AM 1520 KKXA is up and "on the air"

[LDRADIO]

Their Facebook page lists them as KXA but after more than a decade Andy Skotdal has flipped the switch and is playing a loop of songs with the word radio in the lyrics at AM 1520.
No audio stream yet but here's a little info.http://wp.me/p1vQwF-AV

 

[Bongwater]

Not getting anything.....are you sure they're on the air?

 

[crainbebo]

Not hearing anything here except a very weak KGDD Portland here. When it goes on the air, goodbye to my skywave logs of KOKC Oklahoma City in the winter under KGDD!

-crainbebo

 

[jdweaver]

Used to ride the big 1520 KOMA out of OKC back in high school in the upper midwest. Great signal and top-40 format that covered half of the country.

I just wish Andy the best of luck with his combo. He certainly has paid his dues...

 

[Goldilocks94941]

I thought I noticed a carrier on 1520 the other night, when I made my "Russian" find on 1710. It mostly supressed the mega signal from Oregon somewhat in N Seattle, and I noticed a bit of sideband on either side of 1520 to help make it sound like there was indeed a test carrier, and not just a bad night's skywave from KGDD.

They might have to have a music format to cover up the ranchero stuff well enough to be listenable during critical hours and nighttime more then ten miles from the xmtr site. Of course, KFBK Sac'to on AM 1530 also usually bangs up here with their 50kw aimed right at us. And is KGA noticeably weaker now at night on 1510 on this side of the Cascades, since they reduced power from 50kw? (I don't often listen up at that end of the dial anymore.) I see why they're going for such high power on 1520, even if it does get aimed toward the Aleutians. Splatter sandwiches, anyone?

 

[Andrew Skotdal]

1520 will be on and off a lot for the next couple of weeks.  The directional antenna tune up is progressing, but it is slow going. If you want to see what is going on behind the scenes, go to the KXA Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/KXA/248523911825316

 

[Dan Sys]

I did hear a very faint "On The Radio" by Donna Summer earlier this morning underneath a very dominant KGDD. I assume that was KKXA.

 

[crainbebo]

Hearing 1520 KKXA tonight with radio song snippets. KGA 1510's skywave is getting trashed right now due to this.

New AM #384 in my log

-crainbebo

 

[scott salvatori]

Their Facebook page lists them as KXA but after more than a decade Andy Skotdal has flipped the switch and is playing a loop of songs with the word radio in the lyrics at AM 1520.
No audio stream yet but here's a little info.http://wp.me/p1vQwF-AV

it looks like bill w. couldnt work out a deal with andy s. to play his infamous "bird chirps" CD!

so just maybe we'll get to hear:

radio lover-george jones
sleeping with the radio on- charlie mcclain
aint nothing wrong with the radio- aaron tippin
you turn me on like a radio-ed bruce
turn the radio on-ronnie milsap
radio land-michael martin murphy
the radio-vince gill
i watched it all on the radio-lionel cartwright
turn your radio on-ray stevens
fadin' in fadin' out-tommy overstreet
radio heart-charlie mcclain
you turn me on im a radio-gail davies(yep, joni's song)

damn, i know my country music

 

[Goldilocks94941]

I vaguely recall some sort of late 70s country song - maybe by Don Williams - with a title or chorus like "ain't got nothin' on but the radio." I used to get calls from lonely gals in West Virginia whenever that one came up in rotation on my evening airshift way back then.

Then again, this reminds me about the night I was hosting on an album-oriented country FM format back there, where I could pick what I wanted to play around a loose rotation clock. I found Johnny Cash's classic "Last Day in the Mines" and surmised, it being coal mining country, that it would be a nice touch that might resonate with the audience. A couple hours later, word came in there was an accident at one of the local mines, and 2 or 3 men were killed. Needless to day, I never played that song again. This was also near where the Silver Bridge over the Ohio River went down, attributed by some to "Mothman" or some other supernatural force connected to the strange aircraft some say they saw floating over the bridge just before it collapsed and took dozens of motorists with it about ten years earlier. So, superstitions were as thick as the humidity in the air, and still are, back in the darkly mysterious Ohio River Valley.

