.
 
In Ottawa, it's WEEI at nights, sometimes WKNR. I have never heard KOA here. It was a regular out in western Canada, except under auroral conditions when we'd lose all out of town night time reception.
 
Really nothing in Pittsburgh. We're in a bit of a dead zone that was meant to protect WKNR in Cleveland
and WKGE in Johnstown, PA (which must be setting some sort of record for remaining silent under STA's).

Also since 860 AM boosted their night power a few years ago there is too much splatter on 850
to hear much of anything.
 
Warminster, PA(Philly 'burbs):

Daytime: used to be WEEU from Reading, PA(now on 830), now it's splatter from local 860 WWDB.
Night: either WEEI Boston or WKNR Cleveland.
 
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