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620 AM-Tampa

gar fla said:
The interesting thing about all this is that I'm right in Tampa and at night, I can almost completely null out WDAE when I put my radio the right position and a mix of distant stations are heard.
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GarFla, from looking at the night time pattern of 620-WDAE, it looks as though the strongest null is aimed toward the WestChase/Oldsmar area (I believe the ultimate goal is to protect WTMJ) and I believe you are in or near that area, so even though you aren't that far n.n.w. of their towers, I suspect that you are only getting part of their night time power your way.

I just took my Sangean outside and the 620 signal here is so strong, that I really couldn't null it; I can null 570 and get
Cuba, but I'm in 620's lobe and they send more watts my way at night that during the day; the only interference I receive is on my car radio at certain intersections. (i.e. 4th Ave S and 3rd St S at the USFSP campus bookstore/Barnes and Nobles combo).

drt
 
That makes sense. I'm in the Town and Country area of Tampa.

When I first moved down here in '84, I was living up by USF and the old WRBQ Am Stereo 1380 sounded like a distant station there at night after switching to nighttime directional pattern even when the radio was facing right in their direction.

Yet I will never forget hearing them much stronger up in New Jersey on my same Sony Am Stereo Walkman right around sunset for a few minutes one time.

They hadn't yet switched to their nighttime pattern.
 
gar fla said:
When I first moved down here in '84, I was living up by USF and the old WRBQ Am Stereo 1380 sounded like a distant station there at night after switching to nighttime directional pattern even when the radio was facing right in their direction.
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Back in the '60s, when 1380 was Top-40 WLCY, they would have concerts in Clearwater (Beach Boys, Stones, Roy Orbison, etc.) which was funny since the station had a serious null towards Clearwater at night (It was buried with other 1380 stations at the Clearwater auditorium.). The other Top-40 was WALT/1110, which was good, but it was a daytimer. Fortunately, WFLA/970 (MOR/NBC) played Top-40 in the evenings, but wasn't all that great. Top-40 choices were pretty limited for Clearwater at night.
 
Another voucher here for the directioanlity of those FL regionals.

I forget the year, maybe around 1973 it was, with me driving around sort of late, in an old LeSabre, and its stock AM radio. I wound up in what I believe was the farthest northwest part of St. Petersburg, or maybe Pinellas Park. There were a few hills in the neighborhood.

As the car was going up and down a few of them, WLCY 1380 took a big signal dip, and in came an ID for KWK in St. Louis.

The Radio-Locator still has that big null that way. I don't know how pronounced it is nowadays, as 1380 has raised both day and night power since the early 70's. It was weird though, hearing a station from a different time zone in what could have been line-of-sight with another station's towers.
 
Steve Green NEPA said:
Another voucher here for the directioanlity of those FL regionals.

I forget the year, maybe around 1973 it was, with me driving around sort of late, in an old LeSabre, and its stock AM radio. I wound up in what I believe was the farthest northwest part of St. Petersburg, or maybe Pinellas Park. There were a few hills in the neighborhood.

As the car was going up and down a few of them, WLCY 1380 took a big signal dip, and in came an ID for KWK in St. Louis.

The Radio-Locator still has that big null that way. I don't know how pronounced it is nowadays, as 1380 has raised both day and night power since the early 70's. It was weird though, hearing a station from a different time zone in what could have been line-of-sight with another station's towers.
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The pattern is identical to what it was in the 1970's, even though they've increased their power, they have chopped off at least 100 feet (maybe more) off their tower, to save on the cost of painting and it being easier and less costly to install the lights on top of the tower when they go out.

I had never realized that the height of an AM tower (I guess that is what is referred to a wavelength) could have such an impact.

At any rate, this was on the Tampa/St Petersburg board nearly a year ago and several engineers stepped in to answer my question as to why the pattern was identical to the old one (no increase in coverage) even though their wattage was being increased.

The only change I know of since the 1970's, is that to the south of the Bayshore Gardens area (midway between downtown Bradenton and Sarasota), Cuban interference starts to set in and as best I can remember, that wasn't the case in the 1970's.

The nulls toward the n.w. and n.n.w. are still significant and in downtown Clearwater, 1380 out of St. Petersburg is pretty much AWOL.(as mentioned previously)

drt.
st. petersburg,fl
 
Growing up in Dunedin, we couldn't get WLCY at night (and WCWR 1470 & WFSO 570) were daytimers - so WLS was our nighttime station of choice. No Top-40 on FM in those days (unless you considered HIt Parade on WLCY-FM)
 
WDAE-FM101 said:
Growing up in Dunedin, we couldn't get WLCY at night (and WCWR 1470 & WFSO 570) were daytimers - so WLS was our nighttime station of choice. No Top-40 on FM in those days (unless you considered HIt Parade on WLCY-FM)
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There could be a book written on WFSO; just on their signal alone, as a daytimer, they had to protect WDBO 580 in Orlando and also there were deep nulls to the south and almost all their signal was shot to the n.n.e. along US Highway 19; when they went 24 hours with the tower in the same location in Seminole, their night time pattern was also incredible; there were some areas within site of the towers (you could see the tower's flashing lights) and WFSO 570 could barely be heard under the Cuban station.

Now with more watts, a new tower complex just north of Land o Lakes and double power at night under special authority to combat the Cuban interference, they serve most of the metro pretty well (except eastern Hillsborough county), where they have 910 AM fill in that area.

Overall 620 WDAE has the best metro coverage day and night by a long shot, but 570 is up there.

drt,
st. petersburg,fl
 
WDAE-FM101 said:
Growing up in Dunedin, we couldn't get WLCY at night (and WCWR 1470 & WFSO 570) were daytimers - so WLS was our nighttime station of choice. No Top-40 on FM in those days (unless you considered HIt Parade on WLCY-FM)
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As posted elsewhere, I'm spending a couple of weeks in Treasure Island. Where I am, 1380 has an excellent signal day/night. 570 is good, but not as good as 1380. WLS? Its in there, but underneath Cuba.
 
Hello. I actually hear 620 here in the orlando area without very little trouble on my sangean pr-d9. 620 has one heck of a signal for sure.
 
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