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DXing the West

Left over from the days when a 'clear channel' was a clear channel. One station on the frequency, period.

BTW, unless they changed the city of license 810 is actually licensed to Schenectady. But Albany is close enough :)
 
810 in the midwest has WHB-810 to deal with though their pattern is narrow north south figure 8 at night.

Then of course is WBAP-820 and the Mexican on 800.

I've never heard KGO or WGY in Dallas, though I have heard WHB (or as it used to be known, KCMO).
 
317C50KW said:
810 in the midwest has WHB-810 to deal with though their pattern is narrow north south figure 8 at night.

Then of course is WBAP-820 and the Mexican on 800.

I've never heard KGO or WGY in Dallas, though I have heard WHB (or as it used to be known, KCMO).
Click to expand...

I know KGO at night sends a big time signal north & south, but how far east can any listener reasonably hear them on a nightly basis? I'm not talking about an occasional DX catch, but how far can they regularly go to the east at night. For example can KGO be heard in Colorado?
As far as west goes I did hear KGO in Hawaii once or twice, but not well & rarely heard.
 
radioman148 said:
317C50KW said:
I know KGO at night sends a big time signal north & south, but how far east can any listener reasonably hear them on a nightly basis? I'm not talking about an occasional DX catch, but how far can they regularly go to the east at night. For example can KGO be heard in Colorado?
Click to expand...

That's something I'm looking to hopefully find out for myself. I have two Colorado stops at the end of my trip, and I'll hopefully see (hear) what turns up.

I also thought I heard KGO in Maui in 1994, but David Eduardo suggested in a thread here years later, that given their pattern, I may have misremembered. At the time, I was inclined to agree, but the more I think about it, the more details I seem to recall. Ihat said however, I still can't say with certainty. I do know I never heard it during the year I spent in high school in Honolulu in the mid 60s....but I was in an area within a couple of miles of at least a half dozen transmitters (including, IIRC, a local on 830). Lousy conditions, so the upshot was I had to be out of the city to do any serious DXing. That didn't happen very often.
Click to expand...
 
I've caught WGY in Memphis a time or two a few years ago, but usually you get WHB.
 
WGY is a regular here in the Chicago area, but the signal is hardly overwhelming. I've never heard KCMO here on their night pattern....which is really tight. In fact, I never once heard them at night in my college years in eastern Iowa....despite their daytime signal being fairly good there.
 
Nevermind the DX, I wanna see pictures! It sounds like a great trip through some beautiful land. I've never done the Trans-Canada but I did scoot around Montana and eastern/western WA and Vancouver in years past, before DXing was a serious thought in my mind...
 
Pix? I usually take some with the iPhone. I'll see what I can do, and hopefully pass along a few to you guys.

As most of you probably know, I've done a lot of traveling for a lot of years....but I think Key West and the Canadian Rockies/Pacific Northwest in the same year is some sort of personal record (although I've done Maine/Quebec and southern California in the same year). Hopefully DX conditions in the northwest will be better than they were for me in Key West.
 
I was in Victoria about a year ago and found that I could receive AM 750 KXTG from Portland during the day in some areas.

crainbebo: Is CFSL still causing problems for KEX in the Puget Sound area? If so, they must be staying on their day signal.
 
Yesterday I was DXing and CFSL was weak under KEX. I have noted it almost taking over KEX on other nights.

-crainbebo
 
If cyberdad is out on his vacation, I had a little bit of Eastern enhancement at sunset. 1310 KLIX was loud from Twin Falls, ID, and 1290 KGVO good signal here in the Puget Sound Lowlands...

-crainbebo
 
Day 2 of my trip.

Last night was Sioux Falls, SD. Here are a few highlights of my bandscan. About 10pm with a follow up just before sunrise. Relatively noise free hotel, but some distant thunder creating addditional noise in the morning....

540: CBK. Surprisingly weak, but alone. Crainbebo mentioned a pretty decent opening to the east....apparently not a two-way street.
560: WIND. A mild surprise....strong and steady under WNAX moderate splatter
640: No sign of KFI
650: WSM. very strong. I wasn't expecting that.
670: WSCR....like a local.
680: Wanted KNBR, got KFEQ. Stuff in the background which I couldn't identify. CJOB? KNBR?
700: WLW. "The big one" was a fair to week one.
710: KCMO. Good. No trace of KIRO under anything else
720: WGN. Strong
730: CKDM. Fair-Strong
750: CJVR. Strong. This one surprised me. May have been a weak WSB underneath
780: WBBM. Good, but a little weaker than I expected.
840. WHAS. Fair
850. KOA. Weak...which also surprised me
870. WWL. Good...with hurricane stuff
890: WLS. Fighting it out with something in Spanish
1000: Local here, no chance for KOMO
1070: Looking for KNX. Got KHMO...fair to good, and another surprise
1100: WTAM good
1140: Local KSOO wiped out everything on adjacent channels
1500: KSTP with a really good signal
1540: KXEL like a local
 
Should've mentioned....

