AM Radio

[Kemosabe]

Not everyone likes streaming, not everyone can afford the data plans and streaming is not radio in its true form. Most of us older listeners prefer to listen to our music the old school way with an actual radio. Give me an AM and FM radio anytime, it’s free and easy to use and it’s everywhere, no data required. Radio is like the vinyl record, the true audiophile prefers records over CD’s, MP3 and any of the other digital music platforms. I love radio and prefer AM more than FM and can live without streaming.

I agree. As I've aged, my hearing has become less sensitive than it was when I spent hundreds of dollars on speaker cable alone. Yet, my ears can still differentiate between a CD and an MP3 file. I cannot reconcile the glorified descriptions of streaming's fidelity; the sound just isn't that great. Oh, and I still love terrestrial radio.

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

When I drive into the northern Michigan woods, AM reception is terrific! No interference-generating sources for miles.

I had the advantage of living in an area in West Central Michigan where I could hook up the twisted twin lead to a TV antenna, hook it up to a one transistor preamp modified from Tom Kneitel's book "103 Simple Transistor Projects", and could hear scores of stations very clearly in the Daytime, in an area that otherwise had just one strong AM signal. Speaking of "scores", WMAQ/WSCR 670 was the second strongest AM signal, but with on the order of a 250 uV/m field strength at my receiving location.

I could listen to WIND, WLS, WCFL and others near Chicago wall to wall, even WAIT. WILL 580 came in, though less strong, before WTCM moved to 580. They were over 175 miles away.

I was able to repeat the feat in a similar area near the Straits of Mackinac. There were several fairly local stations, but they were all less than 5 mV/m. I couldn't get the Chicago stations nearly as well, but they were there, except there were cochannels there like CFOS 560 and CHAM 820.

 

[davideduardo]

I had the advantage of living in an area in West Central Michigan where I could hook up the twisted twin lead to a TV antenna, hook it up to a one transistor preamp modified from Tom Kneitel's book "103 Simple Transistor Projects", and could hear scores of stations very clearly in the Daytime, in an area that otherwise had just one strong AM signal. Speaking of "scores", WMAQ/WSCR 670 was the second strongest AM signal, but with on the order of a 250 uV/m field strength at my receiving location.

I could listen to WIND, WLS, WCFL and others near Chicago wall to wall, even WAIT.

I was able to repeat the feat in a similar area near the Straits of Mackinac. There were several fairly local stations, but they were all less than 5 mV/m.

From a point 2 miles outside of downtown Omena, MI, in the late 50's and early 60's, the choices during the daytime for a teen were WLS on days without atmospherics, WHGR in Houghton Lake and 1210 WKNX in Saginaw. At night, it was WLS, KAAY and often KOMA.

 

[frankberry]

From a point 2 miles outside of downtown Omena, MI, in the late 50's and early 60's, the choices during the daytime for a teen were WLS on days without atmospherics, WHGR in Houghton Lake and 1210 WKNX in Saginaw. At night, it was WLS, KAAY and often KOMA.

I loved 1210 WKNX.

 

[davideduardo]

I loved 1210 WKNX.

In about 1961, I visited WKNX. I was introduced to Howard Wolfe, the manager. He asked me if I intended a career in radio and I mentioned I was a part timer at an AM/FM in Cleveland. At that point, he got into some serious advice about learning to distinguish good management from bad (I guess he had heard about Richard Eaton and his dreadful stations) and tried to tell me that all experience, good and bad, was beneficial!

 

[Harvey_Dogg]

Can't forget the king of rock n roll radio The Wolfman. He had a quarter million watts at 1570 XERF. I read he had to hire security as there were gunfights at the station.

 

[davideduardo]

Can't forget the king of rock n roll radio The Wolfman. He had a quarter million watts at 1570 XERF. I read he had to hire security as there were gunfights at the station.

There was always a conflict between the partners in the station, and it was further complicated when, through his wife, Ricard Eaton of United broadcasting bought part of the station (along with XESM in Mexico City). On one occasion, per Sergio Ballesteros who was the manager at the time, partisans of one of the owners rode into the open lobby on horseback, shooting at the ceiling and walls.

 

[Kevin]

I loved 1210 WKNX.

1210 WKNX was a great station and it had a fantastic signal. Even though it was a daytime only station, I loved that station. Do you remember 1440 out of Bay City from the Top 40 era, I believe it was called Electric 144 in the early 70’s.

 

[davideduardo]

1210 WKNX was a great station and it had a fantastic signal. Even though it was a daytime only station, I loved that station. Do you remember 1440 out of Bay City from the Top 40 era, I believe it was called Electric 144 in the early 70’s.

In the early 60's (I was no longer in the US post-1963) the "other" Top 40 in that metro was 600... WTAC. But at just 1 kw day and 500 watts at night, it could not make it reliably to me at my location 20 mile north of Traverse City.

 

[gar hi]

Really, who would want to hear lo-fi music on an AM station that fades in and out at night when most people now have a good variety of local stations and many more personalized channels via streaming?

Me.

The age of top 40 on AM radio was the best.

When I was growing up, I just loved hearing music on distant stations such as WKBW, WLS, and CKLW and the fade in and fade outs made it even better.

