Critical hours DXing

[gar hi]

I've been doing some scanning up and down the AM dial right after sunset the past few days here in Tampa and it's interesting how you can hear stations that can't be heard during the day but also can't be heard much if at all during the night.

Two interesting frequencies were 680 and 880.

I can pretty much null out our local on 680 and hear distant stations and at night and it's always a jammed frequency with countless stations.
What I was hearing for the short time past sunset was a Spanish talk station that I can't hear at night or at least maybe it's in the mix
and I can't single it out.

In the span of five minutes, I heard them say "Puerto Rico" three times. I'm wondering if it was WAPA from San Juan also because it didn't sound like a typical Cuban station. Also, I'm wondering why I wasn't hearing the Cuban on 680 (assuming I was hearing WAPA).

On 880 during the fall and winter just after sunset, WCBS usually has a fairly good signal but for many days in a row, I was hearing WZAB, "The Biz" from Sweetwater which is near Miami.

What are some of your critical hours sunset catches that normally aren't heard or at least don't dominate on a typical night?

 

[radioman148]

I've been doing some scanning up and down the AM dial right after sunset the past few days here in Tampa and it's interesting how you can hear stations that can't be heard during the day but also can't be heard much if at all during the night.

Two interesting frequencies were 680 and 880.

I can pretty much null out our local on 680 and hear distant stations and at night and it's always a jammed frequency with countless stations.
What I was hearing for the short time past sunset was a Spanish talk station that I can't hear at night or at least maybe it's in the mix
and I can't single it out.

In the span of five minutes, I heard them say "Puerto Rico" three times. I'm wondering if it was WAPA from San Juan also because it didn't sound like a typical Cuban station. Also, I'm wondering why I wasn't hearing the Cuban on 680 (assuming I was hearing WAPA).

On 880 during the fall and winter just after sunset, WCBS usually has a fairly good signal but for many days in a row, I was hearing WZAB, "The Biz" from Sweetwater which is near Miami.

What are some of your critical hours sunset catches that normally aren't heard or at least don't dominate on a typical night?

One that can be heard here in the Chicago area at sunset & a bit before in fall & early winter is WLNO New Orleans. As soon as they power down at New Orleans sunset it's KYW loud & clear.

 

[musicman3355]

I've gotten KVTA "News Talk 1520" from Ventura by sunset. Never heard this station since 1520 is a mess at night (though I haven't tried get KOKC Oklahoma City).

 

[Icangelp]

Just about any frequency will yield stations not heard at night, especially the lower frequency regionals.

Here are some clear channel stations that are either days or power way down at night. I've heard them on the way to and from work when the sun rises late and sets early. I've logged many more on just about every frequency.

640 WCRV Collierville TN
640 WXSM Blountville TN
640 WFNC Fayetteville NC
660 WLFJ Greenville SC
690 WZAP Bristol TN
720 WGCR PISGAH FOREST NC
720 WVCC HOGANSVILLE GA
760 KMTL SHERWOOD AR
770 WVNN ATHENS AL
770 WYRV CEDAR BLUFF VA
780 WWOL FOREST CITY NC
800 WSVS CREWE VA
850 WKVL KNOXVILLE TN
890 WKNV FAIRLAWN VA
940 WCPC HOUSTON MS (My personal fav)

 

[Tincap]

While living in Halifax NS, I'd bag the Ottawa stations (580 CFRA, 1200 CFGO, 1310 CIWW) during the 'critical hours'. Closer to home, after dark, these stations come in poorly, even from 80 KM (50 miles) south of town.

From here (Brockville ON area), during the critical hours are usually the times I can bag WLNO and WBAP, etc.

~BG

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

One station that I had a hard time verifying was WIND 560 from Chicago. The first time I heard it was in the early 1970s when daytime stations were still daytime only, not PSSA. Between the time that WHND 560 Monroe, MI (now WRDT) signed off, and the time that WIND changed patterns, usually 15 minutes later and threw a much deeper null in my direction, was the best time to hear it. Even then it was most reliably heard when there was very little skywave, as it was a very weak groundwave in the 25 uV/m range.

