3:00 PM EDT began hearing 1500-1700 kHz from 150-300 miles away. Moving down the dial and further away. Last heard WHBY 1150 in Mackinac Straits Area near 5:00 EDT. WWCK 1570 clear and alone near Topinabee at 3:30 PM.
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Daytime Skywave Starting At 1:30 Past Solar Noon
- Thread starter Schroedingers Cat
- Start date
I have not gone there yet this season, but maybe I'll give it a try this weekend.
During the last week of August I decided to check out the AM dial around 11 a.m. - noon for a couple of days and was surprised to hear 1630 KKGM in Ft. Worth (241 mi) and 1700 KKLF in Richardson (273 mi) fading in/out at times. I never realized daytime skywave could start so early. For some reason I thought it only happened in December - January.
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Interesting. I just checked from here in Houston and both KKLF and KKGM are weak but audible at 11:30am local time. They're about 200 miles distant. I don't know if that's typical or not. I can get KLIF 570 and WBAP 820 all day year-round. I'm assuming those are groundwave, given their lower frequency and constant presence.
I don't know what the ground conductivity in your part of Texas is, but here in Northern Illinois on a good radio I can hear 5KW KTRS from about 270 miles. I used to be able to hear WJR via groundwave before they put the 750 in Portage, Indiana on the air.
Looking more closely, I see that KKLF in Richardson, TX is about 240 miles from my location. Still a bit surprising as I understand groundwave propagation is better at lower frequencies. When conditions are right, I can get the Reynosa area stations (on the Rio Grande across from the Texas valley, about 300 miles from here) on 620, 810, and 1060. I'm sure it helps that a bit of that is across salt water. I've heard a weak KMLB Monroe LA (285 miles) and WWL during the day in the wintertime.
Ground conductivity in east Texas is generally really good. Dallas 570, 770, and 820 are all audible well south of Austin. The big Houston signals are all good in Austin (610, 740, and even 950 to name three). Same result if you go north of Dallas. WBAP makes it all the way to the southern tier of counties in Kansas.
(All of these daytime from my own personal experience)
I used to spend time in New Orleans when I had relatives there many years ago. Before the frequencies got much more crowded I used to be able to hear KTRH in Metairie, La at high noon, over 300 miles, unless there were thunderstorms.
I've heard KTRH daytime at the Gulf Coast beach near Pensacola. Probably some combination of saltwater path and/or skywave. Not always present. But easier since the Montgomery 740 cut back from 50KW.
And thanks to Hawaiigar, I've also snagged KTRH daytime on the beach near St. Petersburg. Gar directed me to check out the DX action on Honeymoon Island A little spit of land west of Clearwater. I also heard it closer to where we were staying on Treasure island. Which is part of St. Pete Beach about 20 miles south of Honeymoon Island. Car radio at around 11am local time in the parking lot of "Caddy's" mixing with WYGM. (Gar propbably knows where Caddy's is....popular beachfront restaurant/bar)
Which Mexican on 740?
There are not many Mexican AMs left. This is what is on 740 today per the IFT.
FER043144CO-105407 TORREÓN COAHUILA DE ZARAGOZA CADENA REGIONAL RADIO FÓRMULA, S.A. DE C.V. XEQN AM 740
FER044321CO-105055 PUERTO VALLARTA JALISCO RADIO VALLARTA, S.A. DE C.V. XEVAY AM 740
FER036816CO-104506 PUTLA DE GUERRERO OAXACA MICHAEL AMANDO MENESES OLAYA XEPOR AM 740
FER042308CO-104651 PUERTO MORELOS QUINTANA ROO TRANSMISORA REGIONAL RADIO FÓRMULA, S.A. DE C.V. XECAQ AM 740
FER042808CO-104616 VILLAHERMOSA TABASCO CONCESIÓN COMERCIAL RADIO DINÁMICA DEL SURESTE, S.A. DE C.V. XEKV AM 740
When I first started daytime DXing on Honeymoon Island back in 2009, there was a Mexican station on 740 that always made it difficult to hear the other stations on that frequency.
Then one day in 2010, I went over there and it was wasn't there which made it possible for me to ID KTRH.
After that, it was back on the air for a while anyway but it's now been 4 years since I've been in Hawaii and even longer than that since I last tried to listen to 740 in the daytime there, so it may be a thing of the past.
Then one day in 2010, I went over there and it was wasn't there which made it possible for me to ID KTRH.
After that, it was back on the air for a while anyway but it's now been 4 years since I've been in Hawaii and even longer than that since I last tried to listen to 740 in the daytime there, so it may be a thing of the past.
No trace of Mexico either on Honeymoon Island or at Caddy's. We stayed at Treasure sland for three consecutive winters before returning to our usual Pensacola spot. 2014-16. Orlando was the usual daytime occupant of 740, albeit with a very weak signal. As noted in my earlier post, on a couple of occasions I was able to null it and hear KRTH.
....And I'm still in your debt for turning me on to Honeymoon Island? Caddy's....it was up the street from where we were staying. Adjacent to a public beach parking lot, which was out in the open and hence a good DX spot.
I've been hearing WKTA 1330, today in Romeo, MI, at 3 PM EDT. At W 83 00 00, the clock reads 1:32 later than the solar time, so it was about 1:30 PM solar time. WVON 1690 was also pretty strong.
11 AM may be Sunrise CH Daytime Skywave. Soon it will be 24 hours some days.
WKTA is about 38 kW maximum to the East using traditional Class III/Class B minimum efficiency.
11 AM may be Sunrise CH Daytime Skywave. Soon it will be 24 hours some days.
WKTA is about 38 kW maximum to the East using traditional Class III/Class B minimum efficiency.
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Yes, WKTA sends most of their power east. The days are getting shorter and MWDX season is here.
And 25 miles to the west at my location they're unlistenable. Weak and mixing with the slightly stronger WNTA from Rockford, IL.
And at my location WKTA lights up the toaster
Good to hear that at least some directional patterns work as they should.
"A Service To Metropolitan Chicago". -WEAW Evanston TOH ID Trailer to get past regulations pre 1980s or so. Closer to home, we had WGER Bay City Saginaw Midland. Also serving Flint. After they could ID any city, some of the TOH IDs were the source of a lot of jokes, like "Kalamazoo, Timbuktu, Kathmandu."
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