Cyberdad's Summer 2013 Road Trip

[cyberdad]

I'm driving a car with a good radio to the west coast and back. First up, daytime AM bandscan highlights from Grand Island, NE today. 10:45am, clear weather. (Grand Island is about 125 miles west of Omaha)

540: KWMT...Very good signal. Surprisingly so. No trace of CBK here....or for that matter...further west.
550: KFRM....Weaker than I thought it would be. KWMT, WIBW, and the Omaha 590 were all stronger.
600: I heard a couple of very weak stations mixing under Omaha. I thought one of them might have been WMT, but couldn't identify either.
610: KCSP...Weak
630: Weak signal here, possible KHOW?
640: WOI...Fair/Weak
680: KFEQ...Fair
690: KGGF...Very weak
710: KCMO...Weak
780: WJAG...Good (In Iowa it mixes with WBBM before fading)
790: KXXX...Very weak
810: WHB...Fair/Good....best Kansas City signal
850: KOA...Very weak, but clearly audible
880: KRVN...Monster
940: KPSZ (Des Moines)...Very weak with 10kw aimed right at me from nearly 250 miles away
1040: WHO..Weak
1110: KFAB...Monster
1170: Thought KVOO might make it here, but nope!
1240: KFOR....75 miles away and still good
1290: Omaha....longtime KOIL still has a good signal 125 miles out.
1540: I was wondering if there might be daytime skywave of KXEL. There wasn't.
1620: The Omaha X-bander was here....but not quite as good as 1290.

Tonight, I'm in Laramie, WY. Tomorrow (Thurs), Elko, NV. Then seven days in California. The California stops are all places where we have family and where I've been a number of times before (Santa Rosa, Laguna, and Victorville area). I won't repeat any redundant stuff, but I'll post anything new/unusual/notable that turns up. As always, requests and suggestions are more than welcome....although with the family stuff, there's no predicting how much time I'll have for DX. My trip back to Chicago after the 4th takes me through Albuqurque and Springfield, MO.

Looking forward to any inputs and comments!

 

[crainbebo]

I received KCGY Y95 from Laramie last night during the big E-skip opening we had here in the Northwest.

Try out the FM throughout the trip to see if you get some interesting Tropo results...or maybe E-skip.

Once you are in Elko, try for 1000, 710, 950, and 1380, all Seattle area stations. I'd even try 1520.

Good luck, and I wished you were here in WA or in Oregon!

-crainbebo

 

[ddsparxx]

KOA was recently heard here in VA at night last month.. Regarding KFRM 550 in north central KS, I have seen on the Radio-Locator map that it aims its signal toward southwest which may be why it was weak in NE. That station probably could be heard as far away as northeastern NM at noon.

 

[radioman148]

Thanks for sharing Cyberdad. Always interested in your road reports.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

Try for those Chicago IBOC sidebands in Eastern NM. I haven't been back there to do a video and post a Youtube, but you are going to be near where I heard them in the middle of the day, middle of summer. Of course not a trace of the analog signal.

Other NM ideas - see how far KGNC 710 makes it into NM. I was so astonished by the Chicago sidebands I forget to check everything else I wanted to. KKOB 770 is a regional monster, it should be interesting along I-40. There is a 620 in Phoenix that might be very interesting. KLZ Denver 560 is a really strong regional. KCRS Midland would be interesting - it has a monster signal but North only, I've often wondered if their highly directional array gives them a boost up North. KFYO Lubbock is another super regional, makes it to the outskirts of DFW, I've often wondered how far into NM it goes.

 

[cyberdad]

Thanks guys. Last night in Laramie, the noise level in the hotel wasn't too bad....but just enough to wipe out any "serious" DX. Moderately strong signals were enough to get through, however. Strongest skywaves were KFAB and KRVN. Both relatively close and both aimed right at me. KSL was right up there with them. KOA was good, but not overpowering given that I was in a convergence zone. (Their day signal was good).

KNBR was the strongest west coast signal. Really good. KFI was also good, but not quite as good as KNBR. KNX was a little weaker, except right at sunrise when it was sounding like a local. No KCBS or KGO. None of the western 50kw directionals were in, either, except for KTWO. No Chicago, no Twin Cities, but KMOX and WHO were both in with fair signals. CBK...fair to poor....was the only Canadian. No CBW or CKWX.