Back to the topic at hand, I did listen to AM1520 around the Snohomish-King Co. line, about a mile inland, west of Aurora, for ten minutes or so yesterday afternoon. I hope the signal and pattern are not at full strength yet, because it was as weak as an 'out of town' signal, and noise from electical wires, and especially from built-in traffic detectors at a busy intersection, often overwhelmed the AM signal on my car radio. Otherwise, the signal didn't get much louder or weaker between Edmonds and Woodway.

 

[bobdavcav]

Getting back to the songs, how about Reaba'a Turn On The Radio, or The Other Side of the Radio by Chris Rice. BTW, Crane, I've never understood your log. KKXA is a new station in your log, KVSR or whatever the Mount Vernon station in your log was I thought was an NWPR rebroadcaster that's been on the air for a while, KATS in Yakema has been on the air for several years, so what are you looking for in your log? Only other one I can think of is KGEZ, which has had some legal problems but is now on the air.

 

[crainbebo]

Getting back to the songs, how about Reaba'a Turn On The Radio, or The Other Side of the Radio by Chris Rice. BTW, Crane, I've never understood your log. KKXA is a new station in your log, KVSR or whatever the Mount Vernon station in your log was I thought was an NWPR rebroadcaster that's been on the air for a while, KATS in Yakema has been on the air for several years, so what are you looking for in your log? Only other one I can think of is KGEZ, which has had some legal problems but is now on the air.

KSVR is not a NWPR rebroadcaster. It is operated by Skagit Valley College, KZAZ is the NWPR rebroadcaster but with it's low power I would never get it down here, due to KXOT. I've only DXed since about 2007 on FM, more seriously in 2009 after getting a new antenna for my FM radio, and 94.5 is taken up by that Hot Jamz/KMIH xlator, sometimes The Beat up in Vancouver, so getting KATS was nice. Tried for KFFM/KXDD/KDBL, etc. but couldn't get them. Only other Yakima I've gotten is KDNA 91.9, and KXLE in Ellensburg numerous times. I keep a log just because I'm a DXer, you know some DXers have logs to keep up with what stations they've caught, right?

-crainbebo

 

[Bongwater]

Getting back to the songs, how about Reaba'a Turn On The Radio, or The Other Side of the Radio by Chris Rice. BTW, Crane, I've never understood your log. KKXA is a new station in your log, KVSR or whatever the Mount Vernon station in your log was I thought was an NWPR rebroadcaster that's been on the air for a while, KATS in Yakema has been on the air for several years, so what are you looking for in your log? Only other one I can think of is KGEZ, which has had some legal problems but is now on the air.

KSVR is not a NWPR rebroadcaster. It is operated by Skagit Valley College, KZAZ is the NWPR rebroadcaster but with it's low power I would never get it down here, due to KXOT. I've only DXed since about 2007 on FM, more seriously in 2009 after getting a new antenna for my FM radio, and 94.5 is taken up by that Hot Jamz/KMIH xlator, sometimes The Beat up in Vancouver, so getting KATS was nice. Tried for KFFM/KXDD/KDBL, etc. but couldn't get them. Only other Yakima I've gotten is KDNA 91.9, and KXLE in Ellensburg numerous times. I keep a log just because I'm a DXer, you know some DXers have logs to keep up with what stations they've caught, right?

-crainbebo

Actually, KZAZ is the NWPR Classical Network affiliate for Bellingham on 91.7. Their signal is pretty much isolated to the downtown Bellingham area. KSVR is also on 91.7, but it's not an NPR station. KMWS 89.7 Mount Vernon runs the NWPR News Network.

KXOT's signal pretty much peters out around South Everett. KSVR's signal barely makes it into Marysville

 

[bobdavcav]

So these are all stations you've gotten from home? Hmm, then how did you get that country station from New Mexico a few weeks ago with KXXO's signal being so strong? The farthest I've been able to pull is KDUK-FM in Florence, and I've only gotten that once.

