Is there any radio station that reaches all lower 48 states at night?

[davideduardo]

Isn't 1120 in DC Espanol?

I think it is multi-ethnic, but they do have some Spanish language stuff... with 20 kw that would certainly hash the channel in parts of the Northeast... although it's a daytimer and the original post did not specify when KMOX was subject to interference.

 

[Dxer1105]

I would say KMOX, WSCR, WGN, WBBM, WLS, WMVP, WHO, WOAI, WBAP, WCCO, WJR, KSL, KOA would be your best bets. i know KSL and KOA are kinda far west and WJR, WSCR, WGN, WBBM, WLS and WMVP are a little far east but they would be your best bets if you wanted to travel through each state and try to receive them.

 

[davideduardo]

I would say KMOX, WSCR, WGN, WBBM, WLS, WMVP, WHO, WOAI, WBAP, WCCO, WJR, KSL, KOA would be your best bets. i know KSL and KOA are kinda far west and WJR, WSCR, WGN, WBBM, WLS and WMVP are a little far east but they would be your best bets if you wanted to travel through each state and try to receive them.

WMVP is quite directional, with little signal to the west to protect the other clear channel stations on 1000, which is in Seattle and the other in Mexico City. Similarly, KOA is also on a shared clear, with many stations east of the Mississippi on 850 including a 50 kw one in MA, as well as Cleveland, Raleigh, Gainesville, W. Palm Beach, Muskegon, and Norfolk to name a few all running fulltime; there is even one in Tacoma, WA not to mention those in Mexico... so KOA is not useful beyond 500 to 600 miles away.

The truth is that there are really no stations receivable regularly in even half the states... WLS shares with St. George, UT. WBBM and WGN share with high power stations in NV. WJR's 760 has a 77 kw Mexico City station and a 50 kw San Diego operation on it to name a couple (lower power in Denver and other closer locations, too).

 

[musicman3355]

What about KFI and KNX? I've heard reports of both stations being heard in parts of the east coast.

 

[cd637299]

What about KFI and KNX? I've heard reports of both stations being heard in parts of the east coast.

I've heard them both from Florida, but not in almost 20 years (in KNX's case) or 28 years (KFI). KFI used to be the only US station on air at night---no longer the case. KNX has long been in the same boat----clear to the western half of the USA, but *many* other 1070's operate at night in the east.

cd

 

[charlestondxman]

WHO comes in all the time here in Charleston, SC. It's usually a weak signal, but sometimes it comes in strong. WBAP also is in most nights, so they're close. WCCO only comes in a few times a year over the much closer Kernersville, NC (which basically blots it out in NC, SC, and southern VA).

I've never heard KSL. I've only heard KOA twice here, a very weak signal early in the morning over probably four or five other stations. WJR comes in every night, along with the Chicagos (670 is the worst of them here).

WOAI comes in, but only weakly. KMOX comes in most mornings, but the strength depends (it gets interference from WBT).

 

[pqgeorge]

WHO comes in all the time here in Charleston, SC. It's usually a weak signal, but sometimes it comes in strong. WBAP also is in most nights, so they're close. WCCO only comes in a few times a year over the much closer Kernersville, NC (which basically blots it out in NC, SC, and southern VA).

I've never heard KSL. I've only heard KOA twice here, a very weak signal early in the morning over probably four or five other stations. WJR comes in every night, along with the Chicagos (670 is the worst of them here).

WOAI comes in, but only weakly. KMOX comes in most mornings, but the strength depends (it gets interference from WBT).

Before the destruction of the "Clears" (after 1979), here in Massachusetts I was able to listen to KSL/1160 practically every evening after WJJD/Chicago would shut down at Salt Lake City sunset. Back in '82, KOA was listenable after WHDH/850 would sign-off on Sunday mornings (but they always left the carrier on). It did help to allow me to get KOA (under the 'HDH dead carrier). Heard a Colorado Rockies game. The Chicago 50 kW's (WMAQ, WGN, WBBM, WLS and WCFL) were nightly visitors here in the Boston area. For all intents and purposes, I've monitored most of the big guns from coast-to-coast including KFI (usually at local sunrise), WOAI, WBAP/WFAA, WSB, WHO, WCCO, KMOX, WJR and more. Never did get any Northwest stations, even in the Clear Channel days (pre '79). Of course I did QSL XERF/1570 and XEQ/940 down in Mexico way. Of course, the Cubans..... you couldn't miss them (tick, tick, tick). YVOZ/1200 was a frequent visitor from Venezuela.

Today, with so much man-made interference and too many stations shoehorned into a 1 MHz sliver of spectrum, the AM band is only a shadow of its' former self. If you're lucky now, you may hear a station about 500 miles away on a good night. But 38 state coverage, is a thing of the past, even if a station is right in the middle of the country. Ah, the good old days....... *sigh*.

 

[ddsparxx]

Isn't 1120 in DC Espanol?

cd

That station is WUST, it is multi-ethnic and it's a daytimer.