The Seattle powerhouses around sunset and sunrise is a great suggestion. I'll see what I can come up with. I'll also try the Chicago IBOC noisemakers....in Albuquerque and in my other stops if I can. WBBM has been running IBOC all along, and I just noticed last week that WSCR has theirs back on.

And yes, Crainbebo, I was trying to figure out a way to do a northwest stop....especially Seattle, to see if I could catch some of the Cubs and Mariners this weekend. But no such luck!

 

[boiseengineer]

CBR 1010 will be very weak until they finish repairs after a fire.
Running really low power.
Usually they have a monstor signal around here.

 

[cyberdad]

I turned my attention to the car radio when I left Elko (NV) a little before 6am for my 8-hour drive to Santa Rosa.

Given that the sun was just coming up and there was no lingering skywave from the east, I turned my attention to crainbebo's suggestion that I try for Seattle. I pretty much whiffed, however. On 710, the Sacramento station was well on top, but I did hear what sounded like a female newscaster underneath (KIRO?). 770 was blank. 820 was religion (weak...maybe Seattle?) 880 was blank. I DID hear KOMO (weak) on 1000. 1090 was Tijuana (fair), and 1520 was pretty much blank, although I did hear weak Spanish.

California was a somewhat different story. KNX was excellent, KFI good. KCBS and KNBR were fair. While KGO was completely missing. The surprise was XEPN with a steady good signal.

I'm now in Santa Rosa for the weekend. My (usual) hotel here is not particularly good for DX, but I'll see what turns up and report anything that could be of interest.

 

[crainbebo]

710...but I did hear what sounded like a female newscaster underneath (KIRO?).

Nope. Not them. You probably had KNUS or someone else. KIRO is sports (ESPN)

-crainbebo

 

[cyberdad]

710...but I did hear what sounded like a female newscaster underneath (KIRO?).

Nope. Not them. You probably had KNUS or someone else. KIRO is sports (ESPN)

-crainbebo

I did hear what sounded like Mike and Mike, very briefly (about ten seconds), but then it vanished and never returned. I have no idea what it was...or if it was even indeed Mike and Mike. But you get the "gold star" for your FM catch from Laramie. Congrats on a really good one!

 

[boiseengineer]

KGO's hard to hear even in Stockton-Modesto day or night.

 

[radioman148]

KGO's hard to hear even in Stockton-Modesto day or night.

I had no problem hearing KGO in Reno, Nv during the day when I was there several years ago.

 

[cyberdad]

Here's an update from So-Cal....

Currently I'm at a resort hotel a couple of blocks from the beach in Dana Point (Laguna area)...

Most interesting to me is 740, with KBRT now having moved from Avalon (Santa Catalina island) to the mainland. Day signal is very good...one of the strongest on the AM dial. Night signal is not quite as good, but very much improved....which was a big reason for the move. I remember being in Anaheim about 10-15 years ago, and KBRT being a barely audible little pipsqueak under KCBS. Now it's a different story, KBRT is on top with what used to be a strong KCBS underneath....although very clearly audible.

Otherwise, the biggest thing that strikes me is what the Los Angeles AMs seem to be increasingly up against. KFI and KNX are the only AM stations that can legitimately claim to have a competitive signal over the entire sprawling metro area. KLAC and whatever 710 is calling itself these days come close....as, perhaps, also does KBRT's new daytime stick. The real losers are the 5kw former major players in the LA ratings wars, KABC, KHJ, and KFWB. Their signals here on the southern Orange county coast range from weak to pathetic. The directional blowtorches are a mixed bag. KLAA on 830 is pretty good. KRLA on 870 is so-so days....nearly invisible nights. 1110 and 1150 are each pretty bad day and night.

As for San Diego.... 690 from Tijuana may be the best signal on the dial here. The Tijuana 1090 is right up there with it. XEGM on 950 is also good, as is XEPN on 1700. 540, 800, 860, and (surprisingly) 1030 also fair-good. KOGO on 600 and KFMB on 760 also good. 1360 is fair, and 1130 and 1170 are awful.

Finally, I haven't spent a lot of time with the radio at night, but I can report KGO and KSL as the best skywave signals. 720, 840, and 890 from Nevada also good. KKOH on 780 not so much. Also good skywave from KKOB, KOA, KTWO, KOFI, and KFBK. And Crainbebo, nothing from Seattle other than a weaker-than-usual KOMO. And Radioman/rest of the guys from back in the home area...not a trace of anything from Chicago or east of the Mississippi. I may have had KMOX last night, but couldn't positively ID it.

