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KGOW in western Alaska

SomeRadioGuy

SomeRadioGuy

I wouldnt say its common up but its also not rare.. kinda occasionally heard here/ It can be heard mixing with KNZR but from time to time, like last night (Sat Aug 30).. it can fade up loud over and taking out KNZR
 
1560 KNZR Bakersfield is a rare Class A station that doesn't run 50,000 watts. Just 25,000 watts by day, 10,000 watts at night. I believe until the 1980s, KNZR even had less power. Why the station never went 50,000 watts, despite having Class A status, I'm not sure.

1560 KGOW Houston is Class B. It runs 46,000 watts days and 10,000 watts at night. So I guess KGOW might step on KNZR in some places.
 
This has been posted numerous times in other threads, but will repeat here:

KGOW has been running its night site full time for several years as the day site is no longer operable. The night site runs 15kw.

The KGOW night site directional pattern has been out of whack for quite some time. It should be sending virtually all its RF in a tight SE directional pattern, but there appear to be many significant lobes going in all directions.

For instance, in the DFW area I have heard KGOW many times at night with almost local strength. There shouldn’t be any signal going in that direction. Also near Austin during the day I have found KGOW clashing with KTXZ; KGOW shouldn’t be putting anything in that direction, either.

I’ve noticed shortwave reception conditions have been quite good the past few days; that could be affecting the higher end of the AM band as well.
 
Mediafrog+ said:
KGOW has been running its night site full time for several years as the day site is no longer operable. The night site runs 15kw.

The KGOW night site directional pattern has been out of whack for quite some time. It should be sending virtually all its RF in a tight SE directional pattern, but there appear to be many significant lobes going in all directions.
Click to expand...
Something, however, is out-of-whack with the regular out-of-whack pattern.
Mediafrog+ said:
For instance, in the DFW area I have heard KGOW many times at night with almost local strength. There shouldn’t be any signal going in that direction. Also near Austin during the day I have found KGOW clashing with KTXZ; KGOW shouldn’t be putting anything in that direction, either.
Click to expand...
The same once held true for Tyler-Longview. Up until a few months ago, KGOW was a monster here in the daytime. It was even responsible for the Wilson family in Daingerfield to give up and surrender what was left of the local daytimer. Recently, it is hardly noticeable on a whirl of the dial. I do significantly better picking up KJOZ Conroe, with its 10kW signal nearly petered out by the time it gets this far northeast, than KGOW.
 
SomeRadioGuy said:
I wouldnt say its common up but its also not rare.. kinda occasionally heard here/ It can be heard mixing with KNZR but from time to time, like last night (Sat Aug 30).. it can fade up loud over and taking out KNZR
Click to expand...

Here's what I consider to be an interesting question. Though I don't believe you are in the Artic Circle (and please correct me if I'm wrong), I do think you are very close to it. In June and July, if I'm not mistaken, this means 22- or 23-hour days with relatively the same for nights in December and January. Question: During the short summer season, is right around 11pm in the evening about the only time you can get AM DX up there. And, from the other perspective, does the Alaskan winter, over and above how cold it is, allow for 24-hour DX-ing on the AM band. Thank you in advance for your answer(s).
 
Gregg. said:
1560 KNZR Bakersfield is a rare Class A station that doesn't run 50,000 watts. Just 25,000 watts by day, 10,000 watts at night. I believe until the 1980s, KNZR even had less power. Why the station never went 50,000 watts, despite having Class A status, I'm not sure.

1560 KGOW Houston is Class B. It runs 46,000 watts days and 10,000 watts at night. So I guess KGOW might step on KNZR in some places.
Click to expand...
We have several Class A's in Alaska that are less than 50kw ... maybe one or two.. and all on the same channels as lower 48 channels.

And that doesnt have much bearing on it.. KGOW's pattern is outta wack.

ted chittenden said:
Here's what I consider to be an interesting question. Though I don't believe you are in the Artic Circle (and please correct me if I'm wrong), I do think you are very close to it. In June and July, if I'm not mistaken, this means 22- or 23-hour days with relatively the same for nights in December and January. Question: During the short summer season, is right around 11pm in the evening about the only time you can get AM DX up there. And, from the other perspective, does the Alaskan winter, over and above how cold it is, allow for 24-hour DX-ing on the AM band. Thank you in advance for your answer(s).
Click to expand...

I dont dx in the summer on AM.

No 24 hour dxing on AM when the suns up here..
 
SomeRadioGuy said:
We have several Class A's in Alaska that are less than 50kw .... and all on the same channels as lower 48 channels.
Click to expand...

Yes, I forgot the Class A stations in Alaska and Newfoundland. They weren't around when the early clear channel stations and frequencies were established. But when the original protections were relaxed, they got included in Class A.

Today there are 16 Class A stations in Alaska and three in Newfoundland. Only a few in Alaska run 50,000 watts and none in Newfoundland do.
 


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