AM Frequency of the week: 1290

[cyberdad]

40 Miles northwest of downtown Chicago....

Days: 1290 is almost empty. I can hear two very faint signals mixing, but neither is even remotely identifiable. Presume WZTI (Milwaukee) and WIRL (Peoria). Both 5kw. WIRL is non-directional, WZTI is only about 60 miles away, but beams most of its signal north. Away from me.

NightsL A het! At least for the past couple of months. No idea what it is or where it comes from, but I can hear it on all of my radios. Otherwise, it's usually WIRL/ But there's a mystery there, as well. Some nights WIRL is completely missing, or at least nearly so, Other nights, WIRL is one of the strongest of the former "regional" channel signal. My guess is that there could be some transmitter work going on, and they may be at reduced power from time to time. When WIRL has been weak or missing, it opens the door for ) WHIO to rise to the top with a fair signal. CFRW (Winnipeg) is a less frequent visitor. I've also heard WKLJ (Sparta, WI) a couple of times. Presumably on 5kw day power._

Retro: Through much of the 1960s and 1970s, 1290 at night was a battle between WIRL and KOIL. A battle of two legendary top 40 stations taking turns on top. I haven't heard KOIL here for a long time, however. At least 10-15 years, if not more.

WIRL was one of my daytime top-40 "go-tos" during my college days in southeast Iowa. It disappeared completely at night (protecting KOIL). But the day signal was fabulous. Listenable from where I was and all the way across central Illinois to the Indiana state line.

 

[radioman148]

In the near north Chicago suburbs this frequency is mostly empty during the day. At night WIRL comes in most often, but is subject to fading. I've heard WHIO and KOIL, but not nearly as often as in the past.

Retro: I used to try to hear WRIT back in it's Top 40 days, but it was nearly impossible at my location. At night WIRL faded in and out and sometimes KOIL would come through.

 

[Steve Green NEPA]

@ Cyberdad: How much is the het you get? 1kHz? 2? Other?

Our now-dark local WPAM 1450 Pottsville PA used to put this growly, moaning howl on their 1450 itself. I know it was from WPAM because when they'd go off the air for some reason or other, the moan disappeared.

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In the 'new' digs here in NE PA (23 years 'new', hi), WQIN Lykens PA used to be the semi-local. They were some 35 miles SW of here. To my knowledge they were the first AMer to buy the farm in Eastern PA.

There is nothing IDable in the midday here. WODS 1300 from Hazleton is pretty loud.

Nighttimes have brought CJBK from Canada. And WSTK from Colonial Heights / Richmond VA made it here one SSS for a nice tape ID.

* * * * * * *

Retro days near JFK Airport in Queens welcomed the faint but incredible Top 40 Long Island station WGLI. I have some six mint jingles from them. If someone here can tell me how to take a mere mP3 file and place it here, I'd be glad to do so.
The incredibly directional WGLI had difficulty being heard in the Sunrise Mall, Massapequa, about 8 miles west of the sticks. Yet, on their 5000 daytime watts they used to bomb into Bermuda. Really. WGLI's signal all went southeast.

 

[DXBob]

My late uncle was an Engineer at WIRL for many years before his retirement in the mid 80s. He worked at the transmitter site on 3rd shift. During my late high school years and during college, I would occasionally stop by and hang out with him. Actually, WIRL is a 2-tower directional array during the day with more slightly signal south and east of Peoria. An night, they have a 4-tower, classic figure 8 pattern with rather extreme nulls east and west of the transmitter site south of Peoria and the Illinois River in the Marquette Heights area. When I lived in Wisconsin, WIRL was a regular nighttime visitor. Even though I grew up in Peoria and attended high school there, WLS was actually our first Top 40 station of choice during the day with KXOK second, WIRL third and WCFL fourth on our list of favorite stations. During day hours, WIRL mellowed out their playlist to exclude any Top 40 hit with a harder edge. At night, it was WLS until they became a phasy mess after 8:00pm or so, WIRL and KAAY which had such a strong skywave signal that I could listen to the station in my bedroom on a RCA tabletop radio as I did my homework. However, during that era, KAAY broadcast religious programming at night until 8:00pm. Before 8:00pm, I often enjoyed listening to "Big Jack" on WKYC. Both KXOK and WCFL largely disappeared at night.

