780 AM

[stormy01]

This morning, orienting my PL-310 with 8 kHz r-f bandwidth for max pickup toward KFI, I got a mix of low-level stuff I couldn't identify. Rotating the radio 90 degrees produced a dominant signal having Spanish language programming.

Agree that WMFN is your most likely suspect. Cuba's powerful 640 might also be a longshot possibility. Although that signal is often pretty well spent by the time it gets past the Ohio River.

As for WOI, they're usually do-able here were I am northwest of Chicago, but the signal is hardly impressive. They get clobbered regularly at night. Daytime, I can sometimes hear them under WMFN.

Agreed with Cyberdad that the Spanish is WMFN Zeeland-Grand Rapids, MI. The 640 from near Havana is a shadow of it's former self, ditto that for 590, 600 and 690. Nowadays been hearing 530, 570, 870 and 1020 out of Cuba. Sometimes 600. When WSCR was off the air overnight in the wee hours this past winter, the 670 from Cuba was "armchair copy", a beautiful, clear signal and the music sounded great (like in the 60's and 70's on the other aforementioned frequencies - not counting 530, which of course, was a more recent addition to Cuban frequencies).

Sometimes WOI comes in on top for a while over the mess on 640, but if I really want to listen to the 'Beeb' overnight, it's a more "local" NPR outlet like WUWM, WNIJ or WBEZ I'd be listening to (or online). I may have heard KFI over the winter months once, but their signal didn't last long. If WMFN and WOI weren't on at night, we'd probably be hearing KFI more often in N. IL and S. WI.

 

[radioman148]

This morning, orienting my PL-310 with 8 kHz r-f bandwidth for max pickup toward KFI, I got a mix of low-level stuff I couldn't identify. Rotating the radio 90 degrees produced a dominant signal having Spanish language programming.

Agree that WMFN is your most likely suspect. Cuba's powerful 640 might also be a longshot possibility. Although that signal is often pretty well spent by the time it gets past the Ohio River.

As for WOI, they're usually do-able here were I am northwest of Chicago, but the signal is hardly impressive. They get clobbered regularly at night. Daytime, I can sometimes hear them under WMFN.

Agreed with Cyberdad that the Spanish is WMFN Zeeland-Grand Rapids, MI. The 640 from near Havana is a shadow of it's former self, ditto that for 590, 600 and 690. Nowadays been hearing 530, 570, 870 and 1020 out of Cuba. Sometimes 600. When WSCR was off the air overnight in the wee hours this past winter, the 670 from Cuba was "armchair copy", a beautiful, clear signal and the music sounded great (like in the 60's and 70's on the other aforementioned frequencies - not counting 530, which of course, was a more recent addition to Cuban frequencies).

Sometimes WOI comes in on top for a while over the mess on 640, but if I really want to listen to the 'Beeb' overnight, it's a more "local" NPR outlet like WUWM, WNIJ or WBEZ I'd be listening to (or online). I may have heard KFI over the winter months once, but their signal didn't last long. If WMFN and WOI weren't on at night, we'd probably be hearing KFI more often in N. IL and S. WI.

I used to get KFI in the Chicago area on a regular basis, but now I find it's next to impossible with the mess on 640.

 

[cyberdad]

The 640 from near Havana is a shadow of it's former self

For sure. I was in the Pensacola area for all of last week, and the Cuba 640 is indeed a shadow of what it used to be. Still audible 24/7...but now only barely so in the daytime. (Cuba's 670 is a different matter entirely).

 

[gar hi]

The Cuban on 640 is the strongest of the daytime Cubans here in Tampa.

Has a good signal that really stands out.

 

[MarioMania]

If the West Coast stations go off at night in CA, Could WBBM be picked up??

 

[pianoplayer88key]

I heard WBBM once several years ago in El Cajon. Was able to get a null on KKOH and local 50kW 2nd-adjacent KFMB with the Select-A-Tenna to do it. Tried this past year or so though, and KAZM was there when KKOH was not.

 

[cyberdad]

If the West Coast stations go off at night in CA, Could WBBM be picked up??

