AM Radio

[Schroedingers Cat]

WBCM 1440 was Top 40 for a while in the early 1970s, before WBCM-FM 96.1 became WHNN and went to Top 40. It was 1000 Watts Day, 500 Watts Night, nondirectional, one of the facilities which stood since around 1930, except to move from 1410 to 1440 in 1941. It was situated in a mucky marshy loamy area and had a great signal. In many areas it wasn't as good when they moved inland with 5000/2500 DA-2 in the late 1970s. They tried to serve Saginaw area off the back lobe and shallow nulls, and that was the area that was most negatively affected.

Some of the other signals in West Central Michigan that I didn't mention that were good that I didn't mention were:

WYLO 540
WMAM 570
WTMJ 620 (5 kW)
CFCO 630
WDBC 680
WAGO 690
CHYR 710
WJR 760
WSGW 790
CKLW 800
WKAR 870
WFDF 910
WOKY 920
WIDG 940
WHAK 960
WKHM 970
WERK 990
WITL 1010
WBMB 1060
WOAP 1080
WJML 1110
WMKE 1120
WKWM 1140
WCEN 1150
WMKE 1170
WOWO 1190
WKNX 1210
WJBL 1260
WFYC 1290
WCCW 1310
WILS 1320
WWAM 1370
WPLB 1380
WCER 1390
WION 1430
WBCM 1440
WBRN 1460
WKMF 1470 (with WBRN off the air)
WGRY 1590

The Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Muskegon Area stations were all there, but surprisingly weak, less than M-3, even at 2 mS/m on the map.

 

[semoochie]

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.

I try not to use any word that ends in "philia"!

 

[davideduardo]

The Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Muskegon Area stations were all there, but surprisingly weak, less than M-3, even at 2 mS/m on the map.

Farther north just beyond Traverse City, 920 and 1050 in Sault St. Marie were good signals by day. 920 came on in the early 60's, IIRC, and was Top 40 initially. It was gone at night, though.

I was too far north for good Milwaukee reception, but with the loop I could sometimes get WOKY 920 and WRIT 1340, both great, combative Top 40 stations.

At night, there were times when auroral conditions would blank WLS so KOMA 1520 was very listenable; the aurora would also wipe WKBW so 1520 was nice and clear. It was fun hearing the night ads for movies and shows opening across nearly a dozen states, from Iowa and MN to ND, SD, MT, CO, WY, NM, OK, KS and western TX. "Opening tomorrow in Taos and Roswell and Thursday in Rapid City and Minot..."

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

I just remembered another situation. On 950, I got WKTS Sheboygan, WI quite well, and nearly no interference from WWJ or WGRT/WJPC. This surprised me, since it was only 500 watts, but with a 3 tower directional antenna directed right toward me, in retrospect it made sense.

 

[Kemosabe]

I just remembered another situation. On 950, I got WKTS Sheboygan, WI quite well, and nearly no interference from WWJ or WGRT/WJPC. This surprised me, since it was only 500 watts, but with a 3 tower directional antenna directed right toward me, in retrospect it made sense.

Do you ever receive WCPT·820?

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

WAIT by whatever name it was in the late 1970s, which was indeed WAIT. Not as WCPT, but from Elmhurst, not from the Northwest Chicago tower. It came in very well in Western Mecosta county with the twisted lead twin lead and top load from the TV antenna, with the one transistor Tom Kneitel design preamp, inductively coupled to a Sony AM-FM-Cassette Recorder ferrite rod inside the radio.

 

[MarioMania]

I love listening to Q106 on 600 in the 80's

and KIIS on 1150, I never heard them on 1220

Music can sound Good on AM with the right Radio

 

[jim-satx]

Since I DXed on the AM band for a few years in elementary and junior high school, I got used to listening through static and fades to hear things. Nowadays, when I search out concert recordings of my favorite bands from the '70s and '80s, lo-fi recordings are sometimes all I can find. So, despite enjoying good quality audio, the fidelity of AM radio doesn't bother me. Also, here in San Antonio, I like the variety on the AM band better overall (there are exceptions) than on FM, which is starting to fill up with translators. (One station, KAHL, has four on FM.)

 

[bgfred]

I properly "discovered" radio in 1973 and did a LOT of dx listening over the following 8-9 years. Where I grew up in SW Virginia the nighttime music menu included WABC, CKLW, WLS, WNOX (weak), WCFL, WBT, WGAR, WLAC, and WKBW. Also remember WWWE, WHO, WJR... and of course the voice of a thousand main streets and the biggest skywave signal on the dial "1-A clear channel, 50,000 watt WOWO Fort Wayne. Group W, Westinghouse broadcasting." How magnificently important did that sound when you were nine - and how exotic it was to give the time in two different time zones!

 

[Kevin]

I properly "discovered" radio in 1973 and did a LOT of dx listening over the following 8-9 years. Where I grew up in SW Virginia the nighttime music menu included WABC, CKLW, WLS, WNOX (weak), WCFL, WBT, WGAR, WLAC, and WKBW. Also remember WWWE, WHO, WJR... and of course the voice of a thousand main streets and the biggest skywave signal on the dial "1-A clear channel, 50,000 watt WOWO Fort Wayne. Group W, Westinghouse broadcasting." How magnificently important did that sound when you were nine - and how exotic it was to give the time in two different time zones!

I discovered radio when I was 6 years old, my Dad brought a crystal radio set home and we assembled it together. This was in 1961 and AM radio was king at that time. I guess, I can say that in my heart AM radio is still king and will always be. Now that I’m 66 years old, AM radio is my choice for entertainment. Back then living in the Downriver Detroit suburbs, I was close to many antenna farms and had no problem pulling in at least 8 radio stations on that crystal radio. My father knew that I would love radio and to this day, I still have that crystal radio set. Thanks Dad for something I will always cherish until the day I will see you again.

 

[davideduardo]

I discovered radio when I was in first grade, in the year before Alan Freed left WJW in Cleveland for NYC. After that, and when transistor radios came out, I hounded my parents for one... just in time to hear Peter "Mad Daddy" Myers on WJW and then on WHK. At the same time, in my introduction to savings as a pre-teen I owned one share of Storer Broadcasting and became a DXer to try to hear all the Storer stations... and that soon turned into part time radio jobs. So listening to two of the most famous rock 'n roll jocks turned into a career spanning six decades.

Look at the bit about Freed and Myers in the history of what was WJW here: WKNR - Wikipedia

 

[radioman148]

I discovered radio when I was barely 5 years old. Living in the Chicago area I had a record player- 78RPM that had a radio in it. I became facinated with the radio which I discovered allowed me to hear NBC News on two stations simultaneously, WMAQ and WTMJ. A couple years later in the early days of Rock & Roll, I listened to WJJD. (WLS was still the Prairie Farmer station).
When WJJD signed off after sunset I started discovering that I could hear WLW from Cincinnati and in time all these other stations from far away at night. I still haven't lost the habit.