The closest thing to that more recently was when KVNS 1700 was playing oldies.

I would listen to that station so much at night in Tampa and the fade in and outs made it even more nostalgic.

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

From 1946 until 1958, WTCB/WTAC/now WSNL with a new TL, less power, and a different pattern, was clear in most of the LP and some of the UP. When WLST 600 Escanba came on, that changed. Originally WLST, now WCHT, was 1 kW from a three tower in line array in Ford River, and for a few years, didn't bother it much. They must have let the nulls out before moving to a two tower array West of Escanaba, with less power, and then had a PSSA, but the nulls were shallow. Probably you could null it out with a loop. What kind of antenna and receiver did you have in Omena?

 

[davideduardo]

From 1946 until 1958, WTCB/WTAC/now WSNL with a new TL, less power, and a different pattern, was clear in most of the LP and some of the UP. When WLST 600 Escanba came on, that changed. Originally WLST, now WCHT, was 1 kW from a three tower in line array in Ford River, and for a few years, didn't bother it much. They must have let the nulls out before moving to a two tower array West of Escanaba, with less power, and then had a PSSA, but the nulls were shallow. Probably you could null it out with a loop. What kind of antenna and receiver did you have in Omena?

The receiver was an HQ-180, with a home-built 36" alt-az box loop tuned via servos (when servos were still rather "mushy" in precision) so that the loop could be on an outside porch.

But daytime reception was in a car radio or a portable.

 

[semoochie]

When we had the long antennas and before I had FM in the car, I had a button set for simulcast daytimer KPAM 1410, which at night magically changed to CFUN!

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

Was it rotatable by a servo/rotator? Those are mushy in precision also. Thats why I preferred the old Alliances with the bar switch to the set and wait knobs, and that always required recalibration.

Don't know if this link works. I used to hear WTAC 600 in Western Mecosta County on the set up I described. Both that RL and yours in Omena were probably both in the 50 uV/m range. WLST/WCHT wasn't a problem in Mecosta County, nor was WMT. It was listenable on that setup Days. I don't know if this link will work, but I'll try.

1925998_10201134688961597_2047315469_o.jpg

 

[davideduardo]

Was it rotatable by a servo/rotator? Those are mushy in precision also. Thats why I preferred the old Alliances with the bar switch to the set and wait knobs, and that always required recalibration.

Rotor was a plain old TV antenna rotor. Like all rotating wooden frame loops, they wiggle before settling down.

 

[Don CT]

Not everyone likes streaming, not everyone can afford the data plans and streaming is not radio in its true form. Most of us older listeners prefer to listen to our music the old school way with an actual radio. Give me an AM and FM radio anytime, it’s free and easy to use and it’s everywhere, no data required. Radio is like the vinyl record, the true audiophile prefers records over CD’s, MP3 and any of the other digital music platforms. I love radio and prefer AM more than FM and can live without streaming.

If you are a true audiophile why would you love AM radio?

 

[crainbebo]

Another case in point - we have a 980 AM station in Yakima, KTCR, which feeds a 106.9 translator yet the format is classic oldies - late '50s to early '70s. Music mix is really good and the 980 audio is pretty decent as well. I also find myself occasionally listening to C2C if there's an interesting topic. Just about every year I listen to portions of their Ghost to Ghost Halloween show with all the paranormal stories.
But in terms of noise levels and radios, I DX through an SDR out in Kittitas (6 mi away) with little noise because the noise level here in Ellensburg is terrible. And my apartment has an east-west 'Faraday shield' so even when the noise is low, the AM is attenuated completely at 90-150 degrees forcing me to DX from the north-south. The SDR doesn't have that problem.
Once I move out in the boonies (I am hoping to settle down in Cle Elum, Roslyn or Teanaway), I'll be installing D-KAZs and EWEs and 6-element FM antennas, at least I hope!

 

[crainbebo]

Ask Alexa to play a station and there it is loud and clear. It takes the magic out of DXing for many that we once knew. Once upon time, we might try for days, weeks, or even months to get that prize catch of a station. Sure, we listened to a lot of static and fading. We were use to it.
It's hard for an old dog to learn new tricks unless he has to.

Try asking Alexa to play the few FM stations that only have streaming for high school sports or the local news at 7am and 5pm. One of those is KVSV Beloit KS, which is Adult Standards and Easy Listening. No full-time stream, ever. I'd love to hear what it sounds like, it's not satellite-fed. I'd kill to hear 15 minutes of them via E-skip next summer with little swapping from other stations.

 

[boombox4]

If you are a true audiophile why would you love AM radio?

'Audiophile' can mean a lot of things. I prefer CDs to streaming or online music. But I listen online out of necessity. And I also listen to AM radio for the programming, and the smooth, lo-fi sound doesn't bother me. Appreciation for different sounds is also part of what can make one an audiophile. If you don't believe me, go onto a guitar forum and challenge someone who favors one guitar, one type of amp or electric guitar pickup, over another, and see what happens.

 

[Kemosabe]

If you are a true audiophile why would you love AM radio?

Audiophilia is not necessarily a monomania. (It could be a stereomania. ) While I enjoy a Michelin three-star meal, I can also appreciate a good slice—thin-crust, of course. Both can be quite satisfying.