Florida-Alabama Gulf Coast area

[cyberdad]

Most of you guys know that Mrs. Cyberdad and I hang out here once or twice a year. So now we're back for a 10 day stay that will wrap up just before the end of the month. Between my earlier posts from (or about) previous visits, and Zach's participation in other threads, I think enough has been written pertaining to this area so that there's no need to re-has "old news".

So I'll try not to repeat myself. But what I will try to do is post anything new or otherwise of interest that I encounter while I'm here. As well as....as always....try to follow up on requests and suggestions as best I can. Please feel free to keep 'em coming!

I'll get started with a quick bandscan from Birmingham where I spent the night Friday on our way down here. Birmingham Marriott, 7th floor of an 8-floor hotel. North facing window, surprisingly noise free, DX-375 at about 5:30am. I'll omit the locals and stick with the highlights.

530: Cuba weak
650: WSM very good....very unsurprising.
660: WFAN weak, but the only New Yorker
670: WSCR fighting it out with Cuba...and usually on top.
700: WLW: good
710: "Cuban Chorus" on top, but signa(s)l only fair at best.
720: WGN alone and good
740: Looking for CFZM. Getting KRMG
750: WSB weak. Surprising, because I should be beyond the convergence zone
760: WJR good
780: WBBM fair
830: Almost blank. Worth noting because the path to the north was quite good, but WCCO was either very week or missing completely.
840: WHAS fair...in splatter from a local 850
860: CJBC fair in the splatter
870: WWL fair
890: WLS on top of Cuba....best Chicago signal
990: Tried for CBW....wound up with Knoxville
1000: WMVP fair
1020: KDKA good
1040; WHO monster signal...one of the best skywaves
1090: KAAY fair to weak....aparently on 5kw ND STA
1100: WTAM very good... also one of the best skywave signals
1120: KMOX fair-good
1180: All Cuba...no WHAM
1200: WOAI fair
1510: WLAC good
1530: WCKY good
1630: KCJJ good....Did "Captain Steve" forget to power down? Nah...just a good path from the north! No...really. ;D
(Seriousy, This was roaring in for about five minutes, then it quickly faded).

After a couple of days on the gulf itself, a couple of new developments....

540: Last time I was here, a new semi-local had just come on. Now it seems to be either grossly weakened or missing entirely. I'm getting WFLF. (Daytime). Maybe Zach knows something about what's going on here.
1200: WINK from Fort Meyers has completed its move here....and has a rather impressive daytime signal. The equal of the stronger Tampa Bay signal.

 

[cyberdad]

Apologies for the italics in my original post. Slipped into italics mode without realizing it, and it's now too late to edit.

And for anyone unfamiliar, my current QTH, our usual favorite getaway spot, is directly on the beach at the Florida-Alabama state line. (Florida side....less than 100 yards from Alabama).

 

[radioman148]

Always enjoy your reports Cyberdad. Regarding KCJJ, I've heard them a few time on the Northern Ireland receiver. I wonder if "The Captain" knows about this? I'm sure he does as those X banders really can get out even on low power. I've also heard KVNS on that same receiver.

 

[tanner]

KAAY back on? A month ago they were not even listed on radio locator.

 

[tomservo]

750: WSB weak. Surprising, because I should be beyond the convergence zone

WSB in Birmingham is an odd bird. I used to (try to) listen most nights after I got off work, and about once a week it'd be strong enough to stick with, but the rest of the time it would be a jumbled mess. Dunno why it is so hit and miss that far out from ATL. I also regularly lost it to bleedover from WJR and KRMG on the adjacents.

1630: KCJJ good....Did "Captain Steve" forget to power down? Nah...just a good path from the north! No...really. ;D
(Seriousy, This was roaring in for about five minutes, then it quickly faded).

