Can Anyone Explain What's Going On ?

[KR4BD]

OK, for some time here in Central KY, AM conditions have been abnormal. By that I mean that many stations that should not been easily heard here are being heard very often and with good signals. Of course, we know why KWKH and KEEL are getting into some areas not used to hearing them, but lately I have these to add:

1. KGYN-1210 in Guymon, OK killing WPHT out of Phille NIGHTLY here in Lexington. They are supposed to be 1 kw at night and sharply nulled in this direction.

2. KAAY-1090 in Little Rock. Yes, they are supposedly 50 KW day/night, but have any of you ever seen their night pattern? Yes, I've heard them hear (weakly) in the past, but they are putting in a "killer signal" lately.

3. KRMG-740 in Tulsa. For a couple of years these guys have been giving AM-740 out of Toronto a hard time here in East Central KY. For several nights now, I can barely tell that Toronto is even on the air!

4. KRHW-1520, Sikeston, MO. Coming in clearly at night. Look at their night pattern/power!

These stations should be difficult to hear where I live. There are others, but these stand out.

Maybe they are operating on Day facilities due to weather? But I wonder because some of this has been going on for months....

 

[cyberdad]

OK, for some time here in Central KY, AM conditions have been abnormal. By that I mean that many stations that should not been easily heard here are being heard very often and with good signals. Of course, we know why KWKH and KEEL are getting into some areas not used to hearing them, but lately I have these to add:

1. KGYN-1210 in Guymon, OK killing WPHT out of Phille NIGHTLY here in Lexington. They are supposed to be 1 kw at night and sharply nulled in this direction.

2. KAAY-1090 in Little Rock. Yes, they are supposedly 50 KW day/night, but have any of you ever seen their night pattern? Yes, I've heard them hear (weakly) in the past, but they are putting in a "killer signal" lately.

3. KRMG-740 in Tulsa. For a couple of years these guys have been giving AM-740 out of Toronto a hard time here in East Central KY. For several nights now, I can barely tell that Toronto is even on the air!

4. KRHW-1520, Sikeston, MO. Coming in clearly at night. Look at their night pattern/power!

My guesses for whatever it's worth....and I'll preface by saying I've found east-west paths to be very good this winter...

1. KGYN. I have no idea. I used to hear this one quite a bit on the west coast just before local sunrise when they'd power up.

2. I've noticed an improved signal on KAAY myself. Given the general theory here that Citadel hasn't been spending money on engineering Maintenance. I'm thinking they've just let their pattern slipl

3. For years, I've heard KRMG in places where they should be absent. Here northwest of Chicago is one of those, but there they are just about every night clearly audible under CFZM.

4. KRHW. Odd pattern. Probably tough to maintain, so my thought is they're probably not doing what they need to. They're fairly regular around here...and have been since they came on (as KMPL) in the mid-60s.

 

[K4WRF]

I don't know anything about the OK station but KAAY recently had much of their directional feeder system stolen by thieves and as result, an STA for 12.5 kw ND. It's going to take a while to fix.

KRMG I don't know but it is a complex 6-tower array and there has been a lot of bad wx out there. All those electro-mechanical switching contactors are problems especially when they get COLD.... Sounds kinda like ME!

Sikeston MO is a very complex and historically trouble prone array over the years and one can speculate.

 

[stormy01]

KGYN is a regular here in Northern IL under WPHT. According to the FCC search, and radio-locator, it's supposed to be 10kW full-time.
KAAY has been an unimpressive signal for years here. Their signal nowadays is a shadow of their former self (during the rock and roll days).
Sometimes I hear KRHW here, but not nearly as often as when it was KMPL and I believe they were running 500 watts at night, and a different night pattern.
I'll want to look for KRMG, haven't bothered to try for them in years since Toronto usually blasts in on the freq. Sometimes I hear KCMC from Texarkana, TX under CFZM.

Has anyone been hearing the 1550 out of the Columbus, OH area? Its format is Regional Mexican. Also have picked up WNZK from the Detroit area a few times this winter before it switches to 680 for nighttime operation.

 

[jd]

1. KGYN-1210 in Guymon, OK. Yes, it's sharply nulled toward Philadelphia but as noted above it runs 10,000 watts day and night. KGYN is a regular at night here in East Texas, too.

2. KAAY-1090 in Little Rock. I've been noticing a dramatically improved signal from KAAY. I don't know if they're using the maximum allowed power of 12,500 watts at night but it sure seems like it. A couple of months ago the signal was so weak it was difficult to ID.

3. KRMG-740 in Tulsa. I haven't noticed anything unusual here lately but I'll keep checking. Usually I get a weak KCMC Texarkana perceptible under the muck.

