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If you're on the Coast today (4/21)...

... scan through your FM dials. Signals from Central Florida (e.g., Tampa, Orlando) are said to be unusually strong today.

Frankly, FM from that area isn't that usual on the Coast, but, reports are that this is a pretty nice opening. Forecast maps show that this might hang around for the next few days.

Enjoy.

DE
 
Over a decade ago, I was on the coast and some south Florida and Tallahassee stations were coming in. Under normal conditions, you can hear WDAE 620 out of Tampa.
 
Well, AM, of course is a totally different mechanism. That's groundwave going over the water. Back in Pascagoula, I could hear Cuba during the day, as long as I didn't go too far inland. Weak Mexicans, too. And, a 50 kW daytime station in Corpus Christi was always there.

The Tallahassee/South FL FM stuff is along the same lines as what has been going on this week. Warm, moist air settles down at the surface, and causes VHF signals (of which FM broadcast is a part) to duct. From what I heard, though, what has been going on this week has been particularly strong. One interesting reception -- the LPFM in Bay St. Louis was heard in FL a couple of days ago. Texas has been strong, too.

As an aside, I saw channel 8 from New Orleans here in Memphis this morning. Not a ground-shaking thing, but part of the same system.

As we get into Summer, though, other stuff starts happening. Seasonal "skip" off the E-layer is pretty common May through July on FM, so keep an eye out for that. But, again, this is a different mechanism than the ducting.

DE
 
And, a 50 kW daytime station in Corpus Christi was always there.

1030 out of Corpus? Cool, I'll be driving through the Coast on Sunday, will try to check them out.

Knew about Tampa's 620 getting up there. Anything else interesting that I should hunt around for?
 
Doctor_Technical said:
And, a 50 kW daytime station in Corpus Christi was always there.

1030 out of Corpus? Cool, I'll be driving through the Coast on Sunday, will try to check them out.

Knew about Tampa's 620 getting up there. Anything else interesting that I should hunt around for?

There's a rather odd sounding station on 530 I've been hearing for a few days. Dunno if it is Cuban or not but I don't remember it from previous visits. Maybe you can snag that one. It's a lot weaker than 640 and 670 from Cuba during the day.
 
I've been hitting the auto programming on my TV the last several mornings and have picked up HDTV from Monroe, LA, Sheveport, Little Rock, and Meridian. Many years ago a huge FM skip came in from texas and I was picking up Dallas like a local. I've also picked up TV from San Antonio a few times. One night in the early late 80's or early 90's there was a station on nearly every UHF channel. So many I couldn't ID them all. When one would fade another would start to pick up. the VHF band was so full that the local stations were nearly obliterated. This was all done on a 12inch B/W set with an indoor antenna. I wish I would have written some of them down. Most seemed to becoming from the west as is much of the case in these skip situations.
 
Doctor_Technical said:
Knew about Tampa's 620 getting up there. Anything else interesting that I should hunt around for?

Tampa's 620 (actually St. Petersburg) is a monster. The towers are right on the bay, so it's a literal 100% saltwater path from there to the Mississippi Coast. They're so strong they completely obliterate Jackson's 620, despite being about 3X further away. (You can hear Jackson underneath if you listen closely.)

When I lived in Ocean Springs, I also had regular daytime reception of 540-Pine Hills/Orlando, 720-Hernando, and 970-Tampa. Plus the Cuban "tick tock" station on 570.
 
I heard the tick tock the other night here in Jackson. The first time I ever heard it when I was a kid I thought Fort Collins WWV was bleeding in. Some cheap radios bleed shortwave occasioanly. Could someone explain why they have that clock in the background? It looks like it would drive their listeners (if they have any) crazy. Speaking of the salt water coverage. I'm curious if any of the gulf coast stations can do the reverse and make it to the Florida coast. I've heard that WROA can be picked up in South America. but can't be picked up that good locally.
 
Yes, theoretically, the door would swing both ways. Of course, the Mississippi Coast does not have any big-signal AMs anymore, since the demise of WVMI/570, BUT that isn't the end of the question. While Tampa's 620 had a MUCH bigger signal, I would get 1340 (1kW) from Clearwater, FL on the Coast. It was much weaker, and would only be noticeable in the absolute middle of the day (as ANY skywave would cover it up), but it was audible. We can assume, then, that even the smaller-signal stations are going well out to sea.

You can bet that WWL is heard in Central FL. But, WWL is a special case.

WROA? I can't verify SOUTH America, but I can confirm CENTRAL America. I heard it myself, back in the 1980s, in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. It was the strongest US station on the dial. Very surprising, actually. (I picked up an FM from San Pedro in Pascagoula once or twice, but that was sporadic-E, of course. 91.7, if memory serves)

The "tick-tock" station? It's called Radio Reloj, literally, "Radio Clock." I suppose the time clicks go along with the theme. Oddly, though, match them up sometime to WWV; you'll find they don't necessarily match. Time is relative, it would seem, in Cuba. But, then again, when you think about it, it's still 1963, or thereabouts, down there.

DE

DE
 
MN Maniac said:
Doctor_Technical said:
Knew about Tampa's 620 getting up there. Anything else interesting that I should hunt around for?

Tampa's 620 (actually St. Petersburg) is a monster. The towers are right on the bay, so it's a literal 100% saltwater path from there to the Mississippi Coast. They're so strong they completely obliterate Jackson's 620, despite being about 3X further away. (You can hear Jackson underneath if you listen closely.)

At night, I can hear sometimes WDAE under WJDX here in Jackson. Both are Fox Sports Radio affiliates and there is a one or two second delay between JDX and DAE, so that's why it is noticeable.
 
WROA? I can't verify SOUTH America, but I can confirm CENTRAL America. I heard it myself, back in the 1980s, in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.

Actually I meant Honduras. I accidently typed South America. How was the signal down there?
 
flytrap said:
Actually I meant Honduras. I accidently typed South America. How was the signal down there?

Plenty loud. I am not sure I can elaborate too much more; that was quite some time ago.

When I was in Belize a few years ago diving, I don't recall hearing them, but I am not sure I looked. All I had was a Walkman. Still WTAW/College Station, TX was easy to hear, and was where I got my US news. It helps, though, being on an X-band frequency -- less interference.

DE
 
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