Most and least DX'able frequencies in your area

[charlestondxman]

With so many new translators coming on throughout the country on FM, there are a lot fewer frequencies that are available for us to DX.

In Charleston, we have probably lost close to 10 FM frequencies due to translators in the last decade. We added 4 FM translators just in 2016. Even now, we have a few frequencies to DX, even on 1st adjacents of locals because they aren't digital. However, with local FMs, a couple of them have never been off. I've never heard anything on 95.1, 89.3 or 104.5.

99.1 is usually pretty good here because we are 30 miles from the semi-local on 98.9. You can hear about 3-4 signals at different times. Barnwell, SC; Jacksonville (WQIK); Whiteville, NC; and even Roanoke.

107.9 is also very good. We are 65 miles from two signals (MB and Hilton Head), that come in equally. Charlotte also comes in at times.

On AM, our best DX frequency is probably 850 at night. You can hear so many different signals. Birmingham, Ft. Lauderdale, Gainesville, Statesboro, GA, Raleigh, and Denver all come in at times.

What about you?

 

[ftballfan]

Most: 96.1, 96.5, 99.9, and 100.5 (all time I've received more than 10 stations on those frequencies)

107.3 is bad (only WBBL and WUPF received there) despite not being a local on that frequency or even an adjacent frequency

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

I lived about 3.5 miles from WKMF (now WFNT) on 1470 kHz for about 20 years. I was in the major lobe of the very efficient directional antenna. In the Daytime, the signal was in excess of 100 mV/m. The signal was overwhelming on most radios. It was the unmistakable strongest station on my Rocket Radio, simple radios I built, and even came in on the Caravelle when grounded to the water pipe with the switch off when in the transmit position. I figure that this was because it was set up in the circuit to the be the off air monitor when transmitting. Other stations came in, but not as strong. With the pre NRSC audio processing, it wiped out 30 kHz either side of 1470 on most radios. It also wiped out 560 kHz from the image. I could not get WQTE 560 Monroe except on extra stage TRF radios, and Delco radios with a different IF frequency. Otherwise I could probably have received WIND 560 in the Daytime by nulling out WQTE 560 on the Sony 6R-11 TRF stage set. When WKMF 1470 signed off, I could usually get WMBD 1470 in Peoria, KSO 1460 Des Moines and sometimes WPON 1460 Pontiac, and possibly WBNS 1460 Columbus, and WHBC 1480 Canton. So that was probably the worst. KFI 640, KSL 1160, and WOAI 1200 were probably the clearest frequencies for the greatest range DX. Well protected frequencies in the area would produce several WEAK signals when WTAC 600 (usually WMT but notably WCAO) , WFDF 910 (usually KGLC), WWJ 950 (usually KLIK), and WTRX 1330 (usually WFBC) went off the air during the experimental period. WJR 760 was not regularly off the air, and only KFMB and KGU in the US were on 760, and perhaps some very weak Cuban signals. Usually nothing was heard on 760 when WJR was off.

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

As far as FM, I have to go back at least about 25 years to before there were Docket 80-90 stations, NCE drop ins, Translators, and IBOC sidebands. With the Sony CF-450, with just the telescoping whip antenna, I could get WMBI 90.1 regularly going back to about the early 1970s, fading in and out under normal conditions. With a 10 element beam and a very selective tuner, I could regularly get WJML 98.9 Petoskey, WFMR 96.5 Milwaukee, WLPX 97.3 Milwaukee, WBRN 100.9 Big Rapids (notable as a regular 3 kW Class A at the time), and WIXX 101.1 Green Bay, the latter two with WRIF nulled with the FM-10 on a T-45 Rotator at about 30 feet AGL. WYEN 106.7 Des Plaines was another regular with WWWW 106.7 nulled out. With 50000 watts ERP, it was second only to WMBI as a Chicago area regular.

 

[Ai4i]

...With 50000 watts ERP, it was second only to WMBI as a Chicago area regular.

I do not know where you are in relation to Chi-town, but yes, although height reduces multipath picket fencing close in,
power is certainly the winner when it comes to extended propagation well beyond the horizon of the higher station.
WMBI probably also has good range on their HD signals, going away from, but maybe not toward the city.

