easy way to ID Mexican stations

[sam critter]

Those MW dxers in the American southwest (southern CA, AZ, NM, TX) have to contend with many spanish language stations.There is a way to separate which are CONUS and which originate in Mexico, plus their general geographical locations.

Mexican regulations require their stations to play the national anthem (usually the vocal choral version) at the location's local midnight and 5am time periods.

Mexico is divided into 3 time zone, equivilant to the USA setup of central, mountain and pacific.

PST - Baja California Norte
MST - Sonora, Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Nayarit, Baja California Sur
CST - Durango, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas and all other states south and to the east.

During summer months, like us they shift to daylight savings time.

PDT - Baja California Norte
MDT - Chihuahua, Baja California Sur, Sinaloa, Nayarit
CDT - all those list in CST
The notable exception is Sonora, which like Arizona remains on MST throughtout the year.

Although you may not be able to ID a specific spanish language station, at least this can give you an idea of what you are dealing with... providing you're monitoring at late night or early morning.

 

[crainbebo]

It may also help in the summer E-skip season, where many DXers log unid relayers on TV2-6. I've always thought, that when someone in the NW has Azteca 13 on TV2, it's XHFA in Nogales.

-crainbebo

 

[robotique]

I didn't know that about mexican stations. Now I will just have to search youtube for the national anthem so I know it when I hear it ;D ;D

 

[davideduardo]

Those MW dxers in the American southwest (southern CA, AZ, NM, TX) have to contend with many spanish language stations.There is a way to separate which are CONUS and which originate in Mexico, plus their general geographical locations..

Keep in mind that about 85% of all Mexican AM stations have gone silent or will turn off in the next year as they migrate to FM. There will only be about 125 or so AMs left in the whole country after this is done.

 

[jd]

Link to Mexico's National Anthem:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8T9g7memUk

 

[w9wi]

Those MW dxers in the American southwest (southern CA, AZ, NM, TX) have to contend with many spanish language stations.There is a way to separate which are CONUS and which originate in Mexico, plus their general geographical locations..

Keep in mind that about 85% of all Mexican AM stations have gone silent or will turn off in the next year as they migrate to FM. There will only be about 125 or so AMs left in the whole country after this is done.

(of course, in much of the US it's possible to DX Mexican stations on FM)

David, what's the deadline for these stations to silence their AM operations? Are all of the ones that are moving supposed to be gone by the end of 2013?

 

[davideduardo]

Keep in mind that about 85% of all Mexican AM stations have gone silent or will turn off in the next year as they migrate to FM. There will only be about 125 or so AMs left in the whole country after this is done.

(of course, in much of the US it's possible to DX Mexican stations on FM)

David, what's the deadline for these stations to silence their AM operations? Are all of the ones that are moving supposed to be gone by the end of 2013?

I am not sure of the timetable. The change is being done by regions. The first region was Yucatan, Quintana Roo, Tabasco and Campeche, with 4 states. All those are granted, and the FMs running. The AMs will disappear sometime this year. I think they get about a year to simulcast. I'll ask a friend in radio in Mexico.

 

[MarioMania]

There is always someone putting a new AM Station - So the Freq. won't be dark anymore

 

[mimo]

From what I understand, once the AM's go dark, there will never be another application in Mexico for those frequencies again. What happens if FM gets to0 full? Will they then lift that restriction and allow AM to open up again? That's what is happening in Canada. In cities like Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal, which have no more open slots on the FM dial, we're seeing applications and new AM's coming to life. Montreal will be getting 3 (and possibly a 4th) this year alone.

 

[davideduardo]

There is always someone putting a new AM Station - So the Freq. won't be dark anymore

The Mexican congress declared that the AM band was no longer commercially viable, and provided for migration of as many stations as possible to FM with no further licensing of new AM stations.

There is apparently some provision for the AMs that can't move to move to one of the "empty" frequencies if that will improve its operation.

Most of the AMs that will remain are either along the US border (where mutual agreements won't allow the relaxed restrictions on FM allocations that Mexico is putting in place elsewhere) or in the big cities of Monterrey, Guadalajara, Puebla and Mexico City, where both bands are full.

 

[davideduardo]

From what I understand, once the AM's go dark, there will never be another application in Mexico for those frequencies again. What happens if FM gets to0 full?

No, the act of congress that enabled the changes does not allow for future AM licencing (with one apparent exception which is to cover rural indigenous populations... Mexico has about 12 million people who speak native languages).

 

[MarioMania]

So when an AM is dark..nothing

It's diff in the US

 

[davideduardo]

So when an AM is dark..nothing

It's diff in the US

There will be about 150 AMs left. Almost all the ones on the US border across from significant US cities like San Diego, El Paso, Mc Allen, etc. will stay on AM. And nearly all the AMs in Mexico's 4 largest cities will remain.

For example, Mexico City stations on 560, 590, 620, 660, 690, 710, 730, 760, 790, 830, 860, 900, 940, 970, 1000, 1030, 1060, 1110, 1150, 1180, 1220, 1260, 1320 (temporarily silent), 1350, 1380, 1410, 1440, 1470, 1500, 1530, 1560, 1590 and 1650 will all remain. And the two rimshots at 640 and 540 will also remain, making 35 AMs (including half a dozen with over 50 kw) in just one city.

