KAAY Rebuilt?

[DXBob]

Back in the Top 40 glory years KAAY ran a station ID at midnight that went something like this [cue my announcer voice with some light plate reverb]:

"From the tundra of the Arctic Circle to the jungles of Central America, this is KAAY, Little Rock, Arkansas."

Bob

 

[cyberdad]

Back in the Top 40 glory years KAAY ran a station ID at midnight that went something like this [cue my announcer voice with some light plate reverb]:

"From the tundra of the Arctic Circle to the jungles of Central America, this is KAAY, Little Rock, Arkansas."

Bob

Of course, Memphis or Oklahoma City was another story.

 

[CTListener]

Of course, Memphis or Oklahoma City was another story.

I was living about 40 miles east/southeast of Little Rock in the late '70s and KAAY was marginal at night. That was a very tight pattern.

 

[DXBob]

Of course, Memphis or Oklahoma City was another story.

No kidding! I attended college at Western Illinois University in Macomb, IL. or right in the path of their northern signal lobe. KAAY was the strongest station on the AM band at night during those years. Usually, full quieting with little to no fading. We had few other Top 40 choices there at night...

Bob

 

[tomservo]

I'm not too far up the highway from where Cyberdad goes to the beach and can confirm that KAAY is much stronger here now than it was on the low power STA. The first few times I heard the station on the new facility it didn't sound much better but it must have been bad conditions or something, because it has consistently been a reliable catch after dark for me.

I've posted a short clip of the audio from my little CountyComm GP-5/SSB handheld radio with reception from inside the house tonight:

https://youtu.be/pKiULgVP9g0

Normally I'd record off my SDR since it's a direct audio capture on the PC but the active loop I have has a built-in, non-defeatable AM BCB filter, so I can't DX with it anymore unless I go outside and swap antennas. And I'm much too lazy for that. Plus, the CountyComm, despite the tinny audio, is a real great DX masheen with its little add-on ferrite bar.

 

[anotherguyTN]

I was able to catch KAAY in West TN in the middle of the day yesterday, which is how it used to be. It was still Southern gospel at the time. I found their website, but I don't know how current it is. It still had a schedule of dollar a holler preaching, but if they've switched to more music, that still an improvement even though I'm not an SG fan.

 

[cyberdad]

I'm not too far up the highway from where Cyberdad goes to the beach and can confirm that KAAY is much stronger here now than it was on the low power STA.

It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to say that I was astonished. Especially since there was a noise source in the building that played havoc with the lower end of the band. Even at 1090, it was diminished, but still there. KAAY, however, blasted right on through. (I never did find the origin of the noise....but not not for lack of trying.)

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

here's how KAAY 1090 sounded here Wednesday September 4th at 11:16pm mountain time 850 miles away in Laramie, Wyoming


It's pretty decent in the beginning, gets a little weak then at 8 minutes 20 seconds it gets LOUD.

Take a listen:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GDMMkkIVuvQfMVHkLivYnmnk6-y-jciw/view?usp=sharing

 

[b-turner]

While nothing to do about reception, KAAY is using a 'delivered' format. We used to call these 'satellite delivered' formats. Hearing the audio, it's obvious they're plugging in to the service and it seems not even having spots to 'fill' the spot break of mostly PSAs. The first spot was a PI (Per Inquiry) spot required by the network. What followed was the remainder of the break where the local affiliate airs their commercials, weather or whatever. Southern Gospel is usually not a format lots of retail stores choose as part of their advertising mix. Such stations make the bulk of their income selling time to ministries. Pretty much if you can sell a commercial or two an hour 6am to 7pm on weekdays you're doing pretty good as a Southern Gospel station.

 

[anotherguyTN]

I was checking stations on an Amazon Fire Stick radio app tonight and ran into KAAY, so I checked it to see what was on, and they were carrying a King James only preacher. So they're still dollar a holler.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

I was checking stations on an Amazon Fire Stick radio app tonight and ran into KAAY, so I checked it to see what was on, and they were carrying a King James only preacher. So they're still dollar a holler.

With southern gospel music as filler.

Those preachers pay the pills.. what do you want? you got any better ideas?

 

[kf4rca]

Tuned in a few days ago and they were weak as usual. But I remember about 15 years ago they blasted in here.
Did they replace the ampliphase transmitter? They may have been the last station to have one on the air.
I used to hear talker Roy Masters on there but I think he abandoned them due to coverage issues.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

Tuned in a few days ago and they were weak as usual. But I remember about 15 years ago they blasted in here.
Did they replace the ampliphase transmitter? They may have been the last station to have one on the air.
I used to hear talker Roy Masters on there but I think he abandoned them due to coverage issues.

That would suggest when you heard them 15 years ago they were running non directionally or something other then their licensed pattern. The night pattern i dont think has changed in a long time and Atlanta is far enough outside the predicted skywave coverage that i can see how it'd be weaker when operating normally. Im inside but near the NW edge of predicted skywave coverage and its iffy for me here alot so i can see why it is for you when operating normally

Download the daytime groundwave/nighttime skywave maps here: https://radio-timetraveller.blogspot.com/ look to the right for the download links

 

[cyberdad]

That would suggest when you heard them 15 years ago they were running non directionally or something other then their licensed pattern.

Of course, I have no way of knowing for sure, but I think "the rebuild" involved to restoring the pattern to where it was originally intended to be....but probably hadn''t been in decades. Here in the Chicago area, KAAY is now stronger than it was in the recent past, but not as strong as it was back in its top-40 heyday.