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AM Frequency of the week: 1330

cyberdad

cyberdad

40 or so miles northwest of downtown Chicago.....

Days: The current version of a battle that's been going on since the 1960s. The battle of the "TAs". WNTA from Rockford, IL and WKTA, Evanston, IL. These days, WNTA wins the battle here, but WKTA is easily audible undernearh. WNTA is 1kw with a minor lobe that favors me. WKTA is 5kw with a pattern that does not favor me, so it's in the background despite being closer and operating with more power.
Retro: Back when these two were operating as 1kw daytimers as WRRR and WEAW respectivvely, it was a real contest. Mixing without either one really getting the best of it. Then, at some point, someone apparently decided talking to fish was a great idea, so along came the WEAW/WKTA upgrade to 5kw and throw most of the resultant signal into Lake Michigan. If they're still using their site near Willow Road and the Tri-State Tollway, I'm guessing Radioman may be able to pick up WKTA on all of his kitchen appliances.

Night: These days, both WKTA and WNTA power down significantly and disappear at my location. Nothing rises to the top of 1330 on a regular basis. Evansville, IN sometimes breaks through around sunset. "Back in the day", KFH from Wichita, KS was a frequent visitor. But they're long gone (to 1240). I don't recall hearing the current occupant of the Wichita 1330, KNSS.
 
You are right on target Cyberdad. WKTA almost comes through the fillings on my teeth as I am only a few miles from their towers. They are especially strong during the day. At night I can somewhat null the weaker signal, but WKTA still dominates so I can't make out anything specific underneath.
 
the valley of the Jolly Green Giant (LeSueur, MN)

daytime-pretty strong WLOL Minneapolis
nightime-weak WLOL
 
Nothing here around Columbus, Ohio.
The closest station on 1330 is WYPC in Wellston, about 60 miles southeast, but with only 500 watts on that middling ground conductivity at that frequency, that signal has no chance of making it here. WFIN in Findlay is the next closest on that frequency but you have to be well north of Columbus to begin to catch it.
 
In Orange County, TX - day, a listenable KVOL, Lafayette, LA with an oldies format: night, a mix of KNSS, Wichita, KS news/talk, or KCKM, Monahans,TX, country. Occasionally WEBY, Milton, FL, talk, will show up when they go to day pattern.
 
WCJ said:
In Orange County, TXOccasionally WEBY, Milton, FL, talk, will show up when they go to day pattern.
Click to expand...
Yeah...WEBY 25kw monster aimed mostly west. Then at night they're a pipsqueak with 91 watts non-directional. Given the lousy ground conductivity around Pensacola, WEBY's night signal is completely inaudible in most of their market, but the day signal is the best in town.
 
South side of Chatham, IL (10 miles SW of downtown Springfield; and about 85 miles NNE of downtown St. Louis) on a car radio:

Day: WRAM Monmouth, IL, fair to poor signal (whose directional signal to protect WNTA and WKTA points south). Plus a little slop from WSOY-1340 Decatur, IL. My location is about 125 miles southeast of WRAM's transmitter site about 5 miles northeast of Monmouth.

Evening: I've heard WNTA (not sure about WKTA) in addition to WRAM, but mostly starts getting sloppy. Maybe Evansville too. But usually WRAM and/or WNTA on top of the mess.

Night: Mess


I have even picked up WRAM faintly on my $20 Walkman while walking outside in my neighborhood several times last year.
 
Here in Wood Dale, IL in the near NW suburb of Chicago:

Daytime: WKTA with good signal
Nightime: nothing really stands out these days, WNTA Rockford used to be common in the past

DX/RETRO: Others logged on this frequency KFH (Wichita, KS), KWLO (Waterloo, IA), WMOR (Moorehead, KY), WHOT (Campbell, OH), WFBC (Greenville, NC), WHBL (Sheboygan, WI), WTRX (Flint, MI), WVHI (Evansville, IN)
 
Knoxville-Sevierville TN: Not much of anything days. Closest is WAEW, Crossville TN. Day skip has brought in WGFT, Campbell, OH (some winter days we get a pipeline into NE Ohio).

Night, WFBC, others.

Retro/other: Western Ohio, WFIN by day, the old WEAW, Evanston IL around sunset and WFBC at night.
 
radioman148 said:
You are right on target Cyberdad. WKTA almost comes through the fillings on my teeth as I am only a few miles from their towers. They are especially strong during the day. At night I can somewhat null the weaker signal, but WKTA still dominates so I can't make out anything specific underneath.
Click to expand...

