Not that it matters since AM died out a long time ago in South Florida. I was wondering what station has the best coverage out of the remaining English speaking stations. Years ago it may have been 560 or 610, now I'm not sure. Is 790 still at 25,000 watts? Please no out of market map analyzers. I'd like to hear it from people who live there.
-
Get involved.
We want your input!
Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.
After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.
After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/
Thanks in advance and have fun!
RadioDiscussions Administrators
Best AM Signal? 560, 610, or 790?
- Thread starter Mike Sheridan
- Start date
It is far and away 610. They have an STA to run higher power due to Cuban operations, and even their directional operation does pretty well in nearly all the market.
790 is also running an STA, but the site in the Everglades and the protection requirements to the north and northeast (like Norfolk, Atlanta, Memphis, among others) prevent it from covering much of Broward at night.
560, at the new site, is nowhere as good as it was when behind the Herald or out on Virginia Key. I found at night it was bad in both south Miami Dade and much of Broward.
I don't live there but I do lots of work there and have always been an AM DXer at heart.
Now back at their old site, I’d argue 560 gave 610 a real run for their money. Maybe not wattage-wise, but in terms of South Florida (and beyond) coverage, it was neck and neck.
Source: Current Out-of-towner who lived in Hollywood 1996-04. Then 2009-11 in Dania Beach.
AM signals
790 has a good signal at night in central broward. 610 is weak at night here and 560 can all most not be heard at all. 940 is nothing but static at night. 710 is the only other ok signal at night but for local broward AM's. After all the years of 560 having a better signal then 790 at night in broward now 790 has a better signal. But who listens to AM anymore in this market?
790 has a good signal at night in central broward. 610 is weak at night here and 560 can all most not be heard at all. 940 is nothing but static at night. 710 is the only other ok signal at night but for local broward AM's. After all the years of 560 having a better signal then 790 at night in broward now 790 has a better signal. But who listens to AM anymore in this market?
Last edited:
Is 710's night signal from the new site (diplexed with WQBA) still listenable? Staff members there report that it is not consistent anywhere north of Hollywood.
G
Groove1670
Guest
As a native Key West Conch, 610 always had the best signal in the Key West, followed by 710 (WGBS) 560 (It was Country at that time) 940 (WINZ) then 790 (WNWS at that time) where I would listen to the afternoon news, and then . It has been years since I've monitored radio there and is the last thing I want to do when I go home.
I did listen to Neil Rogers on QAM a few years before he left when I was down there for the summer.
I'm sure towers and patterns have changed drastically since I listened as a wannabe radio kid in the 80's.
The cable company back in the analog day allowed us to receive Miami FTL signals by hooking up a line to the back of our receivers (I guess they didn't filter or trap certain FM signals,but the didn't let it be know that the signals were there), we got Y100, 96X, I-95 K102, and ZETA 4 form the directionl MATV antennas that fed the CATV system. Most came in clear and was able to break the stereo signal level on our old Pioneer and Kenwood receivers with an accasional fade once or twice for about 60 seconds each hour. WSHE, wDNA, WAXY were very weak or not listenable on our CATV system. After WFMT (Chicago Classical), MTV and HBO went stereo and were available on the local FM band (via hookup) they Miami signals disappered. CATV systems went digtal and they fed the Stereo networks (prior to stereo ready TV's) with Modulators to pick up stero Cable TV ready networks locally (CATV) on the FM band.
They all have a great signals now on this thing called the internet
I did listen to Neil Rogers on QAM a few years before he left when I was down there for the summer.
I'm sure towers and patterns have changed drastically since I listened as a wannabe radio kid in the 80's.
The cable company back in the analog day allowed us to receive Miami FTL signals by hooking up a line to the back of our receivers (I guess they didn't filter or trap certain FM signals,but the didn't let it be know that the signals were there), we got Y100, 96X, I-95 K102, and ZETA 4 form the directionl MATV antennas that fed the CATV system. Most came in clear and was able to break the stereo signal level on our old Pioneer and Kenwood receivers with an accasional fade once or twice for about 60 seconds each hour. WSHE, wDNA, WAXY were very weak or not listenable on our CATV system. After WFMT (Chicago Classical), MTV and HBO went stereo and were available on the local FM band (via hookup) they Miami signals disappered. CATV systems went digtal and they fed the Stereo networks (prior to stereo ready TV's) with Modulators to pick up stero Cable TV ready networks locally (CATV) on the FM band.
