AM Frequency of the Week: 590

[Schroedingers Cat]

In much of Lower Michigan Days, you hear WKZO, except near WTAC/WSNL 600, CKWW 580, and WTCM 580 unless you have a really good radio. At Night, it booms in to Northern Michigan. As noted elsewhere, WKZO was required by the FCC to use the Night Pattern from circa 1941 until 1968 from 6 PM until 10 AM the next morning each day, to protect WOW/KXSP during drive times and Critical Hours. Founder John E. Fetzer didn't mind that much, as it more than doubled the signal in Grand Rapids, and gave them a de facto duopoly with Class IV WJEF/WCUZ/WTKG 1230, with just 250 watts Night until circa 1980. I don't know why WKZO was considered Class III-A, when it was clearly limited by WOW to well over twice the 2.5 mV/m NIF contour prescribed for Class III-A.

Speaking of KLBJ, someone in my neighborhood in SE Michigan pasted a KLBJ 93.7 Bumper Sticker on a Stop Sign, which stayed there for a decade or more. I was always going to take a picture and send it to the station, before smart phones made it easy, but one weekend, the sign was damaged by a car mishap, and then replaced.

WJMS 590 Ironwood recently took down 2 towers of its 3 tower directional antenna, and is now 5/0.113 U1 from 5/1 U2, and previously with a CP for 5/0.9 U2 with 2 towers, which they probably should have built and just took down one tower. It's hard to believe the land there is that valuable.

 

[dlf1]

Speaking of KLBJ, someone in my neighborhood in SE Michigan pasted a KLBJ 93.7 Bumper Sticker on a Stop Sign, which stayed there for a decade or more. I was always going to take a picture and send it to the station, before smart phones made it easy, but one weekend, the sign was damaged by a car mishap, and then replaced.

 

[dlf1]

What is it about stop signs and out of market Rock stations? Over in New Braunfels, a 95.5 KLOS bumper sticker is on a stop sign.

Sorry to hijack the 590 thread.

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

What is it about stop signs and out of market Rock stations? Over in New Braunfels, a 95.5 KLOS bumper sticker is on a stop sign.

Sorry to hijack the 590 thread.bock

A kid from Tyler, TX in my 6th Grade Class never stopped talking about KTBB 600 (next frequency up) back in the mid 1960s. Maybe they moved from there and miss the radio stations?

Anyway, I would stand a better chance of hearing KLBJ-FM 93.7 during Sporadic E than KLBJ 590 in Michigan. I once heard KSEL 93.7 Lubbock for a couple hours straight in the 1970s in Michigan with Texas Rangers PBP programming. I was about a hundred miles from 500000 watt WJFM (WKZO-FM, sort of), which KSEL finally faded into after the Sporadic E Opening.

 

[dlf1]

A kid from Tyler, TX in my 6th Grade Class never stopped talking about KTBB 600 (next frequency up) back in the mid 1960s. Maybe they moved from there and miss the radio stations?

Anyway, I would stand a better chance of hearing KLBJ-FM 93.7 during Sporadic E than KLBJ 590 in Michigan. I once heard KSEL 93.7 Lubbock for a couple hours straight in the 1970s in Michigan with Texas Rangers PBP programming. I was about a hundred miles from 500000 watt WJFM (WKZO-FM, sort of), which KSEL finally faded into after the Sporadic E Opening.

Michigan FM’s have made appearances in Texas during Sporadic E; WLLZ (the 98.7 version) and WRIF showed up at South Padre Island in the summer of 1982.

 

[cyberdad]

590, much like 580, is unfortunately a pretty dead frequency here in central Ohio. I don't remember hearing much day or night.

In my OP, I pointed out that 590 is nearly continuously occupied daytime between the Chicago area and Boston. So tonight, I was checking out the SDR that's now up and running in London, Ontario. As posted previously, I'm very familiar with London, having spent quite a few nights there on biz trips midway between Detroit and Toronto.

