Exceptionally strong signal reports on WRKO--- 615pm....

[indystorm]

Listening to Howie carr online, but several people txted in and said they are hearing WRKO unusually loud and clear this evening. I turned on WRKO AM and also noted an exceptionally strong signal tonight. Did they forget to do power change or what? Anyone on the forums right now willing to give a signal report? I'm in Hudson, ma- 5/9 here tonight on a Sony ICF-38.

 

[Early Byrd]

I don't think it's a power drop at sunset, it's a directional pattern change. They are 50 KW day and night, as far as I know. The pattern change is not done manually, I suspect.

By the way, has anyone ever tried to listen to WLYN (1360 AM) in Burlington during the day? Chances are you'll get the harmonic of WRKO. It overpowers the Lynn signal quite a way from the actual WRKO site (on Route 3A thru the center of the town, for an example).

 

[JIBGUY]

The experienced DX'ers will tell you (and its true) that when storms travel through an area, it's best for local stations, as distant stations on same frequencies do not travel nearly as well as usual. The worst nights for local stations are those clear, stars-sparkling winter night.
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And true, WLYN-1360 is totally toast along Rt 3 and along Rt 128 for about 4 miles in each direction from the 3 WRKO towers. 680 x 2 = 1360.
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Gotta share my most common listener complaint from the peanut gallery.... "I can't hear your station well. I'm in Hopkinton... Can you turn up your frequency?" My response might be.... "OK where would you like it? 770? 800, 1340?"

 

[WLYNWAZNgm]

Yes, WLYN is hard to hear in the vicinity of Burlington Mall! (first harmonic, and
right underneath WRKO towers) We do, however, blast quite nicely right down the mouth
of the Big Dig tunnel, as well as across the water down to the Cape.

 

[DanStrassberg]

Yes, WLYN is hard to hear in the vicinity of Burlington Mall! (first harmonic, and
right underneath WRKO towers) We do, however, blast quite nicely right down the mouth
of the Big Dig tunnel, as well as across the water down to the Cape.

But does 680 appear at 1360 because of nonlinearities in the receivers or because of inadequate filtering at the 680 transmitter? If the 680 transmitter is at fault, WLYN as a Class D AM, gets no protection at night. But during the daytime, WLYN should be protected from interference caused by inadequate filtering of the second harmonic at the 680 transmitter. If it can be demonstrated that the receivers are not the cause of the problem, a polite word to the chief engineer at Entercom Boston (if, indeed, there is someone other than a contract engineer who holds that position) might initiate some corrective action. I know that the problem is not new. I've heard it myself while driving on Middlesex Turnpike from time to time over a span of many years.

 

[raccoonradio]

I've also heard it and when I was near Western Ave in Lynn, I could hear a bit of 1360 as I listened to 680; their stick is, or was, in the area.

Speaking of 680 as it gets near sunset you can hear some distant stations in the background...
at times it can be music (Binghampton?) or talk (like Hannity via WCBM Baltimore). This may be
before the pattern switch or just after (most likely before). I have been told it's more common
in winter/colder times. I'm usually east of their stick in Burlington and I know they go north-
south at night but again it's usually before the pattern switch. Another time, late at night,
I was getting WCCO Minn. in the background as I listened to WCRN.

I also get "mixed stations" like:
--560 from Portland ME and Holyoke, both running Howie but perhaps slightly off time-wise
--Up in NH or VT at one point 1230 had the same football game on (late Sun afternoon, late fall); maybe it was Claremont
NH and Burl VT or another 1230, and they were just about identical so it was almost like
the sound when playing a YouTube video on two browser windows at same exact time...

 

[Uncle Kaimbridge]

Speaking of 680 as it gets near sunset you can hear some distant stations in the background...

For the past couple of Sundays, 'RKO has been off-air in the late afternoon (at least 4:30 until after 5), with Toronto and maybe Raleigh drifting in and out (this past Sunday I thought I heard a local reference to Charlotte).

 

[OFFICENERD]

I was out around Worcester on 12/17 around 6:45 PM--RKO was loud and clear. No doubt in my mind someone didn't throw the switch---Howie most likley shared his Kowloon crab rangoon delivery with the engineering staff

 

[raccoonradio]

>>'RKO has been off-air in the late afternoon

hmm, interesting. btw I remember 93.7 and I think 850, too used to shut off Sun night at
midnight to do equipment work. That was many years ago but just a few years ago I had
WEEI 850 on and a 3 am I heard an announcement saying they were going off to do
tech. work, and in Beverly I could pick up KOA!

In another thread I mentioned 1510 being off for a short time the past couple days...
a little past 1 pm on Monday, then 5 pm on Tue. Nothing on the 1510 around Reading but
some splashover from DC (1500) and Entercom's WWKB 1520 (prog talk, Leslie Marshall?) Buffalo.

 

[Early Byrd]

I was out around Worcester on 12/17 around 6:45 PM--RKO was loud and clear. No doubt in my mind someone didn't throw the switch---Howie most likley shared his Kowloon crab rangoon delivery with the engineering staff

Someone has to manually change the directional pattern? Isn't it done automatically by itself?

 

[raccoonradio]

Couple of minutes ago RKO switched off for pattern change...

...still off. You know who happens.

 

[raccoonradio]

WRKO OFF AIR

680 News Toronto coming in. DX-ers, your chance to check out 670 from Chicago and 690 from
Montreal or the various other 680s.

 

[raccoonradio]

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