According to David's website I checked White's Radio Log from 1964 and the 770 in Seattle was KXA, 1KW daytime only.
Don't know when they added night service.
Don't know when they added night service.
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I remember the first few times visiting the Chicago Area, mainly in the Northwest Suburbs, and being surprised at how much better WCFL came in compared to WLS up there. Before WLS moved to the Tinley Park Mokena area, the TL was in Downers Grove, a few miles South of the WCFL/WMVP site. The late great Glen Clark, who was once CE at WLS-FM and staff engineer at WLS, discussed the technical battle between the two AMs. I talked about the whole issue with Glen on the phone about a month before he died, and told him something he was out of the loop about-the WSCR WBBM diplex, and we talked about the time WLS tried to move to Addison. He discusses some of these issues in the following link.
www.thebdr.net
WCFL/WMVP also has a substantial skywave advantage over WLS in Michigan. Back in the 1960s, I had a Hearever Rocket Radio crystal radio, and a 120 foot long wire antenna, and was surprised to hear WCFL and WOWO in Genesee County with it. They came and disappeared quickly due to the voltage threshold of the diode. I couldn't near WCFL in the Northwest Chicago Suburbs on the Rocket Radio near WJJD and after they signed off, WGN. To this day, I don't know why I didn't hear WBBM though. I hooked it up to the metal finger stop on the rotary dial phone.
The Audio Prism Story
[June 2011] In the history of audio processing, the TEXAR Audio Prism holds its own place as one of the key tools in the arsenals of stations fighting to produce their “signature” sound and stand
www.thebdr.net
WCFL/WMVP also has a substantial skywave advantage over WLS in Michigan. Back in the 1960s, I had a Hearever Rocket Radio crystal radio, and a 120 foot long wire antenna, and was surprised to hear WCFL and WOWO in Genesee County with it. They came and disappeared quickly due to the voltage threshold of the diode. I couldn't near WCFL in the Northwest Chicago Suburbs on the Rocket Radio near WJJD and after they signed off, WGN. To this day, I don't know why I didn't hear WBBM though. I hooked it up to the metal finger stop on the rotary dial phone.
There was a time that 770 was mostly KOB here in Seattle at night in the 1970's. I don't remember when KXA went nights. I know it was broadcasting at night when it was playing oldies in 1982. I remember hearing them shut down the oldies, with 'Rock N Roll Is Here to Stay' by Danny & the Juniors (?).
When I started DXing seriously in the early 80's it was the cusp of the rush to fill every frequency and clear channel possible with whatever station could be put on the airwaves. It was also the tail end of the late Sunday night silent period. I managed to bag quite a few DX stations with a Sanyo boombox and a 3 ft. Spiral Loop, including a Caracol station in Colombia on the 800's somewhere, and a Mexican station in southern Sinaloa (Los Mochis, I think). I can still remember how cool it sounded to hear it, the reception was so clear. I was able to bag WLS, WSM, and WWL with a transistor multibander earlier on, just off their internal loop. Must have been good conditions those nights / early mornings. All I can say is DXing kept me occupied. It was a good clean hobby. Still is, actually.
Excellent summary. This makes radio less interesting, given it pretty much sounds the same any station you listen to.
Am not so sure that's possible these days, even for FM, given all the noise, the crowding of the band, etc.
Similar for me, growing up about ten miles east of where I am now (except for my junior year of high school in Hawaii).
XERF was much easier than XEW. CMQ/Progreso was much easier on 640 than KFI. KFI usually also required that you null Cuba, KNX was usually easier than KFI. Somewhat stronger signal, but more interference. 900 then, as now was CHML. The problem with all three of these channels is that they're all more crowded than "back in the day". As, of course, is pretty much the case with all AM channels.
I found that I usually had to wait until much later in the evening to get KFI, but when I did it often came in pretty well when nulling Cuba.
How was Hawaii radio reception?
Am assuming the big West Coast clears may have come in, but not much else from the mainland.
Unfortunately, the where I lived just west of Waikiki, all of the AM sticks were within a couple of miles. The nearest of which was KPOI on 1380, which was basically across the street from my bus stop for school about two and a half blocks away. Also, I was 16 years old, and the only good radio I had was a Hallicrafters S-118 that overloaded on all those signals, and also their harmonics. It was a mess, and I never did hear anything from the mainland while I was in Honolulu. My best catch was DZRH from Manilla one Sunday night on 710 when some of the locals were off.
I didn't have my drivers' license yet, but one Saturday night in February 1965 my frriend and I decided to drive in his brother's car to the other side of Oahu. I talked him into letting me play with the radio, and wound up hearing WBAP, WWL and WLS, That sas probably 25 miles from Honolulu. A couple of months prior to that, I lugged the Hallicrafters with me on a trip to the big island, and got my first mainland catch, which was KEX from Portland. It wasn't a good DX spot, and I didn't hear anything else from the mainland. Although, KPOI and the other Honolulu stations came in like locals.
