Ever drive to the top of a parking garage to DX?

[nd2023]

There's a 11 story parking garage near me, and I sometimes like to drive a mile through it up to the top floor just to listen to what I get. I can hear FM stations from 100 miles away during the day. On floors 1-4, you can't even hear the local stations.

 

[radioman148]

There's a 11 story parking garage near me, and I sometimes like to drive a mile through it up to the top floor just to listen to what I get. I can hear FM stations from 100 miles away during the day. On floors 1-4, you can't even hear the local stations.

I've done things like that usually to DX on AM.
Years ago when I was in southern California I drove to the top of a hill near San Diego right on the ocean in order to hear San Francisco's KGO, & KNBR during the day. While in Hawaii I drove to the beach to DX the AM band on a car radio. Picked up lots of mainland stations at night.

 

[stormy01]

When I lived on the 9th floor of my dorm at the university reception was really great up there, and though the university's FM station (I think it was about 2kW ERP at the time) was operating from atop the dorm tower the next building over, that didn't cause too much of a problem for reception even in the non-comm part of the band... ok, I had a Pioneer tuner at the time...

 

[charlestondxman]

I like to do that in my area, go anywhere high. The tallest one in Charleston is only eight stories or so, but on the top, you can pick up Savannah stations like 95.5 all the time.

One time, I was in downtown Boston, at the John Hancock Tower (700 feet up), but I couldn't pay the $15 to get in, so we only had a minute or two there. Still, I got some tremendous reception, as several Providence FM's and TV's could be heard loud and clear, including WJAR.

Sometime, I have to go to the round Holiday Inn in our area (about the tallest building in our area), and go to their rooftop restaurant, and see what I can hear.

 

[BRNout]

Parking garage? No; however, I have climbed/driven up many a hill to see what reception is like on top. Especially fun in those areas that are between markets. For example, I've found hills in central and NW CT where you can pick up NY and/or Boston stations. There's one place near the northwest corner of Bristol where you can pick up Boston and Providence stations in one spot and 1/4 mile west you can get New York. Or at least some of them - the ones not blotted out by local Hartford/New Haven/Springfield signals.

I'll go you one better: I almost always request a room on as high a floor as possible in a hotel. Better reception up there. The bottom floors of those places are just death for AM and often for FM too.

 

[Mid West Clubber]

Ive always found that Z-100 and KTU are the easiest for NYC Sporatic E in Indiana... the last time I heard The Z or KTU was in 2000, so I wonder if Z and KTU used to be on the World Trade at the time... Its very sad and hard to talk about even as a DXer and a true fan of the buildings,,, Net along the victims which is almost got me in tears,,,,

So please tell me anyone... Did Z-100 and KTU used to be at the World trade at the time.

 

[elchupacabras]

I can remember working in between radio jobs in SLC for a long distance company in 1994. I had free access at night and on the weekends to the parking garage, so I would frequently go up to the 30th floor in the parking garage to DX. One Saturday night, I hooked up a CB to see how far it would go. I got out over 200 miles on 5watts. Dumb me, I ran the battery down and had to glide my car down backwards all 30 floors and call a friend to give me a jump!

 

[radioman148]

I can remember working in between radio jobs in SLC for a long distance company in 1994. I had free access at night and on the weekends to the parking garage, so I would frequently go up to the 30th floor in the parking garage to DX. One Saturday night, I hooked up a CB to see how far it would go. I got out over 200 miles on 5watts. Dumb me, I ran the battery down and had to glide my car down backwards all 30 floors and call a friend to give me a jump!

Sorry about your battery, but that's a helluva distance for CB radio.

 

[Mid West Clubber]

Seriously Ive heard Australia on CB, but they could NOT hear me.....

 

[radioman148]

Seriously Ive heard Australia on CB, but they could NOT hear me.....

Amazing!

 

[ddsparxx]

I didn't go up onto top of any parking garage but I went up to the highest mountain in the Shenandoah Nat'l Park at 4000 ft and I heard a 2 meter ham frequency coming from Fairfax Co., VA about 70 miles away, with a good signal, as well as FMs from Richmond, Baltimore, DC Cumberland, Md area, and southern Va area as well. That was over 10 years ago.

 

[radioman148]

I didn't go up onto top of any parking garage but I went up to the highest mountain in the Shenandoah Nat'l Park at 4000 ft and I heard a 2 meter ham frequency coming from Fairfax Co., VA about 70 miles away, with a good signal, as well as FMs from Richmond, Baltimore, DC Cumberland, Md area, and southern Va area as well. That was over 10 years ago.

Years ago I drove up a mountain near Palm Springs, Ca. In Palm Springs you could hardly get any LA or San Diego FMs, but at 5,000 feet they all came in very well.

