AM Frequency of the Week - 820 kHz

[Buckeyes2001]

What can you get on 820 AM?

Here in Vermilion, OH it is a rather fuzzy WVSG/Columbus, OH during the day (formerly WOSU) At night, it's kind of a mess between WVSG, WBAP and double IBLOCK from WGY 810 and WCCO 830.

 

[tomservo]

Coastal Alabama has WWBA from Tampa during the day (~350 mi.), but it's very weak and only audible near the coastline as it's a cross-gulf signal. At night, it's pretty much always a solid and reliable WBAP.

 

[crainbebo]

Daytime - Local KGNW Seattle
Nighttime - Local KGNW Seattle, and sometimes WBAP Dallas. Have not heard KUTR-UT yet, but trying.

-crainbebo

 

[ddsparxx]

In northern VA,

Daytime its semi-local WWFD Frederick, MD, with sometime WGGM Richmond underneath. WWFD dropped federal news/talk simulcast from DC's WFED 1500 for a wide variety of music known as "The Gamut". Nighttime reception is often difficult, with WBAP with a weak signal at best, combined with the IBLOCK from WGY.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

Houston daytime -WBAP, almost static free. Nighttime, WBAP with some Spanish language programming underneath when I try to null. WBAP is a monster signal here!

 

[cyberdad]

Far northwest suburbs of Chicago.

Day: WCPT. Good signal, but not as good as from the old "chicken farm" 820 site.

Night: WCPT and WBAP fight it out. Null one, hear the other. CHAM also has been known to be in the mix, but not very often.

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

In the old days, in Southeast Michigan, it was WAIT and WOSU by turning the radio. Then CHAM moved to 820 and there was always a mixture, except for our friends with Beverage antennas. Like I have said, it would be interesting to see what you could get with a direction finder. Anybody know exactly why you can't put two ferrite loops close together and have a three null pattern? Is it because a vertical whip gets the electrical component and the ferrite loop gets the magnetic component? I should have asked O.G. Villard when I talked to him, or called John Kraus. Unfortunately, they have both passed away. I would have loved to have taken a class from them about practical antennas.

 

[audioguy]

Days, WCPT. I don't care for that station at all. I wish we could "Try a little tenderness" and bring back WAIT as it was. Those were the days... At night, an unusable mess of WBAP and WCPT. Neither station is listenable and there's nothing you can do about it in my area because they are both coming from the same direction.

There's an interesting article on directional receiving antennas for the lower ham bands and the MW band as well in a recent issue of QST. I will look it up if anyone is interested.

 

[ftballfan]

WCPT in Allendale, with WBAP at night. CHAM has been heard both day and night in Manistee. At night in Manistee, it seems to be a mix of CHAM and WBAP.

 

[cyberdad]

Sidebar note FWIW....

CHAM is one of the few stations I've heard on both its current and former frequencies. I also had heard it when it was on 1280....including its prior life as CJJD on 1280.

 

[KR4BD]

820 From Lexington, KY (ALL-TIME reception)

Daytime:

WVSG Columbus, OH

Sunrise/Sunset:

WWBA Largo, FL (often heard around sunrise)
WWFD Frederick, MD
CHAM Hamilton, ON

Night:

WBAP (Dominant signal at night)
CHAM Hamilton (rare)
Unidentified Spanish weak signal under WBAP

 

[radioman148]

Far northwest suburbs of Chicago.

Day: WCPT. Good signal, but not as good as from the old "chicken farm" 820 site.

Night: WCPT and WBAP fight it out. Null one, hear the other. CHAM also has been known to be in the mix, but not very often.

Here in the near north Chicago suburbs I hear it just like Cyberdad with one exception, I can't null either WBAP or WCPT because they are in the same direction from me. at night I also have heard CHAM and around sunrise in the winter I sometimes hear the station in Largo, Fl.

 

[Bill Shadowcat]

(SW Missouri)

daytime: nada

night: WBAP

 

[cyberdad]

Here in the near north Chicago suburbs I hear it just like Cyberdad with one exception, I can't null either WBAP or WCPT because they are in the same direction  from me. at night I also have heard CHAM and around sunrise in the winter I sometimes hear the station in Largo, Fl.

I may be the only DXer in Illinois who's never heard WWBA (Largo).  Perhaps because, for me, it would be on a direct line with WCPT (or WAIT in the "chicken farm" transmitter days).  I've heard it elsewhere in my travels.  Usually around sunrise or sunset.  But never at home.

 

[radioman148]

Here in the near north Chicago suburbs I hear it just like Cyberdad with one exception, I can't null either WBAP or WCPT because they are in the same direction from me. at night I also have heard CHAM and around sunrise in the winter I sometimes hear the station in Largo, Fl.

I may be the only DXer in Illinois who's never heard WWBA (Largo). Perhaps because, for me, it would be on a direct line with WCPT (or WAIT in the "chicken farm" transmitter days). I've heard it elsewhere in my travels. Usually around sunrise or sunset. But never at home.

The only time I've ever caught WWBA here is during the winter months just before our sunrise after they have gone to their day power. I have never heard it at any other time of the year.

 

[N4GBK]

From NE NC car radio.
Days 820 WGGM Chester, VA
Sunrise/sunset WWBA Largo, FL and WWFD Frederick, MD
Nights is WBAP Ft. Worth, TX

 

[Icangelp]

SW Ohio

Days
WVSG Columbus OH

Transition Times
WWBA Largo FL
WCPT Willow Springs IL

Nights
WBAP Ft. Worth

820 Nostalgia (Within IBOC range of 820 KHZ)
Nights
825 KHZ Radio Paradise Nevis/St. Kitts

 

[dave73]

In NW Indiana, I get WCPT Willow Springs, IL during the day, but splatter at night. Prior to this station getting night time status, I used to get WBAP after WCPT signed off. While I still get a bit of WBAP under WCPT at local sunset, I don't completely hear them, & especially don't hear them too well once WCPT switches to their night time site.

 

[DaveArnold]

North of Charlotte,NC
WWBA-Largo,FL after sunrise
WBAP-Fort Worth-Night

 

[drt]

From the bayfront area of downtown St. Petersburg, WWBA 820 is one the strongest daytime signals, with me being 14.4 miles s.e. of their Largo towers (as the crow flies), at night if you look on the coverage map

http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WWBA&service=AM&status=L&hours=N

downtown St. Pete is in the major lobe, so although their signal here is weaker at night, it is still relatively strong, enough to be listenable (although their programming isn't!), I assume the Cuban 820 I hear must be in or near Havana, which is due south of my location, so if I turn my radio just a bit I can hear the Cuban station under WWBA and if I turn my radio to the west/east direction, I can sometime hear WBAP underneath; again both the Cuban and WBAP never override the WWBA signal here and the WWBA 820 signal is listenable at night here, as well as in Palmetto and downtown Bradenton to the south, but by the time you get just south of the Bradenton/Sarasota airport, the Cuban station takes over.

drt,
st. petersburg,fl