DXing on KWAM

[Tynosaur]

I wrote this in my personal blog a few weeks ago and thought some of you younger radio folk might like to know about this less and less known way of listening to the radio.

This morning on the next-to-last day of my broadcast career, I checked my work email from home. I received a DX verification request from Japan! By way of elucidation, DX is old-time telegrapher talk for “message from a long distance”.

In the early days of radio broadcasting, many people got a thrill out of listening to far away stations…to the extent that many organized “DXer” groups. They listened to stations from afar, looked up addresses for those stations, and sent them requests for verification of what they heard. Engineers at radio stations usually handled these requests and sent back DX Verification cards stating that such and such station did indeed play “he Flight of the Bumblebee” at 11:23pm on Saturday, August 22, 1946 right after a commercial for NoBloz tissues that aired at 11:22:30pm…or words to that effect.

The person who sent the request then could add another checkmark on his master list of stations. It was sort of like birdwatching, except for the use of electricity.

Well, that went on for many years, particularly with ham radio operators who combined DXing with actual broadcasting on short wave units. When I started in radio back in 1967, we often received requests. After I moved to Memphis in 1969 and began work with WREC-AM, a 5000 watt station located at the strong end of the dial, 600 Kilohertz, where you got much more bang for your transmitter buck than a similarly powered station at the upper end of the dial, say 1400 Kilohertz.

WREC could often be heard in Germany and in the South Pacific through its broadcast transmissions skipping across the upper atmosphere using a number of aids from weather, sun, and etc. to enhance its distance. Those DXers who responded to WREC sometimes were amazing in their locations.

All this is to say everything changed when the Internet arrived. Now you can listen to streaming audio from stations all over the globe without having to spend late night hours hunkered over an aging tube receiver that has a super heterodyne front end and can reach out and pick up signals from afar. Dxing dropped to a trickle in a matter of a few years after that.

But today I received this email:

Dear Allan,

I am a 50-year-old Japanese neuroscientist, and one of my hobbies is to listen to overseas radio program. Last October, I visited my friend in Memphis, and I heard your program at the hotel. After returning to Japan, I prepared reception report and sent you. Unfortunately, as of today, I did not receive any reply from you. I think my report did not reach you, thus I will send reception report to you. If you find my report accurate, I would greatly appreciate receiving your verification, mentioning the date, time and frequency of my reception.

Reception Details:
Date and Time: October 17, 2006, 2328-2353 CDT Frequency: 990kHz
Program Details (all times in CDT); English
2328 Dave Ramsey Show
2329- Advertisements for US Legal Form, National PTA, “Keep Ocean Clean”
Station identification simply as 9-90 KWAM by a female announcer
2332 Dave Ramsey Show again
Telephone-talk-in show about small business etc
2347 Station identification as “9-90 KWAM” by a female announcer
2347 Advertisements
2351 Dave Ramsey Show

Reception Quality
Reception condition: SINPO5555; Signal strength was strong level, and there was no or very slight interference. Noise was slight and fading was also very slight. Overall merit was good.
Receiver: Eton E100
Received Place: The Peabody Hotel in Memphis, TN

Thank you very much for your program. I started in listening to overseas radio program in 1970, but I did not have enough time to hear overseas radio program in 1990’s, and recently back to the hobby. In winter season, some radio stations in west coast of the States can be heard in medium wave broadcasting band – it is quite difficult to catch the program from TN. In 1988-1990, I worked at NIH of Maryland and often listened to radio programs from stations in TN. When I visit foreign country, I bring portable radio to listen to local stations, and during my visit to the States, I heard many radio program with good reception condition.

Thank you again for your program and looking forwards to your kind reply soon.


In case you’re ever needful of a DX request, you wouldn’t go wrong using that one! Congratulations to Satoshi Wakisaka of Minoo, Osaka for sending me this.

I sent him verification this morning, but I’m a bit confused by one thing. Did you notice where he did his listening? He was in the Peabody Hotel in Memphis last October…barely two miles from the KWAM transmitter! He should have been able to pick the station up on the radiator in his hotel room, for Pete’s sake!

Anyway, I’m pleased to be able to make a connection with my early days in radio the day before my last day in radio. Sorry to be such a rambler, but hope you enjoyed this.

 

[RMarino]

So he was staying at the Peabody in Memphis and he picked up KWAM from there? What's so special about that?

 

[jboydingram]

haven't we seen this post before? If so, the moderator should check posts earlier...IMHO...JBI

 

[FMSales]

I remember reading it May 2, which is the date on Tyno's post.

 

[AlbumOldies]

Allan,

There is some DX'ing still going on with the medium wave frequencies, but you're right in that the hobby is nothing near what it used to be. I've been a long time member of the National Radio Club which is a medium wave DX club and they are still active, but a lot of people wonder if IBOC cause be the end of the hobby. I lived in Somerset, KY for 9 years, and with sunset skip I could get WREC fairly often, but would lose it at Memphis sunset. I could only rarely get any other Memphis stations. I've not had as much success getting WREC in Knoxville for some reason. It's a way to get some hometown news the "old-fashioned" way.