They all have a great signals now on this thing called the internet
Last edited by a moderator:
AM Signals
710 makes it in better in central broward than 560 but not as good as 610 or 790 which is the best here.
710 makes it in better in central broward than 560 but not as good as 610 or 790 which is the best here.
About the same here in west Broward. I was tuning around on a cheap handheld radio last night and got unimpressive results for 560, 610, and 710 but 640 and 790 came through loud and clear. 940 required some contorting and fine tuning to get a usable signal. WBT 1110 in Charlotte, NC was coming in decently. Caught the last segment of Leo Laporte around 8:45.
I no longer live in this area, but I always ranked the stations based on their night-time coverage into northwestern Broward county because that was the hardest place for most Dade county AMs to reach.
When I was young, WQAM had the strongest night signal from the Herald building, or maybe I just wanted them to, but 560, 610, 710, 790, and 940 have always been up there.
When I was young, WQAM had the strongest night signal from the Herald building, or maybe I just wanted them to, but 560, 610, 710, 790, and 940 have always been up there.
When I was in Key West last October the Miami AMs came in fairly well during the day but were obliterated by Cuba at night. The daytime interference was more pronounced than it is in Dade/Broward but it wasn't overly intrusive. Cool trivia about getting the Miami FMs via your CATV line. I grew up in the shadow of the tower farm near Countyline Road so antennas weren't necessary!
WQAM
I can hear WQAM in my car radio in Winter Springs, Fla (daytime) WIOD (barely)
At night, can get a faint WQAM on my Sangean.
I can hear WQAM in my car radio in Winter Springs, Fla (daytime) WIOD (barely)
At night, can get a faint WQAM on my Sangean.
It is 610 AM. You can hear it in Charleston, SC daytime. Anywhere within 5-10 miles of the coast in SC, if you have a good radio, you can actually hear it (with interference from the 600 in Jacksonville in the Charleston area). That is because of the curvature of the earth. The Charleston beaches have nothing but water all the way to the West Palm Beach area.
I can get the much weaker 760 AM from West Palm (3kw) because of that. And Radio Reloj is usually listenable on 570.
560 sometimes comes in here, but it usually interferes with a much closer station in Columbia, SC. 790 is very rare (I think I have heard that once or twice in the years I’ve DXed).
I can get the much weaker 760 AM from West Palm (3kw) because of that. And Radio Reloj is usually listenable on 570.
560 sometimes comes in here, but it usually interferes with a much closer station in Columbia, SC. 790 is very rare (I think I have heard that once or twice in the years I’ve DXed).
Funny you mentioned WBT. I was wondering if the signal still got down there. Listening to WBT so many years ago was partially responsible for me moving to Charlotte (along with a nice job offer from Cox's WSOC-AM).
When I checked last at a friends home in one of those "almost in the Everglades" developments in west central Broward, I was obviously at the fringe of the 790 pattern which sharply nulls towards Norfolk. There, 610 was better.
Regarding night skywave coverage 610 in winter can be heard on the Northern Ireland SDR receiver. It is the only Miami station that I have heard on that receiver.
I'm using my Dorian downtime wisely by looking through some of the old posts on this forum and found something interesting. With WIOD moving out to Krome and going to 50kw day at some point I asked elsewhere why they didn't diplex with WINZ in Carol City/Miami Gardens instead. Apparently that was studied by a Gannett engineer back in the 80s and he claims it would have delivered comparable coverage:
I suppose they had their reasons for not doing it and the process of acquiring land for the new site is well underway but on the surface it does seem logical.
I suppose they had their reasons for not doing it and the process of acquiring land for the new site is well underway but on the surface it does seem logical.
- Status