Farthest Daytime AM Regular

[DeadElvis]

This has been discussed in detail in previous strings, but...

As was noted, when I'm on the Gulf Coast where I used to live (Biloxi, Mobile, Pensacola, etc.), daytime signals off the Gulf are normal and expected. Cuba is, perhaps, the most exotic daytime signal. That path is well over 600 miles with listenable signals. There are numerous stations from multiple locations.

Deep Floridians were also near-local if you were close to the beach. 620/Tampa is especially strong. But, even the graveyarder on 1340 could be heard if the splash from New Orleans on 1350 could be addressed. That's not bad at nearly 400 miles. Of course, once skywave began late in the day, 1340 was a memory.

Water path rules on MW.

DE

 

[FreddyE1977]

From here in Pittsburgh, I think WJR is the farthest constant signal at 228 air miles.
(you used to hear them much better before local WKFB moved from 1530 to 770 a few
years back, but they are still there)

After that I think it's WTAM or WHLO from the Cleveland/Akron area.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

From here in Pittsburgh, I think WJR is the farthest constant signal at 228 air miles.

Any luck with 550 from Cincy? They were really strong in Jackson, MI. What about New York City 50 kW's? Yours is a very interesting location, a lot of DX possibilities. Of course your ground conductivity could suck depending on what you are on top of.

 

[audioguy]

When I was driving around in Alaska in May 2005, I remember that there were two low dial 50 kW AMs in Anchorage that covered just about every part in the state that I drove to; even well north of Fairbanks. I hadn't thought about the fact that with so many hours of daylight at that time of the year, you essentially have daytime propagation 24 hours a day.

 

[FreddyE1977]

From here in Pittsburgh, I think WJR is the farthest constant signal at 228 air miles.

Any luck with 550 from Cincy? They were really strong in Jackson, MI.

Nope. No luck with WLW in the daytime either (though if I drive about
an hour west to the Wheeling, WV area they start coming in quite well).

I have a local on 540 in Canonsburg, PA so that may be part of it.
I can sometimes get a VERY weak 610 or 880 out of Columbus, The
prior being heavily buried under local 620.

Certain times of the year I can get WBBR out of New York, WPHT out of Philadelphia,
and WRVA out of Richmond, VA late in the afternoon. But they are not an all-day
thing.

I used to live not far from Jackson, MI and ground conductivity was much, much
better there. (heck, I recall taking a walk in the woods and sinking in to my mid-calf.
Nothing like that around here).

All of the big Chicago AM's were full-time catches in southern Michigan.

 

[rfry]

From here in Pittsburgh, I think WJR is the farthest constant signal at 228 air miles.

I was able to listen to WJR in the daytime on the stock radio of my VW beetle as far east as Somerset, PA, when I was driving from Michigan to the 1964 World's Fair at Flushing Meadows in NYC. The length of the path from the WJR transmitter site to Somerset is about 260 miles.

Below is a link to the measured daytime field intensity contours of WJR.

WJR radiates an omnidirectional signal 24/7. The variations in these measured contours are related to different earth conductivities in different geographic regions of their coverage area.

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h85/rfry-100/WJRGroundwaveMeasuredCoverage.jpg

 

[N4GBK]

From NE NC car radio. WMAL 630 Washington, DC heard daily. Also WCBS 880 NYC and WTGM 950 Salisbury, MD are in just about every day.

 

[Icangelp]

From here in Pittsburgh, I think WJR is the farthest constant signal at 228 air miles.

Any luck with 550 from Cincy? They were really strong in Jackson, MI. What about New York City 50 kW's? Yours is a very interesting location, a lot of DX possibilities. Of course your ground conductivity could suck depending on what you are on top of.

I've driven back home (Cincinnati) from from CT via I-80 several times over the last year, and the New Yorkers fade long before we cross I-79 north of Pittsburgh. I keep meaning check the mile markers where each station fades, but haven't done so yet. Lots of mountains and as I recall, poor conductivity.

 

[gar hi]

There are several reports here of extraordinary beach reception. I lived in Daytona Beach Shores for a while, and had most of the New York 50 kW stations clear during the day, all year around. In addition, some things inland like WLW. No Chicagos, though. This was on a GE SR-2.

You got the NYC stations all day every day? Same with WLW?

With the exception of WCBS and WFAN, Any other New York stations would have to be a sky wave and WLW too, IMO anyway.

All the big NYC stations except WCBS and WFAN are located in north Jersey and that puts quite a bit of land between there and Daytona Beach, whereas WCBS and WFAN are located out on High Island in Queens which puts not much land in the path.

The two times I was at Daytona Beach with my Sangean PR-D5 for midday AM DXIng, the best I was able to get was a trace of what was probably WCBS mixed in with the weak WZAB but both stations were inaudible as far as being able to hear any specific words.

