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AM Frequency of the Week: 1640

cyberdad

cyberdad

Crystal Lake, IL......

Days: A weak WSJP "Relevant Radio: from Sussex, WI (western suburb of Milwaukee), about 60 miles to my north-northwest.

Night: 1640 is surprisingly empty at my location. I'd expect something on skywave. If not WSJP, then something else. But all I usually hear (including tghis morning about an hour before sunrise) is a jumble of weak signals, .
 
Here in Wood Dale, IL in the near NW suburb of Chicago:

Daytime: WSJP with weak signal
Nightime: mostly WSJP, but WTNI and KZLS sometimes make it through. Still trying to log Oregon and Utah on this frequency.

DX/RETRO: KDIA used to be an easy catch in the past before WSJP (then WAZI/WKSH) signed on. Back in late 1990's there were two Dallas Ft. Worth Airport TIS stations (WPLR660) on 1640 kHz and 1680 kHz that really got out well. Both were received in the Chicago area with good signals. Not sure if they are still in operation, but they are certainly no longer heard around here. Also back in 1997 there used to be a pirate going by the name Radio Zero that I heard on couple occasions.
 
In the near north Chicago suburbs, day it's WSJP weak. At night WSJP in a bit of a crowd.
Retro/ KDIA was one of my first DX catches on the X-band back in the mid 90s. It was basically all by itself most nights with a good signal since there was nothing else on this frequency then.
 
Here in the southwest suburbs of Chicago, WSJP is the only station that has wafted in on 1640, only evenings, and not all that regularly. Maybe I'm in a cancellation zone. But I don't hang out on 1640 enough to test the theory.
 
radioman148 said:
In the near north Chicago suburbs, day it's WSJP weak. At night WSJP in a bit of a crowd.
Retro/ KDIA was one of my first DX catches on the X-band back in the mid 90s. It was basically all by itself most nights with a good signal since there was nothing else on this frequency then.
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Back in the late 90’s I also heard KDIA 1640 from 20 miles North of Detroit, Mi., Currently I do receive WSJP only in the evening and nothing during the Daytime.
 
In west Houston, daytime this frequency is usually blank, although I've heard KZLS in the winter several hours before sunset. At sunset and at night, both KZLS and WTNI can be heard.

Retro, in late 1996/early 1997 I was driving from Bakersfield to SF and back several times a month. KDIA was a good listen with its then soul/r&b format.
 
wildthangjim said:
Retro, in late 1996/early 1997 I was driving from Bakersfield to SF and back several times a month. KDIA was a good listen with its then soul/r&b format.
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I remember that myself. I never head KDIA here at my home location. But on trips to the west coast, it was an occasional go-to. The night signal was usually quite good in So-Cal.
 
cyberdad said:
I remember that myself. I never head KDIA here at my home location. But on trips to the west coast, it was an occasional go-to. The night signal was usually quite good in So-Cal.
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When I first listened to KDIA in 96, I was not only surprised to hear a 1KW night signal from the west coast, but I really enjoyed their format. I listened as often as I could in the early days of their 1640 signal.
 
East Tennessee:-days: Nothing really. Night: Most likely WBNI "103.5 The Possum" Biloxi MS
Retro/other: Just tonight on the Edinburgh IN SDR: WBNI dominating with WSJS and Relevant Radio programming beneath.
Dayton, OH area: WSJS was one of the midwest stations that could stay in all day during the winter.
 
Decided to sit on 1640 and was rewarded with WTNI Biloxi, country music fighting through WSJS and a "103.5 The Possum" slogan at 2:29 a.m. CT, matched against the Birmingham, Ala., SDR.
 
gr8oldies said:
East Tennessee:-days: Nothing really. Night: Most likely WBNI "103.5 The Possum" Biloxi MS
Retro/other: Just tonight on the Edinburgh IN SDR: WBNI dominating with WSJS and Relevant Radio programming beneath.
Dayton, OH area: WSJS was one of the midwest stations that could stay in all day during the winter.
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The X band can really be quirky, can't it? I'm 60 miles from their stick and I can barely hear it. But in Ohio, no problem having it in all day during the winter!
 
cyberdad said:
The X band can really be quirky, can't it? I'm 60 miles from their stick and I can barely hear it. But in Ohio, no problem having it in all day during the winter!
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The groundwave on these stations doesn't seem very good, but at night or during daytime skywave their signals take on SW characteristics. I remember when WRLL was on 1690 playing "Realoldies" in 2003-2006. Tommy Edwards and Larry Lujack used to often complain that listeners in the Chicago area couldn't hear them very well, but they regularly got emails from Australia.
 
radioman148 said:
The groundwave on these stations doesn't seem very good, but at night or during daytime skywave their signals take on SW characteristics. I remember when WRLL was on 1690 playing "Realoldies" in 2003-2006. Tommy Edwards and Larry Lujack used to often complain that listeners in the Chicago area couldn't hear them very well, but they regularly got emails from Australia.
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I was attending an event in Kansas City for my wife's business one November day during that period about fifteen years ago. WRLL was in all day and all night.
 
radioman148 said:
That seems to be the case with these "X-band" stations.
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Someone more knowledgeable than me can correct me if I'm wrong, but I've come to the conclusion is that....especially at certain times of the year....some X banders can have a sweet spot where they're reliable purely via skywave 24/7.
 
cyberdad said:
Someone more knowledgeable than me can correct me if I'm wrong, but I've come to the conclusion is that....especially at certain times of the year....some X banders can have a sweet spot where they're reliable purely via skywave 24/7.
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It does seem that way.
 
From NW San Antonio:

Day: This is usually a blank frequency, but KZLS comes in just about any time there is daytime skywave.

Sunset: KZLS has a good signal with minor fading. A weak WTNI pops up every now and then.

Night: WTNI is stronger but subject to regular fading. KZLS still dominates but can be partially nulled to WTNI's favor.

DX/RETRO: Around 7 a.m. when WTNI fades for good, I often hear a very weak KDIA (preacher, confirmed via stream match) for a bit in the KDIA partial null. Also, I've heard KBJA in Sandy, UT, just once; it was after midnight a couple of years back when the format was Spanish-language pop.
 
Orange County, TX Like jim-satx a blank freq, but KZLS is a sometime visitor during daytime sky wave. Night KZLS can be nulled and WTNI, Biloxi blows in. As I type this no sign of KZLS as WSJP Sussex, WI is over ridding KZLS. Finally got the long wire back up after Hurricane Laura and received my Terk Advantage, more fun begins. I would think that KZLS would come in louder. Could WSJP be on daytime rig?
 
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