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Mystery NPR station on 940?

L

Lawppy

I was DX'ing with my GE Superadio this morning around 9:00 and I heard a National Public Radio affiliate on AM 940. I heard a hint of call letters which sounded like they said WBAN or something that sounded like it.

Looking around online, I can't find any hints of any NPR stations on AM 940. I know it was 940 and nothing else because the next station up the dial was nearby 950 WWJ.

I heard this in southern Michigan. Anybody have any ideas?
 
Lawppy said:
I was DX'ing with my GE Superadio this morning around 9:00 and I heard a National Public Radio affiliate on AM 940. I heard a hint of call letters which sounded like they said WBAN or something that sounded like it.

Looking around online, I can't find any hints of any NPR stations on AM 940. I know it was 940 and nothing else because the next station up the dial was nearby 950 WWJ.

I heard this in southern Michigan. Anybody have any ideas?
Click to expand...

Hmmm.

- There's a WBEN on 930 in Buffalo, NY, though it's not a NPR station.
- WIPR 940 in Puerto Rico is a public radio station. It's listed as off the air but supposed to return at the beginning of this year. The website doesn't confirm its return, nor does it list any programming. WIPR-TV does air some PBS programs in English, so it's conceivable WIPR radio might carry some NPR in English. Or, that the station was testing in anticipation of returning to the air & was using English programs to test. On the other hand, since it would be 10am in Puerto Rico at the time you heard this, I don't think the propagation would support reception in Michigan.
- Any chance it could have been the Ideas Network of Wisconsin Public Radio? It's on WLBL 930 in Auburndale in central Wisconsin near Stevens Point.
- How close are you to WWJ? (are you *sure* you were on 940 and not 930, with 940 covered by WWJ's modulation splash?)
 
I am positive that I was tuned to AM 940. As nearby oldies station WHIT 940/103.7 was heard when I turned the radio to the west. This station was heard with the radio pointed southwest.

I am 90 miles away from WWJ. Their pattern does not favor my area, but they do make it in with a weak signal.
 
Sorry to hijack the thread -- just had a quick question about the Superadio... Does it tend to "overload" on the AM section in urban areas with lots of signals? Or is that mostly just an FM phenomenon? (I'm thinking of going to get one, but I'm such a cheap S.O.B. that I have to spend literally days justifying a $50 expense. ;)) Once I get one, I can see if I can help Lawppy triangulate this 940 from my location in St. Paul. ;)
 
Superadios tend to not have that issue. But I wouldn't know for sure because i'm not really in an urbanized area.

One of the biggest inconveniences of the Superadio is the analog tuner. As long as you memorize where you are tuned on the dial, it's not much of a problem.

My personal best catches are CBK 540 from Watrous, SK (1171 miles) and WOAI 1200 from San Antonio, TX (1120 miles) as well as several Cubans and possibly some Mexican stations.. But I need to learn Spanish so I can confirm some of these!
 
Grrrradio said:
Sorry to hijack the thread -- just had a quick question about the Superadio... Does it tend to "overload" on the AM section in urban areas with lots of signals? Or is that mostly just an FM phenomenon? (I'm thinking of going to get one, but I'm such a cheap S.O.B. that I have to spend literally days justifying a $50 expense. ;)) Once I get one, I can see if I can help Lawppy triangulate this 940 from my location in St. Paul. ;)
Click to expand...

No, genuine GE Superadios do not overload. I have used one - daytime with a 4 foot loop - to listen to WBBM 780 Chicago from Lubbock, TX, where there is a local 5kW 790. I frequently visited Lubbock, but I live in the Dallas / Ft. Worth area. We have quite a few local 50 kW monsters, and I have no trouble nulling them and getting weak adjacents.

FM on the Superadio doesn't overload either. Hooking it to an external deep fringe antenna, I have stations up to 180 miles away with no problems, no overload from locals - although I have done the narrow ceramic filter modification. As luck would have it, I just performed my set of mods on a GE yesterday - stock it didn't have any FM overload issues, just the usual selectivity issues with adjacents.

There have been quality issues from the start with the SR-3, but there are easy fixes for most of them. If you can get one, you better hurry - I have noticed there is a shortage as Thompson is re-branding them from GE to RCA.
 
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