Sure enough, 590 was all but empty. A little surprising given that 50kw CJCL is less than 100 miles away, via a path of reasonably good ground conductivity. But...London is squarely in not only the null of CJCL (ex-CKEY), but also WKZO, WJMS, WROW, WEZE and others.

Meanwhile, 500-watt CKWW from 100 miles away in Windsor, ON on 580 was weak, but solid. Also "in the same neighborhood of the dial, WTVN, now rightfully also known in some circles as "Radio Free Canada" was blasting in on 610.

 

[ZantennaG1]

What is it about stop signs and out of market Rock stations? Over in New Braunfels, a 95.5 KLOS bumper sticker is on a stop sign.

Sorry to hijack the 590 thread.

Some fools did this at my local walmart. I didn't realize I needed some heavy metal in my life!

 

[spiritof67]

From the southwest suburbs of Chicago:

WKZO Kalamazoo is the daytime regular. Not sure if it's weaker since I listen to it so infrequently.

Nights, I've gotten WOW / KXSP Omaha, what way back was listed as CMW St. Angeles de Las Vegas, Cuba (a whopping 150 kW), and WRTH Wood River, Ill., 1 kW nights. I have not heard it as KFNS.

"Worth-59 W-R-T-H." That's old school. Somewhere, I have tape of them at Christmastime years ago with commercials. It was an aircheck on a reel found at a yard sale.

These days at my St. Louis area QTH, KFNS is the dominant signal during the day. At night, it is less solid.

Radio Reloj in Cuba was a regular too.

In the past, WRTH/WCEO/KEZK/KFNS had a 500 w D and a 1kW night signal, which was unusual.

 

[davideduardo]

Nights, I've gotten WOW / KXSP Omaha, what way back was listed as CMW St. Angeles de Las Vegas, Cuba (a whopping 150 kW), and WRTH Wood River, Ill., 1 kW nights. I have not heard it as KFNS.

Today, there are two Cubans on 580, a Rebelde relay in Mabujabo with 2.5 kw and another Rebelde in Guantánamo with 10 kw.

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

As I recall, WRTH was the first radio station the FCC allowed to increase power, from 500 watts Day to 1000 watts Night. Oddly enough, WRTH, the publication, had WRTH listed as 1/0.5 in the notation of WRTH, instead of 0.5/1, in the 1969 Edition of WRTH.

One of the next stations they allowed to increase at Night was WAAF/WGRT/WJPC/WNTD, one of the first 50 stations still licensed in the country, but a Daytimer until circa 1980, because of having to have another site to be directional, as there was no way to do it in central Chicago, with 1/5 U2. There was no way to protect Class III-A WWJ to 2.5 mV/m with even 500 watts nondirectional.

Another thing I wonder is how WRTH, licensed to Wood River, Illinois, and with a transmitter location East of the Mississippi River, ended up with a K prefix. Was it because their FM had a K prefix call?

 

[schmave]

In my OP, I pointed out that 590 is nearly continuously occupied daytime between the Chicago area and Boston. So tonight, I was checking out the SDR that's now up and running in London, Ontario. As posted previously, I'm very familiar with London, having spent quite a few nights there on biz trips midway between Detroit and Toronto.

Sure enough, 590 was all but empty. A little surprising given that 50kw CJCL is less than 100 miles away, via a path of reasonably good ground conductivity. But...London is squarely in not only the null of CJCL (ex-CKEY), but also WKZO, WJMS, WROW, WEZE and others.

Meanwhile, 500-watt CKWW from 100 miles away in Windsor, ON on 580 was weak, but solid. Also "in the same neighborhood of the dial, WTVN, now rightfully also known in some circles as "Radio Free Canada" was blasting in on 610.

I've been waiting for an SDR in that area for a while. It's much cleaner than the one in Kingsville, Ontario, much closer to Detroit, Toledo and Cleveland.
Got to listen last night and WTVN definitely was on top of the channel. Not as loud as in northern Michigan, but very listenable.

