There has been much discussion about the daytime signal of WLW in this forum. I know from personal experience that WLW can be heard in the Quad-Cities, Milwaukee and Western New York state during the day. However, as good as WLW is, WJR seems to have a better daytime signal - at least in terms of their city-grade signal. Last month while in Lima Ohio, WJR was stronger despite LIma being closer to Cincinnati, i.e 90 and 110 miles from the WLW and WJR towers, respectively. I used a CC radio SW with an analog signal strength meter. The ground conductivity must be better in Michigan and Northern Ohio. WJR puts a city-grade signal into Toledo and Cleveland. I am curious if WLW can be heard north of Detroit, seeing that WJR can be heard south of Cincinnati.
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Strong AM signals
- Thread starter Len14043
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WLW has a great daytime signal, but it does get noisy in places like Toledo, and above Detroit, Montreal's fringe signal and WNZK start interfering with WLW.
One hot summer day a few years ago, I picked up WLW east of Knoxville on I-40 in the daytime, and it can often be heard in Knoxville during the day. During the winter, it can often be heard as far S as Nashville and even metro Atlanta during the day.
WHAS also has a great signal, as I was picking up a listenable signal during the day this weekend at Vanderbilt on my walkman. The night signal, however, was weaker. WCKY was also coming in very clear, like usual.
One hot summer day a few years ago, I picked up WLW east of Knoxville on I-40 in the daytime, and it can often be heard in Knoxville during the day. During the winter, it can often be heard as far S as Nashville and even metro Atlanta during the day.
WHAS also has a great signal, as I was picking up a listenable signal during the day this weekend at Vanderbilt on my walkman. The night signal, however, was weaker. WCKY was also coming in very clear, like usual.
WJR has a weak but listenable signal daytimes here in Cincinnati and a strong signal at night, one of the most reliable out of towners.
As I recall, in Detroit WLW gets blasted by those Birach Broadcasting stations in Dearborn that switch back and forth from 690 & 680, otherwise you could hear WLW in Detroit.
When I traveled by car for my job, I used to listen to WLW days all the way into Iowa and to St. Louis. The mountains kill the signal to the east in West Virginia.
When I was a boy, our family lived for four years in Evansville and WLW came in like a local. Of course that was in the early 50's. There weren't a whole lot of flourescent lights, dimmer switches, computers and electronics back then. Hardly any at all actually. My neighbor did have an abacus and a slide rule that reeked havoc with the lower half of the AM band when he was using them. But that was then, and this is now.
As I recall, in Detroit WLW gets blasted by those Birach Broadcasting stations in Dearborn that switch back and forth from 690 & 680, otherwise you could hear WLW in Detroit.
When I traveled by car for my job, I used to listen to WLW days all the way into Iowa and to St. Louis. The mountains kill the signal to the east in West Virginia.
When I was a boy, our family lived for four years in Evansville and WLW came in like a local. Of course that was in the early 50's. There weren't a whole lot of flourescent lights, dimmer switches, computers and electronics back then. Hardly any at all actually. My neighbor did have an abacus and a slide rule that reeked havoc with the lower half of the AM band when he was using them. But that was then, and this is now.
I once had a flight where there was a change of planes in Cleveland and I had about an hour to wait for my next flight and I remember sitting there in the terminal and listening to what I could get on my little Walkman.
WJR was coming in good and AM reception is usually not that good in general in airport terminals.
Not a bad signal for being about 100 miles away received in those conditions.
Oh, and this was during the day, between 12 and 1 pm.
WJR was coming in good and AM reception is usually not that good in general in airport terminals.
Not a bad signal for being about 100 miles away received in those conditions.
Oh, and this was during the day, between 12 and 1 pm.
R
rbrucecarter5
Guest
gar fla said:
WJR barely makes it to Dallas, and I have yet to hear it from Houston. WBAP, on the other hand, often boomed into Southern Michigan, as did KOA and WWL.
Bruce,rbrucecarter5 said:
Funny how things go. WBAP has its good nights, but generally it is not a steady signal here in Cincinnati. Mind you, I don't check it that often. KOA on the other hand, seldom made it here, but now is a weak but regular signal.
Is WCKY heard in TX at sunset before going directional? How about WLW and WHAS?
Len14043 said:
WLW is degraded by IBOC though. Back before IBOC, WLW was a bit stronger and louder in St. Marys and Wapakoneta than WJR ... I always thought WLW sounded clearer in St. Marys than in Columbus, both of which are about the same distance from the Mason tower. But I think the ground conductivity is slightly better out in that part of the state than in the center.
WJR and CKLW both have very imnpressive daytime signals throughout western Ohio, and I personally have heard WJR down past Portsmouth in the daytime.
WHAS makes it into the Texas Hill Country sometimes; it's not as dependable signal wise as it once was. WLW is the same way (at least here). I was over in College Station a couple of weeks back and pulled in the big 4 from Chicago, WHAS and WLW.
WCKY is another station that used to make it down here prior to its DA flip. I haven't heard them in years; during the day I receive 1530ESPN out of Austin, but once the skywave starts to kick in, 1530 is all Spanish.
In South Central Texas, WSM is fairly reliable at night. I pull in WSB at sunset and a little after, but Spanish also rules 750 at night. I'm not sure if I'm receiving El Paso, although one night I think I had Caracas.
I used to pull in WBAP quite well in SW Ohio back in the 90's. I haven't been up there in a long time, so I don't know how their signal is these days. I must live in the groundwave/skywave cancellation zone for WBAP, as their night signal fades a lot. KRLD is much stronger and consistent (at night).