Other major cities, like Acapulco, will have no AMs left, though.

 

[jd]

For example, Mexico City stations on 560, 590, 620, 660, 690, 710, 730, 760, 790, 830, 860, 900, 940, 970, 1000, 1030, 1060, 1110, 1150, 1180, 1220, 1260, 1320 (temporarily silent), 1350, 1380, 1410, 1440, 1470, 1500, 1530, 1560, 1590 and 1650 will all remain.

I'm confused, since from what I gather 900, 970 and 1500 already simulcast on FM. Would they be required to relinquish their AM facilities?

 

[davideduardo]

For example, Mexico City stations on 560, 590, 620, 660, 690, 710, 730, 760, 790, 830, 860, 900, 940, 970, 1000, 1030, 1060, 1110, 1150, 1180, 1220, 1260, 1320 (temporarily silent), 1350, 1380, 1410, 1440, 1470, 1500, 1530, 1560, 1590 and 1650 will all remain.

I'm confused, since from what I gather 900, 970 and 1500 already simulcast on FM. Would they be required to relinquish their AM facilities?

No. The simulcast on FM was instituted with frequencies that were already owned by the AM licensees and which date back decades.

The current movement involves applying for new FM licenses and turning in the old AM license... a trade. Any existing FM licenses are not affected.

 

[radioman148]

So when an AM is dark..nothing

It's diff in the US

There will be about 150 AMs left. Almost all the ones on the US border across from significant US cities like San Diego, El Paso, Mc Allen, etc. will stay on AM. And nearly all the AMs in Mexico's 4 largest cities will remain.

For example, Mexico City stations on 560, 590, 620, 660, 690, 710, 730, 760, 790, 830, 860, 900, 940, 970, 1000, 1030, 1060, 1110, 1150, 1180, 1220, 1260, 1320 (temporarily silent), 1350, 1380, 1410, 1440, 1470, 1500, 1530, 1560, 1590 and 1650 will all remain. And the two rimshots at 640 and 540 will also remain, making 35 AMs (including half a dozen with over 50 kw) in just one city.

Other major cities, like Acapulco, will have no AMs left, though.

The first time I visited Acapulco in 1973 the AM band was very clear at night. It was easy to DX all the US big signals. I remember listening to WLS everynight. The last time I was there in the 90s the band was so crowded I could only DX 2 stations from Texas.

Regarding Mexico City, I always found it interesting & strange that they had so many stations crowded together on the low end of the AM band. The 660, 690, 710, and 730 made for a lot of interference sometimes if you were in the city.
I wonder why they packed those 4 signals so close together?

 

[davideduardo]

Regarding Mexico City, I always found it interesting & strange that they had so many stations crowded together on the low end of the AM band. The 660, 690, 710, and 730 made for a lot of interference sometimes if you were in the city.
I wonder why they packed those 4 signals so close together?

Narrow spacing in the same city was not uncommon in Latin America, although the rapidly declining number of AM stations in many places is changing this.

In the 60's, I owned HCRM on 570 and HCSP on 590 in Quito, Ecuador. To the lower side, I had a competitor on 550 (and later there would be one at 530) and another on 610. I never had any problems, either with my own two stations (which had sites at opposite ends of the city) or with the ones above or below my stations.

I also had a third AM in Quito that was on 805; there was a station at 785 and another at 835. My 4th AM, at 660, had the government station at 640 and a Catholic / Jesuit station at 680.

All lived in peace until FM swept most of them away. My bad.

 

[sam critter]

Hello David Eduardo... Nice freq list. Here are the nite freqs I hear the Mexican National Anthem on: (so far)

540 560 580 640 650 730 750 760 800 810 860 900 920 970 1000 1050 1090 1110 1130 1140 1150 1170 1190 1560 1570 1660 kHz.

790 830 940 kHz are blocked by my local stations. I left out any of the graveyard freq (1210 to 1490) due to too much congestion on those low power freqs.

Maybe you can answer this. Is XEBCS 1050 kHz back on the air?
Station doesn't give call letters but IDs as "Radio del sur Baja California" then follows up with the QTH of "La Paz Baja California Sur"....

 

[FreddyE1977]

The Mexican congress declared that the AM band was no longer commercially viable, and provided for migration of as many stations as possible to FM with no further licensing of new AM stations.

Actually you are seeing this done in many countries.
I call it the "no new Limbaughs" clause. :

 

[davideduardo]

Maybe you can answer this. Is XEBCS 1050 kHz back on the air?
Station doesn't give call letters but IDs as "Radio del sur Baja California" then follows up with the QTH of "La Paz Baja California Sur"....

A good source for all things related to Mexican radio and tv is Fred Cantú's

http://www.mexicoradiotv.com/

Look under the Baja California Sur state listing on the left below the banner ads. It shows La Radio de Sudcalifornia, XEBCS, but the link goes to the state government website where I find no reference to the station... although their TV operation is streamed.