Fast forward to 1994, I was on Maui, and sitting poolside with a Realistic DX-375 portable one night; All...or almost all....of the big west coast signals were there. The strongest of which were KTNQ and KNX in that order.
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When I was first in Hawaii in the late 70s both WLS and WBBM came in on my panasonic radio. When I went back there in 2010 I heard KFAQ Tulsa, Ok on my rental car radio. One of our posters here gets WBBM during the winter months in Hawaii. If you listen to the Kaneohe, Hi SDR during winter and early spring you can hear WGN. Of course the west coast power houses come in including KSL.
Hawaiian DXers in the past, like Dr Wood (RIP) were able to get local channels (even when all were 250 watts at night) from the eastern Rockies and western Midwest, and plenty of regional channel stations all the way to the central US with great regularity and variety.
When I was PD of KTNQ, I'd be surprised how our overnight host, who was a Hispanic Art Bell complete with remotes from mystery sites in Nevada, would regularly get calls from Hawaii. One night, after commenting on a Hawaiian girl winning a beauty pageant, he remarked that he "didn't see why". He got call after call all during that show from Hawaii!
That's good to hear.
I thought the big clears' signals went farther than the online maps indicate.
Take this map of the 1160 frequency, which someone said makes it to HI.
Radio Data MW Stations Map in Google Maps API v3: NIGHTTIME-UNLIMITED_1160KHz-1
Night Patterns – Amateur Radio Station NF8M
Thanks for the comments.
I've never been to Hawaii. I turned-down a trip there with my former stepfather's family. This came when I was about to move to live with my dad, so my priorities were on that.
Those maps just show an approximation of certain protection issues for shared use of a channel. They don't predict DXer-type reception. Those maps don't represent the potential of a station... the US clear channel stations have been heard world-wide.
When in Ecuador, I heard many 250 watt Class IV stations from places like Montana and Kansas and Iowa. When In Cleveland, OH, I heard a couple of 10 kw stations from New Zealand, a 250 watter from Hawaii and a 50 watt station in Puerto Rico.
Back in the 30's, DXers in Australia collected QSLs from 100 watt US stations from even the eastern states.
The limiting factor is congestion on the frequency; I had a station on 805 in Quito and had DX reports from Australia, New Zealand, all over the US and much of northern Europe and a couple from western Africa and one from South Africa. The power was 1 kw.
One more Hawaii story....
During my year there, I visited most of the Honolulu radio and TV stations. Mostly to hang out with jocks and engineers. All of whom were very welcoming and encouraging. One Saturday, I spent about an hour with an engineer at KGMB radio (now KSSK) and KGMB-TV. Radio was 5kw on 590. TV full signal channel 9. We were talking about the radio side, which fed a relay transmitter on the big island at Hilo. He was telling me that the 5kw 590 in Spokane, Washington (now KQNT) was driving them nuts just about every night. Trashing the KGMB signal, KGMB/KSSK eventually got 10kw, which may or may not have mitigaged the problem if the relay was still being used
If you look at the nighttime coverage map for 590, you'd be led to beleive that the Spokane skywave signal doesn't make it much past the Washington coast. Yet, there it was interfering with a local Hawaiian signal. Personally, I think the daytime maps give a reasonably accurate idea of groundwave signal coverage. The nighttime maps only give you a rough idea of where you might encounter a semi-reliable signal on a good radio. The more crowded the channel, the less reliable they are as a practical matter.
During my year there, I visited most of the Honolulu radio and TV stations. Mostly to hang out with jocks and engineers. All of whom were very welcoming and encouraging. One Saturday, I spent about an hour with an engineer at KGMB radio (now KSSK) and KGMB-TV. Radio was 5kw on 590. TV full signal channel 9. We were talking about the radio side, which fed a relay transmitter on the big island at Hilo. He was telling me that the 5kw 590 in Spokane, Washington (now KQNT) was driving them nuts just about every night. Trashing the KGMB signal, KGMB/KSSK eventually got 10kw, which may or may not have mitigaged the problem if the relay was still being used
If you look at the nighttime coverage map for 590, you'd be led to beleive that the Spokane skywave signal doesn't make it much past the Washington coast. Yet, there it was interfering with a local Hawaiian signal. Personally, I think the daytime maps give a reasonably accurate idea of groundwave signal coverage. The nighttime maps only give you a rough idea of where you might encounter a semi-reliable signal on a good radio. The more crowded the channel, the less reliable they are as a practical matter.
KSL 1160 easily makes it to Hawaii most nights. If you're ever up late try one of the Hawaii SDRs and you'll hear it.
If I remember correctly, Dr. Wood had a very good setup -- an R8 (or equivalent for the time) and a good longwire -- something similar. He logged Mideastern MW stations also, I think.
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