AM Frequency of the Week: 1280

[cyberdad]

Seems a little quiet around here, so how about a new FOTW. What are you guys hearing on 1280? At my home QTH far northwest suburbs of Chicago....

Days: It's the somewhat "mis-labeled" 1kw WBIG from Aurora, IL. with a fair signal.

Nights: WBIG throws a null in my direction and disappears. No one station regularly makes it above the jumble, although I have heard Minneapolis and Evansville, IN a few times. The latter usually around sunset.

 

[radioman148]

In the near north Chicago suburbs I also hear WBIG day & night. There's others in the background at night, but I have yet to identify them.

 

[joebtsflk1]

Any chance that Cyberdad might get KCOB 1280 Newton IA between Chicago sunset and Newton sunset? Didn't look it up, but there would have to be at least a 15 minute window (if not 30 minutes) between the FCC prescribed times where KCOB's 730 watts omni daytime could slip in after WBIG goes to night pattern and throws a null his way.

Unlike a few other entries I've made where I'd say I used to hear myself talk (because no one else was likely listening) on a particular station where I used to work, I can say that I was employed at WWTC 1280 Minneapolis in a sales capacity for Catholic Family Radio in 1999. I was the token Lutheran!

 

[rbrucecarter5]

Any chance that Cyberdad might get KCOB 1280 Newton IA between Chicago sunset and Newton sunset? Didn't look it up, but there would have to be at least a 15 minute window (if not 30 minutes) between the FCC prescribed times where KCOB's 730 watts omni daytime could slip in after WBIG goes to night pattern and throws a null his way.

Unlike a few other entries I've made where I'd say I used to hear myself talk (because no one else was likely listening) on a particular station where I used to work, I can say that I was employed at WWTC 1280 Minneapolis in a sales capacity for Catholic Family Radio in 1999. I was the token Lutheran!

Houston - daytime KWHI Brenham. Night - your usual mixture of stations from the US and Mexico. Maybe the sports station from New Orleans a little more than others.

 

[mimo]

Ottawa daytime: CFMB.
Night: a mix of WADO and WHTK.

 

[cyberdad]

Any chance that Cyberdad might get KCOB 1280 Newton IA between Chicago sunset and Newton sunset? Didn't look it up, but there would have to be at least a 15 minute window (if not 30 minutes) between the FCC prescribed times where KCOB's 730 watts omni daytime could slip in after WBIG goes to night pattern and throws a null his way.

Unlike a few other entries I've made where I'd say I used to hear myself talk (because no one else was likely listening) on a particular station where I used to work, I can say that I was employed at WWTC 1280 Minneapolis in a sales capacity for Catholic Family Radio in 1999. I was the token Lutheran!

I've never heard KCOB at my location northwest of Chicago. I, of course, used to hear them with a pretty good signal for 1kw (at the time) along I-80 in my days of frequent business trips to Iowa. I also could occasionally pick them up where I went to college in southeast Iowa, by nulling semi-local WHBF (1270). That was about a 100-mile daytime hop.

WWTC was a favorite oldies station of mine back in the 80s, when I was in Minneapolis every 6-8 weeks. Not a very good signal, however....even at 5kw. Going east on I-94 into Wisconsin, I'd typically lose it after about 25 miles.

Finally, Mimo, about CFMB. I remember them when they were on 1410 as a French station. Wasn't there also a French 1280 in Ottawa? Or am I thinking of something else.

 

[Steve Green NEPA]

One of the first stations the wifester found on the dial, for oldies, was WFBS Berwick. They're over a few hills north of me. Pretty good car signal, though a lot of it is blunted by the terrain. It originally was an omni daytimer, then got some stingy-powered nighttime license. I once heard a few oldies about 4 AM once, readable pretty well under the nighttime occupant WADO.
WFBS was sold -- I'd heard it was for ~ $20,000 -- to a company who then put sports on it. The format was some network thing ; lots of NASCAR, and the like. This is a pretty active region for car races.

Recently, I'd say the past few years, they have gone back to playing oldies! A second catch is that they are simulcasting WHLM 930 from Bloomsburg. A third catch is that WHLM positions itself as 'News Radio 930' ! It's weird, catching the fade of something like 'You Ain't Seen N-n-n-n-othing Yet' ..... a voice saying 'News Radio 930, WHLM' ..... and then 'Say You Love Me' by Fleetwood Mac.

On 1280 !

At nighttime monitoring, I've gotten mostly the aforementioned WADO. Also, there's a WWOK from somewhere in Indiana in the log, plus a curious ID from a WFYC in Michigan, 12-3-99, with a pretty solid signal at times atop the porridge. The log has WFYC's nighttime power as being some abominable pittance. Evidently, someone in Alma forgot to drop the power.

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

WFYC is something around 50 watts nondirectional at night. There must be a fairly well protected former III-A fairly close by with an NIF in the 3 mV/m range. Back in the late 1960s, they had a CP for 5000 watts directional daytime. I suspect that they would have had to have at least three towers at night to go full time. The day CP was probably two towers, and they probably didn't really want to go directional days or build two phasors, and the same pattern day and night would have limited them. They get out pretty well days with 1000 watts nondirectional.

