AM Daytime Band Scan Fruit Cove FL

[JaxRadioFan]

I did some AM daytime DXing this week on what you can hear in my area some 15 miles south of downtown Jacksonville, FL

Here goes!!

540 WFLF Orlando Fair signal with 550 slop
550 WAYR local
560 slop
570 nothing
580 WDBO Orlando Faint
590 slop
600 WBOB local
610 slop
620 WDAE St Pete Faint listenable
630 WBMQ fair signal
640 WVLG very faint
650-710 slop 690 WOKV blow touch
720 WRZN Hernando fair signal
730 WLTQ Charleston SC Fair signal
740 WYGM very faint
750 nothing
760 WLCC Brandon Faint
770 nothing
780 nothing
790 WSFN Brunswick GA WLBE Lessburg fight it out both faint
800 WPLK Palatka FL good signal
810 nothing
820 WWBA Largo faint but listenable
830 nothing
840 something there can't make it out
850 WRUF Fair to faint signal. used to compare with WPLK in years past.
860-890 nothing
900 WMOP Ocala faint signal but listenable
910 nothing
920 slop
930 WFXJ local
940 slop
950 WTLN Orlando fair to faint signal
960 nothing
970 WNNR fair signal. I think they or in night power of 164 watts.
980 WDVH Gainesville faint signal
990 WDYZ Orlando faint signal
1000 slop
1010 WJXL local
1020 slop
1030 WONQ Oviedo FL Fair signal. Strongest Orlando AM signal
1040 slop
1050 WROS local
1060 slop
1070 nothing
1080 WHOO faint to fair signal
1090 nothing
1100 WCGA fair signal
1110 nothing
112 nothing
1130 WHHW Hilton Head Island SC Fair to faint signal
1140 nothing
1150 WNDB Very faint
1160 WEWC Callahan, FL local
1170 WSOS St Augustine fair signal w/ slop from 1160
1180 nothing
1190 WWIO St Mary's GA faint signal
1200 nothing
1210 nothing
1220 WJAX fair to good signal bad audio.
1230 WSBB New Smyrna Beach FL faint to fair signal w/ slop from both 1220 and 1240
1240 WFOY St Augustine. Good signal but recently has degraded to faint to fair.
1250 WTMA Charleston SC very faint. This signal has degraded from years past.
1260 WIYD Palatka FL Fair to good signal. not bad for 400 watts.
1270 WRLZ Eatonville, FL Fair signal
1280 nothing
1290 WTKS Savannah faint signal
1300 nothing
1310 slop
1320 WJNJ local
1330 slop
1340 WDSR Lake City FL Faint to very faint WROD Daytona faint to very faint. Depending on how I have the AM loop situated.
1350 slop
1360 WGCL local
1370 slop
1380 WELE Ormond Beach, FL very faint
1390 slop
1400 WZAZ local. very strong signal for a graveyard station.
1410 slop
1420 WAOC St Augustine, FL good signal.
1430 WTMN Gainesville, faint signal
1440 WGIG Brunswick GA fair signal
1450 slop
1460 WQOP local
1470 slop
1480 nothing
1490 WMOP Brunswick GA faint to fair signal mostly equal to WGIG despite only 600 watts.
1500 nothing
1510 nothing
1520 slop
1530 WYMM local
1540 slop
1550 WNXF Palm Coast FL fair signal
1560 nothing
1570 WVOJ Fair to good signal
1580 nothing
1590 slop
1600 WZNZ local
1630 Nocatee Radio faint signal
1680 WOKB very faint to faint signal.

 

[Steve Green NEPA]

Curious here as to how WOKV comes in at night there by you, Jax. You say you're 15 miles south of downtown, and your log says it was daytime.

We once drove west on 301 -- behind their towers -- one night several years back, and the cancellation effect was delirious. They no longer were 'The Big Ape'. but that signal was still doing its thing. The wifester moaned, 'Can't you tune them in right?'
People in Sierra Leone probably get them very well at night, but maybe not in Bryceville or Baldwin.

As recently as 2010 I wasn't impressed at all with WOKV's daytime signal into The Villages (between Ocala and Leesburg). So that signal-degradation stuff must dead-on/widespread nowadays, huh?

I haven't done a complete search yet, but maybe someone can confirm that WOKV is the only Florida 50,000-watter that is omni daytime?
The overnight of Hurricane Hugo, when they were on the daytime power and pattern, they were booming into Philadelphia, right next to WFAN 660 and pretty much 100% readable.

 

[JaxRadioFan]

At night, WOKV comes in well enough to listen. But on some nights it can get a bit scratchy. WOKV 106.5 is what I tend to listen to day and night just for the clarity of FM. If you're driving on I 95, it is good from about exit 335 Old St Augustine rd to the Dunn ave exit. By the time you pass the airport exit, it get pretty bad. I do remember DXing in Jekyll Island some years ago and hearing WOKV during the night with a listenable signal. Same was true at St Augustine beach at night.
I would add that the strongest nighttime AM signal from Jax to my area is 1010 WJXL.