Could have happened! I have had zero luck with getting KCJJ from B'ham or here on the coast for years now. Back when the X-band was still underpopulated it was an easy catch across most of the US. I definitely remember the days when they carried the Don & Mike show out of DC and they noted how easy it was to hear that station from so far away.

I keep trying to listen for Mike O'Meara's voice during that evening time slot, but… nothing.

540: Last time I was here, a new semi-local had just come on. Now it seems to be either grossly weakened or missing entirely. I'm getting WFLF. (Daytime). Maybe Zach knows something about what's going on here.

Oh yeah, this is a good one.

Apparently the tower that housed WASG, WIJD (1270) and FM Talk 106.5 WAVH was found to be structurally unsound and the tower owner ordered it down, pronto. As in, with almost no warning to the tenets, who lost their antennae in the take down. Somewhere on Twitter there's a photo of the WAVH antenna on the ground in a crumpled mess.

WAVH got an STA for low power from NW Mobile so you probably won't hear them from Perdido Key, they're almost too weak here in Foley. WIKD and WASG are back on a monopole temporary setup from the old tower site but are both very low power. WIJD might make it that far but I don't hear WASG at all, even as close as Daphne. If they're on, it must be minuscule power.

1200: WINK from Fort Meyers has completed its move here....and has a rather impressive daytime signal. The equal of the stronger Tampa Bay signal.

I'm really impressed with it; I've heard it as far north as Robertsdale on a good narrow radio.

The only other changes to note in your neck of the woods are all on FM: The Catholic AM 1230 in P'cola has a translator now on 103.3 and it's got a good signal; I can hear it in Foley with one of my radios. Goforth has powered up the translator on 101.1 from the TV 44 tower near Seminole, relaying WBHY-FM for the time being. It's got a huge signal and can probably be heard on the beach as well. It's eventually going to move into Pensacola proper for WBSR's sports radio format. Supposedly AM 980 WRNE's translator is on the air from the Cat Country tower on 106.9 but I haven't heard anything there yet. It's also due to move into town with a more central location, soon. And WNRP is to pick up a translator on 106.5 that's moving in from Milton. Dunno the progress of that one.

Edit to add: There was a huge glitch in getting my Mobile/Pensacola page updated and it didn't "take" over the last two months' updates. It should be fixed now with everything up to date.

 

[jd]

I looked at the WASG application for an STA, which mentioned something about operating with 1,000 watts from that temporary antenna. No mention of nighttime operation was found, however. The FCC letter approving the STA noted that WASG was licensed for operation on 550 with 2.5kW day and 0.19kW night non-directional. So which is it really, 550 or 540? I mean, they really did switch to 540, didn't they?

 

[GRS86]

750: WSB weak. Surprising, because I should be beyond the convergence zone

WSB in Birmingham is an odd bird. I used to (try to) listen most nights after I got off work, and about once a week it'd be strong enough to stick with, but the rest of the time it would be a jumbled mess. Dunno why it is so hit and miss that far out from ATL. I also regularly lost it to bleedover from WJR and KRMG on the adjacents.

My experiences with WSB is that it's usually jumbled at night from about 60 miles out to about 175 - 200 miles out. If you are in Birmingham, Chattanooga, Greenville, SC, Macon, or Columbus, GA, you are likely going to have cancellation issues. Beyond that, it's usually fine. It's usually pretty solid once you get beyond about 175 miles out after dark. Even with the poor ground conductivity, WSB's daytime groundwave signal gets out between 200-225 miles.

 

[cyberdad]

Interesting stuff, Zach. Thanks.

The story about the tower with 540/1270/106.5 seems like quite a soap opera! On 540 yesterday afternoon, I was getting WFLF like I said. But I could hear something fighting with it yett not quite audible. I had been thinking that perhaps WASG might have run out of money and just gone pfffft. But, of course, that wouldn't explain what was mixing with WFLF, so that mystery is now unraveled.

As fpr 1270, they've never had much of a signal here, even under the best of circumstances. The channel seemed pretty much blank when I checked it yesterday.

