I was surprised I was able to pick up WFAT AM 700 down in West Hartford, Connecticut today in the parking lot of the Corbin's Corner Shopping Center. It was quieter than the local stations, but static-free. Good mix of Oldies music. No special radio. Just the stock radio in a 2010 Honda Civic LX.
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WFAT 700 - Very Strong Signal
- Thread starter MarcB
- Start date
2500 w on a low-spot on the AM dial (compare to WJIB, only 250)
https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/patg?id=WFAT-AM&h=D
https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/patg?id=WFAT-AM&h=D
Wasn't there a 700AM from Canada that we could pick up along the seacoast?
The only other US or Canadian station on 700 until the 80's was KBYR in Anchorage. By 2000, there were 9 stations on 700, most daytimers or very low power night operations in the US west of the Mississippi. The Canadian operations were gone by then.
For a period in the 80's, there were stations in St John's and Red Deer, but they quickly did the AM to FM migration that was so common in Canada.
You can see lists by year from the 1920s to the present at https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Radio_Log_Master_Page.htm
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CHSJ 700 St John's New Brunswick came in like a local in Gloucester for a time.Used to pick it up.
Wikipedia for CHSJ-FM:
"CHSJ changed its AM frequency several times...to 1150 kHz in 1945, and to 700 kHz in 1988. (The station was originally approved to move from 1150 kHz to 700 kHz in 1985.) On December 3, 1986, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) denied an application by New Brunswick Broadcasting to convert CHSJ from the AM band to the FM band at 94.1 MHz with 100,000 watts.In 1998, however, CHSJ received approval by the CRTC to convert CHSJ from the AM dial to the FM dial at its current frequency 94.1 MHz."
Wikipedia for CHSJ-FM:
"CHSJ changed its AM frequency several times...to 1150 kHz in 1945, and to 700 kHz in 1988. (The station was originally approved to move from 1150 kHz to 700 kHz in 1985.) On December 3, 1986, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) denied an application by New Brunswick Broadcasting to convert CHSJ from the AM band to the FM band at 94.1 MHz with 100,000 watts.In 1998, however, CHSJ received approval by the CRTC to convert CHSJ from the AM dial to the FM dial at its current frequency 94.1 MHz."
Ah! That's the one. Whenever I got near the water it would come in wicked strong.
So when they "convert" to FM...the AM goes silent?
A huge percentage of Canadian AMs have moved to FM, including most of the CBC stations. They generally have a period of simulcast and then the AM is shut off. With Canada's more stringent licensing requirements, there was space on the FM dial in most markets for such moves or "trades".
In a few markets, the AM frequency gets re-licensed, often for ethnic, minority or special interest programming. But the provinces of NS, NB and PEI, apparently have less than a total of 6 AMs left in them.
I get it a bit on North Shore
The call sign used to belong to a television station in Johnstown, PA.
I have heard it VERY FAINTLY in some spots around Boston and the suburbs. Daytime only.
Is the station on with flea power at night? It doesn't appear to be licensed for it, but if not, how would they legally run its FM translator in Greenfield at night if the AM is completely off the air?
That's one of the benefits of having an FM translator.
If memory serves me correctly, the radio station first signed on as WCAT.
Yes, on 1390.Calls over the years incl WCAT, WJOE, WTUB and WWBZ. Last one, marketed as "'WBZ 700" got CBS lawyers to contact them.
Sort of like Pittsburgh's WCAE, which became WTAE, and then WEAE before disappearing
down the Radio Disney rathole.
Generally also heard well daytime in MA, was CHTN, Charlottetown, PEI on 720.
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