AM Frequency of the week: 1490

[cyberdad]

Last for this series of what used to be called "local" channels. 1490

For me in the far northwest suburbs of Chicago....

Days: I get a "twofer". WGEZ from Beloit, WI is on top. In the background, it's WPNA from Oak Park Il. Weak and weaker.

Nights: Usual GY jumble.

Retro/Other location: My most "interesting" experience on 1490 was one night in Minneapolis. I had a steady signal from then WLCX in LaCrosse, WI. On top of everything for the better part of an hour. Not alone, but very little fading until it eventually disappeared. Distance was a little over 100 miles.

 

[Signal]

Currently from Hyannis, MA: A mash-up of many different stations. Day and Night.

Retro: When I lived in St. Louis, MO it was WESL 1490.

 

[radioman148]

In the near north Chicago suburbs:

Day: It's WPNA, formerly WOPA, with a fairly decent signal. At night I can barely hear WPNA among the GY mess.

 

[CADXER]

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

Daytime: WPNA with fair signal.
Nightime: weak WPNA in the mess.

DX/RETRO: way back when WNDU (South Bend, IN) was still on the air they would be an easy catch in Chicago. Others heard on this frequency include WABJ (Adrian, MI), WGEZ (Beloit, WI) and WJMO (Cleveland, OH)

 

[Steve Green NEPA]

There's just daytime/midday DX here on 1490. Nighttimes the frequency sounds like what a thunderstorm in an oven must be like. The reception is just prohibitive for IDs. (This once-an-hour ID garbage doesn't help matters.)

In broad daylight, semi-local WAZL Hazleton is on top, but they are pestered. In their null I get both WLPA from downstate plus WBCB Levittown. WAZL is about 20 miles northeast, as the cow flies.

* * * * * * *

Daytime in the retro days, it was WLDB Atlantic City just cruising up the Jersey coast toward me, near JFK Airport. Even when the 'new' and much closer WGCH Greenwich CT signed on, WLDB was the louder one.

Nighttimes and sunrises brought in a lot in on 1490, mostly from NC, PA, NY and VA. The best was probably WMBM Miami. And there were two Canadians logged there as well.

 

[schmave]

Reynoldsburg, Ohio ...
A weak jumble between WMRN from Marion and WBEX from Chillicothe, both 1,000-watt stations located about 45 miles north and south of Columbus, respectively. Each is listenable on their respective side of Columbus daytime and, of course, lost in the ether at night not all that far from their city of license.

 

[joebtsflk1]

Manitou Springs/Colorado Springs: KXRE 1490, was Spanish for years,but was sold to Colorado Public Radio a few years back.

 

[cyberdad]

Manitou Springs/Colorado Springs: KXRE 1490, was Spanish for years,but was sold to Colorado Public Radio a few years back.

As a teenager, I was once a family trip to Colorado Springs to visit relatives. Mid 1960s. IIRC, the 1490 there was a beautiful music station. I think the call letters were KCMS. At my relatives' location a few miles directly east of the Air Force Academy, the signal was strong, but you could still hear stuff underneath at night. I also seem to recall that the COL was Manitou Springs.

My memory is either really fantastic or really completely shot..LOL.

 

[gr8oldies]

Schmave, I could get WMRN in extreme Eastern Auglaize County relatively strong but still with some WKBV, Richmond IN underneath. Had a friend working at WMRN so traveled within range once to hear her.

 

[WCJ]

Orange County, TX - days, KEUN Eunice, LA; nights at times KHVL Huntsville, TX will show up, but mostly just the GY mess.

 

[joebtsflk1]

As a teenager, I was once a family trip to Colorado Springs to visit relatives. Mid 1960s. IIRC, the 1490 there was a beautiful music station. I think the call letters were KCMS. At my relatives' location a few miles directly east of the Air Force Academy, the signal was strong, but you could still hear stuff underneath at night. I also seem to recall that the COL was Manitou Springs.

My memory is either really fantastic or really completely shot..LOL.

It's better than my memory! But I've only been in southern CO for about ten years, so I've only known it as the longtime Spanish outlet on 1490 until CPR bought it.

Thought I'd dig up the FCC History cards on AM Query ( https://www.fcc.gov/media/radio/am-query) Click on the Links and Maps tab. So for KXRE, it's here: https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getimportletter_exh.cgi?import_letter_id=39389 And it shows your memory IS correct...KCMS were the calls in the 60s!

It was a lot easier keeping tabs of calls and freqs back in the day. So many more stations today and they make a lot more frequent changes...

 

[cyberdad]

Thanks, Joe for looking that up. I remember listening to KCMS on my uncle's AM-FM stereo tuner, which had gorgeous audio and a big ol' ferrite rod antenna for AM.