106.5 has always been a "less than great signal" here...even eight stories in this building. I used to like the station when they first picked up the WAVH (Wave) call letters and were running oldies. IRRC, they were out of Bay Minette....with a stick there and a signal that started to degrade south of Foley. That signal was pretty much spent by the time it got here, but if you did enough fiddling with an FM whip antenna, you could usually eventually produce a noise-free signal.

As for WINK, I'm really impressed. I don't have a radio with an S-meter, but the day signal here is almost as good as what it was last month when I -was in St. Pete. The closest I have to an s-meter is the tuning LED on the DX-375, and WINK easily lights that up.

Thanks also for the heads up on the new translators and what's going on with the Pensacola 1230 and 1450. It may be my imagination, but 1450 seems to be sounding better/stronger with the sports format. Better what I was hearing with the stale soft AC format that was on the last time I was here. As for the translators, it doesn't hurt that I'm eight floors up. I'm not much of an FMDX guy, but at this elevation, I can get into it when I'm here in the late spring and summer when the tropo is going. Loads of stuff from New Orleans to Panama City and various points in between....all crystal clear! I'm also glad to hear that WHEP got a translator. They're what local radio should be....mostly live and local...and they deserve their upgrade.

Finally, I was navigating around the Alabama radio broadcast page last night. Very nicely done. I especially liked the station history info.

 

[cyberdad]

I looked at the WASG application for an STA, which mentioned something about operating with 1,000 watts from that temporary antenna. No mention of nighttime operation was found, however. The FCC letter approving the STA noted that WASG was licensed for operation on 550 with 2.5kW day and 0.19kW night non-directional. So which is it really, 550 or 540? I mean, they really did switch to 540, didn't they?

WASG definitely had made the switch to 540. And they also had made the switch to southwest Baldwin country from Atmore, Alabama, which is about 60 or 70 miles north of here. I stand to be corrected, but I believe they were off for about 2 or 3 years before resurfacing last year on 540 in their new location, but with a similar religion format.

 

[mimo]

Always enjoy your reports Cyberdad. Regarding KCJJ, I've heard them a few time on the Northern Ireland receiver. I wonder if "The Captain" knows about this? I'm sure he does as those X banders really can get out even on low power. I've also heard KVNS on that same receiver.

I'm sure he does know. Just after going from 1560 to 1630, they had a world map with pins in all the locations they had been heard. The furthest away was Italy. Someone from Sweden recorded them and sent a tape, which they played over the air. The signal was steady, but very weak. It was intelligible but not something anyone would want to listen to for a long time unless they were shocked by the distance of the station they were hearing.

 

[tomservo]

I looked at the WASG application for an STA, which mentioned something about operating with 1,000 watts from that temporary antenna. No mention of nighttime operation was found, however. The FCC letter approving the STA noted that WASG was licensed for operation on 550 with 2.5kW day and 0.19kW night non-directional. So which is it really, 550 or 540? I mean, they really did switch to 540, didn't they?

WASG definitely had made the switch to 540. And they also had made the switch to southwest Baldwin country from Atmore, Alabama, which is about 60 or 70 miles north of here. I stand to be corrected, but I believe they were off for about 2 or 3 years before resurfacing last year on 540 in their new location, but with a similar religion format.

The 550 signal moved to Cantonment, Florida first if I'm not mistaken. It was later re-licensed to Daphne but was silent for years. I don't *think* it ever broadcast from Baldwin County but I could be wrong. From the time it came back to life on 540 from 550 it was from Mobile County.

If you guys are familiar with Mobile, you'll know the tower I talked about earlier. It was about 400' tall, right at the intersection of I-65 and I-165 in the fine town of Prichard. Hard to miss coming into town from the north.

Hmm. If the STA mistakenly says 550, I wonder if they are actually broadcasting now on 550 just to be safe? I don't recall hearing anything there lately but I didn't know to check, either. Could be one of those 'better safe than sorry' moves since the FCC (or someone else) screwed up.

