AM Frequency of the Week: 700

[schmave]

From Columbus, Ohio, all WLW all the time. Tower is about 80 miles southwest of downtown and maybe 90 from me, and the entire metro area gets a solid signal. Any cancellation is very minimal and takes place during the summer.
Only time I've ever heard anything else on WLW was about 10 years ago, and that was 30 miles or so to my east in Newark, Ohio. A co-channel station was providing big-time interference about 7 or 8 one night in the fall. Never got an ID and the other station wasn't dominant, but it was making WLW unlistenable.
When I lived in suburban Houston, my situation was such that WLW could be heard at night with a simple 90-degree turn of the radio to null local KSEV. WLW came in better during the summer months, oddly enough at least to me.

 

[cyberdad]

Retro/other: WLW has been there everywhere I've lived, especially Dayton, Ohio. There was a Friday night where WLW was off for maintenance and the Dothan AL ran a test, which I heard. I have heard the last breath of WLW in the daytime just west of Madison, WI.

No fluke....I've heard WLW during daytime (summer and other seasons) around Madison in a car radio as well.

 

[radioman148]

No fluke....I've heard WLW during daytime (summer and other seasons) around Madison in a car radio as well.

Wow, that is a good daytime haul.

 

[cyberdad]

Wow, that is a good daytime haul.

Especially in the 1980s, I'd get into and/or around Madison quite a bit. I had customers there, and also drove past Madison every couple of months on my way to the Twin Cities, where I had even more business. A very weak daytimeWLW was usually present. I wouldn't rule out some "daytime skywave help", but given how reliable reliable it was at any time of year, I always figured it was "old school Blaw-Knox tower meets fabulous ground conductivity". And, if I'm not mistaken, isn't WLW's stick basically located in a swamp? If so, that probably didn't hurt matters.

 

[gr8oldies]

Especially in the 1980s, I'd get into and/or around Madison quite a bit. I had customers there, and also drove past Madison every couple of months on my way to the Twin Cities, where I had even more business. A very weak daytimeWLW was usually present. I wouldn't rule out some "daytime skywave help", but given how reliable reliable it was at any time of year, I always figured it was "old school Blaw-Knox tower meets fabulous ground conductivity". And, if I'm not mistaken, isn't WLW's stick basically located in a swamp? If so, that probably didn't hurt matters.

No, not a swamp. It's a pretty high density commercial/residential area, built up a lot after VOA de-constructed its tower farm

 

[radioman148]

Especially in the 1980s, I'd get into and/or around Madison quite a bit. I had customers there, and also drove past Madison every couple of months on my way to the Twin Cities, where I had even more business. A very weak daytimeWLW was usually present. I wouldn't rule out some "daytime skywave help", but given how reliable reliable it was at any time of year, I always figured it was "old school Blaw-Knox tower meets fabulous ground conductivity". And, if I'm not mistaken, isn't WLW's stick basically located in a swamp? If so, that probably didn't hurt matters.

I never even bothered to try for WLW when I was up that way during the day. You can bet I'll give it a shot if I'm up there again.

 

[cyberdad]

I never even bothered to try for WLW when I was up that way during the day. You can bet I'll give it a shot if I'm up there again.

Actually, as often as not, you can hear it "in and out" until you finally lose it completely around Wisconsin Dells. Which is also about where ground conductivity takes a serious turn for the worse.

 

[gr8oldies]

Actually, as often as not, you can hear it "in and out" until you finally lose it completely around Wisconsin Dells. Which is also about where ground conductivity takes a serious turn for the worse.

This might be a good thread, farthest you've received your locals or a clear channel station strictly on groundwave.

 

[formula72]

From San Jose, California

Days::KMBX is weak, but its listenable with the right antenna

Nights...A semi strong KALL from Salt lake City, Utah. I do not understand why it comes in, as good as it does, at times. Most of there signal is sent north and south ( majority being sent south ). Our semi local KMBX out of Soledad, is barely heard, if at all. No chance of getting under KALL, and trying for WLW.

 

[asugeorge1]

My experiences are somewhat similar. At our beach vacay spot near Pensacola, WLW usually blasts in at night. Albeit sometime with unidentifiable Spanish underneath, On my trips up and down the west coast, KALL rules.

Before KALL signed on in 1981, did you or anybody else pick up WLW on the west coast? Seems like it’s sky wave signal is second to none so I’d imagine that it was a pretty easy catch before KALL out of Salt Lake City, Utah came along (Interestingly enough, KALL was once known as KWLW).

 

[WCJ]

Orange County, TX Days local KOGT 1600 harmonic on in-house receivers but in vehicle radios a strong KSEV Tomball, TX. Nights strong WLW

 

[radioman148]

Before KALL signed on in 1981, did you or anybody else pick up WLW on the west coast? Seems like it’s sky wave signal is second to none so I’d imagine that it was a pretty easy catch before KALL out of Salt Lake City, Utah came along (Interestingly enough, KALL was once known as KWLW).

WLW was an easy catch on the west coast at night in the 60s.

 

[icybluelake]

Daytime: nothing, unless there is daytime skywave, in which case WLW shows up
Nighttime: All WLW, except -- I forget what to call it -- echoes of my local station on 1600 that show up underneath or alongside WLW.

 

[wildthangjim]

In west Houston, KSEV is strong day and night. Their transmitter is NE of me so difficult to null, but I can still hear WLW underneath them most nights. Sometimes there may be something else, but haven't heard anything identifiable.

 

[RF101]

Sima Birach had a CP to take his WDMV Walkersville, Maryland daytimer from 5 kw to 50 kw including a fourth tower. The pattern would have been more directional N/S taking Northern Virginia and less places like Howard County. It looks like the CP expired last year and was not tolled or renewed. "La Jefa" continues as a 5kw daytimer for now. Metro DC's local AM 700.

 

[Hal9000]

Central Louisiana

Daytime: Nothing

Sunset, night, and sunrise, a healthy WLW Cincinnati. I have tried unsuccessfully to tune KSHE near Dallas and KSEV near Houston. They are not that far from me, but they beam in the opposite direction.

Last night, I finally succeeded in nulling WLW just long enough to hear KSEV give their call letters. WLW is very strong here and difficult to null with my radio.

 

[schmave]

In west Houston, KSEV is strong day and night. Their transmitter is NE of me so difficult to null, but I can still hear WLW underneath them most nights. Sometimes there may be something else, but haven't heard anything identifiable.

When I lived in the Inwood Forest area for a while in 2007, occasionally I could hear WLW at night. I guess I was just far enough south of the KSEV transmitter, although much closer than when I lived in League City, to pull off a null. It alleviated a little homesickness in the weeks after I moved down from Columbus.

 

[Wayne]

WLW Cincinnati, OH booms into the central Maine town of Skowhegan at night via skywave and my C. Crane CC2e. I haven't checked daytime groundwave, but if I make a catch I will report back!

 

[schmave]

If you can catch WLW daytime Wayne, that would rank among the most impressive catches I've ever seen. That would be a tremendous haul.

 

[formula72]

WLW was an easy catch on the west coast at night in the 60s.

Hopefully, we get the chance to hear WLW soon, if KALL reports any scheduled maintenance work in the coming months. I'd really like to log WLW, here in California. If WLW is as strong as WGN is, out this way, it should no have problems making the trek out this far ( on a clear frequency ).