A Night in Indiana

[Steve Green NEPA]

Way to go, Cyberdad! Interesting stuff there.

Ever since communications in the ill-timed Hoosier State cropduster chase from North by Northwest, that state has needed an accredited dispatcher / overseer who knows deployment, conditions and signals.

Indiana wants you, Cyberdad.

 

[cyberdad]

Way to go, Cyberdad! Interesting stuff there.

Ever since communications in the ill-timed Hoosier State cropduster chase from North by Northwest, that state has needed an accredited dispatcher / overseer who knows deployment, conditions and signals.

Indiana wants you, Cyberdad.

Lord, I can't go back there.....(Now that I can just dial up the Edinburgh SDR).

 

[MarioMania]

My first night of a quickie two-night road trip this week was yesterday (5/12), in Greenwood, Indiana. An Indianapolis suburb about 8 miles south of downtown Indy. Those of you who regularly visit the Edinburgh SDR already have a good idea of what you can hear on the AM band in that city, so I won't rehash hat you guys already know. (Edinburgh is about 20 miles south of where I was staying). But I'll share a couple of observations that struck me as interesting. Note that I have a hard time connecting online to the Edinburg receiver, so I was glad to be staying om the top floor of an almost completely noise-free hotel.

First, the scan button on my car radio. The only stops on AM were 700, 810, 840, 920, 950, 1260, 1310, and 1430. Take away WLW, WHAS, and WBAA, and that only leaves five in-market signals in a major (and sprawling) metro area. Perhaps not all that big of a deal. But at night, the only one of those that was alone and presumably city grade was 1310. 950 was present, but getting clobbered. 1260 and 1430 not doing much better. 810 was there, but under WGY. No big deal in my opinion, because I don't think they're supposed to be on at night in the first place.

The surprise catch was WFAW from Fort Atkinson, WI. Perhaps some of you guys are hearing it on the Edinburgh radio. All 550 watts of it. At my home location, I hear it on groundwave from the southeast lobe of their figure eight pattern, which obviously is what makes it into Indiana on skywave. At first, I thought what I might be hearing was WMIX from Mount Vernon, IL. But then I got two positive IDs. in the midst of the oldies format.

Also perhaps worth noting.... !070. It was weird not to have WIBC roaring in (and to not see those towers northwest of the city coming in on I-65) What I was hearing on 1070 at night was all WCSZ,

Finally, I also checked 610 and 1290. On 610, I was curious to see if I could hear WTVN (aka "Radio Free Canada"). Nope. At least nothing I could identify on a nearly empty channel. 1290 was a mild surprise. WHKY all alone, I knew I was in the nulls of both WHIO and WIRL, but I was still not exactly expecting to hear WHKY. Let alone with a pretty decent signal.

Nice Catches

What job do you do for traving?

 

[ZantennaG1]

In Bloomington, we were in Ancient Modulation Rock and Roll Heaven at night: WLS, WCFL, WOWO, CKLW, WABC, KAAY (before they found religion), and WIBG on occasion.

AWESOME!

But WIFE was just barely audible.

Add this to the list of interesting and unusual callsigns. I have to wonder what branding they did?

 

[KeithE4]

Add this to the list of interesting and unusual callsigns. I have to wonder what branding they did?

Not much on-air that I recall. Just the call letters and branding themselves as "Lucky 13."

They did have billboards along I-465 near the airport that said (paraphrasing, but it was close) "While you were out of town, we've been spending day and night with your WIFE."

 

[ZantennaG1]

"While you were out of town, we've been spending day and night with your WIFE."

OMG 🤣

 

[MarioMania]

Was this a question for me???

I spent twelve years in broadcasting, then moved on to publishing for 33 years.

In broadcasting, I did just about everything there is in radio and TV...including from on-air, to sales, to cleaning toilets. No travel during those years. But in publishing, it was global print and eventually also online media. So for most of that stretch, I was on the road just about every week. (Not always for a full week). I wound up visiting 49 states, coast to coast in Canada, and eight countries in Europe.

I loved all of it, but my first love was/is radio. But, I like retirement even better. I also still like road trips. This past week my wife, who's not retired, was attending a workshop in southern Indiana, so I caught up with her for a couple of days. If all the dominoes fall correctly. I'll have two or three more road trips this summer.

Oh Cool, Yeah it is for your..thanks

 

[tvnut]

I was in Indianapolis (Speedway, Ind., actually) for the IndyCar road race, and it's still odd to drive by the WIBC 1070 tower site and see the billboard advertising WIBC-FM, but no towers. Looks like it's been regraded and with some equipment on hand, construction on what I'll guess would be a warehouse – to go with the others in the area – is about to begin. And not a peep from Emmis so far on a new site. My hunch is there will be no such thing for "Radio Indiana."

