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AM Frequency of the week: 1070

cyberdad

cyberdad

Far northwestern suburbs of Chicago....

Days: WTSO, 10kw from Madison, WI. Slight null in my direction. Presumably to protect WFNI. The result is a fair-weak signal from about 85 miles to my Northwest. In the car, WFNI (Indianapolis) occasionally surfaces in holes in the WTSO signal.

Nights: 1070 becomes a rather interesting channel. WFNI most likely to land on top. But WTSO, KHMO, CHOK, and to a lesser extent, the Wichita 1070, each will sometimes take over.

Retro: In the 1960s and '70s, when the channel was less crowded, KNX was sometimes doable in the Chicago area. I wouldn't call it a regular, but it wasn't exactly rare, either. I think it's been at least five years since I've last heard it here. At least from the standpoint of being able to positively ID it.
 
In the near north Chicago area I hear a weak WTSO during the day. WFNI is underneath, but "TSO" usually wins the battle. During critical hours WFNI rises to the top. At night it's a mix of WFNI, WTSO, KHMO, CHOK, and once in awhile KFTI.

Retro/other: At night I've heard WDIA and WAPI a few times, but not recently. KNX used to be most doable before sunrise in the fall, but I haven't heard it in several years.
 
cyberdad said:
Retro: In the 1960s and '70s, when the channel was less crowded, KNX was sometimes doable in the Chicago area. I wouldn't call it a regular, but it wasn't exactly rare, either. I think it's been at least five years since I've last heard it here. At least from the standpoint of being able to positively ID it.
Click to expand...

Interesting. My memory said WFNI (back then WIBC) had used the same facility for 50 years or so. Looking at the history cards, it looks like they activated their current facility in 1967.
 
From 25 miles SW of downtown Kansas City:

Day: KFTI - Wichita, KS. 10 kW. Consistently listenable during the day but not strong either.

Critical Hours: KFTI until they switch to nighttime power [1kW] and pattern. Then, they totally disappear. A weak KNX in winter [mornings].

Night: KNX on occasion, especially late. However, on most nights, this frequency is simply a jumbled mess with no identifiable signals.

Bob
 
In Mesa AZ, east of Phoenix, it's all KNX at night. Nothing during the day due to local KDUS on 1060.
 
Mason City, IA:
Daytime: Other than a very weak KILR/Estherville, largely nothing
Nighttime: jumbled mess

Central KS:
Daytime: KFTI/Wichita
Nighttime: Can pick up KFTI fairly well as my parents’ house is a literal straight shot north of their transmitter array. Have yet to receive KNX.
 
On the Chicago lakefront: hard to hear much of anything during the daytime. I did identify WFNI at least once but it was pretty faint. During the nighttime hours, last winter CHOK was quite strong and would even start being audible somewhat before sunset. Now that it's summer, it's more of a jumble, and I've identified both CHOK and WTSO at different times.
 
East Tennessee: Daytime-a weak WFLI (though it gets wiped out by a spur of WSEV-930 in parts of Sevierville). WFNI, Indianapolis can find its way to Tennessee hours before sunset in the winter, and sometimes stay all day.
Night-WFNI predominates.

Retro/other: 1070 is an interesting frequency. When I lived in Lafayette, IN, in the 90s, the former WIBC would predominate during the day, but there was still chatter underneath them an hour after winter sunrises. At night, WIBC sent very little signal Northwest (one could even see the towers heading south on I-65 and have interference)on its 10,000 watt night pattern and even excluded (and still excludes as WFNI) some of the more upscale Indianapolis suburbs like Carmel and Noblesville. The FM translator makes that a moot point. When I lived in Lafayette, CHOK, Sarnia was running roughshod over WIBC, playing oldies on the GTO Network (a Canada-wide oldies network). Even in Louisville KY where I could get WIBC's signal, CHOK was about even. Apparently they were staying on day pattern for an extended period of time. I also pulled WAPI, Birmingham a couple of times near sunset.

CHOK does make it to the Lake Erie area and the Ohio turnpike during the day. I've heard WFLI, Chattanooga since its revival on the Beafuort SC SDR (not sure it's still online), in person in Charleston SC and on the Key West SDR.
 
CHOK is the equivalent of 5 kW nondirectional toward the US in the Daytime. It often seems like a lot of the stations in Canada aren't good about going to Night pattern. They don't like the IBOC sidebands from KYW at Night, at least when they ran it. I think their government looks the other way. Frankly, given that it's causing international interference, the US should shut AM IBOC down at Night.
 
1070 is a queer frequency here, in NE Pennsylvania. At least to me.

