During the years when I got the Caravelle and the Halicrafters, I was in Wauconda, IL. That's where I mostly grew up....about 12 miles east of where I live now. I don't remember the roll of red wire, but I do remember the easily breakable flimsy whip antenna. One memory I have is taking the Caravelle outside when I had to wash my mom's car, and listening to WYNR. Getting a listenable signal on 1390 was my acid test for any radio in those days, so the reception performance couldn't have been that awful. As for the other stations you mentioned on 1130, I chose the channel because it was pretty much empty 24/7. I don't ever remember hearing WCAR. WDGY only a couple of times on daytime skywave. KWKH and WNEW both rare at night....and in that order.
As for the Halicrafters, I did use a long wire with that. It was a good....but not great....radio. I got spoiled when a family friend loaned me his Drake 2-B once while he was on vacation. That rig picked up all sorts of stuff that the Halicrafters missed. I took the Halicrafters with me to college where it lasted all four years. But when I left, I gave it to someone with a passing interest in shortwave and DX. By then, my girlfriend (now wife). had given me a Realistic multi-band portable that was just about as good as the Halicrafters.