You probably have the same problem with WEEF since they share the same transmitter site these days. As for WEEF when they were using their old site in Buffalo Grove on Aptakisic Road, which was just 3/4 mile from where I work. We used to have all kinds of interference problems from WEEF with our electronic equipment and had to take special precautions in order to test our products. We were very happy when they switched to the WKTA site.
 
CADXER said:
You probably have the same problem with WEEF since they share the same transmitter site these days. As for WEEF when they were using their old site in Buffalo Grove on Aptakisic Road, which was just 3/4 mile from where I work. We used to have all kinds of interference problems from WEEF with our electronic equipment and had to take special precautions in order to test our products. We were very happy when they switched to the WKTA site.
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Yes, WEEF is also strong, but not as strong as WKTA. The extra power makes the difference. Didn't WEEF's old towers fall down? Maybe I'm confusing this with something else, but I seem to remember something about that.
 
No they lost their old site at intersection of Aptakisic Road and Weiland Avenue in Prairie View (right next to Buffalo Grove) when their property lease expired in 2005. Since then they operate from the WKTA site. Their original site was at the intersection of Lake Cook Road and Pfingsten.
 
CADXER said:
No they lost their old site at intersection of Aptakisic Road and Weiland Avenue in Prairie View (right next to Buffalo Grove) when their property lease expired in 2005. Since then they operate from the WKTA site. Their original site was at the intersection of Lake Cook Road and Pfingsten.
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How many towers did they have at Lake Cook and Pfingsten?
 
I don't know. Digging at the FCC web site all I could find is that they started on that site in 1963 with 1 kW o power. In 1981 they were granted a CP for 3 additional towers.
All that info from the FCC History Time Card here: https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/p...etimportletter_exh.cgi?import_letter_id=52075

Not sure when they moved to Prairie View. There they used a 3 tower array. Used to drive by it every day to work.
 
CADXER said:
I don't know. Digging at the FCC web site all I could find is that they started on that site in 1963 with 1 kW o power. In 1981 they were granted a CP for 3 additional towers..
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WEEF had a better signal here in my part of the world when they were 1kw (as did WEAW). I can now easily hear WCMY from Ottawa, IL underneath what's left of WEEF, which back in the day wasn't the case. Of course, we'll talk more about 1430 several weeks down the road.
 
Tim from Springfield said:
South side of Chatham, IL (10 miles SW of downtown Springfield; and about 85 miles NNE of downtown St. Louis) on a car radio:

Day: WRAM Monmouth, IL, fair to poor signal (whose directional signal to protect WNTA and WKTA points south). Plus a little slop from WSOY-1340 Decatur, IL. My location is about 125 miles southeast of WRAM's transmitter site about 5 miles northeast of Monmouth.

Evening: I've heard WNTA (not sure about WKTA) in addition to WRAM, but mostly starts getting sloppy. Maybe Evansville too. But usually WRAM and/or WNTA on top of the mess.

Night: Mess


I have even picked up WRAM faintly on my $20 Walkman while walking outside in my neighborhood several times last year.
Click to expand...

I can confirm tonight on my car radio, on the south side of Chatham, I did pick up WBGW Evansville (formerly WVHI) around 6:30. They were concluding today's David Jeremiah religious program when I caught the station (I listen to that show regularly in my area too and quickly recognized the closing theme). First time I've ever caught anything recognizable other than Monmouth (and Rockford at evening sometimes) on 1330 down this way.
 
Days, splatter from 1340.
Nights its WYRD out of Greenville, SC. They're 5KW fulltime but slightly directional to the SE at night.
 
cyberdad said:
Yeah...WEBY 25kw monster aimed mostly west. Then at night they're a pipsqueak with 91 watts non-directional. Given the lousy ground conductivity around Pensacola, WEBY's night signal is completely inaudible in most of their market, but the day signal is the best in town.
Click to expand...

WEBY makes an appearance just about every morning here in NW San Antonio as well.

During the day here there's nothing but a bit of splatter from local 1350 KCOR. At sunset, KTON "ESPN Central Texas" in Cameron comes up. Also, I'll sometimes hear KINE, a Spanish-language Christian station in Kingsville.

Nighttime is always interesting. Most often its a mix of KCKM "The Oil Fields Station" in Monahans, TX, KNSS in Wichita, KS, oldies station KVOL in Lafayette, LA, and KINE. KTON shows up less frequently.

Around sunrise, KCKM is a lot stronger. Occasionally I'll hear KGLD, an urban gospel station in Tyler, TX, and later WEBY usually shows up for a bit as mentioned above.

As for retro, I used to hear XEAJ in Saltillo and XEWQ in Monclova before they migrated to FM.
 
In Bellingham, WA, usually KKPZ Portland. But I once got KGRG Enumclaw.
 
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