 

[jd]

It's good to know I'm not alone, and it's no wonder that a lot of us here are a bit confused. So if the FCC has had a hard time staying up to speed maybe that's understandable, too.

If you really want to get into the history of this whole mess, take a look at the archived application records for WASG:
http://www.fccinfo.com/CMDProFacLoo...chiveRecords=Y&tabSearchType=Call+Sign+Search

 

[cyberdad]

The plot thickens....

First of all, Zach, I'm sure your account is more accurate than my "bits and pieces" memory. I'll check jd's link to revisit the whole melodrama.

From my observation early this afternoon, there's nothing here on the beach but WFLF on 540. 550 is a mix of a couple of very weak signals....which so far have been unidentifiable. BTW, I know exactly where that tower is at I-65 and and 165. I used to have a customer right by there.

I also checked 1270 and was getting a fairly decent signal....which I assumed was WIJD. But if that's what it is, and they're on a different tower, there's still the mystery of whatever/wherever became of 540 and/or 550? I suppose its possible with an STA and perhaps also a longwire, they might not even be able to make it out of Mobile....if they're on at all!

 

[icybluelake]

I've spent a few days here and there in Orange Beach, AL, not too far from where you are, Cyberdad. In fact, I'm headed there tomorrow for about 10 days. I always enjoy DX down there, especially puzzling over signals from Mexico, Cuba and other points south. What comes from points north is less interesting because it's more familiar to me (as well as more understandable, as my Spanish is poor-to-nonexistent). By contrast to the saltwater paths in that area right up to one's front door, I've read others comment here that ground conductivity in the Florida panhandle is remarkably poor. But nighttime DX is kind of a game I look forward to when visiting.

 

[cyberdad]

Have a safe trip, icybluelake. It'll be interesting to read about whatever you might uncover down here. There's seemingly never a dull moment!

 

[icybluelake]

I'm hearing Spanish language programming on 640 AM (afternoon in Orange Beach, AL). Any idea what that might be? I found out there are stations on 640 in Wildwood, FL (north of Tampa) and Thibodaux, LA, but neither of those seem to be Spanish language programming.

 

[cyberdad]

I'm hearing Spanish language programming on 640 AM (afternoon in Orange Beach, AL). Any idea what that might be? I found out there are stations on 640 in Wildwood, FL (north of Tampa) and Thibodaux, LA, but neither of those seem to be Spanish language programming.

You're hearing R. Progreso from Cuba....a regular 24/7. I've never heard the 640 from Wildwood/The Villages here. KTIB (Thibideaux, LA) used to be a regular....if you nulled R. Progreso. I'm pretty sure they're off the air....and have been for a couple of years at least.

If you're on....or very near....the beach, you should be hearing Cuba daytime on 530, 570, 590 (under WDIZ. Panama City, FL) 600 (under WVOG, New Orleans), 640. 670,690 (under New Orleans), 710 (Under WNTM Mobile), 890 (barely), and 950 (barely). You might also encounter one or two other Cubans as well.

Zach probably knows more about all of this stuff than me.



Happy Hunting!

 

[icybluelake]

Wow. Thanks cyberdad. My first guess was Cuba, but then I heard Spanish on 680 and 1190 and realized I was hearing Tampa and southern Mississippi respectively. And several Tampa Bay Area AMs come in here many days, as I remembered. I wasn't at the beach today, but close enough -- about a half mile or mile away.

I didn't hear any of the others you mentioned, but I will listen more carefully. Last night was a bust for me, but I realized there's a lot of electrical interference where I am staying and I may have to find better spots.

 

[cd637299]

It's amazing what one can catch on AM in the daytime, or even FM or TV, on the beach, as compared to a mile inland!

cd

 

[icybluelake]

OK, I'm heading to the beach.