AM DX from Roatan Is. (Honduras) and Belize

[KR4BD]

My wife and I just returned from a cruise from Galveston, TX to Roatan Is (Honduras), Belize and Cozumel, Mexico. I was interested in WHAT English Language AM stations from the U.S. I could hear down there. I will probably split this up over two or three posts. My radio was a Tecsun PL-606 (an absolutely amazing mini-DX machine that fits in your pocket). After nearly 40 years in Ham Radio, I have owned and used several receivers for AM Dxing and the PL-606 ranks with the best of them despite its small size. No external antennas were used.

Night One

Feb 26, 2013 at 9-10:30 PM CST off the coast of Honduras (16.41 North & 86.53 West)

570 -WTBN Very Strong
640-???/ Station with NBC Sports Radio Talk
650-WSM Strong Weak Spanish Station in background
700-WLW Strong
740-KTRH
770-WWCN
820-WBAP
870-NO WWL - Heard Radio Reloj and Spanish Station mix
1100-WTAM
1120-KMOX
1200-WOAI with several other Spanish stations
1250-Syndicated Talk ????
1270-Syndicated Talk ????
1290-VERY STRONG Station with Religious Preaching but with very low modulation but strong RF level
1300-Station With 5 min Fox Radio News at 10 PM with Ads for Rob's Car Wash and “AT&T Push-to- Talk” Service. Mentioned Temp of 70 degrees in forecast
1360-WMOB with Religion
1510-Nutrition Infomercial Possibly WLAC
1530-WCKY Very Strong and Alone on Frequency
1560-”Sports Radio 1560” Probably KGOW (Have Heard this in Cartegena, Colombia before)
1580-????-Religious Preaching
1600-Sports Radio 1600 (Key West????)
1600-Station Playing Soft “Soul Music” ????

Between the above loggings was the expected plethora of Spanish Language stations which I did not try to ID.

 

[cd637299]

oooh baby....as they sing in "Summer Nights," tell me more, tell me more....

640 has gotta be WMEN Royal Palm Beach, FL....they are NBC Sports---< 1kW at night and over Cuba??? wow

1250 wouldn't surprise me if it's Tampa WHNZ

1270 likely WNOG Naples FL

1300 must be WFFG Marathon FL---there is a Rob's Car Wash, http://carwashfloridakeys.com/ , but it is part of a chain, I see

1600 very likely WKWF Key West

Isn't WMOB 1360 around 212 night watts?

Also, the 1290 & 1580 intrigue me.

I wanna read more....

cd

 

[crainbebo]

My lists show 1290 KRGE Weslaco, TX with SS religion, but no EE religion besides San Bernardino, CA. 5kw day and night.
1580 I can't find anything.
1600 with soul - maybe Huntsville, Alabama? 500 watts night however.

-crainbebo

 

[KR4BD]

Isn't WMOB 1360 around 212 night watts

cd

WMOB amazes me. I hear them clearly most nights here at my home in Lexington, KY. I've often wondered if they can't find the "POWER DOWN switch" at sunset....

 

[cd637299]

Isn't WMOB 1360 around 212 night watts

cd

WMOB amazes me. I hear them clearly most nights here at my home in Lexington, KY. I've often wondered if they can't find the "POWER DOWN switch" at sunset....

Possible. I think I heard it once under my semi local WKAT once.

cd

 

[tomservo]

Isn't WMOB 1360 around 212 night watts

cd

WMOB amazes me. I hear them clearly most nights here at my home in Lexington, KY. I've often wondered if they can't find the "POWER DOWN switch" at sunset....

I live in the area and they definitely do not power down at night. During the day they have a good signal because the two tower array is on the Mobile Bay Causeway, so it's all salt water direct south. It wouldn't surprise me if they could be heard in Yucatán or Quintana Roo or maybe even Roatán during the day. Another good Gulf Coast target for both day AND night is WROA 1390 Gulfport, which puts 5 kW pretty much due south over the Gulf day and night.

 

[audioguy]

I would have to guess that WMOB is NOT powering down at night! I never heard of this station until this winter. They've been a regular into the Chicago area off and on the past couple of months. This morning, they were very strong and completely dominating the frequency. There's NO WAY a 212 watt signal would be that strong into Chicago!

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

Thank you for the informative and interesting DX report. Nice to see that the two Cincinnati 50,000 watt stations were coming in well. I thought you might also pick up WHAS 840-AM from Louisville there. Per reports over the years, I've heard it does well in that general direction. (There have been some recent posts about WHAS reception on this board).