 

[radioman148]

One station that I had a hard time verifying was WIND 560 from Chicago. The first time I heard it was in the early 1970s when daytime stations were still daytime only, not PSSA. Between the time that WHND 560 Monroe, MI (now WRDT) signed off, and the time that WIND changed patterns, usually 15 minutes later and threw a much deeper null in my direction, was the best time to hear it. Even then it was most reliably heard when there was very little skywave, as it was a very weak groundwave in the 25 uV/m range.

Where are you?

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

I've been in various locations in SE Michigan, radioman148. I think that the skywave null is above the horizon in my direction. There's a bunch of 560s with weak signals interfering, and now there's WRDT 560 with PSSA.

 

[jd]

and now there's WRDT 560 with PSSA.

This is a curious situation. Are they actually using their post sunset authority? If so, how does it work out with the 14-watt nighttime operation from Ferndale, or do they just wait and use the other transmitter after their PSSA hours?

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

The Royal Oak Twp. site does work out remarkably well. It uses a wire insulated from the old WGPR-TV 62 tower and is approximately 5/8 wavelength, so the "ERP" based on 282 mV/m @ 1 km @ 1 kW minimum Class D/Class B efficiency is more than twice the 14 as I recall. It can easily be heard 15-20 miles away. Since the applications on CDBS are only recent, and NIF for WRDT is unavailable for other 560 applications because it is Class D, I'm not sure what the NIF is, but it is quite low, like I said, a bunch of very weak interfering signals are usually heard. They can't be Class B easily because CFOS and the phantom allotment for CJKL limit it in the northerly direction which it would radiate most in this area of the country.

 

[radioman148]

I've been in various locations in SE Michigan, radioman148. I think that the skywave null is above the horizon in my direction. There's a bunch of 560s with weak signals interfering, and now there's WRDT 560 with PSSA.

OK, I just didn't know where you were receiving WIND from.

 

[charlestondxman]

Tonight, I was picking up WREJ Richmond, VA at 1540 with 10kw airing a James Madison football show. Kind of strange to hear that, as it wasn't pointing our direction.

 

[Tower Lights]

The evening of October 21st I heard 990 out of Canada in Tulsa, OK and it sounded like a local in the truck. First time I've caught it and have not been able to receive it since. The weather forecast there predicted a low of minus two overnight and a high of 10 tomorrow, brrrrr. It was 80 degrees here at the time.

 

[radioman148]

The evening of October 21st I heard 990 out of Canada in Tulsa, OK and it sounded like a local in the truck. First time I've caught it and have not been able to receive it since. The weather forecast there predicted a low of minus two overnight and a high of 10 tomorrow, brrrrr. It was 80 degrees here at the time.

They give their temps in Celcius (in Canada), but that's still cold for this time of year.

 

[audioguy]

CBW 990 Wiinpeg is an easy catch in the Chicago area, especially now that WMVP has turned off their IBOC sidebands. It's the only CBC station that can be received reliably since CBL Toronto went dark and was ultimately replaced by CFZM (formerly CHWO). Unfortunately, the CBC Radio 1 programming is not what it used to be (like a lot of radio programs) and as a result I usually only listen for that weather broadcast!

 

[drt]

The evening of October 21st I heard 990 out of Canada in Tulsa, OK and it sounded like a local in the truck. First time I've caught it and have not been able to receive it since. The weather forecast there predicted a low of minus two overnight and a high of 10 tomorrow, brrrrr. It was 80 degrees here at the time.

In U.S. temps, that high of 10 C would be a high of 50 degrees F and the 2 below (would be about 29 degrees for the low)...... in late October, you don't have to go to Canada for temps that low.

drt,
st. petersburg,fl

 

[crainbebo]

It's fun DXing at an hour or so before sunrise, when at 6:30AM it's completely dark. Gotten KBHB Sturgis, SD on 810 both times I DXed, this morning and yesterday morning. Also had NPR 930 likely Grants Pass, OR, Hot AC under KTTH on 770, prob KATL, KERR 750 Polson, MT, and a MESS on 910!

-crainbebo

 

[musicman3355]

Probably not a critical hours catch, but on Monday night (7:30 PM) I got KHIL 1250 out of Wilcox, AZ playing country. Looks like someone forgot to power down, but nonetheless it's a new catch for me.