Not nearly as exciting as DXing from Hawaii, but I finally heard the Radio Reloj under WWL. Also, tried hard to hear KFI for the first time since they built their new stick. Unfortunately too much interference from Zeeland, Mi and getting a spanish language station. I know there are Cubans on 640, but this station was louder when radio was oriented east/west. Wonder where it was coming from?
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DXing from Chicago area
- Thread starter radioman148
- Start date
Hmmmm, Spanish language radio on 640? Not sure about that one.
Usually, when I try for KFI, I end up hearing a faint signal from Iowa Public Radio instead. Once, early in the morning (like 4 am) I thought that I heard KFI through the noise but could not confirm it before it faded. I'm about 25 miles NW of downtown Chicago.
Too bad we have a local on 1160, as I'd bet that we could get KSL if it was off. I know I did when I was staying downstate in Jacksonville (about 30 miles west of Springfield).
Usually, when I try for KFI, I end up hearing a faint signal from Iowa Public Radio instead. Once, early in the morning (like 4 am) I thought that I heard KFI through the noise but could not confirm it before it faded. I'm about 25 miles NW of downtown Chicago.
Too bad we have a local on 1160, as I'd bet that we could get KSL if it was off. I know I did when I was staying downstate in Jacksonville (about 30 miles west of Springfield).
Back in the day, 1160 in Chicago shut down at sunset in Salt Lake City, revealing KSL almost nightly in Cincinnati on most car radios & many of the better portables of the day. Never strong, but rarely was it not there. Those were the days my friend...BRNout said:
I've been checking for KFI for years, and since the new tower went up, I THINK I'm hearing it in the mix-mush, but haven't been able to ID it. Yes, KSL was a regular catch in the Chicago area back in the day when Clear Channel was a concept of spectrum management, not a Corporation which seems apparently anithetical to its name. When I first heard of 'em, I thought they'd be buying out and shutting down some of the signals which had degraded the usefulness of "clear" channels.
They should be named Cluttered Channel, with a slogan: " Bringing the clutter of the graveyard channels to a clear near you".
They should be named Cluttered Channel, with a slogan: " Bringing the clutter of the graveyard channels to a clear near you".
Don't give up on KFI. It took me a long time to finally hear it good and ID it late at night but I haven't heard KFI come in like that since. You have a good point about probably hearing it in the mix-mush. After my official catch and ID (and that was one good signal for some reason), I've been hearing the same thing you're describing. One thing I did was go to their website to see the program schedule and they have Coast to Coast starting at 10pm their time. Since that one unique night where KFI was really good for a short time and I was able to hear the station ID, local news and weather too, there was one night when I was up after 1am my time, I tuned to our local WFLA to hear the specific voice of the guest on Coast to Coast and then went to 640. In the mix, I could definitely identify the same voice among the others in the mix even though I couldn't hear specifically what the person was saying. Knowing that show wasn't on the other stations I hear on 640, I had to think it was KFI. So I would assume all of you who are attempting to get it are probably hearing it in the mix.
Coast to Coast AM is also heard on WGST in Atlanta.
I got excited for a second as i've also heard Coast to Coast AM on 640. For a brief moment I thought I had logged KFI in my location. Like just about everyone else here, i've tried for KFI only to hear WOI or WGST. I've heard voices buried deep in the mush and some of them may very well be KFI, but they're too weak to confirm. I've made it as far west as Manti, UT (DX test) and Grand Junction, CO (still on daytime power). I would like to make it farther.
I can't always make out voices, especially on weak AM signals, but I always try to listen for the songs they play after commercial breaks, i've logged a few stations that way. They have a very extensive affiliate listing on their website.
BRNout, i've heard that KOMO 1000 is an easy catch west of Chicago inside WMVP's null. Is that true?
I got excited for a second as i've also heard Coast to Coast AM on 640. For a brief moment I thought I had logged KFI in my location. Like just about everyone else here, i've tried for KFI only to hear WOI or WGST. I've heard voices buried deep in the mush and some of them may very well be KFI, but they're too weak to confirm. I've made it as far west as Manti, UT (DX test) and Grand Junction, CO (still on daytime power). I would like to make it farther.
I can't always make out voices, especially on weak AM signals, but I always try to listen for the songs they play after commercial breaks, i've logged a few stations that way. They have a very extensive affiliate listing on their website.
BRNout, i've heard that KOMO 1000 is an easy catch west of Chicago inside WMVP's null. Is that true?
Lawppy said:
Maybe that's true at a certain azimuth to the southwest of Chicago if you're far enough out (like Galesburg?). You'd have to be at the nulled compass point, though. However, I was still getting a weak signal from WMVP around Springfield and Jacksonville, IL at night and it's a blaster throughout pretty much all of Chicagoland - day and night. Their tx is in the western suburbs (Downer's Grove).
Personally, I'd think that you would have to be out by the Mississippi River and beyond before KOMO becomes receivable.
BRNout said:
I'm sure you could get KSL as I used to get it regularly when then WJJD signed off back in the day.
BRNout said:
Even just west of the Mississippi I used to get Okla City & Mexico City on 1000. Doesn't KOMO null to the east?
Lawppy said:
From my location, the Atlanta station would be pretty much nulled out when my radio is facing in the direction of LA. When I was hearing the faint talk from Coast to Coast in the mix, I could only hear it when the radio was facing west or west north west. When I turn the radio facing north/south, some Spanish station takes over. I've never officially had an ID from WGST, but I probably would have if I used a non directional antenna and the conditions were right.
That's good to know and it doesn't surprise me. Although WMVP nulls most of its energy away from the west, some of it still gets out there. It was coming in weakly in west-central IL in an area that's within the nighttime null - a good 250 miles from the tx.
After reading the posts here, I'd guess that you would have to be a lot farther west (Montana?) before you could get KOMO.
After reading the posts here, I'd guess that you would have to be a lot farther west (Montana?) before you could get KOMO.
BRNout said:
I'd be real surprised if you could get KOMO anywhere in the midwest. Besides the fact that WMVP does put some signal into a westerly direction, you've got OK City, and the fact that KOMO is nulled towards the midwest. I'd say Montana is about right.
Listened again this morning (4AM CDT) for KFI. No luck. Hearing Zeeland, Mi and another station which is spanish. The spanish station come in best when my radio is oriented east/west. Go figure?
In the 60s thru the early 90s KFI was an easy catch here. Now I can't hear it at all.
In the 60s thru the early 90s KFI was an easy catch here. Now I can't hear it at all.
mimo said:
According to radio locator KOMO does send some power NE at night. Their major null is towards Chicago.
http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=KOMO&service=AM&status=L&hours=N
gar fla said:
What's the ground conductivity around Seattle?
I think that coveage is quite good compared to what you'd get here in the Northeast. KOMO's red line (2 mv/m) is about 50 to 60 miles north and south in the lobes, (even more where the signal goes over salt water). Much less of course to the east in their deep null.gar fla said:
By comparison with stations at that same part of the dial out this way, WSPN-1050 New York has about 40 miles of coverage to the North (in it's broad lobe),
http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/finder?sr=Y&s=C&call=wepn&x=12&y=0
and WBZ-1030 Boston has about 35 miles of coverage to the west in it's main lobe.
http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WBZ&service=AM&status=L&hours=U
Signals in the mid-west of course do better with their teriffic ground conductivity.
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