I was able to pick up WCKY in Buffalo, Mn (about 700 miles) in the daytime with KQSP (Chaska, MN) currently silent pending a new format. There might be some other good catches in the upper Midwest.
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Opening on 1530
- Thread starter Wright County Guy
- Start date
Historically, WCKY is known for its night-time signal going back to when the station had the country-western programming. However, its day-time signal can usually be heard with-in 150 miles of Cincinnati. As the initial post indicates, it can be heard much farther depending on the time of day, weather conditions and even, as noted, a local station being off the air.
L
Lewtheprof
Guest
That's an awesome daytime catch! The best one I ever had was hearing WLS out of Chicago, while in Cincinnati, on an early model Walkman style radio, near the base of and especially well on the top observation deck of the Eiffel Tower replica there at the King's Island amusement park, a signal path of somewhere around 250 miles.
Must be something about that Ohio River valley area that makes this happen so well, as WLW was as easily heard as any local in New Castle, IN, some 70 miles away from Cincy. I can remember my dad listening to the Red's games, all the way over to the far side of Indianapolis and even beyond. WCKY was not so easy there for me with the low end radios I had at the time, mostly due to the local on 1550 splattering up that end of the band for me during the daytime hours. I could hear it nearly as well as WLW though, once out of town and just a bit of distance away from New Castle. Even the comparatively peanut whistle strength station on 550, WKRC, with it's tri-lobed pattern which nulls directly toward me to the north northeast, also actually had a fairly respectable daytime signal in New Castle.
Must be something about that Ohio River valley area that makes this happen so well, as WLW was as easily heard as any local in New Castle, IN, some 70 miles away from Cincy. I can remember my dad listening to the Red's games, all the way over to the far side of Indianapolis and even beyond. WCKY was not so easy there for me with the low end radios I had at the time, mostly due to the local on 1550 splattering up that end of the band for me during the daytime hours. I could hear it nearly as well as WLW though, once out of town and just a bit of distance away from New Castle. Even the comparatively peanut whistle strength station on 550, WKRC, with it's tri-lobed pattern which nulls directly toward me to the north northeast, also actually had a fairly respectable daytime signal in New Castle.
WLW has an advantage over WCKY due to its low dial position. I verified that you can receive WLW at high summer noon on an inexpensive Sony Walkman using a box loop in the north Chicago suburbs.
My best daytime catch was WSCR on the car radio mid-morning, just north of Atlanta. But that might have benefitted from a little leftover nighttime D-layer enhancement. That was also before they added IBOC; I doubt the signal would go that far now.
My best daytime catch was WSCR on the car radio mid-morning, just north of Atlanta. But that might have benefitted from a little leftover nighttime D-layer enhancement. That was also before they added IBOC; I doubt the signal would go that far now.
Are far can KFBK go to the East??
I'm thinking that owing to the high dial position catching WCKY in Minnesota is a case of daytime skywave. I experience some remarkable reception of KGOW 1560 from Houston during much of the day here in East Texas. At just under 200 miles away the station is very much like a local during critical hours, always causing a car radio to stop on 1560 when it's set to scan. During the colder months, KGOW comes in virtually all day here. It has a killer signal for over well over two hours past sunrise and again in the afternoon sometimes as early as three hours before sunset.
WHB on 810? I've heard that in Michigan during critical hours and presunset, usually Northern Michigan because of CKLW 800 analog sidebands. WHB just has a standard nondirectional 1/4 wave plus tower in the daytime, but for some reason, WGY is almost completely gone at times. WCKY 1530 causes so much interference to WTHM...WLCO Lapeer, MI during critical hours that it was often known to sign off before sunset, at least when they were simulcast on 103.1, now WQUS.
Its not unusual to hear WCKY 24/7 here in far northwest suburban Chicago in the winter months. Either underneath or completely trashing low-powered semi-local WJJG. Doesn't happen every day, but as I said, its not unusual.
WCKY doesn't power down until sunset at Sacremento. That means a monster signal here until a couple of hours after local sunset here. When they finally do switch to night pattern, the signal degrades somewhat and gets splatter from KXEL on 1540, but it's still reliable.
As for KFBK, they and co-owned WCKY protect each other after both cities' sunsets. I didn't hear KFBK at night when I was in Elko, NV late last month. The next day going west, I started getting a pretty decent signal in the car about when I was getting past the Tahoe area.
WCKY doesn't power down until sunset at Sacremento. That means a monster signal here until a couple of hours after local sunset here. When they finally do switch to night pattern, the signal degrades somewhat and gets splatter from KXEL on 1540, but it's still reliable.
As for KFBK, they and co-owned WCKY protect each other after both cities' sunsets. I didn't hear KFBK at night when I was in Elko, NV late last month. The next day going west, I started getting a pretty decent signal in the car about when I was getting past the Tahoe area.
Can KFBK be heard some what towads the East?
Like in St Louis?
Like in St Louis?
Nighttime KFBK is tough to listen to. Weak & lots of fading even in non-auroral conditions.
Daytime KFBK puts a little more signal to the east, but not the full 50. (In Boise) I notice they are solid before sunrise even giving an HD lock. #6 AM preset still shows "KFBK" for a few seconds. Radio remembers the last HD ID it gets on a preset. Does anyone know if KFBK goes to day pattern @ WCKY sunrise?
Daytime KFBK puts a little more signal to the east, but not the full 50. (In Boise) I notice they are solid before sunrise even giving an HD lock. #6 AM preset still shows "KFBK" for a few seconds. Radio remembers the last HD ID it gets on a preset. Does anyone know if KFBK goes to day pattern @ WCKY sunrise?
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