AM Frequency of the Week: 1180

[cyberdad]

Far northwest suburban Chicago.....

Days: Semi-Local WSQR. 900 watts, non-directional, from Sycamore, IL, about 24 miles southwest of me. Format is '70s based classic rock, signal is fair-good

Nights: WSQR goes to just ONE watt and disappears from my location. WHAM comes through with a good signal and Cuba in the background.

Sunrise/Sunset: Before WSQR moved to 1180 (from 1560), I heard WJNT from Jakson, MS a couple of times. On 50kw day power.

Other: What can you get from one watt on 1180 at night in an area with good ground conductivity? Answer: About four miles in any direction. Comfortably listenable for about half of that. If you're driving by the WSQR stick north of town on Illinois State route 23, you get to hear one song if you're lucky.

When WSQR neglects to power down, I get a mix of WSQR and WHAM at roughly equal strenghth. This doesn't happen very often, and I don't think any "forgetting" to power down is intentional. Larry Nelson, the owner, isn't known for trying to circumvent the rules. Besides, WSQR has two translators.

 

[gr8oldies]

East Tennessee: Local WVLZ with a brokered Sports talk format by day. When they sign off at sunset (which sometimes they don't), it's WHAM and/or the Cuban Rebelde Chorus.

WVLZ was oldies a few years ago and stayed on all night (even though they're a daytimer). They were widely heard.

 

[radioman148]

In the near north Chicago burbs I get a weak WSQR during the day. At night WHAM usually comes in with a good signal and some nights Cuba is in the background. Most of the time WHAM is well on top, but during aurorals Cuba comes through pretty well.

 

[CADXER]

Here in Wood Dale, IL in the near NW suburb of Chicago:

Daytime: WSQR, Sycamore, IL with good signal.
Nightime: WHAM dominates. Otherwise one of the many Cuban transmitters jamming Radio Marti.

The only DX catches on this frequency: Prior to WSQR moving to this frequency in 2006 I did manage to hear WLDS (Jacksonville, IL) during daytime in 1982. WJNT (Pearl, MS) heard few times with WHAM/Cuba nulled. Also managed to hear WSAF (Trion, GA) once during their sign off. One of my goals for this frequency is to hear Radio Marti (Marathon, FL) here in the Chicago area, but unless they switch to non-directional pattern I think it's almost impossible.

 

[schmave]

Reynoldsburg, Ohio ...
* Daytime: Nothing
* Nighttime: WHAM. Back when I was a young DXer in the late 80s and early 90s, I remember WHAM being so dominant that its sidebands would clobber WOWO, a station I often was trying to hear. More recently, I've heard Cuba fighting with WHAM here at night, although usually not so powerful as to overtake WHAM completely. In any case, every time I flip by WHAM, it doesn't seem as powerful as I remember it being when I was a kid.

 

[NoMoreLurking]

This begs the question "How did Rochester, NY manage to get a 50kw ND allotment?"

Was Rochester ever a spectacularly fast-growing metro...maybe the Orlando of its day?

On the other hand, there are population centers like DC-Baltimore, Houston, Seattle, etc...that were all passed by when the 50kw ND allotments were made. Good thing Schenectady got one. (810, and yes I know, GE's being there had something to do with it.)

 

[schmave]

If there is a major market that is more hamstrung by directional signals, let alone a lack of 50Ks, than Houston, I have yet to find it. If you're south of Houston, yeah, the AMs sound great. Get too much farther south and you're in the Gulf. North of town, you're out of luck.
#endrant

 

[NoMoreLurking]

To get us back on frequency/topic, yes, there's a part-time 50kw licensed station on 1180 in the Houston market: KGOL Humble. Does anybody outside of SE Texas hear it? If I recall correctly from my Houston days, that facility had some pretty lousy coverage, but things might have changed.

Here in the SF Bay Area, 1180 is a mishmash of local splatter from 1170 and 1190 in the daytime, and mostly KERN Wasco-Bakersfield after dark. There may be weak signals underneath, but to ID them I'd have to endure way too much Dave Ramsey and Red Eye Radio, and I just can't.

 

[davideduardo]

If there is a major market that is more hamstrung by directional signals, let alone a lack of 50Ks, than Houston, I have yet to find it.

Phoenix, Washington DC, Baltimore, Cleveland, Atlanta, Orlando, Miami, Pittsburgh are all examples of markets with one... or less... decent full market coverage, day and night, AM stations.

 

[joebtsflk1]

In southern CO, there might be an appearance from from Omaha's (Bellevue NE) KZOT 1180 around the hour before Omaha sunset, which I caught in the last week. At night,not much.

What might have been: KSPK 1180 Walsenburg CO which was going to use a two or three tower DA to send 25 kW by day towards Pueblo and Colorado Springs, with the same pattern at 300 watts night. For a couple of years it was listed for sale at $75,000. Apparently there were no takers and the CP was returned. Just what Pueblo and the Springs needed, another craptastic AM.

 

[Steve Green NEPA]

The first 1180 catch here was WHAM , at night, of course.

WFYL from King Of Prussia -- just outside Philly -- is a weak signal here in the day

WHJM from TN is a sunset catch.

* * * * * * *

@ NoMoreLurking: Someone once explained to me why places of skeptical prestige such as Rochester, Fort Wayne, Louisville, Wheeling, Little Rock, et al got these swell 50,000 watt signals. But I forgot the explanation, hi.