 

[cyberdad]

I do not know where you are in relation to Chi-town, but yes, although height reduces multipath picket fencing close in,
power is certainly the winner when it comes to extended propagation well beyond the horizon of the higher station.
WMBI probably also has good range on their HD signals, going away from, but maybe not toward the city.

WMBI and WPPN (ex-WYEN) are both 50KW with relatively close-in suburban sticks. Their signals at my location 40+ miles northwest of downtown Chicago are noticeably better than those eminating from the downtown skyscrapers. But for me the toughest FM channel for DX would be 105,5, which has a 6kw local situated about three miles from my house.

For me, the toughest AM channels would have to be 670 and 780, where CBS has 50KW blowtorches running IBOC about 22 miles away from me. I'd have to give some thought as to most "DX-able", but off the top of my head for nighttime, 640, 1010, and 1130 would be in the running.

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

Various places in SE MI. Genesee County and the Detroit Suburbs. 216 statute miles from ORD for one of the longest periods of time when I had more time to DX, and had a better RL and antenna system.

WMBI was 100 kW from 600 feet at the time as I recall. Vern Merritt tried to move WYEN (WZRC when he owned it) to the Sears Tower as I recall, back in the 1980s.

 

[charlestondxman]

In our area, I have been DXing since 2000 or 2001. We've probably lost 10-12 FM frequencies due to the growth of translators, IBOC, and new signals. 97.5 used to be wide open here. You'd hear WCOS from Columbia at nearly 120 miles 90% of time, and the other times you'd hear Winter Haven, FL or South Boston, VA. Now we have an LP that has knocked WCOS out.

 

[gr8oldies]

A lot of changes in the Knoxville-Sevierville TN area since I moved down this way in 2010. My best frequencies were 98.1 (normal conditions would bring either WBUL, WHZT or WLND), 97.1 (either Somerset or Atlanta) or 104.1 (Atlanta or Cleveland TN area). There's a translator now in Knoxville on 98.1 but still avoidable in Sevierville; the translator on 97.1 blasts into both where I live and work. Most DXable remaining: 93.7 and 94.7 (94.7 will have a translator soon) and 96.5. Least DXable: I doubt I'd ever find WIVK off the air. WUOT kills 9.19 and 92.1.

AM: Almost any frequency is DXable including 620 and 990 unless you're parked under their tower. The upper frequencies (1500-1600) are most enjoyable.

 

[jim-satx]

On AM here, the best DX frequencies are graveyarders 1400 and 1450. I have the most loggings on them (14 and 13 stations apiece), they have no local adjacents, and they have some UNIDs I'm working on that pop up from time to time.

The worst on AM are 680, 1160, and 1200. They each have a strong local, and I've only managed to hear one other station on them.

On FM the best are 88.1 and 91.1. There are several worst ones on which I've only heard a strong local: 88.3, 96.1, 97.3, 97.7, 98.5, 99.5, 100.3, 101.1, 101.9, 102.7, 104.5, 105.3, and 106.7.

 

[crainbebo]

95.1 is absolutely dead with no tropo scatter to worry about. Best Ms frequency.
Other frequencies I check commonly for Es/Tr: 88.3 (through some KYTR/KYVT hash), 88.7 (same), 92.3, 93.3 (weak KRKL Walla Walla), 93.5, 93.7 (now that translator is off...yay! Now KQFM comes in), 93.9, 94.1, 95.3, 95.5, 95.7 (weak KKSR), 95.9, 96.1, 96.3 (fair KRCW, can be nulled out), 96.5, 97.3, 97.5, 97.7, 98.1, 100.7, 101.1, 101.3 (weak KGDN Pasco), 101.5, 101.9 (weak KZIU Weston OR), 102.3, 102.5. 103 and up is a mess nowadays with a new LP on 103.5, several locals and three recent-to-air translators. Then 107.9 is STILL spurious radiation from KFFM, so strong it's literally killing the Yakima SS Christian LPFM on that same channel! When that KFFM spur goes away, it's the Yakima LP (but not very strong, can be nulled). 106.7 was OK pre-106.9 translator. Now it's a challenge to tune.
Most of these channels have at least one faint semi-local or some tropo scatter. 96.5 is always KJAQ in and out all day, same with 97.3 KIRO. I can listen to 97.7 for an hour during tropo season and hear CBUF, KOMO and KYSN popping in and out one at a time. But they are not very strong. An Es opening wouldn't cause problems with 97.7.