540/CBK Reception in SW Ohio

[Icangelp]

Today at 7:30 AM Cincinnati time, CBK was dominating an unusually quiet 540 KHZ. I listened to news, sports and weather, right up till they went into a song by Nelly Furtado at about 7:37 AM.

First time I've logged CBK in my most recent foray into DX'ing.

 

[Steve Green NEPA]

Might 'unusually quiet' equate to a microscopic Auroral Index?

There was an occasion when CKDM 730 from Manitoba came into Queens NYC one overnight .... the guy said that with the wind-chill it felt like -43°, and that the humidity was 'unreportable at this temperature' !
(In reading that, I realize that it HAD to be Farenheit. When did they change from that to Celsius in Canada?)

And CFAC 960 from Alberta would make the occasional overnight visit, even more frequently than CKDM -- and even than CBK. CFAC was alone in the darkness, the only readbale signal on the frequency.

Those quiet nights at the dials can be really cool. So to speak.

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

Actually -40 F and -40 C are equal, so -43 would be fairly close in both Farhenheit and Celsius.

Before CBEF came on the air around 1970, you could hear CBK fairly regularly in the Great Lakes Region of the Midwest.

I doubt if the temperature had much to do with it. Maybe CBEF was off the air? Or on day power?

 

[davideduardo]

Before CBEF came on the air around 1970, you could hear CBK fairly regularly in the Great Lakes Region of the Midwest.

During the CONELRAD tests, when all US stations were off, and prior to CBEF's creation, CBK was listenable daytime around noon in NE Ohio with good reception.

And on pretty average days, when WARO signed off, CBK could be heard quite well just around sunset in the same location; night reception was always easy even with XEWA on.

 

[pqgeorge]

This is usually the best time of the year for skywave to pop up early in the afternoon. Sometimes, it lasts all day! One early morning, back in December '79, I was totally taken aback by hearing "You're in Q-Country..... 1570, CKLQ!". That reception was clear as day! Winnipeg, Manitoba to Westfield, MA is 1300 miles as the crow flies! Got a nice QSL letter from CKLQ a few weeks later. I only had about 30 seconds of getting them, but the ID was as clear as day! (They have since moved to 880.). This is the best time of the year, right now. You should start getting skywave around 2 hours before your local sunset. If you're daring enough, try a little earlier. Also, if you have snow cover in your area, don't be surprised to see some enhanced groundwave and skywave. Last year when the northeast was covered with snow and the temperatures were well below freezing, I was getting enhanced reception, especially in the higher frequencies above +1100 kHz from stations over 400 miles away! Enjoy!

 

[Bongwater]

It seems like in most areas, CBK 540 and CBW 990 are perhaps the only radio stations I know of with actual coast to coast nighttime coverage.......

 

[Icangelp]

It seems like in most areas, CBK 540 and CBW 990 are perhaps the only radio stations I know of with actual coast to coast nighttime coverage.......

I'd be interested to know how well 860/CJBC is received throughout NA. The frequency is no more crowded than 990. As it is a French language station, it should be fairly easy to identify in the mix.

 

[crainbebo]

Never have gotten CJBC here. Got CBKF-2 Saskatoon, SK once, but not CJBC in Toronto.

-crainbebo

 

[FreddyE1977]

CBW is a pretty regular catch here in Southwestern Pennsylvania, so if it were not
for the local presence of WWCS (formerly WARO) I think we'd probably be getting
CBK fairly well too.

Guess I'll just have to wait for the next CONELRAD test to find out.

 

[N4GBK]

860 CJBC dominates here in NE NC from late afternoon until after sunrise. I'm about 50 miles from Norfolk, VA.

 

[cyberdad]

Here in the Chicago area, CJBC generally has 860 all to itself every night.

And has been discussed previously, CBK is audible...if not dominant...most nights on 540, with the Milwaukee area 540 also present. From time to time XEWA or CBEF can also pop up.

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

CJBC does pretty well here at night, in the semi-nulls of WKNR/850's crazy night pattern.