Here in the Kansas City area, I have yet to log at station on 1290 kHz. At night, it is just a mess of different signals.

Bob

 

[wildthangjim]

West Houston, daytime a very weak KIVY in Crockett TX with adult standards. At sunset I've heard KRGV Radio Vida (SS religion) from Weslaco TX and KWFS up in Wichita Falls TX w/News/talk. At night it's a jumble with each of the above popping in occasionally, with KKRC over in Louisiana heard once.

Retro: in Tulsa in the early 70's, KOIL was usually dominant at night, with KWFS also there. I remember hearing and QSLing WIRL and WHIO on Monday mornings.

 

[MichaelTheZ]

Chicago by the lakeshore:

During the daytime, this frequency tends to be pretty quiet. However, there is a certain segment of Lake Shore Drive on which I pick up a lot of SW Michigan stations, and when I'm there I can consistently get WNIL in Niles, Michigan. They play mellow music from the 60's and 70's when I'm listening. It's officially listed as "Adult Contemporary" despite most of the music not being contemporary. I'm not an expert on format names so that still might be an accurate description.

Nighttime: Like the other locals, WIRL in Peoria is most common for me, followed by WHIO in Kettering Ohio (near Dayton). A couple of times near sunset I have also gotten WFBG in Altoona, PA.

 

[WahooWah]

West Central Georgia:

Days: Weak signal from Latin Pop WCHK Canton/Atlanta GA 10000/500

Nights: WTKS Savannah GA 5300/5000 news/talk is most common visitor

Crucial Hours: WHKY Hickory NC 50000/1000 news/talk puts out a very strong signal early mornings and late afternoons with 50000 watts

When I lived in the Kansas City area, I often picked up WIRL from Peoria IL on my way to work. That station has quite a signal.

 

[cotton belt]

From Smith County, Texas, 5 miles NW of Tyler yields a moderate signal of crooning from Standards KIVY "FM 102.9 & AM 1290 KIVY" Crockett 2.5/.175 kW @ 81 miles SW from here. On occasion, KWFS in Wichita Falls will make a daytime appearance, but it is not common. Nights are a mess, with a faint to weak signal from the aforementioned KIVY breaking through periodically.

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

"During day hours, WIRL mellowed out their playlist to exclude any Top 40 hit with a harder edge."

Chickennn Rrrrockkk! It's everywhere! It's Everywhere!

Actually it was wise for most Top 40 stations to Daypart that way, even if it's only a few tracks they didn't play, and a few more they did play. You could easily fill a playlist with all current bulleted Hot 100 tracks, and even popular recurrents, and still have considerably different Dayparts. Back then Housewives and people who listened at work, while the kids were at school, were demographically older and appreciated it. At least they didn't have to tune out for heavy stuff older people didn't and still don't like.

Come to think of it, both WIRL and WMBD usually came in best in Michigan in the time between local Sunsets, often as little as 15 or 30 minutes.

 

[gr8oldies]

I could write a book about 1290.
East Tennesssee: Day--If there's no skip coming in from anywhere, the frequency is dead. If there's any daytime skip at all, it's WHKY, Hickory NC, with WHIO in Dayton, OH a close second. Sunrise or sunset, WKLB, Manchester KY or the aforementioned Hickory or Dayton.
Night: (Observations with the Knoxville SDR between Knoxville and Oak Ridge, TN). Predominantly WCBL, Benton, KY with oldies or WBTG, Sheffield AL with nostalgia...this evening both apparently running day power at night. WHIO's night pattern excludes East Tennessee

Retro/other: Dayton, OH area: I've been on this frequency at WHIO. WHIO is still nullible not that far away. A persistent problem for a couple of years was WKLB, which somehow had a mis-print on their license giving them day power starting at 5:45am in Dcember. That obliterated WHIO in morning drive in many parts of the market. If you couldn't hear anything else, their "weather" jingle was a giveaway.

But that's not all.....When WDZY, Colonial Hts, VA was Radio Disney, they were a regular before sunset and sometimes after sunset and before sunrise in the morning. If WIRL was on day pattern at night it was very strong. WHKY would also make it in on day pattern at night.

