AM Frequency of the Week: 530/540

[MarioMania]

Carmichael, CA

Daytime: Nothing (Both)
Nighttime: Nothing (Both)

Vallejo, CA

Daytime: Nothing (Both)
Nighttime: Nothing (Both)

530 only have 1 station in Canada, No US

Just combining 530 & 540

 

[Miss Tuned]

This bit of the band has some interesting stations in the Manchester area, UK:

530 (531) at night: Kringvarp Føroya (KVF), a 10kW station covering the Faroe Islands, mostly in the Faroese language (close to Icelandic). The islands are roughly half way between Scotland and Iceland and have a population of only 54,000, I've always wanted to go but it's so expensive.

540 at night: Kossuth Rádío from Solt, Hungary, one of the most powerful AM broadcasting stations in the world at 2,000kW. The transmitter was replaced only in 2017, so it has a few years life in it yet. It doesn't quite reach us on groundwave, but it starts to come in as soon as it gets slightly twilight as it is such a powerful transmitter.

 

[WCJ]

Orange County TX Days nothing on 540, after sunset to sunrise sounds like Spanish pop music

 

[Deleted member 108832]

Now...wait a cotton pickin' minute. AM FOTW is "frequency of the week", not frequencies.

Tyler, TX:

530 is Cuba here at sunrise/sunset and nights, with a pretty steady signal playing its sleepy time instrumental pieces.

540 is...next week.

The "chaos" you've mentioned on a couple of occasions is yours alone, MarioMania. If you're going to take the reigns of the FOTW threads, please, do it right. One frequency at a time.

 

[radiofan2023]

530: Airport beacon spillover from 529
540: Nothing

 

[gr8oldies]

Now...wait a cotton pickin' minute. AM FOTW is "frequency of the week", not frequencies.

Tyler, TX:

530 is Cuba here at sunrise/sunset and nights, with a pretty steady signal playing its sleepy time instrumental pieces.

540 is...next week.

The "chaos" you've mentioned on a couple of occasions is yours alone, MarioMania. If you're going to take the reigns of the FOTW threads, please, do it right. One frequency at a time.

We would have started with (former) regionals as I recall.

 

[Steve Green NEPA]

Nothing has changed on those two frequencies since last the twist of the the FOTW. Primarily since DXing has been impeded by other matters. And anyway, listening down that low on the dial at home is like trying to DX in an Anthracite Country sports bar. 530 is nighttimer catches -- CIAO, and WWRV from NYC, both logged from late last century.
And 540 remains inert .... WWCS faint late days, from cross-state Como-sburg , and nighttimers CJSB and WLIX Islip Long Island. 'WLIX' is one of five Long Island AM stations I've caught here.
I worked there -- my first F/T radio gig -- when it was WLIX and Beautiful Music, and when they were an omni 250-watter from a tower now being used for other things, like WWWF 103.1.
That 250 watts got OUT! Their weekend Italian Hours show had regular listeners in Astoria Queens and Bensonhurst Brooklyn.
WLIX also provided me my first-ever paid vacation. I used it to drive to Florida to see two Long Island pals. En route, way south in New Jersey, I flipped on the car radio to 540 to see when a DX/listener fave --WDMV on the DelMarVa peninsula would start to come in.
On the up-ramp of the old Delaware Memorial Bridge, I got WLIX instead!

 

[gr8oldies]

East Tennessee:
530-Normal nightime reception is Cuba's Radio Enciclopedia, with the smaller Radio Rebelde transmitter underneath. Sometimes CHLO in Brampton, ONT.
Retro/other: CHLO is much more prominent on the Edinburgh IN SDR and had even snuck in on some winter days. In the 90s, I recall the Turks and Caicos station with Spanish religion and a New York address.

540-Days-a weak WRGC, Sylva NC. Sunset, WDAK, Columbus GA among others. Night is a hodge podge.
Retro/other: I've not heard WFLF in the Orlando market, but even though I didn't hear it in Ohio, I just have to mention the late, great WGTO, in Beautiful Cypress Gardens, FL which had a huge signal all over Florida when it ran its full 50000 watt power, which apparently was only outside critical hours.

 

[radioman148]

Near north Chicago suburbs days WAUK Milwaukee area with a good signal, night WAUK is much weaker.

 

[MichaelD1972]

Clifton, New Jersey

530: I get nothing during day. At night, it's usually CHLO Brampton, ON. I have received Radio Enciclopedia and Radio Rebelde from Cuba in the past.