Scroll up, Mario. As posted a couple of days ago, I snagged WBBM up the road from you a few years back in Napa Valley....Yountville, to be exact....from under KKOH. It may take a little doing, and you may have to wait until late fall or winter, but eventually you should be able to catch WBBM where you are. The general consensus is that WBBM has the best nighttime signal of the four former 1-A clears. I've heard it (and other Chicago blowtorches) in West Coast locations from San Diego to Bellingham. Of course, this was easier back in the 70s and 80s.

But it can still be done.

 

[radioman148]

If the West Coast stations go off at night in CA, Could WBBM be picked up??

Scroll up, Mario. As posted a couple of days ago, I snagged WBBM up the road from you a few years back in Napa Valley....Yountville, to be exact....from under KKOH. It may take a little doing, and you may have to wait until late fall or winter, but eventually you should be able to catch WBBM where you are. The general consensus is that WBBM has the best nighttime signal of the four former 1-A clears. I've heard it (and other Chicago blowtorches) in West Coast locations from San Diego to Bellingham. Of course, this was easier back in the 70s and 80s.

But it can still be done.

WLS used to have the best signal of the four Chicago clears, but WBBM seems to be better these days in most areas, although when I was in Puerto Rico in March WLS came in better.

 

[cyberdad]

In my earlier post, I meant to say WBBM has the best signal of the four former 1-A Chicago clears. And Radioman is absolutely correct, WLS used to be regarded as the best of those signals. That was certainly my own personal experience. But now it's usually WBBM.

Prevailing wisdom is the combination of an aging physical plant (stick went up in 1938) and new commercial and residential development adjacent to WLS' site have degraded the signal to some extent.

 

[radioman148]

In my earlier post, I meant to say WBBM has the best signal of the four former 1-A Chicago clears. And Radioman is absolutely correct, WLS used to be regarded as the best of those signals. That was certainly my own personal experience. But now it's usually WBBM.

Prevailing wisdom is the combination of an aging physical plant (stick went up in 1938) and new commercial and residential development adjacent to WLS' site have degraded the signal to some extent.

Also, it seems that 890 has more interference these days then 780 does. it used to be the other way.

 

[BRNout]

The western-most AM broadcast station I've heard here occasionally along the Mississippi River in Illinois via nighttime skywave while using a good AM receiver is KSL, Salt Lake City, UT.

During the winter months, I've occasionally been able to null the horribly annoying signal of WYLL enough to audibly pick up KSL. Once or twice, it was actually a decent signal. It's quite challenging from my location in Lake County, IL because WYLL throws a strong nighttime signal over us - but it can be done once in a while.

Honestly, the programming on WYLL is so bad that I rarely have the patience that it takes to do this successfully, so perhaps KSL sneaks in here more often than I think. What a waste of electricity.....

 

[radioman148]

The western-most AM broadcast station I've heard here occasionally along the Mississippi River in Illinois via nighttime skywave while using a good AM receiver is KSL, Salt Lake City, UT.

During the winter months, I've occasionally been able to null the horribly annoying signal of WYLL enough to audibly pick up KSL. Once or twice, it was actually a decent signal. It's quite challenging from my location in Lake County, IL because WYLL throws a strong nighttime signal over us - but it can be done once in a while.

Honestly, the programming on WYLL is so bad that I rarely have the patience that it takes to do this successfully, so perhaps KSL sneaks in here more often than I think. What a waste of electricity.....

You're right--since the night power & pattern change WYLL throws the strongest Chicago signal into Northern Wisconsin, not that anyone would want to hear it.

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

Back in the late 1950's, I remember picking up WBBM - 780-AM - at 9 A.M. on summer mornings here because I wanted to listen to the radio portion Arthur Godfrey's show live (rather than wait for the local CBS affiliate to run it by delay an hour later). I was happily surprised that I was able to do that then. Even now, knowing that I was able to pick it up at that time of day, remains one of my more interesting AM catches.

 

[flytrap]

WIIN 780 country music is mixing with WBBM here in the Kansas City area this morning. Using 96.3 FM ID (simulcast). Thanks for the tip. Not easy to get Mississippi AM stations up here.

