Omaha, Nebraska

[cyberdad]

So this week, my travels bring me to a six-night stay in Omaha, NE. Hotel is just north of downtown and noise free, with the exception of something that's obliterating a few frequencies (650, 860,870 among them).

For openers last night, the Chicago 50kw ND signals were all present with good signals. Same goes for the big signals from Kansas City (610, 710, and 810...groundwave, from about 140 miles). The New Yorkers were absent....but I'm not sure if this was the storm or that they just weren't making it this far west.

Other bandscan highlights....

530: This was pretty empty, but occasionally a few seconds of music came through. Assume Cuba.
540: CBK fair with KWMT underneath at times
550: KTRS on top. No trace of KFYR
560: KWTO alone
570: WNAX groundwave. Thought I might catch R. Reloj underneat, but nope!
590: Local
640: WWLS. Looking for KFI, which might have been underneath, but couldn't ID
650: WSM if I nulled the hotel noise source
680: KNBR...actually pretty good with KFEQ underneath
690: KTSM. Did NOT expect this one....presume day pattern. Alone and fair-good
740: CFZM. Good and alone....a mild surprise
760: WJR Weak...another surprise considering CFZM was better
790: WAAY...I think this is the first time I've ever heard this one anywhere on skywave. 5kw but a rather tight pattern NE-SW
820: WBAP surprisingly weak. Are their issues continuing?
830: WCCO very strong....best skywave signal
840: WHAS fair
850: KOA fair
940: KPSZ Des Moines groundwave (5kw)
960: KMA groundwave
990: CBW fair
1000: KTOK fair. I think I had WMVP in the background but couldn't positively ID
1040: WHO groundwave
1070: KLIO. Was looking for KNX...which I may have had underneath, but sort of doubt it.
1110: KFAB....Local with 50kw aimed right at me blew out about a half dozen channels!
1160: KSL fair
1200: WOAI...fair
(didn't spend any time with the upper regional/gy channels....perhaps as the week unfolds)
1500: KSTP good
1520: KOKC fair I think this has become a shadow of what it used to be as KOMA.
1540: KXEL fair
1690: WVON good. Topped off my evening with something of a surprise.

As always, I'm open to requests and suggestions.

And a "heads up". Subject to last minute change, I have two more trips coming up this year, Indianapolis, IN in two weeks. Richmond, VA two weeks after that (week after U.S. Thanksgiving).

 

[Buckeyes2001]

Any sign of WWL, WSB, or KYW out there? I actually heard WBZ near Des Moines once when I nulled WHO - wasn't particularly strong but enough to ID it.

 

[crainbebo]

What's on 1130 there? Hopefully I'll see CKWX mentioned in cyberdad's posts soon...

-crainbebo

 

[nocomradio]

820: WBAP surprisingly weak. Are their issues continuing?

And a "heads up". Subject to last minute change, I have two more trips coming up this year, Indianapolis, IN in two weeks. Richmond, VA two weeks after that (week after U.S. Thanksgiving).

If WBAP is having issues, they must be good ones, because I can hear them in VA now pretty regularly after dark. Just started about a week ago.

Richmond, VA is close to my neck of the woods! ;D

 

[radioman148]

What time did you hear KNBR Cyberdad? I think I've been hearing it here in Chicagoland just before sunrise, although I have yet to positively ID it.

 

[WDAE-FM101]

Check to see of you can get WIBW 580 from Topeka; also 810 WHB may make it up there in the daytime.

 

[Icangelp]

No WLW or KFBK/WCKY?

 

[Icangelp]

Last night here in Cincinnati, the Midwest stations were dominant including 610 in Kansas City, Chicago, KFAB was weak but present even after it went directional. KMOX was like a local.

I didn't spend much time, but the strong signals didn't extend out west. No KFI or KNBR.

 

[cyberdad]

Any sign of WWL, WSB, or KYW out there? I actually heard WBZ near Des Moines once when I nulled WHO - wasn't particularly strong but enough to ID it.

I was able to pull WWL out of the local noise source Tuesday night. Not able to do it last night. WSB was sort of the opposite. Didn't hear it Tuesday....was in weak/fair last night (Wed). KYW missing in action both nights.

In general conditions were better on Tuesday, but there were a few exceptions. 690 yielded a good signal on KSTM for the second night in a row. Anyone have any idea if there's something going on with this?

 

[cyberdad]

What's on 1130 there? Hopefully I'll see CKWX mentioned in cyberdad's posts soon...

-crainbebo

1130 has been pretty much blank as far as I can tell. Lots of splatter from KFAB to fight, so I haven't been able to get a real feel for what's actually there...or not there. I've been using the SRF-37 which doesn't handle adjacents near a strong local very well. Tonight I plan to use the DX-75, which should do better. Indeed CKWX is a target for me.

(I'm about ten miles from the KFAB stick in an area with fabulous ground conductivity.)

 

[cyberdad]

820: WBAP surprisingly weak. Are their issues continuing?

