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AM Frequency of the Week:1180

cyberdad

cyberdad

Far northwest suburban Chicago.....

Days: 1180 is WSQR from Sycamore, IL. 900 watts ND from 30 miles southwest of me. Signal is generally fair-good,

Night: WSQR drops to ONE watt. Which means their wattage is exactly equal to their number of translators. It also means a signal with a listenable range of about 2-3 miles at night. I've never heard WSQR here at night What I hear is a fair-good WHAM. Sometimes with the R. Rebelde "chorus" faintly underneath.

Sunrise/Sunset: Sometimes WJNT from Jackson, MS sneaks in 50kw day power. That's rare, however.

Other Location.: As most, if not all, of you on this board already know, Cuba has turned its island into a giant antenna farm on 1180 relaying R. Rebelde to thwart U.S. government-run R. Marti from Marathon in the Floriday Keys. The result of all these transmitters is a listenable night signal (albeit with echo) 24/7 at our beach getaway location near Pensacola. Usually strong enough...but not always....to blow out WHAM, WJNT, and everything else that might otherwise be on 1180.
 
From the southwest suburbs of Chicago:

WHAM Rochester is the nighttime regular, has been as long as I've been at this. I remember on Sunday nights in the early 1970s, you might get a Rochester Americans hockey game followed by the Rochester Symphony. Try to find that on one station now!

Days, like cyberdad, it's WSQR Sycamore, medium strength but steady until it drops to that itty bitty watt.

Otherwise, there was a one-time visitor in WGAB Newburgh, Ind., a 670-watter, and Radio Rebelde, reportedly 200 kW (perhaps in total) when I work for it. I'm not on 1180 enough to note a regular presence by the Cuban.
 
In the near north Chicago suburbs, days it's a fair WSQR with a steady signal until they drop power at night and then they completely disappear. At night WHAM owns the channel. Sometimes I hear Cuba underneath.
 
East Tennessee: Daytime-local oldies WKCE.
Night--as is true for most of this region, it's WHAM, the Rebelde Chorus or both. Particularly on auroral nights, the echoing Rebeldes can be alone on the frequency.

Retro/other: WKCE has been known to get out. I've received it near sunset on the Edinburgh IN SDR near sunset often..
A few years ago this facility was staying on 24/7 with 10000 watts and was widely heard. It's daytime signal now makes it well into Western North Carolina.
Fun with SDRs" The Key West SDR presents Radio Marti a little off the beam but strong, with the Rebelde chorus in the background day and night. I also have heard Marti on the Bonaire SDR, with an announcer introducing Justin Bieber in an excited voice. Now that'll turn those Commie kids capitalist LOL!

WGAB.Newburgh IN would make it to the Lafayette area sunrise and sunset in the 90s,
 
tvnut said:
From the southwest suburbs of Chicago:

WHAM Rochester is the nighttime regular, has been as long as I've been at this. I remember on Sunday nights in the early 1970s, you might get a Rochester Americans hockey game followed by the Rochester Symphony. Try to find that on one station now!

Days, like cyberdad, it's WSQR Sycamore, medium strength but steady until it drops to that itty bitty watt.

Otherwise, there was a one-time visitor in WGAB Newburgh, Ind., a 670-watter, and Radio Rebelde, reportedly 200 kW (perhaps in total) when I work for it. I'm not on 1180 enough to note a regular presence by the Cuban.
Click to expand...
I'd take those listed 200kW powers with as many grains of salt as possible. In the Soviet days, sure but not with the Chinese transmitters.
 
Chicago by the lakeshore:

Daytime: WSQR in Sycamore makes it all the way to the lakeshore. If you're right on the lake you can also hear WXLA in Diamondale, Michigan in some places.

Nighttime: Like the others around here, WHAM is the norm. Once I heard WGAB when they didn't power down for the night. And despite not normally hearing the Cuban stations that well where I am, I have picked up Radio Rebelde at least once on 1180.
 
DFW, Texas:

Daytime: Noise from locals on 1160 and 1190.

Nighttime: WJNT Jackson, MS and/or R. Rebelde, with conditions determining which one is on top. I have also heard KLPF Midland, TX at sunrise.
 
gr8oldies said:
I'd take those listed 200kW powers with as many grains of salt as possible. In the Soviet days, sure but not with the Chinese transmitters.
Click to expand...
Oh, I agree. That was the listing but I’m suspicious as well. At 200 kW, WHAM would be swamped every night.
 
From west Houston, days used to be local KGOL, but they've been off the air since October. I understand the station was sold and they have to move their towers before returning to the air. So, nothing here during the day. At night, mostly Rebelde, with WJNT stronger at sunset. I've also heard KLPF in Midland Texas and XEFR (not in a while).
 
