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AM Frequency of the Week: 1530F

cyberdad

cyberdad

Far northwest suburban Chicago.....

Days: WCKG from Elmhurst, IL. 780 watts from about 27 miles south-southeast of me. The pattern is somewhat favorable to me, but the result is only a fair signal at best. They have a CP for 4kw, using a similar pattern, which should help. I don't think that's been built yet, but I admit that I haven't checked lately.

Nights: All WCKY. Good until they power down at Sacramento sunset. Still pretty good after that, but noticeably weaker.

Sunrise sunset: WCKY routinely blows out WCKG at my hone location. Especially during winter, when from time to time, they're in all day. Otherwise, WLCO from Lapeer, MI is an occasional visitor.

Other Location: Here where I am this month near Pensacola, WCKY is a nighttime regular. Usually with a good signal. I've also heard them from time to time on daytime skywave, but not so far this winter.
 
Happy Sunday, @cyberdad.

From Cheyenne, WY:
Daytime... Nothing.
Sometimes before sunset, I'll get 1530 KQSC Colorado Springs, CO kicking with some country music.

At nighttime: 1530 WCKY Cincinnati, much to my surprise (1,085 miles). It's almost as if they forget to go directional at night. There was one time I thought I had KFBK, thanks to mentions of an Oakland basketball team, but it was of course ESPN on WCKY.

I'm curious if there's a hidden meaning behind 1530F? Have a great day!
 
ZantennaG1 said:
Happy Sunday, @cyberdad.

From Cheyenne, WY:
Daytime... Nothing.
Sometimes before sunset, I'll get 1530 KQSC Colorado Springs, CO kicking with some country music.

At nighttime: 1530 WCKY Cincinnati, much to my surprise (1,085 miles). It's almost as if they forget to go directional at night. There was one time I thought I had KFBK, thanks to mentions of an Oakland basketball team, but it was of course ESPN on WCKY.

I'm curious if there's a hidden meaning behind 1530F? Have a great day!
Click to expand...
WCKY goes directional at Sacramento's sunset
 
East Tennessee----ostensively nothing days but not so fast. WCKY is my indicator for daytime skip and it is often in all day some winter days. Other times WTTI, Dalton GA makes it in, Nights, it's pretty much all WCKY, all the time.
Retro//other: Mot much different. Dayton, OH area was WCKY, sometimes WCKG around sunset. WCKY still made it to Lafayette IN days and of course nights, and even out in Quincy, IL:, a strong night signal from WCKY (Quincy now has a 1530, moved in from Lebanon MO.
 
In the near north Chicago suburbs days it's WCKG with a pretty decent signal. At night all WCKY with a very good signal until they change their pattern. The signal is still pretty decent after pattern change, but subject to some fading at times.
As cyberdad mentioned their signal can be in all day during daytime skywave in winter.
 
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With the local daytimer WMBT Shenandoah now gone for ten years, I should have more logs on the fire in Pennsy than I do, but wow is it noisy here day and night recently.

Back in the Queens days in NYC, WMBT was quite often the SSS occupant even at their original 1000 watts.
They used to be the daytime regular here, of course -- and a good Oldies station, too. When I moved to here, they'd upped matters to 2500 watts. But as I'd head west in the car near SSS, they'd get blown off the dial at times by WCKY with it still broad daylight out* at the Ashland PA pass. That locale was maybe five miles west of WMBT's stick.

A SSS catch was WRTP Chapel Hill NC, after WMBT had gone dark, of course.

And one unlikely afternoon there came in a charming:45 minute infomercial for Vitamin E via what had to be daytime skywave from WVBF, from some unintelligible dual COL near Cape Cod.

(* To us, growing up, 'broad daylight' meant the time interval while being able to throw a football (and catch one without getting a shiner)
 
Here in Wood Dale, IL in the near NW suburb of Chicago:

Daytime: WCKG with good signal since I am just 6 miles away from their transmitter. WCKY was heard during daytime when WCKG was off air.
Nightime: WCKY with good signal

Retro/DX: others heard in the past include KGBT (Harlingen, TX) used to be heard frequently with Spanish language programming and most likely using their daytime facilities. Managed to hear KFBK (Sacramento, CA) way back in 1987, but not since. Also KQNK (Norton, KS), KTCR (Wagoner, OK - DX test), KXRQ (Trumann, AR), KVDW (England, AR), WMBE (Chilton, WI), WYEZ (North East, PA), WLSP (Lapeer, MI), WLIQ (Quincy, IL), WLAK (New Chilton, Wi). My most recent log on this frequency is KMAM (BUtler, MO) just 2 weeks ago. Still shooting for Voice of America, Sao Tome during their sign on time of 03:00 UTC.