I still enjoy listening to AM radio, with WSB and WLW local evening and nighttime talk shows being my favorites. In the winter months, I can get Gary Burbank's afternoon tak show on WLW here in Knoxville - always fun to listen to.

 

[Tynosaur]

Regarding the inability of receiving WREC at night toward Knoxville, that is because of the two nulls in the WREC pattern...one to the northeast, protecting Baltimore, and one to the north-northwest, protecting Des Moines. That null toward Baltimore kills WREC about Arlington and all along I-40 east and the Des Moines null cuts I-55 north out of the picture about Osceola. You'd have thought WREC was older than dirt, but Baltimore and Des Moines got in there ahead of Hoyt Wooten back in September, 1926. Though Hoyt started KFNG on Septermber 22, 1922, in Coldwater, MS, I guess it doesn't count in the grandfather clause game.

 

[RMarino]

I can get Gary Burbank's afternoon tak show on WLW here in Knoxville - always fun to listen to.

Even that isn't such a big thrill anymore. A full WLW simulcast is on XM Radio. When I say "full" I mean everything, including local Cincinnati traffic and commercials. So you could be anywhere in the country and listen to WLW anytime.

 

[AlbumOldies]

Thanks for the additional WLW info. I have heard the folks on WLW saying they are on XM, but I had wondered if it was exactly like the over the air WLW or if local stuff was edited out (for lack of a better term).

 

[Antoine Domino]

Although I think Gary Burbank is an incredible talent, I don't pay for XM to listen to WLW. There are lots of channels on XM that stand out from regular radio.

 

[Dr. Bob]

Allan:

While Hoyt Wooten was, most likely, on the air before the stations in Baltmore and Des Moines the protection is based on when the transmitter site was constructed or power increased. You can increase your signal up to the point where you don't interfere with the other station(s) (or reach the power limit for the channel). After that everyone else wanting to increase power or change coverage must protect you.

If I remember my Memphis radio history correctly, WREC did not construct its present transmitter site with a power increase till sometime in the early 1930's. Baltmore & Des Moines must have had power levels and/or transmitter sites that required WREC to protect them at that time. KBME (ex-KKBQ) in Houston is a prime example of this. It's on 790 kHz. and did not come on the air until 1946. It has 5 kW day and night but must protect WMC at night (among others) as it came on relatively late for a full time AM station. It requires an eight tower array to achieve the required night protections.

BTW, I hope you are enjoying your retirement. I grew up in Whitehaven and Senatobia and met you when WREC was still in the Peabody basement but TV had moved out. You were accomodating to a kid (at that time) and I have always remembered that. Thank you.

 

[Tynosaur]

Thanks for the update and the compliment. My wife is a systems analyst/programmer and always says she is software, not hardware! By the same logic, I'm programming, not engineering. though I've been a flashlight holder or a button pusher countless times for many engineers over the years. I'guess I've been like Jack Elam's great line in "Support Your Local Sheriff":

"Well, I did odd jobs... for one thing, I was a Orr holder at Madame Horse's, uh, horse holder at Madame Orr's House."

 

[KennyBosak]

As for the WLW simulcast on XM, it's nearly complete, but not quite.

Major League Baseball does not allow them to carry my beloved Cincinnati Reds on the XM simulcast, so when the Reds are on WLW, the XM version reruns a local show.

So you say "Big deal, Kenny, MLB has all of the games on XM."

Yes they do, but until the playoffs start, they only carry the home team broadcast. So if my Reds are in San Diego, I have to listen to the Padres broadcast team instead of Marty Brenneman.

And sadly, my Reds are not going to be in the playoffs this season.

 

[Dr. Bob]

I checked one of my treasured radio keepsakes, "Sign On WREC 1922-1972", it says that WREC's present transmitter site was not completed until 1935 and that the station did not increase night power to 5 kW until 1943.

Before directional antennas became popular, many stations on regional channels (of which WREC was one) broadcast with 5 kW day, 1 kW night non-directional. When WREC increased night power in 1943, they needed to protect Baltmore & Des Moines, both most likely running 1 kW non-directional at night. WREC may have already been protecting both stations a 1 kW night so all that was needed was to deepen the nulls to allow operation at 5 kW. Heck, in 1943 I'll bet there was not much population to the north or northeast of WREC's transmitter site so if there was less signal to the north than could have been gained by adding a tower(s), there would have been little damage to the nighttime coverage to the north and the gain of signal over Memphis proper easily justified the compromise.

One thing about WREC's operation on a regional channel, until very recently the FCC limited power for all stations to 5 kW maximum so WREC could never hope to increase power to 50 kW without a change of frequency.

 

[Tynosaur]

Curses! Foiled again! I glanced at that dratted book myself for the move to Memphis date, but didn't bother looking at the power upgrade remarks, so you got me.

Good research and thanks to the Master, Fred Cook, once more for having the foresight to force that publication into print while he was GM of WREC, shortly before the FIRST big change rolled down Union Avenue.

And thanks to the late Edwin Howard for his authorship of same and to Joe Oliver for his tremendous work on the audio version, "WREC at 50", with narration by Al Kenngott, host of Nightsounds on WREC back in the '60's and early '70's.