 

[CTListener]

Not much on-air that I recall. Just the call letters and branding themselves as "Lucky 13."

They did have billboards along I-465 near the airport that said (paraphrasing, but it was close) "While you were out of town, we've been spending day and night with your WIFE."

That's great. WATX 1220 in Hamden, CT, uses "Your 'X' wants you back!"

 

[cyberdad]

I was in Indianapolis (Speedway, Ind., actually) for the IndyCar road race, and it's still odd to drive by the WIBC 1070 tower site and see the billboard advertising WIBC-FM, but no towers. Looks like it's been regraded and with some equipment on hand, construction on what I'll guess would be a warehouse – to go with the others in the area – is about to begin. And not a peep from Emmis so far on a new site. My hunch is there will be no such thing for "Radio Indiana."

LOADS of construction in that area when I drove through this past Thurrsday. Both commercial and residential development, as well as upgrades to I-65 and its interchabges, Obviously valuable real estate, and I was thinking about how WFNI must have been made an offer they couldn't refuse the land those towers were on.

 

[PTBoardOp94]

The WFNI property will be a mixed use facility, with about 400 apartments and some small office spaces (think lawyers, hair salons, or financial advisors)

 

[tvnut]

LOADS of construction in that area when I drove through this past Thurrsday. Both commercial and residential development, as well as upgrades to I-65 and its interchabges, Obviously valuable real estate, and I was thinking about how WFNI must have been made an offer they couldn't refuse the land those towers were on.

That I-65 redo downtown has been going on for a year now. Maybe they'll finish by next May.

 

[gr8oldies]

Brian Walsh, who owns stations in and around Fort Wayne, petitioned to the local zoning board top rezone land in his family to rebuild the entire 6-tower pattern on some family land. The zoning board said "Hell no"

 

[gr8oldies]

Not much on-air that I recall. Just the call letters and branding themselves as "Lucky 13."

They did have billboards along I-465 near the airport that said (paraphrasing, but it was close) "While you were out of town, we've been spending day and night with your WIFE."

Here's a sample of WIFE-1310

After WIFE was no longer on 1310, a station in Connersville IN obtained the calls for a Country format, called The Hot WIFE.".

 

[ZantennaG1]

It wasn't a regular, but it wasn't rare either.

BTW, not only were the Indy stations dead at night, but so were the Louisville stations other than WHAS. Back in those days, WAKY 790 was a really good rocker during the day, but fuggedaboudit at night. I forget what I could hear on 790 since CKLW was strong enough to splatter over it.

Now WAKY is on 620 for your listening pleasure, and they still rock!

 

[KeithE4]

Now WAKY is on 620 for your listening pleasure, and they still rock!

Back in Ye Goode Olden Dayes, that was WTMT, a low-powered daytimer that put a decent signal into Bloomington. Sometimes, WTMJ Milwaukee would sneak in, and if one was driving through the IU campus, carrier-current WIUS would be audible if you were near some residence halls.

 

[cyberdad]

Back in Ye Goode Olden Dayes, that was WTMT, a low-powered daytimer that put a decent signal into Bloomington. Sometimes, WTMJ Milwaukee would sneak in, and if one was driving through the IU campus, carrier-current WIUS would be audible if you were near some residence halls.

I mostly remember WTMT as a country station. And a pretty good one, at that!

 

[KeithE4]

Not much on-air that I recall. Just the call letters and branding themselves as "Lucky 13."

They did have billboards along I-465 near the airport that said (paraphrasing, but it was close) "While you were out of town, we've been spending day and night with your WIFE."

Here's a WIFE billboard from that era:

 

[gar hi]

In Bloomington, we were in Ancient Modulation Rock and Roll Heaven at night: WLS, WCFL, WOWO, CKLW, WABC, KAAY (before they found religion), and WIBG on occasion.

Wow! I didn't know the old 'Wibbage' had listeners outside of the Delaware Valley at night.

That's cool.

Where I was in South Jersey, the signal would get noticeably weaker when they switched to their nighttime power and direction at dusk.

 

[gr8oldies]

Wow! I didn't know the old 'Wibbage' had listeners outside of the Delaware Valley at night.

That's cool.

Where I was in South Jersey, the signal would get noticeably weaker when they switched to their nighttime power and direction at dusk.

I don't remember hearing WIBG in Ohio