And a "heads up". Subject to last minute change, I have two more trips coming up this year, Indianapolis, IN in two weeks. Richmond, VA two weeks after that (week after U.S. Thanksgiving).

If WBAP is having issues, they must be good ones, because I can hear them in VA now pretty regularly after dark. Just started about a week ago.

Richmond, VA is close to my neck of the woods! ;D

I'm not sure what the deal is. They were good back home in the Chicago area over the weekend. Only so-so here in Omaha these past two nights.

 

[cyberdad]

Sorry for the multiple posts, but here are answers to the last questions....

Radioman: KNBR was about 10:30CDT Tuesday night...pretty good signal. All KFEQ Wednesday, however.

Icangelp: I had WLW both nights. 1530 was fairly empty. Likely WCKY very weak, but couldn't ID.

 

[icybluelake]

KNBR is a pretty good catch from there I think. Not sure but WVON probably is too.

 

[cyberdad]

Check to see of you can get WIBW 580 from Topeka; also 810 WHB may make it up there in the daytime.

I didn't forget about you when I updated the thread last night....the internet crashed! The local 590 pretty much blocks out WIBW on 580...but I can null the local and hear it. As for Kansas City, 610, 710, and 810 all make it up here to Omaha in reasonably good shape day/night. 710 a little weaker than the other two at night due to their nighttime pattern.

I'll try to post a daytime bandscan this weekend if I get a chance.

Icybluelake: I had a very solid signal from KNBR this morning before dawn. KFEQ and one other station (CJOB?) barely audible underneath. I've snagged KNBR here several times in the past.

Nothing else from the west coast, however. I spent the best part of an hour trying for CKWX and KNX without any apparent success. They may have been in their channels' respective "background chorus", but I couldn't ID either one.

 

[cyberdad]

Also before dawn this morning (Friday), I was getting a pretty good signal from WRVA. WBZ was in but very weak (local1020 pipsqueak nulled). No KYW and no New Yorkers.

"Surprise du jour" was CFRB-very listenable. CKSB, CBW, and CFZM also in from north of the border.

 

[awsherrill]

I lived in Omaha for a number of years in the 90s, working for one of the local radio groups that owned the 1180 and 1290 (and the 1620 that was built after I left).

You should be able to hear the 1240 and 1400 from Lincoln in the daytime there I would think, and the 1340 in Fremont (about 30 miles to the north). You might also try for WJAG 780 in Norfolk, about 90 miles away...a station notable for allegedly having the furthest-west "W" call.

You might even try to pull out WHAM from under that local 1180. Their night signal is not especially robust and you might be able to null it enough to hear Rochester. I recall WHAM was perfectly audible when we had our transmitter off for maintenance. During times when US-Cuba relations were especially bad in the 90s, we could hear one of the Cubans underneath our 1180 (and I recall getting a phone call at the time from the Commission, asking if we were having problems with interference).

 

[cyberdad]

I lived in Omaha for a number of years in the 90s, working for one of the local radio groups that owned the 1180 and 1290 (and the 1620 that was built after I left).

You should be able to hear the 1240 and 1400 from Lincoln in the daytime there I would think, and the 1340 in Fremont (about 30 miles to the north). You might also try for WJAG 780 in Norfolk, about 90 miles away...a station notable for allegedly having the furthest-west "W" call.

You might even try to pull out WHAM from under that local 1180. Their night signal is not especially robust and you might be able to null it enough to hear Rochester. I recall WHAM was perfectly audible when we had our transmitter off for maintenance. During times when US-Cuba relations were especially bad in the 90s, we could hear one of the Cubans underneath our 1180 (and I recall getting a phone call at the time from the Commission, asking if we were having problems with interference).

I'm getting all of the out-of-town daytime signals you mentioned. As for 1180, indeed, I was hearing something underneath when I nulled it. Couldn't ID, but my initial impression is Spanish/Cuba. I'd be surprised if R. Marti makes it all the way up here, but who knows.

I know where your cluster is....I drove by it today
....more signs/logos for the various stations than building facade! ;D

 

[awsherrill]

I know where your cluster is....I drove by it today
....more signs/logos for the various stations than building facade!

Yeah...they were located downtown near the Old Market when I worked there, then moved to mid-town later after I left. I've seen the new location, and yep it's well branded! KFAB's studio is in the same general vicinity.

I doubt the Spanish on 1180 is Marti. It is highly directional in the opposite direction. More likely it's a Marti jammer.

 

[cyberdad]

Just back from a short errand in the car. Local 1180 all alone here in the downtown area. Nothing underneath.

 

[Jay Walker]

1070: KLIO. Was looking for KNX...which I may have had underneath, but sort of doubt it.

KLIO the former KFDI in Wichita was a nice catch. KLIO runs 1kw at night from a three tower directional array beamed pretty much north/south up and down US 81. Here in Dallas pre-IBOC, I could hear KFDI/KLIO regularly whenever I null out KNX. However, since KRLD-AM's launch of night-time IBOC service, I've had to say goodbye to anything on 1070 and 1090.