 

[tomservo]

I can say the only station I've personally ever heard in the extremities of this country that I've been to (which aren't all that extreme: LA, Miami, Fargo, Vermont) is WOAI.

 

[charlestondxman]

I'd have to say KOA is pretty close. Last night, I actually heard them with a pretty good signal here in Charleston. I've heard them well here for the past couple weeks. It was clearly identifiable over the other 850s (Raleigh, Gainesville) who were much closer. That is about 1460 miles from here, maybe more.

KOA is also very listenable anywhere west of Atlanta.

 

[Gregg]

But I'm sure 850 WEEI Boston, with its fulltime 50,000 watt signal, would knock out KOA, at least over Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Maine, even if KOA might sneak into far western Massachusettes.

For a fulltime 50,000 watt station, WEEI isn't great. It's so nulled to the west (to protect KOA I suppose) that another AM station simulcasts many of its programs in the Worcester area, about 35 miles west of Boston. But 850 WEEI still is one of Boston's best AM signals after 1030 WBZ and 680 WRKO. When the Red Sox were chasing the World Series a few years ago, WEEI hit #1, proving it covers the spread-out Boston market well enough to be the most-listened to station.


Gregg
[email protected]

 

[BRNout]

I'd have to say KOA is pretty close. Last night, I actually heard them with a pretty good signal here in Charleston. I've heard them well here for the past couple weeks. It was clearly identifiable over the other 850s (Raleigh, Gainesville) who were much closer. That is about 1460 miles from here, maybe more.

KOA is also very listenable anywhere west of Atlanta.

They are one of a couple. I've heard KOA more than once in eastern PA, and they are a nightly visitor to southern CA at the other end. WHO is another, I've heard it from ME to NV and it's probably possible in parts of CA. WWL has been forgotten, probably because of the Pacific Northwest, yet I've heard it from New England to SE CA.

WOAI is a shadow of its former self thanks to all of the RF in the air and I sometimes even have trouble picking it up from IL, even though I have gotten it in Central America. WBAP is another one that I've heard all over the country and as far south as Costa Rica. Yet the FCC shows so little respect for it that they just shoehorned in a nighttime signal from WCPT Chicago on 820 - which isn't all that far from WBAP as far as skywave is concerned. So there you go......

 

[DG02816]

Here's one for David Eduardo.
With the Mexican big guns like XEWA, XEX, XEROK, XEG, and XEB running at least 100 kW, was the high power
due to bad ground conductivity, as much coverage of the nation as possible, or both?

 

[davideduardo]

Here's one for David Eduardo.
With the Mexican big guns like XEWA, XEX, XEROK, XEG, and XEB running at least 100 kW, was the high power
due to bad ground conductivity, as much coverage of the nation as possible, or both?

The answer is somewhat complex.

When the 100 kw and over stations were developed (except for the border blasters), starting in the late 30's and formalized with NARBA in the early 40's, Mexico was much less economically developed than the US and the population was much more rural. Smaller towns could not support radio stations, and a huge percentage of the population lived in totally rural areas. As a result, the stations in the larger cities broadcast to large rural areas as well. At that time, most radio was listened to at night just as it was in the US, so huge coverage came from the high power operations.

While much of Latin America used tropical band shortwave for the same reasons, Mexico, part of NARBA, seemed to favor large AMs rather than local AMs and regional shortwave stations. XEW had shortwave operations, but they were intended to serve Central America and even northern South America, thus the slogan of "The Voice of Latin America from Mexico" that they used. The 250 kw AM was intended to serve Central Mexico, while XEWK in Guadalajara and a repeater in Veracruz covered other areas.

In any case, the high power was used to serve both a local constituency in places like Mexico City and Monterrey, and huge rural areas with the same signal. The stations like XERF and XELO were the inheritors of the border blaster legacy, making money through the sale of time in night hours to hawk baby chicks and strange ministries.

An exception was XEWA, which did not get its big power on 540 until the 60's when Mexico's position about the original NARBA agreement not giving Mexico a fair number of clear channels resulted in 540 being given and the US operation of KFMB in San Diego being moved to 760 from 540. Of course, XEWA was given to the owner of XEW, the founder of media giant Televisa.

 

[crainbebo]

WOAI 1200 can be occasionally picked up here in Bothell, Washington, but most times it's KEX's IBOC or 1200 out of Vancouver, BC (Indian Music).

-crainbebo

 

[vibe]

Reaches-probably none.
Reached-probably a few incl KFI, KMOX, WHO and probably 1-2 Chi ones (and even some NYC's)

 

[davideduardo]

Reaches-probably none.
Reached-probably a few incl KFI, KMOX, WHO and probably 1-2 Chi ones (and even some NYC's)

The ones that reported regular mail from all states were two of those you mention, WHO and KMOX. KFI ddid not.

Others, with their current call letters, are WSCR, WGN, WLS, WBBM, WTAM, WJR, WLW, WSM, WBAP, WHAS and KDKA.