@gar hi .. let me find my audio recording of it and ill post it here
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AM Frequency of the Week: 1240
- Thread starter cyberdad
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Back when I worked at KIUL 1240 Garden City KS while driving back from Wichita on a cold day, KIUL stopped a “scan” on my car radio at Pratt KS around 110 miles from Garden City. I don’t know why KFH which was a lot closer in Wichita didn’t overpower them. I can only guess the ionosphere was really low and was “helping” KUIL. Being from Appalachia use to bad ground conductivity, it was amazing how well AM signals work out there during the daytime.
From the southwest suburbs of Chicago:
As CADXER noted, the old three-way WSBC-WEDC-WCRW triple transmitter arrangement was a Chicago staple for decades, all three sticks on the north side of town. So I never bothered with DX on 1240, though I heard the changeovers on occasion.
With overnights now open, I should give it a go more. My lone DX catch is KFMO, Fall River, Mo., just after midnight in May 2020.
As CADXER noted, the old three-way WSBC-WEDC-WCRW triple transmitter arrangement was a Chicago staple for decades, all three sticks on the north side of town. So I never bothered with DX on 1240, though I heard the changeovers on occasion.
With overnights now open, I should give it a go more. My lone DX catch is KFMO, Fall River, Mo., just after midnight in May 2020.
From my vantage point in LA, I’d probably amplify a bunch of noise. Lol
From gar hi....
Nighttime - KEWE Kahului on Maui
The only 5000 watt station on that graveyard frequency.
During my year as a junior at McKinley High School in Honolulu, the thought crossed my mind that 1340 was a blank spot on the AM dial that someone could utilize and possibly get a waiver to exceed the 1kw power limit. The closest occupied channels to it were KPOI on 1380 in Honolulu and KNUI, then on 1310 on Maui (now on 550). Years later, that's exactly what happened. Only on 1240 and in Maui. Situated between two Honolulu stations. KZOO on 1210 and KNDI on 1270.
Nighttime - KEWE Kahului on Maui
The only 5000 watt station on that graveyard frequency.
During my year as a junior at McKinley High School in Honolulu, the thought crossed my mind that 1340 was a blank spot on the AM dial that someone could utilize and possibly get a waiver to exceed the 1kw power limit. The closest occupied channels to it were KPOI on 1380 in Honolulu and KNUI, then on 1310 on Maui (now on 550). Years later, that's exactly what happened. Only on 1240 and in Maui. Situated between two Honolulu stations. KZOO on 1210 and KNDI on 1270.
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KNDI is a regularly here.. their ethnic music sticks out. I've also heard 1500 and 1420.... a 900 and a 990
oh and 1540.. but i also have to compare it and KMPC LA online to see which is which since both are korean and ive heard both hewre
During my time in Honolulu, KNDI was basically a brokered operation run for many years by a Mr. James Ownby. He had a reputation as something of an eccentric, but I don't know if that was actually the case. What I do know is that the signal sounded terrible. The epitome of muddy audio. Very much in contrast to "neighboring" KZOO, 1kw on 1210, a Japanese language station, that sounded very bright and clean.
The 900, IIRC was on Maui. 990 was Honolulu's KTRG. 5kw sister station to KTRG-TV Channel 13, which sponsored and hosted the Junior Achievement group that I was in. Jack McCoy was the GM and a good guy to learn from as well as an all-around good guy. KTRG was an independent station and was a 24-hour operation....which was rare in those days. The overnight show was actually a llsimulcast of the radio station, with a camera trained continuously on the records playing on the turntables. All you saw of the jock was his hands changing records and carts.
As for 1420 and 1540, they weren't on the air yet. 1500 was 1kw KUMU, a 1kw top 40 station, which didn't really have a prayer against the bigger signals and stronger lineups on KORL (650) and KPOI (1380).
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Carmichael, CA
Day & Night KCVV Sacramento
Day & Night KCVV Sacramento
That’s not DXing
The thread is "Frequency of the Week", and it's about what the listener gets on that frequency regularly, local or distant.
Absolutely. What you hear locally, And a chance to post any DX you might have encountered on each channel. It's also something of guide to what might be out there as well as where and when. As such, it also can serve to help DXers keep posted on changes that can occur on individual channels. Example: Power, pattern, and even format changes.
I can add to my 1240 logs as of this morning.. 2300 mile distant KMBY Monterey, CA.
What was KXLE Ellensburg 1/2 mile away at my old QTH at CWU is back to a weaker KXLE (and KTIX Pendleton OR when nulled) during the day in Yakima...and the usual graveyard slop at night. KSMX-1240 (now KSMA) Santa Maria CA is my most-distant graveyarder ever received, and it has been heard in Yakima (and was heard 878 miles away in Bellevue, WA during the super March 2012 aurora). Many, many other stations logged here from Yakima on 1240khz, from ID/WA/OR/CA/MT/BC. Most wanted...probably CFNI Port Hardy BC, far NW Vancouver Island, or KLTZ Glasgow MT, both never heard but have been heard by Mike Cherry in the Victoria area.
From Cincinnati, OH
Day - It's a relatively weak WFTM from Maysville, KY, from 50 miles away. Its signal starts to endure when you head close from local 1230 WDBZ due to spurs heavily next to dial 1220 and 1240. When you go to a place where interference isn't present and enough to null local 1230, 1240's signal is audible, though it's pretty dull strength-wise with some minor fades.
Night - It's a mix between various stations in the area, and spurs continue from local 1230. Overall, it's a DXers nightmare to do some digging.
Day - It's a relatively weak WFTM from Maysville, KY, from 50 miles away. Its signal starts to endure when you head close from local 1230 WDBZ due to spurs heavily next to dial 1220 and 1240. When you go to a place where interference isn't present and enough to null local 1230, 1240's signal is audible, though it's pretty dull strength-wise with some minor fades.
Night - It's a mix between various stations in the area, and spurs continue from local 1230. Overall, it's a DXers nightmare to do some digging.
They are one of the few surviving AM music stations in Europe, and one of a very small number of non gold-based music stations still on AM. They are starting to reduce their AM network now - they have national broadcast coverage on DAB and the various "smart" platforms and have been turning off smaller infill transmitters and reducing power on their main signals (mostly 1215).
Coverage is reasonable on AM, but not as good or robust as it is on DAB, because the mush from multiple synchronized transmitters on 1215 was always a problem. The AM is surplus to requirements now, I can't see it lasting to the end of 2023 especially with the issues around the cost of energy. Even their reduced power sites are running 50-60,000 watts (down from 100-150,000) which is out of proportion to the audience still using AM to listen.
I visited my daughter in London about 10-15 years ago a few weeks after she had won a DAB radio in a BBC listener contest. She told me that she was rather disappointed with it, and I could see why. It was a cheap little portable with decent reception, but with audio so bad that it was indistinguishable from regular AM. I assume higher end DAB radios do produce better sound, but as of yet, my daughter's "tinny" little radio is the extent of my DAB experience.
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