In case anybody needs to log another Texas station...

[jd]

At last report KGOW Bellaire (Houston) was apparently still on their daytime pattern and power (possibly 50,000 but more likely 46,000 watts, according to their CP). Main concentration of the day pattern is north-northeast from their site south of Houston near Rosharon.

 

[gar hi]

They are coming in strong as usual right now here in Tampa, so I think they are on the nighttime pattern.

 

[cyberdad]

I've heard KGOW a couple of times here in Northern Illinois. Right around sunrise, so presumably on day pattern.

 

[cd637299]

KGOW now dominates at night, here in south FL. No idea which pattern it is.....

cd

 

[Steve Green NEPA]

A quarter of midnight here in NE PA with the GE SR II afire, per the alert by JD.

No luck for KGOW at this hour. Coming in well atop 1560 is the usual kiddie-porn/crack/sugar-graffiti for which Disney has been opening its raincoats to offer the 6-plus crowd for over a decade. There's a hint of something under WQEW, but way, way too faint to bother.

KGOW looks like a SRS or SSS catch here, JD. Thanks for the heads-up at any rate!

 

[rbrucecarter5]

Coming in well atop 1560 is the usual kiddie-porn/crack/sugar-graffiti for which Disney has been opening its raincoats to offer the 6-plus crowd for over a decade.

I personally know some of the Disney artists. This post is offensive.

 

[Steve Green NEPA]

R Bruce : You are more right.

I purposely fashioned the post that way when seeing the opportunity, after considering my evaluation of the decade-plus of the Disney radio fare plus the stark, topical Penn State quicksand of recent days.

You are correct to suggest that the content is inappropriate for a DX forum. My viewpoint was that, well, there it is, on the dial. My DX was blocked by a station whose emphasis I also consider offensive.

In an O/T way, we agree to disagree. However, seeing that my position offended you and perhaps someone else, I apologize.

Programming content should not be a concern on a DX board. From transmitter to speaker. A station engineer gets paid to wire and tweak a transmitter or a sound chain and has no obligation to be concerned about what the audio consists of. A DXer at the other end of the communications delivery most likely is not concerned about the message he or she is trying to abrogate/null to hear a new catch.

So I say we're both right, R. Bruce. But I will grant that you are probably more right in this case.

Pals again, hi?

 

[rbrucecarter5]

So I say we're both right, R. Bruce. But I will grant that you are probably more right in this case.

Pals again, hi?

OH absolutely - don't worry about it. I find Radio Disney a refreshing mix of current top-40 and promising new artists. It is a lot like top-40 AM, and I have to admire Disney for re-introducing the concept of top-40 AM to a new generation of listeners, even if it is slanted towards promoting their own artists.

I do get a little sensitive when people criticize people I know personally. I can understand people speaking up a bit about Miley Cyrus, who has made some poor decisions, and Demi Lovato, who had emotional problems. But the vast majority of Disney artists - some of which will make it into mainstream top-40 - and some who won't, are hard working, focused, professional young people. I have totally enjoyed meeting them on the set, and meeting their parents - who after all are the ones we hang out with while our kids do their acting on the set. I can and will defend young people of good character. I remember one encounter with an ignorant twit at a church who was criticized Selena Gomez for staring in a show about Wizards. I spoke right up and told her I would compare Selena's faith to hers by any standard she chose - church attendance, Bible verse memorization, etc. She backed down. These kids are really great kids - Selena was all smiles and hugs when we knew her, and one of the most faithful kids in attendance in the youth group. I frankly think Disney is finding some really talented ones, along with Nickelodeon. Some of these kids could give Glee a run for its money, I frankly think ones like Ariana Grande have better voices than some of those on Glee. Radio Disney doesn't play Nickelodeon artists, which is my biggest gripe with them.

 

[schmave]

I've tried for KGOW several times here in central Ohio between our sunset and Houston's and never have been lucky enough to grab it. It's always New York. I am probably just a few hundred miles too far north or east; I don't hear any of the Mexican blasters up here either.

 

[pianoplayer88key]

Bruce, you're not the only Radio Disney fan on this board. I'll listen to them, even if I have to dig it out from under interference - co-channel (5-kW KKDD San Bernardino @ 95 mi under 500-W KZSB Santa Barbara {on top daytime via saltwater path, usually alone on channel in summer unless you have a VERY good antenna} or adjacent-channel (on poor-selectivity radios, 50kW/20kW 1110-KDIS Pasadena @ ~111 mi under 10kW 1130-KSDO @ 6 mi). At night 50kW KMIK Tempe, AZ @ 300 mi often has a solid signal, but it often gets competition from 50kW KBLA Santa Monica @ 119 mi and XEDM Hermosillo @ 438 mi.
Whenever I can, I prefer KKDD, as they don't run HD and seem to have fairly good analog audio bandwidth. The other two DO have HD, though.
I have yet to be able to hear 620 KMKI, though, because of KTAR Phoenix and semi-local XESS. They're running HD, though, aren't they?
I've also heard 1310 KMKY Oakland under local XEC, 1240 KALY Albuquerque (when they were R. Disney several years ago) under opposite-direction local KSON (now KNSN - strong enough to overcome the graveyard chatter here), as well as 1680 KAVT Fresno when they were Disney, as well as 1690 near Denver before one near Sacramento signed on.

 

[jd]

I have yet to be able to hear 620 KMKI, though, because of KTAR Phoenix and semi-local XESS. They're running HD, though, aren't they?