 

[WahooWah]

From west central Georgia,

WDWD Atlanta religious station has a good daytime signal (12000 watts)

Nighttime usually hear a good signal from Cyberdad's Radio National in Cuba and enjoy listening to the classical music programming on the AM band. Occasionally hear WVLK Lexington KY (5000 watts) at night with news/talk

 

[Harvey_Dogg]

Central Indiana & West Central Ohio WKZO days. Southern Indiana, WVLK days. In the past, Cuba or Omaha nights.

 

[cyberdad]

From west central Georgia

Nighttime usually hear a good signal from Cyberdad's Radio National in Cuba and enjoy listening to the classical music programming on the AM band.

I also like the music selections they program. Very easy' to listen to. I can't say that for some other classical outlets. Of course that's just my own musical taste. Perhaps it's "classical for people who normally don't like listening to classical".

 

[cyberdad]

"Worth-59 W-R-T-H." That's old school. Somewhere, I have tape of them at Christmastime years ago with commercials. It was an aircheck on a reel found at a yard sale.

These days at my St. Louis area QTH, KFNS is the dominant signal during the day. At night, it is less solid.

Radio Reloj in Cuba was a regular too.

In the past, WRTH/WCEO/KEZK/KFNS had a 500 w D and a 1kW night signal, which was unusual.

I think the higher night power has to do with not having to protect the 5kw day signal of WILL (580 from Urbana, IL)

 

[Harvey_Dogg]

I've been waiting for an SDR in that area for a while. It's much cleaner than the one in Kingsville, Ontario, much closer to Detroit, Toledo and Cleveland.
Got to listen last night and WTVN definitely was on top of the channel. Not as loud as in northern Michigan, but very listenable.

Some years back, WTVN had a CP for 50,000 watts directional north.

 

[cyberdad]

I've been waiting for an SDR in that area for a while. It's much cleaner than the one in Kingsville, Ontario, much closer to Detroit, Toledo and Cleveland.
Got to listen last night and WTVN definitely was on top of the channel. Not as loud as in northern Michigan, but very listenable.

Agree that having a BCB-friendly SDR in that area is long overdue. London was a frequent stop for me for more than 20 years, and I still get over there from time to time. Exit 186 from the 401 freeway is loaded with stores, restaurants, and hotels. A couple of those hotels are relatively noise-free and good DX spots. Which is a big reason why I look forward to staying with them.

Back to the SDR, as you may have noticed, the 50kw NYC non-directionals last night were blasting. WOR and WBBR not as strong, but still good. WINS and WEPN (or whatever it is) were fighting it out with WINS and CHUM respectively. The big Chicago signals were also pretty good (as usual). Exception was WYLL, which was missing. Back when they were WJJD and had just started night operation on 1160 at 5kw, they were pretty easy. But now they're at 50kw from a dedicated nighttime site, and the pattern is much tighter. They're now rare....but not impossible....in London at night.

 

[gr8oldies]

Some years back, WTVN had a CP for 50,000 watts directional north.

That would have been Radio Free North Pole.

 

[gr8oldies]

I've been waiting for an SDR in that area for a while. It's much cleaner than the one in Kingsville, Ontario, much closer to Detroit, Toledo and Cleveland.
Got to listen last night and WTVN definitely was on top of the channel. Not as loud as in northern Michigan, but very listenable.

I will check Kingsville out. We seem to suddenly be out of SDRs in Michigan that pick up Medium Wave well. Farmington went away some time ago, and Tustin only gets ham bands. There are a couple more that are very noisy.

 

[cyberdad]

I will check Kingsville out. We seem to suddenly be out of SDRs in Michigan that pick up Medium Wave well. Farmington went away some time ago, and Tustin only gets ham bands. There are a couple more that are very noisy.

I think you may have meant to say the London SDR. It's a better performer on the AM band than Kingsville.