Midday here off the GE SR 2 crackles a weak and unsteady WFYL from King of Prussia PA, from a bit NW of the namesake market of Philadelphia. They're a talk station that's tried every method of communications including Morse Code.
WFYL-AM 1180 kHz - King of Prussia, PA
The den here is about 1/2 inch north of Pottsviile on your map.

SSS -- once I heard WHJM from Tennessee, from outside Knoxville, back when they were that.

Nights it's WHAM.
 
Last edited:
MichaelTheZ said:
Chicago by the lakeshore:

Daytime: WSQR in Sycamore makes it all the way to the lakeshore. If you're right on the lake you can also hear WXLA in Diamondale, Michigan in some places.
Click to expand...
In the early 2000s, WSQR and WXLA were both running the exact same satellite-delivered format. "America's Best Music". On business trips to Michigan, there was a short stretch along I-94 near Lake Michigan where both signals were usually present. Only a very slight echo....,and I couldn't tell which was which!
 
Here in Wood Dale, IL in the near NW suburb of Chicago:

Daytime: WSQR, Sycamore, IL with good signal.
Nightime: WHAM dominates. Otherwise the many Cuban transmitters jamming Radio Marti.

DX/Retro: prior to WSQR moving to this frequency I managed to hear WLDS (Jacksonville, IL) during daytime in 1982. Others heard: WJNT (Pearl, MS) heard few times with WHAM/Cuba nulled. Also managed to hear WSAF (Trion, GA) once during their sign off. My two recent catches on this frequency are WGAB (Newburgh, IN) and WGUE (Turell, AR). Actually WGUE was heard several times this year during sunrise with Spanish language programming.

One of my goals for this frequency is to hear Radio Marti (Marathon, FL) here in the Chicago area, but unless they switch to non-directional pattern I think it's almost impossible.
 
Thank you as always for your post.

From Cheyenne, WY -- Daytime: Nothing.
Night-time: Occasionally KOFI Kalispell, MT comes to visit with their great oldies, but the signal isn't usually too good around here. I am surprised that I haven't yet managed KZOT out of Omaha yet, but I think I'm close. I agree with some other posters that it would be fun, if just once, Radio Marti ran a DX test that we could all try for.
 
ZantennaG1 said:
Thank you as always for your post.

From Cheyenne, WY -- Daytime: Nothing.
Night-time: Occasionally KOFI Kalispell, MT comes to visit with their great oldies, but the signal isn't usually too good around here. I am surprised that I haven't yet managed KZOT out of Omaha yet, but I think I'm close. I agree with some other posters that it would be fun, if just once, Radio Marti ran a DX test that we could all try for.
Click to expand...
I've tried for KOFI years ago but never got it in the Chicago area.
 
Around Columbus, Ohio, usually a solid to strong WHAM every night but I too occasionally hear Cuba in the background. I'm confident that I've never heard Radio Marti here, but not being a Spanish speaker that's more gut than conviction.
When I vacated in the Florida panhandle, namely Panama City Beach, back in 2004, the Cuban 1180 (one of them, anyway) blasted onto the beach in front of our rental. I doubt that was Marti given what I've read about their directional signal, and I was roughly 400 miles north-northwest of their stick even with a salt-water path.
 
From NW San Antonio:

Day: Splatter from local 1160 KRDY

Sunset: Radio Rebelde is the first to arrive, and it has a pretty good signal when I aim SE. Eventually KLPF in Midland comes up and sometimes dominates before dropping to night power. To the NE, where the splatter is strongest, a weak WGUE "La Jefa" in Turrell, AR, is usually in/out for a bit.

Night: The force is strong with Rebelde(s). To the NE/SW the hash is reduced, but there's now IBOC hash from 1170 KTSB. In that direction, XEFR "Radio Felicidad" in Mexico City is in with a fair signal, and a weak WJNT occasionally pops up.

Sunrise: XEFR, WJNT, and WGUE are at day power and stronger, most especially XEFR.

DX/Retro: I used to hear KGOL regularly at sunset/night/sunrise when it was on the air. Once at sunrise about five years ago I caught KZOT in Bellevue, NE, briefly. Also, on rare occasions I've heard very weak Spanish-language talk and music under Rebelde that I've never IDed.
 
ZantennaG1 said:
I agree with some other posters that it would be fun, if just once, Radio Marti ran a DX test that we could all try for.
Click to expand...
Martí has been on well into the past all through the night, so a test would not make any difference... unless they disabled the directional system and used a single tower... which I doubt they would run the risk of doing.
 
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