 

[cyberdad]

My late uncle was an Engineer at WIRL for many years before his retirement in the mid 80s. He worked at the transmitter site on 3rd shift. During my late high school years and during college, I would occasionally stop by and hang out with him. Actually, WIRL is a 2-tower directional array during the day with more slightly signal south and east of Peoria. An night, they have a 4-tower, classic figure 8 pattern with rather extreme nulls east and west of the transmitter site south of Peoria and the Illinois River in the Marquette Heights area. When I lived in Wisconsin, WIRL was a regular nighttime visitor. Even though I grew up in Peoria and attended high school there, WLS was actually our first Top 40 station of choice during the day with KXOK second, WIRL third and WCFL fourth on our list of favorite stations. During day hours, WIRL mellowed out their playlist to exclude any Top 40 hit with a harder edge. At night, it was WLS until they became a phasy mess after 8:00pm or so, WIRL and KAAY which had such a strong skywave signal that I could listen to the station in my bedroom on a RCA tabletop radio as I did my homework. However, during that era, KAAY broadcast religious programming at night until 8:00pm. Before 8:00pm, I often enjoyed listening to "Big Jack" on WKYC. Both KXOK and WCFL largely disappeared at night.
.Bob

no

I stand corrected. Indeed WIRL is directional during the day, but the nulls are very "mild". But they explain why I can usually get a very faint WMBD (1470) on a good radio in an open area during the day but effectively not WIRL. I also lived in Wisconsin briefly in the early '70s, and WIRL there at night was a monster.

@Steve Green....The answer to your het question is above my (and my radios)_pay grade. The het doesn't seem to be coming from WIRL itself because its there when WIRL ismissing. And also there when WIRL is present. From time to time it fades. I'm stumped. It does seem to be coming from a few khz higher than 1290 but I'm not sure about that. I don't hear it on 1300.

 

[CADXER]

Here in Wood Dale, IL in the near NW suburb of Chicago:

Daytime: nothing
Nightime: WIRL or WHIO

DX/RETRO: others heard in the past include KOIL (Omaha, NE), KTRN (Wichita Falls, TX), KIVY (Crockett, TX), WNIL (Niles, MI), WZTI (GReenfield, WI), WCBL (Benton, KY), WKLB (Manchester, KY), WHKY (Hickory, NC)

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

WIRL uses an endfire 4 tower array at Night. There could be as many as 6 nulls depending on design. It looks like two nulls are at the same angle to produce a deeper hull on both sides of the tower orientation. In the Standard Pattern, the null depth is close to the same. The The Theoretical Pattern shows a very deep null where they coincide.

 

[DXBob]

WIRL uses an endfire 4 tower array at Night. There could be as many as 6 nulls depending on design. It looks like two nulls are at the same angle to produce a deeper hull on both sides of the tower orientation. In the Standard Pattern, the null depth is close to the same. The The Theoretical Pattern shows a very deep null where they coincide.

Having lived in the Peoria area until I was 20 years old and have driven around the actual transmitter site at night [see my earlier post], I can concur on the depth of nulls. There is one place on U.S. 24 several miles west of the transmitter site [southwest of Peoria] where WIRL almost disappears as you drive through the null. On either side of this strong null, the sound is very phasey. And yes, there are several nulls with one being the most notable based on my experience. Once you drive into main north lobe over the city of Peoria, the signal is quite strong.

Bob

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

Having lived in the Peoria area until I was 20 years old and have driven around the actual transmitter site at night [see my earlier post], I can concur on the depth of nulls. There is one place on U.S. 24 several miles west of the transmitter site [southwest of Peoria] where WIRL almost disappears as you drive through the null. On either side of this strong null, the sound is very phasey. And yes, there are several nulls with one being the most notable based on my experience. Once you drive into main north lobe over the city of Peoria, the signal is quite strong.