 

[pianoplayer88key]

Hi cyberdad...

The 950 in Baja is XEKAM, and 1700 is XEPE.

Your comments on the L.A. area signals there on the OC coast is interesting. At my QTH about 15 miles inland near El Cajon / La Mesa, all of those can be heard in the daytime on a good battery-operated portable outdoors. KNX is top dog (basically local-grade) now that KBRT moved, with KFI a few dB behind. KLAA and KBRT are both fair signals. KLAC and KSPN (710) are weaker, followed by KABC, KHJ and KFWB (980 is barely detectable on some cheaper portables). KDIS (1110) is competitive with 790 and 930, as long as you have decent enough selectivity to dodge the local 10kW KSDO (1130) just 6 miles away, my second-strongest signal here. KTLK (1150) is the toughest one due to 1130 and an even stronger 50kW KCBQ (1170) 9 miles away, and co-channel from Mexicali, but it can still be barely heard with the PL-398mp and the Superadio III.

As for nighttime, are you sure it was KOFI on 1180? Usually here I get KERN from Bakersfield area. One time I remember them coming in so strong they were actually splattering over my local 1170 (which surrenders its strongest-signal status, due to power/pattern change, to KFMB)!
Also I sometimes hear KFAB (although you being closer to KDIS and me being kinda off the back side of its pattern could make a big difference) and KSTP at night here. I've also heard a somewhat-copyable WHAS under KXNT at least once in the past several months. WWL also occasionally pokes in.

 

[davideduardo]

Most interesting to me is 740, with KBRT now having moved from Avalon (Santa Catalina island) to the mainland. Day signal is very good...one of the strongest on the AM dial. Night signal is not quite as good, but very much improved....which was a big reason for the move. I remember being in Anaheim about 10-15 years ago, and KBRT being a barely audible little pipsqueak under KCBS.

I was under the impression that KBRT did not use the night operation as it did not make landfall anywhere in a usable fashion; 113 watts going 20 to 30 miles before hitting land, even over salt water, is going to be rather unreliable. When did you hear them running at night?

I don't, however, think the night operation was much of a motivator for the move. The real issue, as was discussed several years ago in the LA forum, was the large brushfire started on Catalina by a KBRT subcontractor which pretty much made the station non grata there. Add the increasingly unreliable electric grid, the high costs and staffing factors and it was time to move onto the mainland.

 

[fybush]

My understanding is that the 113-watt night power from Catalina was tested for a bit, but the results were so poor that it was never used regularly.

I'm surprised 710 even fell into the "decent enough" category in OC; especially at night, it's a very problematic signal in many parts of the county. Move even a little bit inland from your coastal spot and I suspect you'll hear them degrade substantially. 830, conversely, is decent by day in LA County but hopeless at night. Your assessment that there are really only two full-market AMs, KFI and KNX, is a solid one. I'm surprised KABC is as bad as you say it is right by the coast; I know it falls apart inland. And KHJ would probably have been much better for you last year if you'd heard them from their old Venice Boulevard site. They're now on a less favorable site inland, up above Dodger Stadium. You didn't mention KLAC on 570, but it should be about comparable to KFWB, since it's at the same site in east LA.

Your San Diego/Tijuana reception doesn't surprise me; it's a straight coastal shot up to you, and you're only a few miles from the San Diego county line at Dana Point.

For fun, if you get a chance during daylight hours, try for the Santa Barbara AMs, especially 1250 (Spanish) and 1340 (KCLU public radio). They enjoy a phenomenal saltwater direct shot to the coast north of San Diego; I hear them regularly and very listenably when I'm staying with family in Solana Beach, 35 miles or so south of where you are.

 

[ftballfan]

Most interesting to me is 740, with KBRT now having moved from Avalon (Santa Catalina island) to the mainland. Day signal is very good...one of the strongest on the AM dial. Night signal is not quite as good, but very much improved....which was a big reason for the move. I remember being in Anaheim about 10-15 years ago, and KBRT being a barely audible little pipsqueak under KCBS.

I was under the impression that KBRT did not use the night operation as it did not make landfall anywhere in a usable fashion; 113 watts going 20 to 30 miles before hitting land, even over salt water, is going to be rather unreliable. When did you hear them running at night?

