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AM Frequency of the week: 750
- Thread starter cyberdad
- Start date
In the near north Chicago suburbs I hear a pretty strong WNDZ during the day. Their sticks in NW Indiana are pointed right at me. At night it's almost always a strong WSB. Sometimes I hear a Spanish language station underneath which I believe is in South America, but I can't remember which country.
Warminster PA(Philly 'burbs):
Daytime: zippo.
Night: WSB.
Daytime: zippo.
Night: WSB.
Hopefully my earlier issue is resolved. Here in the far northwest suburbs of Chicago, it's pretty much the same as what radioman reported.
Days: Its WNDZ. 15kw with a favorable pattern for my location from about 75 miles away. The result is a fair to good signal. Programming is brokered and ethnic stuff.
Nights: Traditionally a strong skywave signal from WSB. A little weaker lately, apparently due to some issues with their new transmitter. I've heard the Spanish faintly underneath a few times, But more commonly it's CJVR from Melfort, SK underneath, and even on top during WSB fades.
Other Location(s): I was in Atlanta a week ago Saturday night (Jan 19). WSB was off before dawn, and a weak Spanish signal was coming through. Almost certainly not Cuba. Now I'm at our usual Gulf beach getaway spot near Pensacola. I haven't had a chance to check 750 yet. However, traditionally, WSB puts in a very good night signal, but with Spanish underneath at least as often as not. Any thoughts from someone more familiar with the Latin American DX landscape as to what this might be?
Days: Its WNDZ. 15kw with a favorable pattern for my location from about 75 miles away. The result is a fair to good signal. Programming is brokered and ethnic stuff.
Nights: Traditionally a strong skywave signal from WSB. A little weaker lately, apparently due to some issues with their new transmitter. I've heard the Spanish faintly underneath a few times, But more commonly it's CJVR from Melfort, SK underneath, and even on top during WSB fades.
Other Location(s): I was in Atlanta a week ago Saturday night (Jan 19). WSB was off before dawn, and a weak Spanish signal was coming through. Almost certainly not Cuba. Now I'm at our usual Gulf beach getaway spot near Pensacola. I haven't had a chance to check 750 yet. However, traditionally, WSB puts in a very good night signal, but with Spanish underneath at least as often as not. Any thoughts from someone more familiar with the Latin American DX landscape as to what this might be?
Daytime - very weak KXTG Portland (Sports), in winter I'll often hear KERR Polson MT (Country) mixing.
Nights - KXTG, CKJH Melfort SK (Classic Hits) and KOAL Price UT (News/Talk) mixing all night.
Sunrise/sunset - KERR mixes with the others. Also used to hear KHWG Fallon NV (Country) from time to time, they have gone defunct. And in November 2018, I *finally* bagged KFQD Anchorage AK (News/Talk), which I had been looking for YEARS! Great trans-Pacific DX in late October and early November resulted in two new AK stations logged - KFQD and KICY. KYUK was tentatively logged.
Wanted
WSB Atlanta (News/Talk) probably only in my dreams
KMMJ Grand Island NE (Religion) possibly pre-Sunrise on 10.5KW day power? Seems like they could make the 1,100+ mile hop.
EDIT Cyberdad, the SS on 750 is likely Caracas, Venezuela. YVKS, 'Radio Caracas,' is often heard in auroral conditions on the East Coast.
Nights - KXTG, CKJH Melfort SK (Classic Hits) and KOAL Price UT (News/Talk) mixing all night.
Sunrise/sunset - KERR mixes with the others. Also used to hear KHWG Fallon NV (Country) from time to time, they have gone defunct. And in November 2018, I *finally* bagged KFQD Anchorage AK (News/Talk), which I had been looking for YEARS! Great trans-Pacific DX in late October and early November resulted in two new AK stations logged - KFQD and KICY. KYUK was tentatively logged.
Wanted
WSB Atlanta (News/Talk) probably only in my dreams
KMMJ Grand Island NE (Religion) possibly pre-Sunrise on 10.5KW day power? Seems like they could make the 1,100+ mile hop.
EDIT Cyberdad, the SS on 750 is likely Caracas, Venezuela. YVKS, 'Radio Caracas,' is often heard in auroral conditions on the East Coast.
Thanks. I was thinking it was either Venezuela or Columbia. And I also stand corrected on the call letters of the Saskatchewan 750.
Caracol Medellín, the former La Voz de Antioquia, has not been widely heard in the last decade or so. When it had its transmitter site on the plain up above the city, it got out well, but they apparently moved into the deep valley that is the populated metro and lost the skywave coverage.
Colombian AMs are going through difficult times, too. A lot are losing money or barely profitable.
"RCR", which is how it IDs, the former Radio Caracas Radio (to distinguish it from Radio Caracas Televisión, which was closed by the Chávez government in 2007) is 100 kw and gets out nicely. It has a horrible transmitter site on the top of a hill but it does get out a nice skywave.
Last edited:
That station has not been called "Radio Caracas" since 1953, when its sister TV went on the air.
It became Radio Caracas Radio. In about 1992, it became the country's first all news and talk station.
Since the time of the closing of the TV station by Chávez, it has been "RCR". It has been a fierce opponent of the Maduro regime.
I made a point to tune in 750 from the Bonaire SDR last night and it seemed weaker than usual. I can imagine the current turmoil might be affecting things?
I have been listening quite continuously over the last few days, and there has been no on-air mention of technical problems. It is rather interesting to hear a government falling live on the radio.
Given that access to rural transmitters might be limited, it's possible they lowered power a bit to let the transmitter take it easy.