 

[KR4BD]

Thank you for the informative and interesting DX report. Nice to see that the two Cincinnati 50,000 watt stations were coming in well. I thought you might also pick up WHAS 840-AM from Louisville there. Per reports over the years, I've heard it does well in that general direction. (There have been some recent posts about WHAS reception on this board).

I did hear WHAS (and others) on a different night which I will report on tonight in another post (DX from Belize). Just too busy to do a post now.

 

[cd637299]

I suppose that because WMOB is on 1360 vs Pensacola's WCOA on 1370 only about 30 miles away, MOB has to send the signal away from P'cola AND away from any co-channels, so they have to send that, um, "212" watts (chuckle chuckle) somewhere.....Yucatan would make sense.

cd

 

[tomservo]

I suppose that because WMOB is on 1360 vs Pensacola's WCOA on 1370 only about 30 miles away, MOB has to send the signal away from P'cola AND away from any co-channels, so they have to send that, um, "212" watts (chuckle chuckle) somewhere.....Yucatan would make sense.

cd

Eh, with our terrible ground conductivity, they don't really bother each other. If anyone is looking at their coverage maps on Radio-Locator, be sure to view the construction permit one. That's the actual transmitter site now. They could very well be running the daytime power & pattern (9 kW, major lobe due north, minor lobe due south) at night now. The CP's night power is 200 watts and we all know that ain't happening. I was told that Buddy Tucker has basically thumbed his nose at the FCC and is doing what he pleases. Which is why WMOB began operating from its current site long before it had authorization.

 

[davideduardo]

1290-VERY STRONG Station with Religious Preaching but with very low modulation but strong RF level

I have heard several reports that there are some AMs operating in Belize (Official language is English, although Kriol and Spanish are widely spoken).

Tiny Belize has nearly 100 FM stations, and licensing is very lax. A religious AM is not beyond possibilities, and the signal to Cozumel, across water, would be very possible.

 

[KR4BD]

1290-VERY STRONG Station with Religious Preaching but with very low modulation but strong RF level

I have heard several reports that there are some AMs operating in Belize (Official language is English, although Kriol and Spanish are widely spoken).

Tiny Belize has nearly 100 FM stations, and licensing is very lax. A religious AM is not beyond possibilities, and the signal to Cozumel, across water, would be very possible.

David,

I thought about this, too. I spent a day (daylight hours) in Belize City and there was no trace of a signal on 1290. The signal I heard was rather bassy (mellow sounding) with low level modulation. I heard this off the coast of Honduras near its border with Belize about 9 PM the night before. It was not hard core preaching, but definitely Christian. The RF level was quite strong overpowering anything else on 1290. You are right about the FM signals in Belize. They are all over the place... In fact, many FM TX antennas are mounted on telephone poles. I saw several rather "Temporary" installations. English was definitely the main language I encountered during my brief stay. I did note a little Kriol.

 

[cyberdad]

I don't know what WMOB might be up to, but their towers are located in what I would describe as a salt water swamp just off I-10 on the edge of Mobile Bay. I'm sure that's one reason, if not THE reason why they have a really good daytime signal. One of the best in Mobile....which "on paper" would not figure to be the case.

 

[Icangelp]

Great thread.

Thanks for taking time out to post your DX'ing finds. I know how busy cruising can be, what with drinking, eating, shore excursions, gambling, and sitting on your balcony waiting till it's time to drink and eat again.
;D

 

[cd637299]

I miss Radio Belize on AM 834..... <ducking tomatoes>

cd

 

[audioguy]

I miss Bonaire on 800...

 

[cd637299]

I miss Bonaire on 800...

It's still here, but you now have to be where I am (near Miami) to hear it.

cd

 

[KR4BD]

Great thread.

Thanks for taking time out to post your DX'ing finds. I know how busy cruising can be, what with drinking, eating, shore excursions, gambling, and sitting on your balcony waiting till it's time to drink and eat again.
;D

Boy...You got that right! My wife and I are mostly retired And love cruising. It's a very economical way to just "be lazy" and see the world! I always take a radio when cruising to catch some AM DXing but often don't have much time for it with all the activities, shows, tours, etc. And, I can't do too much DXing or Mrs. KR4BD would not be happy.....

 

[jd]

I miss Radio Belize on AM 834..... <ducking tomatoes>

cd

I was on the Texas Gulf Coast one night back in the 80's and listened to Radio Belize; not a bad signal, and some interesting music and announcements. One such announcement was "a message for the mayor of Monkey Town." Apparently phone service to the interior at the time wasn't that great!