 

[mimo]

I've never heard KCOB at my location northwest of Chicago. I, of course, used to hear them with a pretty good signal for 1kw (at the time) along I-80 in my days of frequent business trips to Iowa. I also could occasionally pick them up where I went to college in southeast Iowa, by nulling semi-local WHBF (1270). That was about a 100-mile daytime hop.

WWTC was a favorite oldies station of mine back in the 80s, when I was in Minneapolis every 6-8 weeks. Not a very good signal, however....even at 5kw. Going east on I-94 into Wisconsin, I'd typically lose it after about 25 miles.

Finally, Mimo, about CFMB. I remember them when they were on 1410 as a French station. Wasn't there also a French 1280 in Ottawa? Or am I thinking of something else.

CFMB was on 1410 but always was ethnic. They do have a wee bit of French and English spoken from time to time but that's very rare. There was a previous station on 1280 in Montreal called CJMS, which has nothing to do with the station at 1040. It did reach Ottawa just as CFMB does. It's the same transmitter too.
Ottawa had a CBC French station at 1250, now at 90.7 FM.

 

[RyanHoward]

Warminster PA(Philly 'burbs):

Daytime: WADO New York(weak signal).
Night: WADO(stronger) and a mess of other stations that I don't know about.

 

[cyberdad]

CFMB was on 1410 but always was ethnic. They do have a wee bit of French and English spoken from time to time but that's very rare. There was a previous station on 1280 in Montreal called CJMS, which has nothing to do with the station at 1040. It did reach Ottawa just as CFMB does. It's the same transmitter too.
Ottawa had a CBC French station at 1250, now at 90.7 FM.

Thanks for clearing that up. I do remember hearing 1280 in both Ottawa and Montreal. Don't recall 1250, which must have been gone by the time I began coming to Ottawa regularly in the early '90s.

 

[mimo]

Thanks for clearing that up. I do remember hearing 1280 in both Ottawa and Montreal. Don't recall 1250, which must have been gone by the time I began coming to Ottawa regularly in the early '90s.

The flip from 1250 to 90.7 apparently happened between the fall of 92 to the fall of 94, depending on who you believe.

 

[gar hi]

Interesting frequency here.

Daytime - a weak but listenable WTMY Sarasota. 44 miles away and only 300 watts.

Most of the signal path is right over Tampa Bay. I'm in a unique part of town for that direct path.

Nighttime - WTMY Sarasota too. Weak but listenable with fading. And only 100 watts.

 

[cyberdad]

Interesting frequency here.

Daytime - a weak but listenable WTMY Sarasota. 44 miles away and only 300 watts.

Most of the signal path is right over Tampa Bay. I'm in a unique part of town for that direct path.

Nighttime - WTMY Sarasota too. Weak but listenable with fading. And only 100 watts.

This little coffeepot has surprised me during my current stay at Treasure Island. It's strong enough to trip the "scan" on my rental car radio by day and completely on top and listenable by night. Obviously the result of the salt water path. Interesting format as well, to say the least. (Basically big band).

(BTW, I'm planning my Honeymoon Island run for early next week, although I may head up there Friday morning).

 

[NoMoreLurking]

In the boonies of south-central CO, KBNO/Denver daytimes, but not very strong. Their pattern favors the north, day and night. At night KBNO swims in the mix with Salt Lake City and others. The 1280 in New Orleans heard before, but not often.

 

[gar hi]

This little coffeepot has surprised me during my current stay at Treasure Island. It's strong enough to trip the "scan" on my rental car radio by day and completely on top and listenable by night. Obviously the result of the salt water path. Interesting format as well, to say the least. (Basically big band).

(BTW, I'm planning my Honeymoon Island run for early next week, although I may head up there Friday morning).

It's a real interesting place with a lot of wilderness too.

Just make sure you do your DXing on the Gulf side of the island near the beach. There may not be as many people in the picnic areas on the other side of the island but the gnats can get you in no time. They left some long lasting marks on my legs one time I went there in the summer.

They won't bother you at all if you stay near the beach on the Gulf side.

And also be sure to check out some of the Florida stations from inland, from across a land path, such as WYGM. They come in a lot stronger than they do only a few miles inland. WQAM Miami is so much stronger out there than it is in Tampa where I can barely hear a trace of it.

 

[crainbebo]

1280 is a super-local, KIT Yakima.
Nights I can null them out (just barely, only north-south) and sometimes hear a very weak KFRN Los Angeles with Family Radio.

In the Seattle area, 1280 is a mix of KLDY Lacey WA (ESPN Deportes) and KIT, depending on which season it is. Winter, more KIT, summer, more KLDY.
Nights over there it was mostly KIT, KRVM Eugene (Jefferson Public) and KFRN. Occasional KLDY. KZNS Salt Lake City (50000 watts) at sunset usually. Very rarely, KPTQ Spokane (in the Progressive talk days) would come in, that station is now KZFS and Fox Sports. CJSL Estevan, SK (pre-1150) heard once or twice, with country and CJ1280. Very rare logging. And finally, there was the 12/7/2008 logging of KDOX Henderson, NV, with TOH ID "Henderson-Las Vegas". Never, ever since, even with KQLL calls.

-crainbebo