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AM Frequency of the Week 640

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DavidEduardo said:
That was an EKKO stamp, left over from the later (post-FRC) 20's and 30's when "everyone" was a DXer and people collected those things like postage stamps or baseball cards.


Here is an example:

View attachment 4913
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This is a benefit of going "off topic" - I've never seen or heard of EKKO stamps before. Were they sent on QSL cards or instead of QSL cards?

For powerful East Coast stations I'd say WSB & KDKA - I've consistently gotten WSB in for 23 years & have heard KDKA in downstate Illinois on vacation.

For Western North American stations - I've heard KNX in North Dakota, about 1,400 miles away and have gotten CKWX here in Kansas before, a little more than 1900 miles away.
 
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rosecitymedia said:
Tyler, TX

Daytime yields nothing. I am just outside of the farthest reaches of KWPN's 5kW, but at sunset it comes up pretty well. At night, it's mostly KWPN, with KTIB and the Cuban Progreso signal also heard, although I do have WGST from the Atlanta area logged in 2019.

Thought I had something new to log on 640 last year, but lo and behold it was KTIB, which had apparently switched to Spanish language.
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Yeah it did. It's being LMAed by La Callente (sp?) who operates a translator in downtown New Orleans and needed a primary signal for it... Ever since they lost the HD2 on KVDU.. I think George still owns KTIB.. I haven't talked with Linda in a while who was the general manager under the previous format. I wonder if they ever fixed the directional array and got the transmitter back to 5 kW daytime..
 
2 Trailer Trucker said:
The FCC had an auction for 640 in Terre Haute. Birach owned WMFN in Zeeland MI. He won the auction, shut down the Zeeland frequency, moved the Terre Haute license to Peotone with their current power, with no interference problems from Zeeland. IIRC.
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I think it was the Zeeland license that moved south to Peotone. Speaking of WMFN, it still puts a decent signal in the Grand Rapids area. I think it may have simulcast 810 in Grand Rapids for a while after the move to Peotone and before it became BIN as I recall hearing a Berger Chevy (in Grand Rapids) ad on 640 once
 
jim-satx said:
Thanks for the programming update. Iā€™ve never heard KTIB from San Antonio. XETAM ā€œRomĆ”nticaā€ in Cd. Victoria to my S/SW and R. Progreso to my SE are the only Spanish-language regulars these days, although Iā€™ll occasionally hear XENQ in Tulancingo when XETAM fades. (This is all with splatter from local 630 KSLR.)
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I need to try for XENQ, haven't heard that one. XETAM is often strong here and from a similar direction so may be tough. I have heard XEJUA several times at sunrise, but haven't heard them this season at all (partially due to lack of trying).

Regarding the off-topic digression, I understand how one topic can remind us of something else. However, some of us are still talking about 640 :). I'm interested in the discussion of the EKKO stamps, but would personally rather that be moved to a different post.
 
radiofan2023 said:
This is a benefit of going "off topic" - I've never seen or heard of EKKO stamps before. Were they sent on QSL cards or instead of QSL cards?
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The stamps were the equivalent of a verification of reception. The cards came later.

EKKO stampĀ“s were sent with a letter in an envelope. Some stations charged for them.

If you go back to the early AM band DX publications, they did not call verifications QSLs... that was ham talk. They called them "veries". Even well into the 60's and 70's, members of the big AM DX clubs, NRC and IRCA, called them "veries" or "verifications" and not QSLs.
 
DavidEduardo said:
The stamps were the equivalent of a verification of reception. The cards came later.

EKKO stampĀ“s were sent with a letter in an envelope. Some stations charged for them.

If you go back to the early AM band DX publications, they did not call verifications QSLs... that was ham talk. They called them "veries". Even well into the 60's and 70's, members of the big AM DX clubs, NRC and IRCA, called them "veries" or "verifications" and not QSLs.
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Thanks for explaining, David.
 
South San Jose,

Daytime..Nothing
Nighttime..KFI with moderate signal.
===============================================
Winter months
Daytime...Very weak KFI on my best radios (need headphones to really hear them)
Nighttime...Very strong KFI
 
DavidEduardo said:
The stamps were the equivalent of a verification of reception. The cards came later.

EKKO stampĀ“s were sent with a letter in an envelope. Some stations charged for them.

If you go back to the early AM band DX publications, they did not call verifications QSLs... that was ham talk. They called them "veries". Even well into the 60's and 70's, members of the big AM DX clubs, NRC and IRCA, called them "veries" or "verifications" and not QSLs.
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They were QSLs in the NASWA newsletters, but then, that was a shortwave listeners club, and many listeners to SW broadcasters also eavesdrop on the hams.
 
gr8oldies said:
Observation: I don't recall ever hearing Cuba, 640 or otherwise, in the pre-sunset or post-sunrise critical hours
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I think it may be a pretty safe bet that the R.Progreso blowtorch on 640 has joined a number of other high powered station in reducing power to conserve energy, When I was at our beachfront location near Pensacola this past February, it seemed noticeably weaker. Although still present 24/7. Before the days of WMFN, WBOW, WWLS, etc. It was a fairly nighttime regular in the Chicago regular...as well as at my college location in southeast Iowa. Not any more.

Just a guess, but, I'd say now they're at around 30kw instead of 50kw. '
 
cyberdad said:
I think it may be a pretty safe bet that the R.Progreso blowtorch on 640 has joined a number of other high powered station in reducing power to conserve energy, When I was at our beachfront location near Pensacola this past February, it seemed noticeably weaker. Although still present 24/7. Before the days of WMFN, WBOW, WWLS, etc. It was a fairly nighttime regular in the Chicago regular...as well as at my college location in southeast Iowa. Not any more.

Just a guess, but, I'd say now they're at around 30kw instead of 50kw. '
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I need a good auroral night and favorable skip to get Progreso.
 
cyberdad said:
I think it may be a pretty safe bet that the R.Progreso blowtorch on 640 has joined a number of other high powered station in reducing power to conserve energy, When I was at our beachfront location near Pensacola this past February, it seemed noticeably weaker. Although still present 24/7. Before the days of WMFN, WBOW, WWLS, etc. It was a fairly nighttime regular in the Chicago regular...as well as at my college location in southeast Iowa. Not any more.

Just a guess, but, I'd say now they're at around 30kw instead of 50kw. '
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It wouldn't surprise me. It's somewhat hard to be sure though. With the southern-focused reception conditions this past few months, I'm still getting decent signals from several Cubans, including 640.
 
WCJ said:
Orange County, TX, KTIB was a regular when they were Top 40, but after their upgrade they are a so-so days. Nights WCRV Collierville, TX is usually dominate.
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I'm ~100 miles west of you and it's always KWPN and Cuba at night here, and I don't remember ever hearing WCRV except at sunset/sunrise. KTIB is unusual here but have heard it at night. Over in San Antonio, Jim says he's never heard KTIB. These variations in reception are what make the hobby interesting.
 
Warminster PA(Philly 'burbs):

Daytime: Local WWJZ from Mt. Holly NJ(Relevant Radio,
ex-Big Band, ex-Radio Disney).
Night: WWJZ, plus a glut of other stations.
 
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