 

[Icangelp]

JaxRadioFan, thanks for sharing your results.

What with all the shoe horned stations & Cuba, Florida doesn't seem to be an ideal day or night time MW DX location.

How close are you to the St. John's River?

It's been awhile (a couple of decades ago), but my wife and I rented a houseboat & spent several days cruising down the St. John's. It was a very nice experience.

 

[gar hi]

Thanks for the bandscan, JaxRadioFan

720 WRZN Hernando fair signal

That's a real good catch. I'm a lot closer and they have a weak signal even with my loop.

640 WVLG very faint

Another good catch.

I can't hear a trace of them daytime and I'm about the same distance.

What kind of receiver are you using?

 

[cd637299]

What with all the shoe horned stations & Cuba, Florida doesn't seem to be an ideal day or night time MW DX location.

I'm over 300 miles south of Jacksonville, and I can agree with that above statement! It's pretty much FM & TV DX for me, but I'll give a whirl at daytime AM at times.

cd

 

[Steve Green NEPA]

Jax : Have you tried for anything further up the Atlantic coast with any good results? North Carolina ...? Tidewater Virginia?

Though I was never there on the Outer Banks and Hatteras NC, the word (from a buddy) was that at 12 noon you could hear both WBZ Boston and the Big Ape. And there would be attendant stations on the Banx from both directions, too, although not as loud, via the water path. IIrc, my buddy logged WIOD Miami, WIBG Philly on 990, and WHLI 1100 from Long Island at midday there. Your proximity to the Atlantic ought to catch quite a few fish in the loop antenna netting.

On Long Island, we used to hear W'OB'R 1530, from the 'OB', daily. And they were only 250 watts.

You must get a lot of European hets after sunset, too.

I wish there were a water path here in Coal Country PA. All we have are the faucet, a reservoir, and randomly melted ice cubes.

 

[JaxRadioFan]

I will say that night time AM dxing is a mess here with a lot of Cubans and others as well. I will be compiling a list as time allows. I'm about 3 miles from the St Johns and about 10 or so miles from the coast. Stations to the west tend to come in better at the river.
In 2008 I vacationed at Nags Head NC AKA OBX and did some daytime AM DX and was treated with some surprising catches and misses. NYC stations were good to semi local sounding. Nothing from Hartford 1080 But a faint WBZ. Also I caught 690 WOKV with a very faint signal. I was not able to hear Miami on 560 or 610. My surprise catch was WICC Bridgeport fighting the Baltimore station. My equipment is my Lexus car radio and a DX-400 with an AM loop.

 

[cd637299]

@ SteveGreen: I was at Cape Hatteras in Nov 1997, for daytime AM DXing. True, I should have gone in June to find out what can be heard in the deadest of conditions. Oh well.

W/ Superadios II & III + Select-a-Tenna, yes, from WIOD south to WBZ north, and even WWL over land! It was kinda bizarre to tune 1030 to hear Boston, when go up a notch to 1040 for Boynton Beach FL!

At that time, WGAI 560's sister FM was having problems, so WGAI programming went to the FM. With WGAI not airing Limbaugh, the easiest-to-hear Rush affiliate at that time was WABC.

If WGAI was off, I'd figure on a WQAM/WFIL battle, but no dice.

And, I did have a het on I think 585 at night from Nags Head. Heard a couple of now-defunct Canadian AM's at night, CHTN 720 & CJCH 920. Even CKOC 1150 made it in.

cd

 

[gar hi]

JaxRadioFan, I think Florida is one of the best places to be for AM daytime DXing if you are right on the beach.

Here on the west coast daytime at Honeymoon Island, I can hear all the way to and including Texas daytime. And that's in summer too.

 

[JaxRadioFan]

Gar, You're right about that. I have done daytime AM DXing at the beaches in this area namely Ponte Vedra, Vilano Beach and at Palm Coast. Miami's 560 and 610 are heard in Vilano. Many stations from the GA and SC coast come in well here with 630 and 730 sounding almost local. I don't recall receiving anything from NC though. Daytona's stations come in clear in JAX beach up to Jekyll Island.
FM DX is especially fun here too. Lots of tropo catches over the years. I have an insignia $50 HD radio and caught 107.1 from Wilmington NC with the RDS information from Jax Beach even with 100KW 107.3 just seven miles to the west with IBOC. This radio seems to have pretty good selectivity. Bandscans will be forthcoming .