4. KRHW-1520, Sikeston, MO. I agree that this isn't surprising, all things considered. I've heard the station several times here over the years underneath Oklahoma City and it wasn't just around critical hours.

 

[stacker]

The ground is frozen in Oklahoma and that could explain why KGYN and KRMG are being received better. Frozen ground causes the conductivities to shoot up higher than normal. There is 15 to 20 inches of snow on the ground at the KRMG site.

KRMG is a very well maintained station. I suspect Mother Nature is the cause for what you're hearing.

 

[almaniac27]

I've been hearing KRMG way better than usual lately in Kent Ohio. Usually our proximity to Toronto means CFZM pretty well dominates 740, but I was surprised when I was hearing a talk radio show instead!

I've also been noticing much worse reception from west-to-northwest lately, Chicago stations are significantly weaker than normal, I don't know if this is related to the other abnormalities, but I thought I'd throw it out there.

 

[radioman148]

I've been hearing KRMG way better than usual lately in Kent Ohio. Usually our proximity to Toronto means CFZM pretty well dominates 740, but I was surprised when I was hearing a talk radio show instead!

I've also been noticing much worse reception from west-to-northwest lately, Chicago stations are significantly weaker than normal, I don't know if this is related to the other abnormalities, but I thought I'd throw it out there.

Similar observations here in the Chicago area for KRMG--it's right there under CFZM. Also, my DX to the east is very limited. I could hear KDKA & Toronto, but no NYC, not even WCBS which always comes in at night. No WBZ either.

 

[schmave]

I too have noticed much worse reception from the east the past few nights here in central Ohio. Chicago, St. Louis and other stations to the west have been coming in normally.

 

[stormy01]

I too have noticed much worse reception from the east the past few nights here in central Ohio. Chicago, St. Louis and other stations to the west have been coming in normally.

Has anyone thought of checking auroral and sunspot conditions as well? ...that may help explain current reception conditions in your area and the path on which you're listening for certain stations. Ground conductivity as has been discussed here and elsewhere is enhanced (or not enhanced) by the (lack of) snow cover and/or soil saturation from the nominal values given in ground conductivity maps, nonetheless.

One possible site to check: http://spaceweather.com/ Otherwise, search additional websites for terms such as auroral, sunspot, radio propagation, etc.

 

[K4WRF]

Here is a an ongoing graphical report as we enter Cycle 24. They also have comparisons of other cycles.

http://www.solen.info/solar/

Enjoy!
w/

 

[schmave]

Interesting. I did mention hearing Chicago stations normally recently, but one odd thing did happen to me Saturday night just south of Newark, Ohio ... listening to Bulls postgame on AM 1000, for about 30 seconds an English-language talk station walked all over it. WMVP still could be heard in the background. The other station had a commercial - I can't even remember what it was for. But as quickly as it came, it was gone. First time in this part of the country I've ever heard anything other than Chicago on 1000.

 

[asugeorge1]

Interesting. I did mention hearing Chicago stations normally recently, but one odd thing did happen to me Saturday night just south of Newark, Ohio ... listening to Bulls postgame on AM 1000, for about 30 seconds an English-language talk station walked all over it. WMVP still could be heard in the background. The other station had a commercial - I can't even remember what it was for. But as quickly as it came, it was gone. First time in this part of the country I've ever heard anything other than Chicago on 1000.

Could have been a catch of KOMO 1000 in Seattle, Washington. Their all-news, but you could have caught them in a commercial. KOMO is the only consistent English-language DX catch on AM 1000 down here in Phoenix, AZ. Other times I hear Spanish language on AM 1000, which I ponder is XEOY from Mexico City playing pop music. I have NEVER heard WMVP here in Phoenix, which is a shame. I used to hear it all the time while living in Florida.

 

[radioman148]

Interesting. I did mention hearing Chicago stations normally recently, but one odd thing did happen to me Saturday night just south of Newark, Ohio ... listening to Bulls postgame on AM 1000, for about 30 seconds an English-language talk station walked all over it. WMVP still could be heard in the background. The other station had a commercial - I can't even remember what it was for. But as quickly as it came, it was gone. First time in this part of the country I've ever heard anything other than Chicago on 1000.

Could have been a catch of KOMO 1000 in Seattle, Washington. Their all-news, but you could have caught them in a commercial. KOMO is the only consistent English-language DX catch on AM 1000 down here in Phoenix, AZ. Other times I hear Spanish language on AM 1000, which I ponder is XEOY from Mexico City playing pop music. I have NEVER heard WMVP here in Phoenix, which is a shame. I used to hear it all the time while living in Florida.