I don't, however, think the night operation was much of a motivator for the move. The real issue, as was discussed several years ago in the LA forum, was the large brushfire started on Catalina by a KBRT subcontractor which pretty much made the station non grata there. Add the increasingly unreliable electric grid, the high costs and staffing factors and it was time to move onto the mainland.

It's kind of strange that KBRT, about 300 miles from KCBS, gets night power while KCTA, 1700 or so miles from WBZ, doesn't get night power.

 

[crainbebo]

Here's an update from So-Cal....

And Crainbebo, nothing from Seattle other than a weaker-than-usual KOMO. And Radioman/rest of the guys from back in the home area...not a trace of anything from Chicago or east of the Mississippi. I may have had KMOX last night, but couldn't positively ID it.

Your problem is DXing in the middle of the summer. Seems like less nighttime means less DX on the AM band. I can't get KSTP in the summer time most of the time, but it starts booming in around September when the AM DX season begins (for me).

-crainbebo

 

[cyberdad]

My understanding is that the 113-watt night power from Catalina was tested for a bit, but the results were so poor that it was never used regularly.

I'm surprised 710 even fell into the "decent enough" category in OC; especially at night, it's a very problematic signal in many parts of the county. Move even a little bit inland from your coastal spot and I suspect you'll hear them degrade substantially. 830, conversely, is decent by day in LA County but hopeless at night. Your assessment that there are really only two full-market AMs, KFI and KNX, is a solid one. I'm surprised KABC is as bad as you say it is right by the coast; I know it falls apart inland. And KHJ would probably have been much better for you last year if you'd heard them from their old Venice Boulevard site. They're now on a less favorable site inland, up above Dodger Stadium. You didn't mention KLAC on 570, but it should be about comparable to KFWB, since it's at the same site in east LA.

Your San Diego/Tijuana reception doesn't surprise me; it's a straight coastal shot up to you, and you're only a few miles from the San Diego county line at Dana Point.

For fun, if you get a chance during daylight hours, try for the Santa Barbara AMs, especially 1250 (Spanish) and 1340 (KCLU public radio). They enjoy a phenomenal saltwater direct shot to the coast north of San Diego; I hear them regularly and very listenably when I'm staying with family in Solana Beach, 35 miles or so south of where you are.

A lot of this surprised me. KLAC was pretty good, KFWB nowhere near. The San Diego stuff was about what I expected and what I remember from previous visits here...except for the relatively good signal on 1030. 1030 was stronger than KTNQ...which I forgot to mention earlier. I did have a good signal on 1250 in Spanish, but didn't know where it was from.

The biggest surprises were 790/930/980 as well as 740. 710 was a mild surprise, but I already knew their coverage could be "eccentric".

Perhaps the spot where I am is a fluke. I was doing my DXing from a relatively open balcony in a relatively noise free hotel (Marriott Laguna Cliffs) overlooking the ocean, but with mountains and cliffs to the north of me. So perhaps the location created some quirky conditions of a very local nature.

Far and away 740 was the biggest mystery. At one point around sunset, KBRT was getting completely powered by by KCBS. But later in the evening, it was pretty much the other way around. Perhaps KBRT went back on day power. And David, after reading your comments, I do now remember reading the article about all the struggles of operating the KBRT physical plant from Avalon.

The 830/870 situation is also a little puzzling. I was in Woodland Hills (Warner Center Marriott) the night before I came down here. Even though I was on an upper floor and the internally generated noise wasn't all that bad, only the stronger signals were getting in. 870 was OK, while 830 was struggling.

Finally, 1180. I didn't hang around long enough to catch an ID, and just assumed KOFI. My bad. As for KFAB, I didn't hear them under Pasadena (although I have many times in the past). I was also on 880 looking for KRVN, but didn't hear them, either.

I'll see if I encounter more of the same...or anything different...tonight and tomorrow morning before I leave for the high desert. I'll report anything new.

 

[davideduardo]

It's kind of strange that KBRT, about 300 miles from KCBS, gets night power while KCTA, 1700 or so miles from WBZ, doesn't get night power.

Scott Fybush can give a better explanation, but WBZ was a 1-A clear channel station, while KCBS was a far more restricted occupant of a Canadian clear channel.

KCTA could probably have added nights more recently, but the economics of that in Corpus Christi probably don't justify the move.