Radio I was using was the SRF37. And tonight I'm in Rapid City SD. A little more noise than last night in the hotel, but I'm on the top floor, so things should be OK. I'll report anything of interest that I hear.
 
Was getting a weak KBOW 550 Butte, MT tonight. Try for the more regional channels as well as the 1-As. KOMO might be in...

-crainbebo
 
Bandscan highlights from Tuesday night in Rapid City, SD. SRF37 once again. Actually most of this was pre-dawn today (Wed 8/29) when there was less noise....

540: CBK. Weak. Surprising since I had it in the car most of the day
560: KLZ. Fair...and alone
640: Not much here. I was trying for KFI. Might have been in the mix, but I couldn't identify.
650: Mess...I did hear music, which might have been WSM, but couldn't identify
660: Country....probably KTNN
670: WSCR....weak, but on top
680: KNBR...weak, but alone. Only west coast I was able to positively ID
700: Very weak KALL
710: KNUS...good and alone. I must've been in their pencil-thin lobe.
720: No WGN....just weak Spanish (KSAH?)
730: CKDM...very good
780: WBBM...mixing with CKOK (which I guess also perhaps counts for west coaast)
820: WBAP...fair
850: KOA...like a local. Best skywave signal
870: WWL...good with hurricane stuff.
890: WLS...good with Spanish underneath
1000: KTOK...fair and all alone. No KOMO or WMVP
1040: WHO....alone and blastin'
1070: Mess...thought I heard KNX, but can't be sure.
1090: KAAY...sounding better here than back home in the Chicago area
1110: KFAB...really good. Only KOA was better via skywave
1130: KWKH...weak, but alone and the biggest surprise.
1500: KSTP...fair. I expected better.
1510: Denver with a good signal. No trace of WLAC, which was what I'd been looking for.
1520: KOKC....ditto KSTP
1540: KXEL....also ditto KSTP
1700: I was hoping for KVNS, but got Des Moines instead.

I'll report whatever turns up here tonight in Montana. Next stop tomorrow night (Thurs) is Banff.

Crainbebo: So far, I haven't had a chance to hang out on the regional channels (although I've been watching 560). I'll try to get a chance to do that...hopefully sooner rather than later.
 
Cyberdad, let us know what is local (CBC & otherwise) out of Banff. My parents & I were at Jasper Nat'l Park in 1977....I think the only local radio was the former CKYR 1450 which relayed 970 Edson (not even sure if that one is on anymore, either). CKYR was interesting to listen to, being the only station to serve the area.

*If* you make it to Jasper, I'd like to know what's there too. (BTW Jasper was the first place I ever saw snow falling, aside from my baby years, in 1977....and it was in September!)

cd
 
Lots of N and NE activity tonight, got a new log (KTKN-930 AK), lots of Saskatchewan stations in like locals (CJGX, CFYM, CKOM, CKBI, etc.), CKMW 1570, CBW 990 like a local, KSTP 1500, etc. Keep looking Cyberdad! I think you'll get something good tonight...

-crainbebo
 
Hi Guys.....

I'm in Banff tonight, and as I type this, the sun has just gone down. I'll see what I can find a little later this evening and hopefully before dawn tomorrow morning. My problem is I'm in an old noisy hotel. But I'll park myself next to the window (with a spectacular mountain view) and see what turns up.

As for the question about local signals, in the outdoor parking lot, CFFR/660 from Calgary (50 miles) was the strongest, but not that great. The mountains really chew up groundwave. CFAC/960 was also so-so, as was the CBC on 1010

As for last night in Great Falls, MT, here are the highlights....

540: CBK...strong
640: KFI....weak, but alone
670: KBOI...strong
680: KNBR...strong
710: All but vacant...no trace of KIRO
720: WGN...very weak, but no mistaking Orion Samuelson's voice. The only Chicagoan
830: WCCO strong
850: KOA strong
870: Blank...no trace of WWL
880: KRVN...fair
960: CFAC strong
990: CBW weak
1000: KOMO fair
1070: KNX like a local
1130: CKWX fair-strong
1160: KSL...finally without a local trashing it
1500: KSTP...weak
1530: KFBK...strong

Finally, a correction. Last night, I reported CKOK on 780. Wrong. My bad....meant to say KCEG (Colorado Springs).
 
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