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AM Frequency of the week: 1580

cyberdad

cyberdad

The end of the road is at hand on our journey through the (former) 1-B clear channels. We started at 540 and are now at the finish line, which is 1580. So what are you guys hearing these days at that spot near the top of your dial?

Here northwest of Chicago, 1580 is almost completely blank in the dayime. I used to get a very weak signal from WKKD out of Aurora, IL, but they went dark when Frank Kovas' heirs bought up adjacent channel rimshot suburban stations so that he could raise power on his ethnic brokered station on 1590, WCGO.

Night: Mix of weak signals here along with one big dog....CKDO. CKDO is usually comfortably on top, as well as listenable. WCGO is a non-factor.

Retro: CBJ used to be frequently doable, but their signal was weak and not particularly reliable.

Now that we've concluded the "1-B" frequencies, I have an idea for moving forward that I'll post shortly in my "looking for help" thread. I think I've come up with something that should please everyone (or nearly everyone). So unless there are objections, that's how I'll proceed.
 
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100 miles south of DC, I can often get WJFK daytimes, next to local WFTH at 5kw.

Nights there's rarely anything legible. I've logged five other stations, but they all go low
wattage for CKDO, which points away from me at night.
 
East Tennessee: With our local off the air permanently for years (apparently never telling the FCC) more often than not it's WWTF, Lexington, which has just changed format to alternative from sports since the've added a translator. WVOK< Oxford AL has made it is as well as WJFK or whatever Morningside MD's call letters and format are this week. Various and sundry stations at night
 
It used to be CBJ Chicoutimi, Quebec at Night. Now, during Critical Hours, it is often 50000 Watt Daytime WPGC...WJFK Morningside, MD. At Night, it is CKDO Oshawa,ON. Pretty sure I have heard WAXU Georgetown, Kentucky, and WVKO Columbus, OH around Sunset. I'm sure there were others, but off hand, I don't recall them.
 
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Reynoldsburg, Ohio ...
All local WVKO, 24/7. It's scratchy at night with 290 watts, but it's not aimed directly at me out east ... more at the inner city 10 miles or so west of me. Its signal dies out pretty quickly north of town.
This is one of those stations I don't think I've ever seen in a DX report. gr8oldies, any chance you'd ever hear this one down in Tennessee? Pattern is aimed pretty much right in your direction.
 
schmave said:
Reynoldsburg, Ohio ...
All local WVKO, 24/7. It's scratchy at night with 290 watts, but it's not aimed directly at me out east ... more at the inner city 10 miles or so west of me. Its signal dies out pretty quickly north of town.
This is one of those stations I don't think I've ever seen in a DX report. ....
Click to expand...

I've certainly never heard it in the Chicago area. My only experience with WVKO was listening to it once driving through Columbusc on I-71....and losing it rather quickly!
 
Daytime in NW San Antonio is semi-local KWED in Seguin with a moderately strong signal.

At sunset, KWED can be nulled out enough to hear KGAF in Gainseville, TX, and KIRT in Mission, TX, fading in and out.

During nighttime it can be quite an interesting mix. KWED is much weaker and sometimes disappears altogether, and at times there’s splatter from the mighty XERF on 1570. I’ll occasionally hear KGAF and KIRT as well as weak signals from KOKB in Blackwell, OK (Triple Play / Fox sports), KFCS in Colorado Springs (Christian talk/music), and KHGG in Van Buren, AR ("The Judge" - classic country). The latter is a recent new logging.

Also at night I’ve heard sports stations KXZZ in Lake Charles, LA, and WPMO in Pascagoula, MS, just one time each.

Around sunrise, KGAF often has a pretty decent and steady signal in KWED’s null, and KIRT pops up more often once it goes to day power.
 
1580 has been pretty neat during my indifferent 'second DX career' here in NE PA.

Midday: A weak WNZT Columbia PA, more recently known as the religious WVZN
Sunest: WPGC MD .... WZKY from NC .... WVKO OH ....WDAB SC .... and a goodie, a 'hometown' station of sorts -- WLIM Patchogue. I imagine they were on their CH wattage at the time. DX stories from the 60's claim that they had a listener or two in WV during those hours, where their then-2 stick CH shmoo pattern sent a lot of juice SW.

Nighttimes: I had CBJ logged from back in '94. And one night, perhaps an Auroral one, WSHE from Fort Lauderdale had a pretty good signal ... many ID's ... solid read.

* * * * * * *

Back in the late 60's days near JFK Airport, a few of us were listening off my friend's American-Bosch and an outdoor loop. We got to track 1580 via sign-off to regional sign-off across the country.
Patchogue NY ... then Hammonton and Newton NJ .... Columbia PA .... Columbus OH .... Louisiana .... etc.
And it was dark in Queens when the last one came in. It was faint, and crackly and weak, but it was IDable. KDAY from Santa Monica. I'm thinking that it must've an Auroral evening, because there was no CBJ French at all.

And that American-Bosch really c o o k e d !
 
WLIM Patchogue was once WPAC. Along with WPAC-FM, WHRF and WHRF-FM Riverhead, my next door neighbor in SE Michigan at the time worked as a radio accountant for their owner, Metrocom. When these were sold, she went to New York and did the physical accounting station inventory for the stations along with the Chief Engineer, who determined the values of transmitting and studio equipment. WPAC-FM was sold to Beck-Ross (Ross is George H. Ross of later Apprentice/Trump fame, believe it or not) Communications, which made WPAC-FM into WBLI, WGLI Babylon's FM. Beck-Ross also owned WKMF/WGMZ in Michigan at the time, having bought WGMZ from Metrocom. She had fascinating stories about the facilities and New York City in particular. WHRF 1570 Riverhead and WPAC 1580 were once WAPC and WPAC, and "sort of simulcast" with synchronized reel to reel tapes. One of the more famous alumni was the late Rick Sklar, the legendary PD for the ABC owned stations.
 
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1580 is difficult for me because of near-adjacent local KGYM on 1600. I don't hear much on 1580 during the daytime, and nighttime (if I null out KGYM) is a mishmash, with CKDO sometimes the only one audible. I've also heard a Spanish language station that I haven't yet been able to identify.
 
Warminster PA(Philly 'burbs):

Daytime: zippo, maybe the Hammonton NJ station(was WRDI and WTYO, forget what it is now)
Night: mostly splatter from local WISP 1570(ex-WBUX) from Doylestown PA(Bucks County)
 
Here in central Maryland;

Daytime: WJFK 1580 with CBS Sport Radio, 50 KW mostly aimed other directions.

Nighttime: Usually a mush with classic oldies CKDO often dominating.
 
WSRF, Fort Lauderdale (1580) is one of those (or these) stations that sold the land that their complete operation,
including seven towers, had been on from the beginning, a few years ago.
They have since been diplexing into an array with a co-owned station on 1170, but with a reduced signal.
I used to drive passed their seven towers every day until one day I looked and did not see them.
Soon after, all the apartment buildings rose from the dust.
 
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