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DXing The Expanded AM Broadcast Band

B

Bud50

Over the last year or so, when I've had to drive into work on call late at night, I've found a couple on the "expanded AM band" that have become favorites: "The Avenue", WCNZ, Marco Island, FL on 1660; and KRJO, Monroe, LA, "Old School 1680", which switches between some gospel and old hits.

I've been enjoying music on AM radio from time to time, when I can catch it...or when I'm not falling into an exhausted sleep...I recently found this link:

http://www.angelfire.com/wi/dxing/xband.html

Of course, not in the expanded AM band, is KMOX, who airs "The Route 66 Music Show" with Johnny Rabbitt, when not pre-empted by sports

I've got my old Hammarlund tuned to 1680; that audio comes through its matching speaker so sweeeeeeeet! Nothing like tube gear!

Anyone else have any favorites?

Bud
 
I'm glad I was at least able to DX the X-band in the late 1990s, before the TISes sprung up like weeds around here (south FL).

I don't have any favorites as such....but it was the last time I was able to hear California on AM (Vallejo on both 1630 & 1640, and Costa Mesa 1650----sadly could not get Washington state).

The day before my local 1700 Miami Springs signed on, I was alerted to it---so I contacted a few DX buddies. They got reports from all over the world....but now it seems that KVNS in TX outdoes them, despite slightly lower power.

cd
 
KVNS 1700.

It reminds me of how AM radio used to be when I was growing up.

So many of those old top 40 songs actually sound better on AM and the fading in and out reminds me of the first station I ever listened to when I first got into DXing, the old WKBW that I used to listen to at night from about 280 miles away.
 
The expanded band is OK to DX, but there's way more clutter than back in the late 90s/early 00s. Farthest heard in this part of the AM dial was the Caribbean Beacon on 1610 from Anguilla [3800 mi, about 30kw] and KVNS 1700 Brownsville, TX [2000+ mi].

-crainbebo
 
If you are in the northeast check 1710 as there is WQFG689, a new TIS station from New Jersey. They are relaying the NYC NOAA weather radio broadcast so you'll hear KWO35 as the ID. Its pretty easy to recognize if you've heard NOAA radio before. It broadcasts from 5 sites with 10 watt output. It may not seem like a lot of power, but they are the only licensed broadcast on 1710. I was able to log them using my XDR-F1HD with a Kaito AN-200 tunable loop antenna.
 
radioman148 said:
It was great in the mid 90s hearing Vallejo, Ca in the midwest every night. Now IMO, not so special.
Click to expand...
Is that the one that did 24/7 traffic reports when it first came on? I was out at 5AM EST in the 90's and heard them on the car radio in Indianapolis. Seems it was on 1650? That was as close to the "good old days" as we'll see...when the X-Band had just a few stations. Nowadays, it borders on a graveyard--that didn't take long.
 
BobOnTheJob said:
radioman148 said:
It was great in the mid 90s hearing Vallejo, Ca in the midwest every night. Now IMO, not so special.
Click to expand...
Is that the one that did 24/7 traffic reports when it first came on? I was out at 5AM EST in the 90's and heard them on the car radio in Indianapolis. Seems it was on 1650? That was as close to the "good old days" as we'll see...when the X-Band had just a few stations. Nowadays, it borders on a graveyard--that didn't take long.
Click to expand...

That migha been the Costa Mesa 1650. KXBT 1640/1630 Vallejo was R&B classics (I think still is).

cd
 
KXBT [now KDIA] is Christian talk now, and has been for 9 or 10 years. Used to be R&B.

-crainbebo
 
1690 WMLB Avondale Estates, GA Voice of the Arts. Nice mix of community interests, reviews, interviews, and music... Rare format, esp on AM.
 
dxho said:
1690 WMLB Avondale Estates, GA Voice of the Arts. Nice mix of community interests, reviews, interviews, and music... Rare format, esp on AM.
Click to expand...

You talk about anything-&-everything, that's WMLB; you never know what's coming up next, or even what genre!

