KOA Radio Picked Up Here

[Cincinnati Kid]

Several weeks ago, I picked up KOA Radio here in the northeast suburbs of Cincinnati about midnight (our time) on a Friday. I never recall picking up that station before. Not many stations from the west seem to be received in this area although about 30 years ago, I picked up a Salt Lake City station several times. It may have been KSL.

 

[Josh_Cols]

I personally have picked up KOA in Greenville, Ohio on US Route 127 at about 2 a.m. EST. It was very listenable, and I picked them up on a very cold and clear Ohio winter night. On the other extreme, I have picked up 700 WLW on the western slope in Colorado and in and around Cheyenne several times. When I was living in Parker, Colorado; and could see the KOA tower from my house, I always thought when I was on a road trip a thousand miles from home on how far away I was, yet could pick up the over the air signal, and that signal was transmitting less then 3 miles from where I hung my hat.

 

[vibe]

I've picked up KOA a number of times at night in Englewood FL (just S of Sarasota) mostly in winter (on a semi crappy Bose Wave radio). Got it in eastern Ohio while driving on I 70 last summer. Got KSL once (in Englewood) but probably a fluke.

 

[JeeperOne]

Hi everyone:

I've picked up KOA a number of times at night in Englewood FL (just S of Sarasota) mostly in winter (on a semi crappy Bose Wave radio). Got it in eastern Ohio while driving on I 70 last summer. Got KSL once (in Englewood) but probably a fluke.

Why do you say that?

Just curious...

 

[vibe]

Pat-KSL was a fluke because I've tuned in 1160 on the Bose hundreds of times and it was the first and only time I was able to get KSL from Englewood FL. I've got a much more sensitive radio in the car and have never gotten it there. So I consider it a fluke. I take nightly "shots" at 770 Alb, 660 Window Rock AZ, 810 SF and 640 LA but no success so far. But winter is coming on.........

 

[mikl73]

KOA can be received very well in Memphis at night.

 

[cyberdad]

In the Cleveland area, I've heard KOA under the local 850 on a couple of nights.

 

[radiotower40]

I can pick up KOA loud and clear in Chicago almost every night it comes in especially well right before the sun starts to come up,
too the point it almost completely bleeds out our local daytime AM 850 WCPT for almost an hour after they sign on usually more
on cold winter mornings.

 

[Lawppy]

KOA is my most reliable long-distance AM catch in Coldwater, MI. WOAI isn't as reliable here since WPHT turned on nighttime IBOC.

I've also tried for KTNN 660 amongst others to no avail. My farthest west was last March when KMTI 650 Manti, UT had their DX test.

 

[SDRadio]

I can get KOA at night in Oceanside (San Diego County) California. Also, I get the station in HD -- the call letters and other info is there. The HD signal is best about two hours after sunset and right before sunrise local Oceanside time. Interesting.

 

[Mid West Clubber]

Ive tried to pick up KMTI here in Indiana with no luck, im just too close to WSM Nashville and cant null it out to get anything else. :-\

 

[cyberdad]

KOA is the only station that's an easy catch not only in Northern Illinois where I live (about 3 miles from the local daytime 850 xmtr), but also just about anywhere up and down the west coast (where I am tonite and for the next ten days).

 

[Mid West Clubber]

I think KOA is probably the most powerful 50kw AM in the U.S.... What a Blow Torch, it has been DXed from coast to coast in the U.S, and has even made it into Hawaiii, Mexico, and Alaska.... Parker Colorado most have really good ground conductivity, it would have to.

 

[Johnnie_Radio]

I think KOA is probably the most powerful 50kw AM in the U.S.... What a Blow Torch, it has been DXed from coast to coast in the U.S, and has even made it into Hawaiii, Mexico, and Alaska.... Parker Colorado most have really good ground conductivity, it would have to.

Actually 760 WJR in Detroit has 50KW and i can remember growing up here and then traveling down south..it goes as far as Knoxville, TN

Also 780 WBBM in Chicago also has 50kw.....i beleieve you can pick this up as far as Lincoln NE.

 

[cyberdad]

Actually 760 WJR in Detroit has 50KW and i can remember growing up here and then traveling down south..it goes as far as Knoxville, TN

Also 780 WBBM in Chicago also has 50kw.....i beleieve you can pick this up as far as Lincoln NE.

Umm.....I've picked up WJR regularly at night in south Florida....and WBBM regularly at night in southern California (before the Reno 780 came on.)

The former 1-A 50KW clears can, did, and sometimes even still do, achieve trans-oceanic and intercontinental reach.

 

[Spiro]

It's one reason to love winter. I get KOA nicely here in Portland, OR, on a little Sony Walkman, in spite of having a local on 860.

 

[BRNout]

I picked up KOA from Devon, PA (just west of Philadelphia) last winter - twice! There's a station on 850 from Cleveland that usually interferes, but KOA sometimes overpowers them. To echo cyberdad, I was listening to a great signal of KOA last week from Elgin, IL with very little fade or interference.

KOA is a real blowtorch and ranks with WLW Cincy, WBZ Boston, and WWL New Orleans as having one of the best AM signals in the country.

 

[proddude41]

The general rule of thumb here is the lower the station is on the AM dial, the farther it will fly. Chicago has a ton of 50kW signals, three of them lower than KOA: 670 (WSCR), 720 (WGN), and 780 (WBBM). WLS at 890 AM is close.

I've picked up all three of them on both coasts -- even over the mountains!

 

[cyberdad]

The general rule of thumb here is the lower the station is on the AM dial, the farther it will fly.

True for groundwave (daytime) reception. Not true for long-distance skywave reception (generally nighttime).

 

[jinglemaker]

Does anyone agree that KOA has gone down hill in the last few years?
Could they need some new blood?