540: During the day, it's WBWD Islip, NY. At night, I have received WBWD Islip, NY, WWCS Canonsburg, PA and WFLF Pine Hills, FL depending on propagation.

DX/Retro: I used to receive 540 CJSB Ottawa, ON at night when it was known as 54 Rock. It moved to 106.9 as CKQB-FM in 1994. On 11/16/2022, I received 540 Radio Auténtica from Bogota, Colombia. That's my farthest MW catch at over 2,500 miles away.

 

[Mark Roberts]

Denver, CO - 540 kHz
Daytime: Nothing.
Nighttime: At least tonight, I’m getting a noisy but fairly steady KNMX Las Vegas, NM, with New Mexico-style Spanish language music, which there is called “Spanish”, and Fox News at the top of the hour. It’s licensed for 20 watts at night (5 kw days) though with a DA that’s somewhat in my direction. Still, I have some doubts about the actual power, for obvious reasons.

 

[cc333]

530:

Daytime: Nothing much except for something that sounds like a pair of distant TISes heterodyning with one another.
Nighttime: Usually the same, but messier. However, I once heard Cuba's Radio Enciclopedia one night I think in late February (it's so distinctive that it really stands out, so even the faintest hint of it is enough for a solid ID). With winter DX season coming, maybe I'll hear it again.

540:

I haven't checked out this frequency, so I can't say what's there or when.

c

 

[CADXER]

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

530 kHz
Daytime: nothing heard these days. The I&M Canal TIS stations (WPNT254) used to be common, but no longer
Nighttime: Radio Enciclopedia or CHLO

DX/RETRO: Radio Rebelde also possible. Last time heard in 2022. Radio Vision Cristiana with 100 kW from Turks & Caicos was easy catch back in the 90's before they went off. Apparently there are plans for them to return back on the air. Ohers heard in the past include TICAL Radio Rumbo from Costa Rica. They started on 525 kHz (easy catch in Chicago), but moved to 530 sometimes in 1982. They are no longer on the air. Also no longer on the air is CJFT Ft. Erie, ON, which was heard frequently back in 1980's. Bunch of TIS stations heard in the past on this frequency (WPNT254, WNIE334, WQHC969), but strangely there none audible during daytime anymore even though they are still listed in the FCC database.

531 kHz: Algeria heard back in 2005

535 kHz: Radio Free Grenada used to be audible in Chicago back in the 1980's. Also Radio Vision Cristiana operated on this frequency first before switching to 530 kHz.

540 kHz
Daytime: WAUK with good signal
Nighttime: normally WAUK but CBK also

DX/RETRO: others heard in the past include KWMT (Ft. Dodge, IA), KNOE (W. Monroe, LA), WEIZ (Columbus, GA), KNMX (Las Vegas, NM), WGTO (Cypress Garden, FL). Several other Canadians besides CBK received are CBEF (Windsor, ON) and CJSB (Ottawa, ON) heard back in 1980's, but they are no longer on the air. Also heard CBT (Grand Falls, Newfoundland) heard twice. Not an easy catch in Chicago area, but possible. XEWA used to be quite common back in the days thanks to their 150 kW transmitter, but it's been a while since I heard them. I am pretty sure they are no longer using the 150 kW blow torch. Another foreign one heard is Radio Corporacion, Managua, Nicaragua back in 1983. The most recent new logs on this frequency are WKFN (Clarksville, TN) in 2021 and WASG (Daphne, AL) in 2022.

 

[wildthangjim]

From west Houston TX

Daytime, 530, nothing. 540 occasionally will hear a very weak KMLB Monroe LA in the wintertime, but have to be away from the house QRM w/the Terk antenna
Sunset, 530 Radio Enciclopedia starts to come in, usually with a good signal. 540, KMLB comes up along with usually-strong XEWA w/"Los 40" CHR. Once heard KWMT w/classic country
Night, 530 Enciclopedia, sometimes mixing w/Radio Rebelde. 540, XEWA dominates w/KMLB sometimes there
Sunrise, 530, nothing after Cuba sunrise. 540, XEWA dominant w/KMLB underneath. Once in 2021 heard KDFT Ferris TX (DFW).

XEWA is certainly not as strong as they used to be, but still enough to be strong here, 620 miles from their transmitter.

 

[Mark Roberts]

Denver, CO - 540 kHz
Daytime: Nothing.
Nighttime: At least tonight, I’m getting a noisy but fairly steady KNMX Las Vegas, NM, with New Mexico-style Spanish language music, which there is called “Spanish”, and Fox News at the top of the hour. It’s licensed for 20 watts at night (5 kw days) though with a DA that’s somewhat in my direction. Still, I have some doubts about the actual power, for obvious reasons.