 

[gar hi]

I've done things like that usually to DX on AM.
Years ago when I was in southern California I drove to the top of a hill near San Diego right on the ocean in order to hear San Francisco's KGO, & KNBR during the day. While in Hawaii I drove to the beach to DX the AM band on a car radio. Picked up lots of mainland stations at night.

While obviously FM reception increases with even the slightest change in altitude, I didn't really know it made a difference with AM. Was it your altitude or was it because you were away from the ususl noise that interferes?

Also, I know this has been asked before but whenever I hear about Hawaii, I wonder if any mainland stations have ever been heard in the middle of the day. KNBR seems like it's begging to be heard out there if you see their signal map.

 

[radioman148]

I've done things like that usually to DX on AM.
Years ago when I was in southern California I drove to the top of a hill near San Diego right on the ocean in order to hear San Francisco's KGO, & KNBR during the day. While in Hawaii I drove to the beach to DX the AM band on a car radio. Picked up lots of mainland stations at night.

While obviously FM reception increases with even the slightest change in altitude, I didn't really know it made a difference with AM. Was it your altitude or was it because you were away from the ususl noise that interferes?

Also, I know this has been asked before but whenever I hear about Hawaii, I wonder if any mainland stations have ever been heard in the middle of the day. KNBR seems like it's begging to be heard out there if you see their signal map.

The main reason I think that the AM stations were coming in better was that when you're on the desert floor the mountains are all around you and blocking some of the signals.
Regarding Hawaii, I've never picked up any AM DX during the day during my trips and I've never heard of anyone else doing it either. Remember it's 2,500 miles from the west coast.

 

[BRNout]

I'd imagine that being atop a mountain would help AM reception a little bit. You're rid of obstacles (buildings, mountains, and in many cases electrical interference). And, the line of sight certainly doesn't hurt. But it's not the level of improvement that you see with FM.

 

[radioman148]

I'd imagine that being atop a mountain would help AM reception a little bit. You're rid of obstacles (buildings, mountains, and in many cases electrical interference). And, the line of sight certainly doesn't hurt. But it's not the level of improvement that you see with FM.

Pretty much that's what happened. It opens you up to every direction with a clear line of sight.
Speaking of AM reception I know a guy who lived in LA who often drove to the top of Mount Wilson so he could hear WLS at night. He said he heard it much better up there than in the LA basin.

 

[compubit]

I've done it several times when traveling to try to capture neighboring market TV newscasts. Most recently when in West Lafayette, IN, to pick up WICD's 10pm newscast... (I collect local newscasts from my travels, so if I'm somewhere I can capture 2 markets, especially if I don't have one of the stations, I take advantage of the opportunity...)

Jim

 

[BRNout]

Pretty much that's what happened. It opens you up to every direction with a clear line of sight.
Speaking of AM reception I know a guy who lived in LA who often drove to the top of Mount Wilson so he could hear WLS at night. He said he heard it much better up there than in the LA basin.

Yes, it would have been better for WLS (back then); certainly much better than somewhere in the 'shadow' of the mountains like Pasadena or Glendale. Also, not as much local interference on a mountaintop. Of course, now you get KDXU on that frequency.

When I lived in Salt Lake City, I used to enjoy listening to KOA and KOMA via skywave (80s - 90s). When I lived on the west side (a few miles south of the airport), both boomed in every single night. That's because the Wasatch mountains were far enough away not to be a factor. However, when I lived on the east side (in the 'shadow' of the Wasatch Mountains), they were much tougher to get. For one thing, the mountains blocked some of the skywave. You had 5000 vertical feet of granite lying between you and the signal path (it's very extreme there, the mountains shoot almost straight up from the valley). Also, a local on 860 didn't help with KOA. It wasn't a bother out on the west side, but it was on the east side. Go over the mountains and all of the eastern skywave bounded on.

So, there is something to it - but mainly in extreme cases. I tend to doubt that terrain is as much a factor on AM in most cases. And, when I lived behind the mountains (east of Park City), the mountains blocked the FMs but the Salt Lake AMs came in just fine via groundwave. KSL was a local there. At night it was pretty clear because most of the local AMs reduced power and were directional away from me. So, it was almost all skywave back then. And, those mountains did not effect the signals.

 

[gar hi]

Regarding Hawaii, I've never picked up any AM DX during the day during my trips and I've never heard of anyone else doing it either. Remember it's 2,500 miles from the west coast.

I had already figured Hawaii was about the same distance as New York but considering the ratio of conductivity between land and salt water, it would be possible in theory anyway but obviously not reality, as you've given it a try.

I'm still hoping to be able to make that weekend trip across Florida to Melbourne Beach and see if I can get any New York stations during the day.

 

[BRNout]

Do Hawaii and Alaska even have any AM signals that would theoretically make it to the west coast? I've always wondered.