Semi-local WKOK Sunbury PA is 10,000 watts omni in the day -- decent signal -- and 1000 watts directional largely southeast at night. It's odd that they send their nighttime signal right toward us and toward KYW 1060.

Here is their nighttime pattern: https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WKOK&service=AM&h=N

Although they are supposedly on the air 24/7/52, WKOK is largely inaudible here at night.
We are in the fine burgh of Frackville. We're on that WKOK nighttime map. Yet, I've heard CHOK at night, and at sunset I've caught something called The Beach, and a 'WSCP'. I don't count those last two as catches because I can't locate either of them anymore -- calls, or state. One or both of them might eminate from North Carolina.

One sunset, while driving around in SHAMOKIN PA, I again heard WIBC Indianapolis. Whether night or day or SSS reception, that's ridiculous. The city of Shamokin is in that map I linked.

73!
 
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Here in Wood Dale, IL in the near NW suburb of Chicago:

Daytime: WTSO Madison, WI weak but there
Nightime: It's a mix of WTSO, WFNI or CHOK

DX/RETRO: KNX is still being heard in the Midwest by DXers. Myself I have not heard them lately, but I don't really try either. Others heard include KFDI (Wichita, KS), KHMO (Hannibal, MO), WDIA (Memphis, TN), WAPI (Birmingham, AL), and two Carolina stations WNCT (NC), WCSZ (SC). My best DX on this frequency without a doubt is CBA (Moncton, New Brunswick) and the Colombian HJAG from Barranquilla.
 
CADXER said:
My best DX on this frequency without a doubt is CBA (Moncton, New Brunswick) and the Colombian HJAG from Barranquilla.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure CBA has migrated to FM. I used to hear them on trips to eastern Ontario and Quebec, but that was quite a while ago.

@SC and others who've mentioned CHOK,....About 5-10 years ago, I used to hear CHOK a lot more than I do know. There was a stretch of about a year or two when they were on top of all the other stuff on 1070 more often than not. My guess is that their DA was either out of whack or they just weren't bothering with it. Then, whatever the case, apparently they fixed it.
 
Warminster PA(Philly 'burbs):

Daytime: usually splatter from local 1060 KYW. Sometimes, WKMB from Stirling NJ(Morris County).
Night: usually WFNI or CHOK.
 
Orange County, TX Days KNTH Houston, Nights, mostly WDIA Memphis with WAPI Birmingham & KFTI sneaking in. From time to time KOPY Alice, TX can be heard.
 
That must have been the case....CHOK apparently just ran day pattern for an extended length of time in the mid-90s. Caught them a couple of months ago on day pattern as well. It was giving WFNI fits on the Central Indiana SDR.



cyberdad said:
I'm pretty sure CBA has migrated to FM. I used to hear them on trips to eastern Ontario and Quebec, but that was quite a while ago.

@SC and others who've mentioned CHOK,....About 5-10 years ago, I used to hear CHOK a lot more than I do know. There was a stretch of about a year or two when they were on top of all the other stuff on 1070 more often than not. My guess is that their DA was either out of whack or they just weren't bothering with it. Then, whatever the case, apparently they fixed it.
Click to expand...
 
@ Ryan Howard (and others) :

Here is the nighttime map of stations on 1070, courtesy of one NF8M site.

http://nf8m.com/pattern_maps/current/NIGHTTIME-UNLIMITED/NIGHTTIME-UNLIMITED_1070KHz-1.html

The site, geeky and cool and very 'hobby', might need some maneuvering with the cursor and the up-down keys on the computer to find the desired region or station.

Note both the huge, protected void away from Canada's Moncton.
And WKOK's nighttime 1000 watts sent virtually at Independence Hall.
 
Addendum: WNCT, Greeneville NC is another one I have heard when they run day pattern/power at night. It's been reported recently with its beach music format
 
1070 is more interesting -- more interesting than 1080, anyway. Usually KHMO Hannibal, MO, at night. Others I have heard include CHOK Sarnia, ON, WSIA Memphis, WFNI Indianapolis, and I think WTSO Madison, although it's not in my logs. I think I have heard it here sometime. And a long time ago, KNX.
 
At my house in west Houston, it's Salem talk KNTH day and night. In their (slight) null at night I can hear only mush with no ID's heard. However, I can drive 10 miles north or west of me and it's a totally different story, with KNTH fairly weak and WAPI and WDIA mixing it up.

Back in 1970's Tulsa, the old KFDI Wichita was strong in the daytime, but at night KNX was easily heard.
 
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