KOA booms in here at night; I had the Broncos game on for a spell and the signal was clear. WOAI is a local signal here (tower is 30 miles away); KOA and WWL are the most consistent of the 50KW signals down here (in South Central Texas) at night.
dlf
WCKY is another station that used to make it down here prior to its DA flip. I haven't heard them in years; during the day I receive 1530ESPN out of Austin, but once the skywave starts to kick in, 1530 is all Spanish.
In South Central Texas, WSM is fairly reliable at night. I pull in WSB at sunset and a little after, but Spanish also rules 750 at night. I'm not sure if I'm receiving El Paso, although one night I think I had Caracas.
I used to pull in WBAP quite well in SW Ohio back in the 90's. I haven't been up there in a long time, so I don't know how their signal is these days. I must live in the groundwave/skywave cancellation zone for WBAP, as their night signal fades a lot. KRLD is much stronger and consistent (at night).
KOA booms in here at night; I had the Broncos game on for a spell and the signal was clear. WOAI is a local signal here (tower is 30 miles away); KOA and WWL are the most consistent of the 50KW signals down here (in South Central Texas) at night.
dlf
dlf said:
Re. WBAP and KRLD, remember that WBAP's tower is considerably closer to you than KRLD. KRLD's tower is up near Rockwall, northeast of Dallas, so it can direct its signal back over the Metroplex at night. WBAP's tower is near Mansfield. But if you live only 30 miles from WOAI, I'd think you'd be out of WBAP's cancellation zone. That said, I am not where you are! Both signals blast into Houston at night, and WBAP often makes into Ohio (where I'm from and will live again soon) quite well.
WOAI blasts in San Marcos but you can hear crosstalk underneath as close as Austin.
WSB gets into Houston nearly every night and is the dominant channel on 750, at least as dominant as anything can be next to KTRH's monster lobe over the city.
As I mentioned in a nearby thread just a few minutes ago, I've noticed WLW comes in even worse down here than it just did a few years ago. Co-channel KSEV does its damage, of course, but even out here in the southeastern section of the metro WLW just sneaks through rather than barreling.
dlf said:
KGBT Harlingen.
Caracas is 100 kw, nicely installed. And non directional. El Paso is directional to protect WSB.
gar fla said:
WJR is practically like a local around Cleveland. I recall driving north on I-271 near Mayfield Heights (east of Cleveland) at about 3:30 pm on a summer afternoon (about 3 years ago). Was looking around AM and using the seek function of my radio when it landed on 760. To be honest, I was a little slow that day and was wondering what this station was that dared compete head to head with WTAM and how they could have secured the rights to Hannity on such a nearby signal. Needless to say, I was shocked to hear the WJR ID, news and traffic at the next break.
On subsequent trips to the Cleveland area, WJR has always provided an impressive daytime signal in the area and - on a drive from there to Buffalo - I held WJR all the way up past Dunkirk, NY. Past that point, it started having issues from adjacent local signals.
I have yet to hear WLW during the day here in the Chicago area and don't see it happening thanks to the hyper-muscular signal of WGN in my area which splashes all the way down to 700 at times. WGN is the strongest AM at my house, followed closely by WBBM.
BRNout said:
I can still get WLW during the day on the Kennedy on the northside in my car. I can't get WJR during the day anymore due to the AM on 750 in Portage, Indiana.
radioman148 said:
I'll have to give it a try sometime when I am NOT at home. Because WGN is very strong in this area and so far I haven't had any daytime luck with WLW. However, we'll see about it sometime when I am a little farther away from WGN's tx site. As for WJR, I've tried several times during the day but they can't seem to overcome the slop from WBBM's obnoxious hash maker.
I travel to Chicago a few times a year and can receive WLW easily on I-80 and quite well in the downtown area near and along the lake. WLW is a challenge near O'Hare and the northwest suburbs because of 670 and 720. As you continue on north, WLW is weak but listenable in Milwaukee. For some reason, WLW seems to make it into Chicago better than the Chicago clears make it into Cincinnati. WJR put a faint signal into Chicago. I'm speaking only in terms of daytime reception.
I can still get WLW during the day north of Chicago, but absolutely no luck with WJR.
In the early 60s not only could I get WJR during the day, but 1130 (WCAR) came in also before WISN moved to 1130. Also I could hear CKLW during the day.
Never could get KMOX during the day because of WMBI, but 550 in St. Louis always came in.
Also KWMT Fort Dodge, Ia was a daytime catch before Jackson, Wi came on as well as WOI Ames, Ia. All of these daytime catches in the 60s.
It's a whole different AM band now.
In the early 60s not only could I get WJR during the day, but 1130 (WCAR) came in also before WISN moved to 1130. Also I could hear CKLW during the day.
Never could get KMOX during the day because of WMBI, but 550 in St. Louis always came in.
Also KWMT Fort Dodge, Ia was a daytime catch before Jackson, Wi came on as well as WOI Ames, Ia. All of these daytime catches in the 60s.
It's a whole different AM band now.
And a whole different FM band and a whole different TV band. Maybe the prez saw all the change on the broadcast bands & decided to jump on the band wagon. Results are the same...his 'change' seems about as popular with voters as the AM/FM/TV changes are with DXers.radioman148 said:
In Springfield, IL on my car radio, during the day I can get a strong, reliable signal of 1000-watt WCAZ-990 from Carthage, IL (110 miles northwest). I've also picked up WCAZ at least faintly in SW Wisconsin during the day before (about 175 miles northwest of Carthage), and fairly reliably as far east as Decatur and the St. Louis metro area. Pretty impressive for a small radio station with a 1kw stick in far western Illinois.
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