WIIN in Jackson has not been leaving the transmitter on at night the last several times I've checked. It must have been a one time mistake. However I've heard it happen before in the past, but it doesn't happen that often. But sometimes I've heard the station on air a little early before sunrise. The station has had a revolving door of formats over the years including Oldies, blues, christian country, standards, talk, AOR (simulcast) etc sometimes with bad audio. But the audio is actually not bad with the current simulcast. I don't expect it to stay on the air long. The station has been silent for nearly a year. They stay on the air for the minimum time just to keep the license active. Not sure why they don't use it for something or just sell it.

 

[radioman148]

Back in the late 1950's, I remember picking up WBBM - 780-AM - at 9 A.M. on summer mornings here because I wanted to listen to the radio portion Arthur Godfrey's show live (rather than wait for the local CBS affiliate to run it by delay an hour later). I was happily surprised that I was able to do that then. Even now, knowing that I was able to pick it up at that time of day, remains one of my more interesting AM catches.

Another reason why it's harder to get stations on the AM band, more noise around us than ever before.

 

[cyberdad]

Not sure why they don't use it for something or just sell it.

It (780) would certainly be one of the better daytime signals in town after WJDX.

 

[flytrap]

It's not a bad signal. Not as good as WJDX but still pretty good. Unfortunately the owners seem to care very little about it. For years its had numerous formats with very few local commercals being sold. It would have hours of dead air or not on the air at all, poor audio etc. and format changes every few years. The current simulcast audio is not bad. I wouldn't expect them to say on the air long. They only broadcast for a few months last summer.

 

[cyberdad]

It's not a bad signal. Not as good as WJDX but still pretty good. Unfortunately the owners seem to care very little about it.

Daytimer or not, I always have been a little surprised that a good operator couldn't make a go of something on that signal....and/or the equally good signal of the former 5kw ND daytimer on 720. Given that there are (or used to be) some lousy a.m. signals in town, I'd have thought at minimum one of those might have moved. Perhaps not 930 or 1180, but why not 1300, 1450, 1590, or even 1550 etc.

 

[davideduardo]

Given that there are (or used to be) some lousy a.m. signals in town, I'd have thought at minimum one of those might have moved. Perhaps not 930 or 1180, but why not 1300, 1450, 1590, or even 1550 etc.

1550 has been gone for a loong time. In fact, it was abandoned and subject to fines for not lighting the towers for a considerable time. I never heard the outcome on that, but, like many high dial shoehorned in stations, it just did not have any value. 1590 is another that I can't figure out... it was silent for a while, and has had many a format.

930 and 620 both have good signals. And even 1300 does... the market is only 3 counties, and 1300 puts a 5 mV/m over about 95% of the population, and it has a night signal that is not half bad, either.

The need for extended coverage outside a metro would not overcome the disadvantage of being a daytimer, I believe.

 

[cyberdad]

1550 has been gone for a loong time. In fact, it was abandoned and subject to fines for not lighting the towers for a considerable time. I never heard the outcome on that, but, like many high dial shoehorned in stations, it just did not have any value. 1590 is another that I can't figure out... it was silent for a while, and has had many a format.

930 and 620 both have good signals. And even 1300 does... the market is only 3 counties, and 1300 puts a 5 mV/m over about 95% of the population, and it has a night signal that is not half bad, either.

The need for extended coverage outside a metro would not overcome the disadvantage of being a daytimer, I believe.

You may be right about that...and you're certainly correct about 1300 having a decent signal (the "original" WJDX frequency IIRC). I pass through Jackson a once or twice a year. Most of the growth (and for that matter the higher income demos) are to the north of the city center, as is the 1300 stick.

With regard to 780/720, I had also been thinking of the area about 20 miles north of downtown, where there's a (relatively) new auto plant and seemingly new wave of growth getting underway.

And also, if you couldn't figure out 1590....that makes two of us. In the 90s, when I had a major customer in Jackson, I'd get in 2-3 times a year. Usually for an overnight stay. Not a stretch to say 1590 would have a different format roughly every other time I'd hit town. And finally, 1550.... I know it's been gone forever. Didn't know about the tower lights issue, but I suspect there was more that was wrong there than just that. I also seem to remember that (except for frequent dead air) the audio was just terrible....even worse than what we've been talking about with how 780 used to sound.