 

[Bongwater]

So these are all stations you've gotten from home? Hmm, then how did you get that country station from New Mexico a few weeks ago with KXXO's signal being so strong? The farthest I've been able to pull is KDUK-FM in Florence, and I've only gotten that once.

Atmospheric and tropo conditions are strange. And happen with little, if any advance warning. Usually by the time you hear about it, it's already long gone.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-skip

It's not that unusual to hear an e-skip temporarily outblast (or cause interference) with a strong local signal. And KXXO isn't THAT strong in Bothell.....

 

[crainbebo]

So these are all stations you've gotten from home? Hmm, then how did you get that country station from New Mexico a few weeks ago with KXXO's signal being so strong? The farthest I've been able to pull is KDUK-FM in Florence, and I've only gotten that once.

That, like Bongwater said was sporadic-E skip. During these openings, you can get FMs 1000 miles away, but usually in and out.

-crainbebo

 

[Andrew Skotdal]

Goldilocks, we haven't had a full powered test, yet, for more than 20 seconds. We seem to be experts at blowing up components right now, and we have a nice Tesla coil in one of the ATUs that won't behave. The coil is sending pretty blue arcs across the cabinet. As for some of these songs, we worked some of them into the new rotation (if we ever get to play it). Actually, we're making progress, but it's been a slow grind.

Back to the topic at hand, I did listen to AM1520 around the Snohomish-King Co. line, about a mile inland, west of Aurora, for ten minutes or so yesterday afternoon. I hope the signal and pattern are not at full strength yet, because it was as weak as an 'out of town' signal, and noise from electical wires, and especially from built-in traffic detectors at a busy intersection, often overwhelmed the AM signal on my car radio. Otherwise, the signal didn't get much louder or weaker between Edmonds and Woodway.

 

[LITTLEBOYBLUE]

...We seem to be experts at blowing up components right now, and we have a nice Tesla coil in one of the ATUs that won't behave. The coil is sending pretty blue arcs across the cabinet ... Actually, we're making progress, but it's been a slow grind.

You guys remind me of myself on any given weekend that I have a chain saw in my hand. Results aren't pretty! I admire your tenacity ... and as we know anything that involves a lot more work & challenge also involves a lot more appreciation when the task is done! Hang in there!

 

[scott salvatori]

I vaguely recall some sort of late 70s country song - maybe by Don Williams - with a title or chorus like "ain't got nothin' on but the radio." I used to get calls from lonely gals in West Virginia whenever that one came up in rotation on my evening airshift way back then.

not quite sure which one it was, but don williams had one out in the early 80's called "listen to the radio" whcih i forgot to list. but, speaking of don williams. he's one of the great class acts in country music. we had a chance to see him in seattle, about 10+ years ago. he just sat there on a stool for hours, and sung all his great hits, as good, or better, than the recorded material, put down on record decades earlier. this is a rare deal, when an artist, live in concert can out do the original recording. i have so much respect for this man! when his last album/CD came out in 1998, on giant records, he had little promotion, and no airplay. big city country radio programmers, who control the official charts, and playlist narrative, cast him aside as a has been, in favor of the latest heavely promoted pop country hat acts. he just withdrew from the scene with little fanfare, and headed back into a rural tennessee with his life long honey. also goldilocks, you get my vote for best opinionator at radio info .com.

 

[scott salvatori]

...We seem to be experts at blowing up components right now, and we have a nice Tesla coil in one of the ATUs that won't behave. The coil is sending pretty blue arcs across the cabinet ... Actually, we're making progress, but it's been a slow grind.

You guys remind me of myself on any given weekend that I have a chain saw in my hand. Results aren't pretty! I admire your tenacity ... and as we know anything that involves a lot more work & challenge also involves a lot more appreciation when the task is done! Hang in there!

just keep the chain slack tightened, so it aint too sloppy. dont hit the ground, which will dull the chain right quick. and keep that chain/blade/bar oiled. if your auto oiler is clogged, just spray "motorkote" spray on bar/chain every few minutes. wait??? is this radio info.com, or chainsaw info.com?