My wife & I were in our car going thru Atlanta in Oct 2010, and on 1690 was a guy reading out loud the viral web page "Coyote vs. Acme". Funny to read, maybe not so much to listen to!

cd
 
Certainly in this part of Ontario, the Canadian X-band is lending itself well to ethnic stations, which are pretty much the only new AM stations finding their way to the AM dial. This fine be me, as straining to listen to these Greek (CHTO), Hebrew (including Reshet Bet news relays...CJRS), South-East Asian (CINA) , Haitian/Creole (CJWI) and Spanish (CHHA) stations give a touch of the exotic to the air waves. There's also Concordia University's CJLO, broadcasting on 1690. Speaking of exotic, snagging classical on Kansas City's 1660 KUDL 'Radio Bach' (haven't heard classical on AM, since the demise of WQXR), would be kind of neat, although the Koreans do a good job of filling up the frequency here, with WWRU.

~BG
 
"Radio Bach" was an interesting catch but it's no more. They dropped classical March 1st and although the call letters are the same, it's now branded as the "KMBZ Business Channel."
 
Here's a nice list:

http://www.angelfire.com/wi/dxing/xband.html

AM radio was my first love; when I was 9 years old, my grandpa gave me an old green plastic Zenith tube-type AM radio; it was 'way cool, the way the tubes slightly lit the room late at night. I dialed all over the place, but mainly settled on KAAY, 1090, especially when they played "Beaker Theater". Wish I had some of those old shows...

...but I agree, the X-band with its music, is a bit nostalgic...I'm enjoying it!

Bud
 
KYHN in Fort Smith, Arkansas (now listed as 'silent' on 1650) became KWHN and simply moved to 1320 on the dial. I think the format is still the same.
 
Id have to say my Favorite X-Banders are KVNS 1700 (I can null KKLF) and Old School 1680. 1650 from El Paso was cool too, they used to play oldies at night, that moved to 11 something and 1650 went Spanish.

Its amazing that KVNS seems the most dxable X-Bander despite being only 880 watts at night.
 
LibertyNT said:
Id have to say my Favorite X-Banders are KVNS 1700 (I can null KKLF) and Old School 1680. 1650 from El Paso was cool too, they used to play oldies at night, that moved to 11 something and 1650 went Spanish.

Its amazing that KVNS seems the most dxable X-Bander despite being only 880 watts at night.
Click to expand...

One the Global Tuners site www.globaltuners.com , of which one must subscribe, there was a tuner somewhere in the UK (offline for now) where I heard KVNS on it, based on the last songs played on the website. The 1000-miles-closer WJCC in Miami Springs, a local of mine, I think I heard as well, but not like KVNS.

cd
 
cd637299 said:
LibertyNT said:
Id have to say my Favorite X-Banders are KVNS 1700 (I can null KKLF) and Old School 1680. 1650 from El Paso was cool too, they used to play oldies at night, that moved to 11 something and 1650 went Spanish.

Its amazing that KVNS seems the most dxable X-Bander despite being only 880 watts at night.
Click to expand...

One the Global Tuners site www.globaltuners.com , of which one must subscribe, there was a tuner somewhere in the UK (offline for now) where I heard KVNS on it, based on the last songs played on the website. The 1000-miles-closer WJCC in Miami Springs, a local of mine, I think I heard as well, but not like KVNS.

cd
Click to expand...
That would be the Atlantic DX, their antenna is about 500 yards from the coast.
 
LibertyNT said:
cd637299 said:
LibertyNT said:
Id have to say my Favorite X-Banders are KVNS 1700 (I can null KKLF) and Old School 1680. 1650 from El Paso was cool too, they used to play oldies at night, that moved to 11 something and 1650 went Spanish.

Its amazing that KVNS seems the most dxable X-Bander despite being only 880 watts at night.
Click to expand...

One the Global Tuners site www.globaltuners.com , of which one must subscribe, there was a tuner somewhere in the UK (offline for now) where I heard KVNS on it, based on the last songs played on the website. The 1000-miles-closer WJCC in Miami Springs, a local of mine, I think I heard as well, but not like KVNS.

cd
Click to expand...
That would be the Atlantic DX, their antenna is about 500 yards from the coast.
Click to expand...

^^^ Yes, and I sure miss that thing....dunno if "Atlantic DX" will return there. Even my local WIOD 610 was on it; never mind 612 kHz being a Euro channel!!

cd
 
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