Bob

https://www.fccdata.org/?lang=en&facid=13040&appid=311823&tabs=16838

If you look at the Theoretical Night Pattern Table, you'll see that the deepest nulls were designed to be Zero or near Zero in the Theoretical Inverse Field. Obviously, one deep null protects WHIO. According to the Engineer at the FCC who is the AM DA expert, the closest to reality in a properly maintained and adjusted array is the Theoretical. That's probably the null that makes the signal almost disappear at that location. Obviously, the Night pattern didn't protect WHGR Houghton Lake, MI or WZTI Greenfield, WI. I'm trying to figure out why they reduce to the North in the Daytime. So far, 1280 in Aurora and WRDZ LaGrange and WZTI Greenfield is all I can figure out. I think WTAQ was 500 watts Non-DA-D and WMIL was 1000 watts Non-DA-D originally. I'll have to look at the WIRL History Card to get more details.

 

[DXBob]

https://www.fccdata.org/?lang=en&facid=13040&appid=311823&tabs=16838

If you look at the Theoretical Night Pattern Table, you'll see that the deepest nulls were designed to be Zero or near Zero in the Theoretical Inverse Field. Obviously, one deep null protects WHIO. According to the Engineer at the FCC who is the AM DA expert, the closest to reality in a properly maintained and adjusted array is the Theoretical. That's probably the null that makes the signal almost disappear at that location. Obviously, the Night pattern didn't protect WHGR Houghton Lake, MI or WZTI Greenfield, WI. I'm trying to figure out why they reduce to the North in the Daytime. So far, 1280 in Aurora and WRDZ LaGrange and WZTI Greenfield is all I can figure out. I think WTAQ was 500 watts Non-DA-D and WMIL was 1000 watts Non-DA-D originally. I'll have to look at the WIRL History Card to get more details.

Does the west null at night protect KOIL? Or is that null coincidental in order to protect WHIO? One could argue that the KOIL nighttime pattern protects WIRL. With regard to the day pattern, it would appear that the slight nulls almost align in orientation [NE-SW] with the Illinois River valley. I do know that ground conductivity is better in eastern Illinois versus western Illinois.

Bob

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

Well, the M-3 Map shows 15 mS/m from around the WLS tower down to around St. Louis. The late great Glen Clark, former WLS-FM CE and WLS Staff Engineer, concurred with me that this "Bowling Pin" shaped area was constructed from results of contour and conductivity measurements done for an old measured WLS Coverage Map.

The null to the west probably does protect KOIL. "KOIL Cares When It Counts". It's a former "real" Class III-A, which was supposed to be protected to the 2.5 mV/m Nighttime Contour. The skywave prediction and methodology changed, but it's probably still quite low. Many of the new arrays that Glen Clark designed show an NIF contour around 3.0 mV/m. You can usually tell a former III-A by the null depth of other stations toward it. Despite popular belief, all 5 kW Night stations were NOT III-As, some were III-B, many were just IIIs. Many 5 kW Night Class IIIs had NIFs in excess of 25 mV/m, like WHGR was. There's usually a major lobe headed right in that direction. There are also 1 kW Night stations that were Class III-A, such as former co owned by Mid America Media, with WIRL, WTRX 1330.

 

[schmave]

From Reynoldsburg, Ohio, 1290 is a weak WHIO by day and jumble at night.
WHIO's signal is much better in the west suburbs of Columbus than here. Definitely loses some punch going across the city.
Their null to the south is so effective that I have a tough time hearing them on parts of 71 between Cincinnati and Columbus. They come in again for a little while around Washington Court House then go away again.

 

[radioman148]

Does the west null at night protect KOIL?

Bob

It is my understanding that WIRL does protect KOIL, but I stand to be corrected.

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

Here we go. If a fairly nearby (say within 500 miles or so) interfering signal contributes to the NIF of a real III-A, especially if it's less than a 1.5 mV/m contribution, like some of these, it's a DEEP null pointed at the station. With distances less than 250 miles or so, the elevation angle may be important, and the null might not point right at the protected station in the horizontal plane.

This is a really good application example, prepared by Matt Folkert of DLR. The skywave prediction is near the bottom. Is KOIL KOIL again? It was KKAR in this application. It looks like WIRL may have been a III-B, at least according to this new study, as the NIF exceeds 4.0 mV/m. The new methodology tends to increase the NIF over the old methodology. It's still well protected though. Some stations mysteriously became III-A even though their NIF far exceeded 2.5 mV/m, like WKZO 590.

https://licensing.fcc.gov/cdbs/CDBS...?appn=101544717&qnum=5120&copynum=1&exhcnum=1