 

[jim-satx]

Daytime here in San Antonio is heavy-duty splatter from nearby local 1160 KRDY. I'm sure I'd be able to hear KGOL at least weakly if it wasn't for that.

Sunset brings up a mix of Radio Rebelde and KLPF, a Catholic station in Midland, TX, to the NW/SE. Aiming NE it's XEFR in Mexico City and KGOL starting to come up.

At night, KLPF disappears, and I can hear what I assume are two Rebelde transmitters because there's sometimes an echo. The frequency is also plagued with some IBOC hash from 1170 KFAQ, but Rebelde is usually strong enough to overcome it. The hash is worse when I aim due north. Aiming NE, I can usually null it out and hear KGOL and occasionally XEFR.

Around sunrise KPLF is back along with KGOL and XEFR, and I can usually hear WJNT peeking through for a bit after it goes to critical hours power. Later KPLF does the same and comes up fairly strong until KGOL goes to day power.

Back in August 2016 I heard what I assume was KZOT briefly one early morning. It was running an ad for zerorezne.com, which is the website for a cleaning company in Omaha.

 

[RyanHoward]

The first 1180 catch here was WHAM , at night, of course.

WFYL from King Of Prussia -- just outside Philly -- is a weak signal here in the day

WHJM from TN is a sunset catch.

* * * * * * *

@ NoMoreLurking: Someone once explained to me why places of skeptical prestige such as Rochester, Fort Wayne, Louisville, Wheeling, Little Rock, et al got these swell 50,000 watt signals. But I forgot the explanation, hi.

Warminster PA(Philly 'burbs):

Same as Steve Green, but almost all WHAM at night.

 

[charlestondxman]

1180 here in the daytime is usually almost nothing. Maybe a mix of Cuba and Radio Marti if you are by the beach. There are no 1180 stations close by. During critical hours (usually 2 hours before sunset), WHAM comes in. It usually is in a mush by sunset with Marti and Cuba

The farther inland you get in SC (the closer you get to Rochester) the better WHAM usually comes in. In the Charlotte area, WHAM is usually dominant at night.

 

[crainbebo]

Daytime - nothing, at least here. Maybe KLAY Tacoma will come in weakly in the winter (News/Talk).
Night - KOFI Kalispell MT (News/Talk/Oldies), mixing with KERN Bakersfield (News/Talk) and Radio Rebelde from Cuba, in about 5 times out of 7. Aurora caught KCKQ Sparks, NV (Talk) once.

Wanted on 1180...
WHAM Rochester, NY (duh)
KZOT Bellevue, NE (Sports. I never hear this OR co-owned KOZN 1620, which I've tried for 100 times without any luck. Would be 1,275 miles)
KGOL Humble, TX (It's 50KW daytime. Worth a shot at Houston sunrise. Regional Mexican)

 

[kf4rca]

Daytime it's splatter from Salem Media's powerhouse talker daytimer WAFS on 1190. Nights it's WHAM with some Spanish underneath.

 

[cyberdad]

Phoenix, Washington DC, Baltimore, Cleveland, Atlanta, Orlando, Miami, Pittsburgh are all examples of markets with one... or less... decent full market coverage, day and night, AM stations.

I'm not disputing your conclusions, but for Cleveland, wouldn't WTAM and WKNR (or whatever 850 is these days) qualify? From my days of being in Cleveland every couple of months, I recall 850 starting to weaken on both the eastern and western edges of the metro at night, but still solid. Full discolosure, my regular biz trips to ended more than ten years ago. But I was in Canton less than 6 month ago, and 850 sounded just fine at night.

Also Miami. What about WIOD and WQAM? IIRC, WQAM ad a CP for higher power but never followed through on it. But even at 1kw non-dir at night with all the swampy land and salt water, I'd think they still might be able to get the job done. Or at least come close.

 

[davideduardo]

I'm not disputing your conclusions, but for Cleveland, wouldn't WTAM and WKNR (or whatever 850 is these days) qualify? From my days of being in Cleveland every couple of months, I recall 850 starting to weaken on both the eastern and western edges of the metro at night, but still solid. Full discolosure, my regular biz trips to ended more than ten years ago. But I was in Canton less than 6 month ago, and 850 sounded just fine at night.

WTAM is the one signal that does cover the market. 850 is rough once you get beyond Lyndhurst to the East at night. Geauga and Lake Counties, and most of Lorain County lies in a null.

Also Miami. What about WIOD and WQAM? IIRC, WQAM ad a CP for higher power but never followed through on it. But even at 1kw non-dir at night with all the swampy land and salt water, I'd think they still might be able to get the job done. Or at least come close.

WQAM is severely degraded by the move inland, and there is way too much noise for 1 kw to work anywhere but a small market. WIOD is a decent signal, though.

 

[gr8oldies]

What about 1220-whatever the former WGAR is this week? How does it cover now and how did in 'GAR's AM heyday?

 

[davideduardo]

What about 1220-whatever the former WGAR is this week? How does it cover now and how did in 'GAR's AM heyday?

That station does best to the South, but misses nearly all of Elyria and Median Counties, and does poorly out in Lake and Geauga. Besides, it is a bit too high on the dial for really good coverage under any circumstance.