Tonight, the situation was different. No KNMX. The strongest station was CBK from Regina, Sask., but it wasn't all that strong and faded in and out.

As for the previous night, I wonder if solar activity altered propagation such that anything to the north was suppressed, also reducing noise so that KNMX could come through from almost due south.

 

[ente]

South Mississippi:

530 Day: Radio Enciclopedia comes in along the coast, nothing inland
Night: Radio Enciclopedia

540 Day: WASG Daphne, AL is very weak
Night: XEWA San Luis Potosí - Los 40 and sometimes KMLB Monroe, LA - News Talk 105.7 FM/540 AM

 

[tvnut]

As nothing has changed, copied and pasted from the previous 530 thread (from April 2023):

520 F9, an aeronautical beacon in Mirimichi, New Brunswick, has made it here several times over the years. It's 125 watts, sending out NB in Morse Code. I first heard it soon after getting an Akai AT-VO4, renowned for its FM section but with a great AM side as well (including an external and thus steerable ferrite rod antenna), starting at 520 and going to 1620. I used it mostly for FM DX, but F9 came in clear as a bell the first time I heard it.

530 Radio Enciclopedia (CMBQ in some listings), Villa Maria, Cuba, with 10 kW when I first heard it in 2018. About a week later, in popped CIAO Brampton, Ont. (now CHLO) with its mix of foreign language programs, punching above its 250-watt weight courtesy the magic of low frequencies and little competition.

I wonder in retrospect if I caught Turks and Caicos or Radio Rebelde over the years, or even TICAL on 525. There was a lot of Spanish I couldn't ID prior to SDRs for direction finding and hearing more clearly what I received with interference.

and from the previous 540 thread (from April-May 2023):

In the beginning, there was WYLO, Jackson, Wis., with 250 watts. It's a booming 400 as WAUK now.

That's just enough more power to inflict harm on the 50 kW of CBK Watrous, Sask., at night. Once reliable, now one must set the antenna just so to knock WAUK down, and it isn't always a success.

Others heard on 640: KNOE Monroe, La.; XEWA San Luis Potosi, Mex. (in its 150 kW glory days) and most recently, WBWD Islip, N.Y. on 9/1/2021, with Spanish music instead of reports on Figure-8 demolition derbies.

 

[radioman148]

Haven’t heard CBK here in Illinois in a few years.

 

[boombox4]

Seattle-Tacoma area.

530 almost is invariably the TIS from Sea-Tac airport, which gets out better than any other TIS in the region, undoubtedly due to its frequency, but also I think it's higher power than some of the others.

Never heard any other station on 530 that I can recall. I used to get an NDB beacon on 520 (INE Missoula) and SAK Kalispell (519 or 520), but both of them went the way of the Dodo a few years back, probably during the Solar Minimum when MW conditions were so poor.

540: CBK used to be regional strength invariably, until the Solar Minimum, where it disappeared for several years. Lately it's back, although at reduced levels from the 90's-2010's. I listen a lot to it at night because of its CBC programming. Also I invariably hear XESURF's pop/Xtian Spanish language praise music underneath it, depending on DX conditions, and it's usually very weak but the music, and the Spanish language announcements makes it IDable.. Once I got KVIP Redding, early one morning maybe in 2017? I think that was on my PR-D5. I may have heard them since underneath CBK and XESURF, but haven't been able to ID them.

In the late 1980's I did log XEWA on my Sanyo Boombox + 3 ft spiral loop (that's where I got my moniker here, the boombox was my mainstay DX radio), but haven't heard them since. If they have appeared, they've been buried under XESURF/CBK et al.

 

[TXPH97]

DFW, Texas

530 Nights is a steady Enciclopedia with Rebelde rare under.

540 Daytime is local KDFT.
540 Nights: KDFT is nullable, yielding XEWA with a good signal. Rare is CBK when conditions are right. KMLB show up at sunrise under KDFT.

530​	R. Enciclopedia	Cuba	Villa Maria	Spanish talk // stream Fair
530​	R. Rebelde	Cuba	Guantánamo	Spanish talk under R. Enciclopidia // stream weak
540​	KDFT	TX	Ferris	LOCAL Spanish Christian
540​	XEWA	SLP	San Luis Potosí	Pop music // stream Strong in null of local KDFT
540​	CBK	SK	Watrous	CBC airing BBC interview program on food shortages, weak // stream u/KDFT
540​	KMLB	LA	Monroe	Local news, weak under KDFT open carrier