Now to the continuing saga of WCKG. Yes they had a CP for 4 kW, but that expired. In the meantime the Illinois Tollway Authority took away the land where one of the 2 WCKG towers was standing. They were left with only 1 tower standing. As a result since last year WCKG was using a 140 ft. long wire with a power output of 190 Watts (25% of licensed power). The latest development is that at the end of January 2022 Cook County is cancelling the lease on the land that the remaining WCKG and W272DQ tower is located. As a result WCKG must vacate the land. WCKG applied for an STA and on February 3, 2022 received one from the FCC to broadcast from a site 0.4 miles away from the current licensed site with the same power as the last STA (190 Watts). The new coordinates place the new STA site near the I-88 and Roosevelt Road intersection. Looking at a street view on Google Maps there are two cellular towers at that location. I am assuming they will use one of the towers to erect the same long wire antenna as they did at the old site. I tried 1530 earlier today and WCKG was off the air. I am sure they are in the process of moving to the new location.
 
In west Houston, daytime is slop from local KYND 1520 and sometimes a weak KGBT. I've never heard KZNX from up near Austin, believe they're directional protecting KGBT. Around sunset, KGBT gets strong and on top with TUDN sports in Spanish. Also sometimes hear KVDW with urban gospel. WCKY is usually underneath until they go directional. I've also heard XEUR and XESD starting at sunset, with the former usually stronger.

KGBT is interesting. It's not surprising that I hear it during the day, with their 50kw non-directional and mostly water path (they're local strength during the day on the beach in Galveston). After sunset, they should be going to a directional pattern to the south, but they're still very strong here.
 
From Central CA....a faint KFBK...some static. At night a farily strong signal. Fades in and out once in awhile but most of the time, clear.
 
wildthangjim said:
In west Houston, daytime is slop from local KYND 1520 and sometimes a weak KGBT. I've never heard KZNX from up near Austin, believe they're directional protecting KGBT. Around sunset, KGBT gets strong and on top with TUDN sports in Spanish. Also sometimes hear KVDW with urban gospel. WCKY is usually underneath until they go directional. I've also heard XEUR and XESD starting at sunset, with the former usually stronger.

KGBT is interesting. It's not surprising that I hear it during the day, with their 50kw non-directional and mostly water path (they're local strength during the day on the beach in Galveston). After sunset, they should be going to a directional pattern to the south, but they're still very strong here.
Click to expand...
I travel frequently to and from the Valley for work and at night; the main AM Signals (710, 840, 910, 1210, 1290 and 1530 all seem to fade into the mush not too far north of Edinburg.
 
From the southwest suburbs of Chicago:

Days: WCKG Elmhurst, now hampered as CADXER notes, but not only 190-watt power but needing to move. Even before that, it would be overwhelmed by WCKY Cincinnati into and through critical hours. I guested on a 9 a.m. talk show one spring and could barely hear the station at home before going on air.

Nights: WCKY, with punch.
 
From Pickerington, Ohio, a weak WCKY by day and always WCKY at night, with varying levels of strength. If ever an illustration is needed of the contrast between 50,000 watts low on the dial and 50,000 high up, WLW vs WCKY is an excellent example.
I've heard cancellation on WCKY as close to Cincinnati as the Kings Island area.
I did catch WCKY once in Houston when I lived there, in either 2008 or 2009, shortly after sunset in December and before they went directional to protect Sacramento. Decently strong, enough that I could listen for several minutes.
 
schmave said:
From Pickerington, Ohio, a weak WCKY by day and always WCKY at night, with varying levels of strength. If ever an illustration is needed of the contrast between 50,000 watts low on the dial and 50,000 high up, WLW vs WCKY is an excellent example.
Click to expand...
True dat! WKRC would also be a good comparison. Sure, WKRC is directional. But their 5kw day pattern still covers more real estate than WCKY.
 
cyberdad said:
True dat! WKRC would also be a good comparison. Sure, WKRC is directional. But their 5kw day pattern still covers more real estate than WCKY.
Click to expand...
I bet you could vouch for how well WLW endures the 200 mile trip to Chicago?
 
MarioMania said:
Have anyone tried for KFBK like in the middle of th U.S?
Click to expand...
I do try occasionally, as I have mentioned above (Wyomingite here), but WCKY has gotten the best of me every time. Come to think of it though, there was one morning where KFBK rolled through nicely. :cool:
 
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