Still, though, it's not a bad catch for daytime. It couldn't have been 880 from Cuba because that's barely audible here on the west coast of the state with the saltwater path and the signal would never make it up the spine of the state to Daytona with the not so good ground conductivity, so I would say I was likely hearing a trace of WCBS.

The fluttering is indicative of co channel interference of two stations.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoNF4v6i5b0

 

[radioman148]

From here in Pittsburgh, I think WJR is the farthest constant signal at 228 air miles.

I was able to listen to WJR in the daytime on the stock radio of my VW beetle as far east as Somerset, PA, when I was driving from Michigan to the 1964 World's Fair at Flushing Meadows in NYC. The length of the path from the WJR transmitter site to Somerset is about 260 miles.

Below is a link to the measured daytime field intensity contours of WJR.

WJR radiates an omnidirectional signal 24/7. The variations in these measured contours are related to different earth conductivities in different geographic regions of their coverage area.

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h85/rfry-100/WJRGroundwaveMeasuredCoverage.jpg

Also in 1964 I drove from NYC to Chicago and I listened to WABC all the way to the outskirts of Pittsburgh. This was during the day in April and about 2PM when I approached Pittsburgh. This could not happen today with that 770 near Pittsburgh.

 

[JimH]

From Akron, OH, during the day, it would be the Chicago 50kw clears....likely WGN being the farthest from here at approx 340 miles.

 

[cyberdad]

This has been discussed in detail in previous strings, but...

As was noted, when I'm on the Gulf Coast where I used to live (Biloxi, Mobile, Pensacola, etc.), daytime signals off the Gulf are normal and expected. Cuba is, perhaps, the most exotic daytime signal. That path is well over 600 miles with listenable signals. There are numerous stations from multiple locations.

Deep Floridians were also near-local if you were close to the beach. 620/Tampa is especially strong. But, even the graveyarder on 1340 could be heard if the splash from New Orleans on 1350 could be addressed. That's not bad at nearly 400 miles. Of course, once skywave began late in the day, 1340 was a memory.

Water path rules on MW.

DE

Also recapping from previous....

During spring break getaway three weeks ago on the beach at Perdido Key near Pensacola there are at least a dozen or so 300+ mile regular saltwater path reliable daytime signals. 620 from Tampa is the strongest Florida peninsula signal, while 670 is probably the strongest Cuban. Texas is represented by a very weak but steady KCTA on 1030. Then there's WWL from New Orleans....the strongest of all signals day and night....via a 160 mile saltwater path.

 

[radioman148]

From Akron, OH, during the day, it would be the Chicago 50kw clears....likely WGN being the farthest from here at approx 340 miles.

What other Chicago 50KWs can you hear during the day?

 

[BobOnTheJob]

Also in 1964 I drove from NYC to Chicago and I listened to WABC all the way to the outskirts of Pittsburgh. This was during the day in April and about 2PM when I approached Pittsburgh. This could not happen today with that 770 near Pittsburgh.

Look What They've Done To My Dial Mom...

 

[cyberdad]

Look What They've Done To My Dial Mom...

Where I went to college in southeast Iowa during the late '60s....WISN from Milwaukee on 1130 used to be one of the long-distance daytime regulars  (I'll guess about 260 miles).  (WNAX, WIBW and perhaps a few others were farther).  Well anyway,  at my location just off campus, daily visitor WISN vanished a few years later when a 250-watt local 1130 stick went up about two miles away.

 

[vchimpanzee]

I'm surprised that no one mentioned 690 AM from Jacksonville in Myrtle Beach.

That's not a record or anything but I've heard that in the days before top 40 radio in Myrtle Beach, people actually listened to that station.

 

[ddsparxx]

I'm surprised that no one mentioned 690 AM from Jacksonville in Myrtle Beach.

If you are referring to WOKV 690 in Jacksonville, FL, it appeared to be a daytime regular in Atlantic City, NC when I was once there.

 

[gar hi]

Also in 1964 I drove from NYC to Chicago and I listened to WABC all the way to the outskirts of Pittsburgh. This was during the day in April and about 2PM when I approached Pittsburgh. This could not happen today with that 770 near Pittsburgh.

Back in the late 70s on a trip across the state, WABC was lost around Harrisburgh but it came in again briefly slightly past there and then was gone.

Maybe the mountains had to do with the loss and gain of the signal because I never checked again in the daytime near Pittsburgh figuring it couldn't make it that far if it was lost so far east.

 

[tanner]

That's Atlantic Beach NC not Atlantic City. And yes it was and still is a regular there.

 

[Time Traveler]

WBZ-1030 from Boston comes in pretty clearly in the Albany NY area....day or night...