I look at all this and am glad that I did not accept a late 70's offer to become the COO of the Venevisión radio group, operating out of 100 kw Radio Visión 950 AM.
Here in Wood Dale, IL in the near NW suburb of Chicago:
Daytime: WNDZ with solid signal since March 16, 1987 when they first signed on on this frequency
Nightime: WSB usualy all alone
DX/RETRO: prior to WNDZ taking over the frequency I managed a daytime reception of WRIK (Brookport, IL). I also once heard WSB during daytime during winter. As for the Spanish speaking station it is most likely Caracas, Venezuela, which was heard on many occasions in the past. Back in 1980's Radio Sandino from Managua, Nicaragua was a frequent log. Another foreign station that was heard in the Chicago area was Radio Trujillo from La Ceiba, Honduras. I have 2 Canadians logged on 750, CKGB (Timmins, ON) and CJWW (Saskatoon, SK). On the domestic front the DX includes KSEO (Durant, OK), KMMJ (Grand ISland, NE), KJEL (Lebanon, MO) and WPDX (Clarksburg, WV)
Daytime: WNDZ with solid signal since March 16, 1987 when they first signed on on this frequency
Nightime: WSB usualy all alone
DX/RETRO: prior to WNDZ taking over the frequency I managed a daytime reception of WRIK (Brookport, IL). I also once heard WSB during daytime during winter. As for the Spanish speaking station it is most likely Caracas, Venezuela, which was heard on many occasions in the past. Back in 1980's Radio Sandino from Managua, Nicaragua was a frequent log. Another foreign station that was heard in the Chicago area was Radio Trujillo from La Ceiba, Honduras. I have 2 Canadians logged on 750, CKGB (Timmins, ON) and CJWW (Saskatoon, SK). On the domestic front the DX includes KSEO (Durant, OK), KMMJ (Grand ISland, NE), KJEL (Lebanon, MO) and WPDX (Clarksburg, WV)
From the far south Kansas City metro:
Day: Listenable KBNN - Lebanon, MO - 5kW Non-Directional Daytimer
Critical Hours: KBNN, KMMJ - Grand Island, NE - 10.5kW Directional Daytimer, WSB - Atlanta, GA - 50kW Non-Directional 24/7
Night: A very strong and listenable WSB, one of the better skywave signals in my area.
Bob
Day: Listenable KBNN - Lebanon, MO - 5kW Non-Directional Daytimer
Critical Hours: KBNN, KMMJ - Grand Island, NE - 10.5kW Directional Daytimer, WSB - Atlanta, GA - 50kW Non-Directional 24/7
Night: A very strong and listenable WSB, one of the better skywave signals in my area.
Bob
From Reynoldsburg, Ohio ...
* Daytime: Nothing. Back when WJR was running IBOC, hiss was audible on 750 even this far south. I am roughly 175 miles south of Detroit as the crow flies.
* Nighttime: Always WSB, usually pretty strong. Never the loudest of the clears but it's always dependable.
I've heard Venezuela completely override it in the Florida panhandle. When I lived in Houston, WSB usually was there every night despite me living in one of the strongest nighttime lobes for KTRH. A turn of the radio usually decreased the slop enough for me to hear Atlanta.
* Daytime: Nothing. Back when WJR was running IBOC, hiss was audible on 750 even this far south. I am roughly 175 miles south of Detroit as the crow flies.
* Nighttime: Always WSB, usually pretty strong. Never the loudest of the clears but it's always dependable.
I've heard Venezuela completely override it in the Florida panhandle. When I lived in Houston, WSB usually was there every night despite me living in one of the strongest nighttime lobes for KTRH. A turn of the radio usually decreased the slop enough for me to hear Atlanta.
Update of sorts...
I arrived here this past weekend at the place we stay near Pensacola. Unfortunately, and to my dismay, there's a new noise source in the building that's blocking pretty much the entire band below 900 khz. The noise mitigates, but is "null-able" from about 900=1100. Then it's still present in the background, but ceases to be a significant pest beyond that.
Bottom line for me and the topic of this thread is that checking 750 so far has been impossible. At first I thought the problem had to do with the HDTVs and CFLs in the union, but that's not the case. Hopefully it will be temporary. The weather is supposed to be warmer this coming weekend, so perhaps I'll walk the 40 yards or so to the beach. A little chilly for that right now.
And then there's always the option of hopping in the car and driving to an open space. Speaking of the car....I was out this morning running a couple of errands at around 10:30am local time. Ran the scan button and noticed that "little" KKNO was stopping the scan at 750 on each of about a half-dozen passes.
I arrived here this past weekend at the place we stay near Pensacola. Unfortunately, and to my dismay, there's a new noise source in the building that's blocking pretty much the entire band below 900 khz. The noise mitigates, but is "null-able" from about 900=1100. Then it's still present in the background, but ceases to be a significant pest beyond that.
Bottom line for me and the topic of this thread is that checking 750 so far has been impossible. At first I thought the problem had to do with the HDTVs and CFLs in the union, but that's not the case. Hopefully it will be temporary. The weather is supposed to be warmer this coming weekend, so perhaps I'll walk the 40 yards or so to the beach. A little chilly for that right now.
And then there's always the option of hopping in the car and driving to an open space. Speaking of the car....I was out this morning running a couple of errands at around 10:30am local time. Ran the scan button and noticed that "little" KKNO was stopping the scan at 750 on each of about a half-dozen passes.
Having spent some time in New Orleans in the past visiting relatives, I know that "little" 750 does get out.
Wish I could turn on the radio and hear Super CFL and Noisy CFLs.
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