From Vermilion, I can pick up 1130AM WDFN very clear during the day, however at night the signal seems to be gone. Is this due to the IBOC from KMOX 1120 and/or WRVA 1140 overpowering WDFN at night?
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1130 AM WDFN Unlistenable at night from Vermilion, OH
- Thread starter Buckeyes2001
- Start date
For decades, it booms into northern Ohio by day, and disappears by night - can't even hear it in Toledo, about 40 miles south of their xmtr, with 10kw aimed north.
Several Detroit AMs have also re-engineered their facilities to have 50kw by day, with highly directional patterns at night - with transmitters near the Monroe-Wayne county line, about 25 miles north of the stateline. WWJ (950) and WXYT (1270) now follow the example of WDFN (formerly WCAR years ago) with higher power aimed straight at Detroit from the south. The religious station on 1500 has done the same for years, too, but is closer into town in Lincoln Park. Ethnic station on 680/690 (WNZK?) changes freqs (like the old CHYR-AM in Leamington used to do) also changes patterns significantly between day and night, but actually comes in better toward Toledo at night on 680 than its daytime signal on 690.
See if you can hear any of them toward Cleveland. My favorite AM from Motown is the French Canadian station on AM540. Pattern seems to change for months at a time, but unique programming (non-commercial), and it goes for a long distance, if you don't mind the AM hiss, from their site on the Detroit River across from Gross Isle.
You don't tend to see this level of energy put into AM signals around Toledo and vicinity, however. Seems like many of them are at reduced power from their already-weak allocations of 30+ years ago when AM had a big audience. But with "who cares" programming now, who cares anymore?
Several Detroit AMs have also re-engineered their facilities to have 50kw by day, with highly directional patterns at night - with transmitters near the Monroe-Wayne county line, about 25 miles north of the stateline. WWJ (950) and WXYT (1270) now follow the example of WDFN (formerly WCAR years ago) with higher power aimed straight at Detroit from the south. The religious station on 1500 has done the same for years, too, but is closer into town in Lincoln Park. Ethnic station on 680/690 (WNZK?) changes freqs (like the old CHYR-AM in Leamington used to do) also changes patterns significantly between day and night, but actually comes in better toward Toledo at night on 680 than its daytime signal on 690.
See if you can hear any of them toward Cleveland. My favorite AM from Motown is the French Canadian station on AM540. Pattern seems to change for months at a time, but unique programming (non-commercial), and it goes for a long distance, if you don't mind the AM hiss, from their site on the Detroit River across from Gross Isle.
You don't tend to see this level of energy put into AM signals around Toledo and vicinity, however. Seems like many of them are at reduced power from their already-weak allocations of 30+ years ago when AM had a big audience. But with "who cares" programming now, who cares anymore?
Two more Detroit market examples:
* WRDT/560 Monroe MI blasts north into Detroit from a site just north of the OH/MI border.
* The new Radio Disney station in the Detroit market, WFDF/910 Farmington Hills MI, blasts through Detroit and its COL from south of the city. (It, of course, started life in Flint, and got to move south when WFRO/900 Fremont OH went dark.)
* WRDT/560 Monroe MI blasts north into Detroit from a site just north of the OH/MI border.
* The new Radio Disney station in the Detroit market, WFDF/910 Farmington Hills MI, blasts through Detroit and its COL from south of the city. (It, of course, started life in Flint, and got to move south when WFRO/900 Fremont OH went dark.)
1130 in Detroit has never been heard South at night. I remember driving South in the late sixties after dark and being just parallel with the 1130 multi tower site which I could see on the horizon and not be able to hear them one bit on the car radio. I was only a mile or two away! They also cut to 10kw I believe, at night.
CaptBob92 said:
1130's day pattern can be heard across Lake Erie in much of the Cleveland area, if you have a radio that is selective enough to not get splashed by the side of WTAM/1100's signal.
In fact, with Jim Rome's Cleveland affiliate just moving his first hour from WKNR/850 to WWGK/1540, a 1 kW station that doesn't make it much west of downtown Cleveland, folks out in Lorain County are turning to 1130 for that hour - those who can't get Akron's WARF/1350.
Scott Fybush said:
Interesting, I tried turning in 1130 just now (6:30PM EST) in my car and was able to pick up Bloomberg Radio 1130 with a moderate signal. Every other time I've tried turning in 1130 at night there was only white noise
Buckeyes2001 said:
Which should have been the second part of my message...WDFN's night pattern is very much a "up north into Detroit" pattern, at least if the Radio-Locator map is any indication:
http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WDFN&service=AM&status=L&hours=N
...and there's a null of what little signal heads south towards the Cleveland area.
Goldilocks94941 said:
While you can hear 950 and 1130 in Toledo during the day, they are directional even then. Just compare them to WJR and CKLW during the day and you can see how much less signal WWJ and WDFN send down I-75.
I do remember listening to AM one night during my freshman year at Toledo (1996). Had a room facing northbound in the university's tallest dorm and I specifically remember trying to hear 1130. All that came in was New York. WWJ was present but very weak.
I've been able to listen while crossing a lot of directional patterns, but unfortunately I've never been able to do it with the Detroit stations.
IIRC, 1130 is more listenable days east of Toledo than it is in the Toledo area.
Remembered ssveral station on 1130. When WCTM was off the air breifly with an STA while Stanley Coning was in the hospital I picked up the Detroit station during the afternoon. At night I picked up KWKH Shreveport...early mornings were mixed with the signals of the former WNEW before Bloomberg bought it as WBBR and WISN Milwaukee.
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