Yes, they do run HD. Also, for what it's worth, their audio processing lacks any real "punch" and the modulation level seemed to be quite low the last time I checked.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

Bruce, you're not the only Radio Disney fan on this board. I'll listen to them, even if I have to dig it out from under interference - co-channel (5-kW KKDD San Bernardino @ 95 mi under 500-W KZSB Santa Barbara {on top daytime via saltwater path, usually alone on channel in summer unless you have a VERY good antenna} or adjacent-channel (on poor-selectivity radios, 50kW/20kW 1110-KDIS Pasadena @ ~111 mi under 10kW 1130-KSDO @ 6 mi). At night 50kW KMIK Tempe, AZ @ 300 mi often has a solid signal, but it often gets competition from 50kW KBLA Santa Monica @ 119 mi and XEDM Hermosillo @ 438 mi.
Whenever I can, I prefer KKDD, as they don't run HD and seem to have fairly good analog audio bandwidth. The other two DO have HD, though.
I have yet to be able to hear 620 KMKI, though, because of KTAR Phoenix and semi-local XESS. They're running HD, though, aren't they?
I've also heard 1310 KMKY Oakland under local XEC, 1240 KALY Albuquerque (when they were R. Disney several years ago) under opposite-direction local KSON (now KNSN - strong enough to overcome the graveyard chatter here), as well as 1680 KAVT Fresno when they were Disney, as well as 1690 near Denver before one near Sacramento signed on.

Well, I'm in Houston, now, and local KMIC is weak. Being an upper band station at 1590, it doesn't go that far in the daytime, but I get enough signal to decode HD mono from about 25 miles away from the tower. Never have gotten HD stereo on it except for a second or so once in a while. It is like a secondary decode a few seconds after HD mono acquisition. Nighttime the pattern is so severely limited that from my West Houston location, the frequency is a jumble. On a directional radio (portable with ferrite bar), it is possible to hear through the mess. KMKI, though, is a better nighttime target. Daytime, KMKI is not receivable at all on 620 - their null is so good to the South protecting KILT 610. Instead, I get XEGH on 620. Amazing considering how low power it is compared to KMKI. Nighttime KMKI, though has that null for KTAR, one for XEGH, and one for WTMJ Milwaukee (which has a reciprocal null, but not an effective one - I've received WTMJ less than 4 miles from the KMKI by nulling KMKI. KMKI nighttime pattern doesn't have the null towards Houston, so it blasts in with a good signal. I have yet to hear WTMJ underneath, but it is something to look for.

Another RD target from Houston daytime is KRDY 1160 San Antonio. Very weak signal, I think the Radio Locator maps are a bit optimistic on that coverage. Nighttime KRDY heavily protects KSL and other stuff. Austin is out of luck nighttime for Radio Disney - it may be one of the larger markets they don't cover. The problem is that KMKI nighttime null towards XEGH - it is pretty much in line with Austin, although I did it on a car radio. I guess Dallas is close enough that the null doesn't matter.

A challenging nighttime catch for Houston is KDDZ 1690 from Denver. Occasionally it even outdoes KMKI, but most of the time the frequency is a wash between KDDZ Denver, WMLB Atlanta (usually dominant), and WVON Chicago. WMLB has a very interesting eclectic format, quite refreshing. I wish I could get it better, but splatter from the 1700's in Texas and 1680 from Louisiana is pretty tough even for a radio with good selectivity.

Yes, KMKI is running HD, which might be part of your problem. With a 3 foot loop, I've gotten them daytime in Carlsbad NM, although they were starting to fight KTAR. KTAR must be a monster, because occasionally power lines in Dallas would bring it in over KMKI! That happens at one spot on 75 through Richardson pretty consistently. Get stuck in traffic on the freeway, hear Phoenix - quite a DX rush! But it is only about a 20 to 30 foot zone under the power lines.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

I have yet to be able to hear 620 KMKI, though, because of KTAR Phoenix and semi-local XESS. They're running HD, though, aren't they?

Yes, they do run HD. Also, for what it's worth, their audio processing lacks any real "punch" and the modulation level seemed to be quite low the last time I checked.

Best I ever got on KMKI daytime HD was about 35 miles. When they were C-Quam, I got really good stereo in Lubbock 330 miles away daytime.

 

[Icangelp]

Logged KGOW back in Feb of 2009 in the evening. I believe they in the process of upgrading, and assume they were running night power with day directional, or day power and day directional.

So, are they going back to daytime only?

 

[jd]

So, are they going back to daytime only?

No, they've had a 15kW nighttime site northwest of Houston in operation since the latter part of 2009; after extensive testing it was officially licensed in early 2010. With a narrow lobe pointed southeast, there's little meaningful coverage immediately north of the city. So if you heard them back then in Ohio, it's almost 100% certain they were on the daytime pattern with full 50kW power.

 

[jd]

DXing opportunities remain available, as KGOW is still running their daytime power later than they should. Tonight they switched to the nighttime rig at 6:58, two minutes shy of an hour and a half past their designated time. As for when they're turning on the high power in the morning I don't have a clue, but it's supposed to be at 6:45. Maybe somebody there should check it out, before the Houston Field Office does.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

DXing opportunities remain available, as KGOW is still running their daytime power later than they should. Tonight they switched to the nighttime rig at 6:58, two minutes shy of an hour and a half past their designated time. As for when they're turning on the high power in the morning I don't have a clue, but it's supposed to be at 6:45. Maybe somebody there should check it out, before the Houston Field Office does.

They have gotten a bit cocky after hurricane Ike, when they were allowed to run 50 kW at night for emergency purposes. When I was in the Dallas area, they were a strange daytime target. At times, particularly in winter, they would alternate between strong as a local and completely gone, with 1560 from OKC barely coming in. There was no middle ground, it was all or nothing.