 

[benale]

I spend quite a bit of time in Fort Lauderdale and with a Tecsun 390 I've logged some impressive signals. From what I remember: 540-WFLF..fair 580-WDBO a faint signal, 590.True Oldies from Clewiston..good, 620-WDAE faint, 760..sports North of West Palm..good..770.sports Fort Myers..faint..810..Freeport,Bahamas..good. 820..WWBA Tampa fair, 900..gospel station Okeechobee..good, 960..oldies Jupiter?..fair, 970..WFLA.faint, 1060.Titusville News, faint to fair

A lot of Cubans from 530,570,690,890,among others. I would imagine the other Spanish stations are in Miami and environs. This is during midday. At night AM DXing is mostly Spanish language,but I have received 660,710,770 and 880 from New York many times with no background station. Usual catches at night are WSM at 650, WSB at 750, WBAP at 820,WHAS at 840,WWL at 870,WBT at 1110,KMOX at 1120, and WRVA at 1140. 1130 and 1170 out of Shreveport and Tulsa come in occasionally.

 

[gar hi]

JaxRadioFan, when I was growing up in New Jersey I could hear Jacksonville's 690 WAPE right around sunset and then it would vanish when they switched power and direction.

It was a regular catch for that brief time of day.

 

[dx1ng]

On Long Island, we used to hear W'OB'R 1530, from the 'OB', daily. And they were only 250 watts.

As an AM Dxer who lived a mile from Long Island Sound just outside of Bridgeport,CT back in the 60's, WOBR-1530 used to be my farthest daily daytime catch. Then WDJZ-1530 Bridgeport started broadcasting, and it was good-bye WOBR. My second farthest daytime catch was 1550-- Virginia Beach (WBOF back then, I believe).

 

[JaxRadioFan]

I lived just outside Bridgeport myself for a few years in the late 70's to 84 and did some DXing in the lordship section of Stratford. Yes, I used the same DX400 that I use today (but not the same car radio Thank God I remember being able to null out 1340 in New Haven and was able to get 1340 from Atlantic City. 1210 WCAU and 1030 WBZ was a fair signal then as well. I too remember catching WAPE 690 during the late fall months after WADS Ansonia would sign off. Then when WAPE would disappear and WVOK in Birmingham would come in for 15 to 30 minutes when they would sign off. I recall hearing them playing "Way down South in Dixie" as their sign off song instead of the National Anthem.

 

[gar hi]

I remember being able to null out 1340 in New Haven and was able to get 1340 from Atlantic City.

Was that day or night?

When my parents used to take me to Massapequa, Long Island to visit friends when I was growing up, I could hear WMID Atlantic City with a good signal there during the day.

Then back home in south Jersey near Philadelphia, I could hardly hear a trace of them under the local station on 1340 (which was not that strong anyway) and it was only half the distance.

That was when I was starting to learn on my own the amazing ability of saltwater to carry an AM signal.

 

[N4GBK]

Through the years, I’ve been to the OBX many times as it is a day trip from here. I’ve not spent a lot of time DXing there but I can say that 690 WOKV (WAPE) is usually strong during the day as are many of the stations to the north along the east coast. NYC, Annapolis, Long Island and WBZ are regulars. When I was a kid, a transistor radio on the beach brought in a solid 77 WABC during the day.

On the northern beaches, you may get different results than you get on the southern beaches. But radio propagation being what it is will mean that signals from the north are strong some days while the ones from the south are strong on a different day from the same location with the salt water within eyesight. That is part of what makes AM DXing fun.

Perhaps I should find a nice day to conduct a band scan at the beach?

Have fun. -Bill

 

[gar hi]

Never been there but from what I've heard, it sounds like one of the top DXing locations anywhere.

If there's not too strong a local on 1340, I wonder if WMID Atlantic City could be heard there.

 

[cd637299]

Through the years, I’ve been to the OBX many times as it is a day trip from here. I’ve not spent a lot of time DXing there but I can say that 690 WOKV (WAPE) is usually strong during the day as are many of the stations to the north along the east coast. NYC, Annapolis, Long Island and WBZ are regulars. When I was a kid, a transistor radio on the beach brought in a solid 77 WABC during the day.

On the northern beaches, you may get different results than you get on the southern beaches. But radio propagation being what it is will mean that signals from the north are strong some days while the ones from the south are strong on a different day from the same location with the salt water within eyesight. That is part of what makes AM DXing fun.

Perhaps I should find a nice day to conduct a band scan at the beach?

Have fun. -Bill

Yes perhaps! If the weather is nice on June 21 (the longest day of the year), a nice daytime scan from Cape Hatteras would be cool to print!

Do you get Bermuda at sunset sometimes? (1160/1280/1450 are the only ones left there)

cd

 

[mobley]

On the OBX of NC, daytime hours, WMID comes in pretty much everywhere. Ditto for the NYC big guns like 660, 710, 770 and 880. 1010 WINS not available due to station in Norfolk. Have heard 630 in Providence RI in a couple of spots, for some reason WMAL was nulled out. Never WICC, due to station in B-More. WIOD and WQAM in Miami available in southern regions of the banks, such as Ocracoke or Cedar Island. Tried for years to pull in Bermuda, but it never happened. One evening at twilight, picked up a split frequency from Haiti at 1035 as it was signing off, but never any Trans-Atlantic catches.