You might have heard KTOK in Oklahoma City. Signals from the south have been better lately & with all the snow down there it's a possibility.

 

[kilokat7]

Interesting. I did mention hearing Chicago stations normally recently, but one odd thing did happen to me Saturday night just south of Newark, Ohio ... listening to Bulls postgame on AM 1000, for about 30 seconds an English-language talk station walked all over it. WMVP still could be heard in the background. The other station had a commercial - I can't even remember what it was for. But as quickly as it came, it was gone. First time in this part of the country I've ever heard anything other than Chicago on 1000.

Depending on your latitude, the geomagnetic storm that occurred last Friday night is probably to blame. I'm really surprised that nobody else has commented on this but I guess it affects reception differently based on your listening location. My AM dial is still out of whack - favoring stations from the South, like Radio Caracas overtaking WSB 750 tonight. Highlights from last Friday night included hearing Florida on 1620 for the first time, PJB completely dominating 800, dominant Mexican & Cuban stations everywhere, etc. I've logged about 15 new stations during the last few days!

 

[radioman148]

Interesting. I did mention hearing Chicago stations normally recently, but one odd thing did happen to me Saturday night just south of Newark, Ohio ... listening to Bulls postgame on AM 1000, for about 30 seconds an English-language talk station walked all over it. WMVP still could be heard in the background. The other station had a commercial - I can't even remember what it was for. But as quickly as it came, it was gone. First time in this part of the country I've ever heard anything other than Chicago on 1000.

Depending on your latitude, the geomagnetic storm that occurred last Friday night is probably to blame. I'm really surprised that nobody else has commented on this but I guess it affects reception differently based on your listening location. My AM dial is still out of whack - favoring stations from the South, like Radio Caracas overtaking WSB 750 tonight. Highlights from last Friday night included hearing Florida on 1620 for the first time, PJB completely dominating 800, dominant Mexican & Cuban stations everywhere, etc. I've logged about 15 new stations during the last few days!

Well that would easily explain why I was unable to hear WCBS & WBZ Saturday night in the Chicago area.
Usually they are among the easiest catches here.

 

[schmave]

Interesting. I did mention hearing Chicago stations normally recently, but one odd thing did happen to me Saturday night just south of Newark, Ohio ... listening to Bulls postgame on AM 1000, for about 30 seconds an English-language talk station walked all over it. WMVP still could be heard in the background. The other station had a commercial - I can't even remember what it was for. But as quickly as it came, it was gone. First time in this part of the country I've ever heard anything other than Chicago on 1000.

Depending on your latitude, the geomagnetic storm that occurred last Friday night is probably to blame. I'm really surprised that nobody else has commented on this but I guess it affects reception differently based on your listening location. My AM dial is still out of whack - favoring stations from the South, like Radio Caracas overtaking WSB 750 tonight. Highlights from last Friday night included hearing Florida on 1620 for the first time, PJB completely dominating 800, dominant Mexican & Cuban stations everywhere, etc. I've logged about 15 new stations during the last few days!

I'm at right about 40 degrees north ... in fact, I was only about two miles north of U.S. 40 when this happened. I might DX late night tonight to see what I can hear. The only deterrent is the bitter cold up here!

 

[schmave]

Well it seems like things have calmed down the second half of the week. I'm noticing most of the normal skywave signals are coming in without interference, or at least with the normal interference we are used to. I did get the rare chance to do some AM dial surfing Wednesday night and noted a few things:
- Heard very weak country or gospel on 560 ... definitely heard banjos. That's usually a quiet frequency for me.
- There definitely was some signal interfering with Toronto 740, but I never actually heard it. I heard the telltale rapid in and out fading, but never lost Toronto. I have to guess Tulsa was somewhere in the distant background, too weak to make a bigger impact.
- Heard a station on 790 carrying Coast to Coast AM under local WHTH from Newark, Ohio. This was a new one. Never heard an ID. Same programming on 930.
- WBAP was stronger than usual, mostly overtaking WOSU from Columbus. This isn't terribly rare because I'm not right in front of WOSU's night signal *and* it's 790 watts from 35 miles west, but I could hear Dallas a lot better than I have in ages around here.
- WRFD from Columbus, a daytimer, was on at 880 and destroying WCBS. Only time I've ever heard WRFD on at night ... it hasn't been there the past two nights when I've checked.
- Heard a country-and-western station on 1150, maybe the same one I've heard under Lima's WIMA on trips to western Ohio. I've heard oldies in this frequency before, but never country.
- Very weak music format on 1700, so weak I couldn't tell what it was. Usually it's all ESPN from Iowa.