 

[crainbebo]

Daytime it's KYNR Toppenish (Yakama Nation). Nights is a jumble of many, many stations...and of course I have tons logged on this channel but cannot access my logs right now (no internet at home). I do know the farthest I've heard was KUGR Green River WY, last year.

 

[cyberdad]

Just thought of a "retro" involving 1490.....

When I was in college in Iowa, KBUR (Burlington) was a semi-local. 1 kw, 25 miles to my southeast in an area with good ground conductivity. The result was a good daytime signal.

At night, KBUR powered down to 250 watts and disappeared into the mess. But it still served a purpose for me. If I could hear KBUR after sunset, it was my (usually) reliable indicator of an auroral event. (Top 40 after 7pm made for a good listen, as well.)

 

[crainbebo]

Long-awaited, here's my '1490 log'
KYNR Toppenish (Native American)
KBRO Bremerton (Spanish Religion, used to be ESPN Deportes and was my semi-local in western WA)
KWOK Aberdeen (Fox Sports, was ESPN)
KLOG Kelso (ESPN)
KFKB Forks (Real Country - very rare catch anywhere, it seems like)
KBKR Baker City OR (News/Talk simulcast with KLBM)
KBZY Salem OR (Oldies)
KCID Caldwell ID (Spanish Catholic)
KEYG Grand Coulee (Country)
KDBM Dillon MT (Country)
KZNB Petaluma CA (La Z, Regional Mexican)
KTEL Walla Walla (News/Talk, was ESPN)
KSYC Yreka CA (Jefferson Public Radio)
KRKC King City CA (Country - think this is actually my farthest, not KUGR)
KUGR Green River WY (Adult Contemporary/Talk - but this one is really close)
KOWL South Lake Tahoe CA (News/Talk)
KSKR Roseburg OR (CBS Sports)
CJSN Shaunavon SK (Country - simulcasts CKSW-570 Swift Current but unbelievably I DON'T HAVE 570 IN THE LOGBOOK...how in the world?!)

And wanted on 1490...a lot!
KBLF Red Bluff CA (Adult Standards)
KLZN Susanville CA (Fox Sports - I have heard the 'Fox Sports Trending' voiceover on a couple of TOH's but have never heard the callsign or a local ad to confirm it. And it could have been KWOK anyways.)
KYWL Bozeman MT (Urban Contemporary - 'Heat 97.9' using the translator of course. This station just signed on the air back in April! Should be able to bag them this fall, I've heard KMMS several times on 1450.)
KWAC Bakersfield CA (ESPN Deportes - another Aurora target)
KSPE Santa Barbara CA (Classic Regional Mexican - and another Aurora target. However, Petaluma is bound to screw me over trying for it.)
KRTK Chubbuck ID (Religion) but they are listed OFF as of June 30th, 2018...
KOGN Ogden UT (apparently Regional Mexican as 'La Jefa')
What should be KBSR Laurel MT (News/Talk) but they are now running on 20 watts NDA off a longwire, due to the loss of their tower.

 

[MarcB]

Sometimes during the day I can get WSPR 1490 from West Springfield, Massachusetts. They're doing Spanish CHR and simulcast on a translator on 104.5 FM. At one time they were Bomba 104.5 and ran their own Spanish CHR format, but these days they're a 100% simulcast of BOMBA-FM which originates at WMRQ 104.1 HD2 in Hartford and is heard on 6 translators in Connecticut.

A quick stoey. In July 2015 Davidson Media Group who were then the owners of 1490AM then WACM, flipped the station to Oldies as "Oldies 990 and 1490 WXCT" simulcasting on then WXCT 990 in the Hartford Market. One day my Mom and I were running errands. While she was in the bank I was doing a band scan and 1490-AM was coming in albeit very fuzzy. When my Mom got into the car I turned the radio down so it could barely be heard. Next stop was the grocery store. I picked up a few things while my Mom stayed in the car. I came back out about 15 minutes later. She had changed the station to one of the FM stations she sometimes listens to. Our next stop was the Southington Town Hall. Before she got out of the car I said "How come you're not listening to Oldies 990 any more?" She said "For some reason reception is really terrible." I had a big grin on my face began laughing. I said "That's because I switched the station to 1490 out of Springfield. See?" I pushed the preset button for 990 and the music began coming in crystal clear. She told me I was a brat.

In April 2016 after a sale to Full Power Radio, the Spanish CHR format that had been on 1270 moved to 1490 and a new 104.5 translator. After a month of running a looped announcement in Spanish something to the effect of "Big News Springfield. BOMBA Radio can now be heard on 104.5 FM and 1490 AM", 1270 took the Oldies format that had been in 1490. They would add a 100.1 FM translator several months later.