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Strong AM signals

I haven't devoted too much time to listening for 1070 KNX but last night, I decided to listen to their online stream to see if I could match it up with any station I hear on that frequency.

The main station is mostly WAPI from Birmingham, Ala but there's a couple in the background and a Spanish station too.

I'm not certain it was KNX because it was far too weak but at times but the tone of voice on one station at times seemed to match what I was hearing on the computer. I assume there is a delay or it would be much easier but the voices did seem to match in appearance from what little I could hear.

It will have to be stronger If I ever hope to get an ID though.
 
gar fla: You have to be careful about trying to match up a station's stream with their OTA signal. For one thing, the stream can run as long as 1 minute behind the over the air feed. Yes, 60 seconds. Sure, 10 seconds or so is the usual - but the servers do slow down sometimes. Secondly, there's the matter of ads which are often different over the internet than over the air.

Don't get me wrong, it can be a useful tool. But, when you're trying to ID a barely audible signal, using the stream can be counterproductive if you don't keep these things in mind.
 
I'm not really a fan of using online stream to identify a signal as a habit but will try it as a last resort.

So far, my experience has been roughly about 10 seconds for the delay.

Even that relatively short time difference can be a problem.

What I look for most is local station sounders and then the voice that follows them which is mostly at the top of the hour.
 
I once streamed WRKO Boston at work and found the stream running about 1 minute behind the OTA signal! Some of it has to do with their server and some has to do with yours too. It can buffer a lot before you hear anything. But you're right in that 10 or 12 seconds seems to be the average.
 
It was blasting in like a local every night earlier this month when I was in Germany. Strongest among several Brits on the dial. Not bad for a signal which in most of Central London is "underwhelming".

Since all of the juice is aimed southeast in a rather tight pattern, this would be a very tough catch in North America....even with 97kw.

Also regarding your question about KNX and KFI. KNX tends to dominate 1070 in the entire western half of the U.S. That was the case for me earlier this year as far east as Omaha, but it rapidly gets lost in the mess once one gets into Iowa. I've heard it in Northern Illinois, but mostly in the 6Os and 70s when things were less crowded and less noisy. I though I had it a couple of months ago in the Chicago area, but was unable to confirm.

Situation with KFI is somewhat similar, although being lower on the dial , their skywave signal is somewhat less robust. Back in the 60s when they had 640 all to themselves, it was a semi-regular in the Chicago area.
 
cyberdad said:
It was blasting in like a local every night earlier this month when I was in Germany. Strongest among several Brits on the dial. Not bad for a signal which in most of Central London is "underwhelming".

Since all of the juice is aimed southeast in a rather tight pattern, this would be a very tough catch in North America....even with 97kw.

Also regarding your question about KNX and KFI. KNX tends to dominate 1070 in the entire western half of the U.S. That was the case for me earlier this year as far east as Omaha, but it rapidly gets lost in the mess once one gets into Iowa. I've heard it in Northern Illinois, but mostly in the 6Os and 70s when things were less crowded and less noisy. I though I had it a couple of months ago in the Chicago area, but was unable to confirm.

Situation with KFI is somewhat similar, although being lower on the dial , their skywave signal is somewhat less robust. Back in the 60s when they had 640 all to themselves, it was a semi-regular in the Chicago area.

KFI was an easy catch in Northern Illinois in the 50s through the 80s. Nowadays almost impossible. I used to get KNX often driving to work on the Kennedy expressway into Chicago every October right before Chicago sunrise. Apparently the grayline was perfect for that at the time. Also used to be able to hear KNBR years ago, but impossible now with WSCR Iblock.
 
JohnnyOhJohnny said:
How far does KNX 1070 go? and how far does KFI 640 go? I am just curious. I would like to drive across country and DX. but I don't have time.


After weeks and weeks of listening most every night, I once picked up KFI in New Jersey in the winter of 77-78. It only lasted not even a few minutes and then was gone.

They were playing top 40 at the time. I still remember the song playing leading up to their "64 KFI" ID, "I Go Crazy" by Paul Davis. This was on my portable AM/FM radio.

More than 30 years later, I heard it again here in Tampa last January late at night on my Sony Walkman.

Just like the first time, the signal was only there for a brief time and then was gone. I had actually fallen asleep in the chair earlier with the headphones on listening on 640 and I woke up near the top of the hour to hear a talk station with a pretty good signal.

When going to the news break, the guy said "The cost of gas in the Southland continues to go up." I knew it had to be KFI. Then they gave their ID.

Haven't heard it at all since. I've been listening with my Sangean PR-D5 lately hoping to get it again and capture it on video this time but no luck yet.
 
cyberdad said:
Situation with KFI is somewhat similar, although being lower on the dial , their skywave signal is somewhat less robust. Back in the 60s when they had 640 all to themselves, it was a semi-regular in the Chicago area.

Back in the early 60's, KFI was the best indication of California being open on the low part of the band from my location in NE Ohio, particularly on Monday mornings when most domestics were off for maintenance. If KFI was really strong, then the second tier like KLAC 570, KFMB 540, KHJ 930, KOGO 600, etc. were possible... and any of those being heard indicated the rare chance for things like Hanford on 620, KMJ on 580, etc. High band openings were often announced by either KPMC in bakersfield on 1560 or KFBK on 1530 from Sacto beeing readable beyond normal. This meant that things like KPRO 1440, KWIZ 1480, KFAC 1330 and the like could be possible, as well as the frequency checks on stations like Paradise on 930, Hemet on 1320, etc. And on rare occasions, a Class IV, like KTIP on 1450 could be heard.

Likewise, good readability of KORL on 650 would indicate not only the chance to get lesser Hawaiians as well as NZ, Aiustrialia and more.
 
DavidEduardo said:
Back in the early 60's, KFI was the best indication of California being open on the low part of the band from my location in NE Ohio, particularly on Monday mornings when most domestics were off for maintenance.

Did WHLO/Akron sign off at night. I remember them coming in strong at nights on 640 in the 60's when I tried to DX KFI from Georgia and Florida.
 
But it is still possible to KFI in the Midwest! I woke up at 6-6:30AM on Labor day 5 mi E of Richmond IN off I-70 in a motel room,tuned to 640 on my Bose Wave and immediately got KFI with an ID. Dumb Luck or what? I remember getting 5kw stations from up to 700 mi that morning and I only "played with" the radio for 20 min or so.
I tried for the other Calif stations to no avail.
I'd like to get KFI from SW fla like gar did. Better catch!
 
WHLO was "limited time" in the 60s and 70s and signed off at KFI's sunset. There was a string Cuban that usually blocked 640 in the 70s and early 80s. It went off for awhile and I could get KFI at night for a time. That's the only left coaster I've ever recieved in Ohio, and haven't recieved it since.
 
cyberdad said:
It was blasting in like a local every night earlier this month when I was in Germany. Strongest among several Brits on the dial. Not bad for a signal which in most of Central London is "underwhelming".

Since all of the juice is aimed southeast in a rather tight pattern, this would be a very tough catch in North America....even with 97kw.

Is there a website where I can view Capital Gold's (1548) directional pattern?
 
vibe said:
But it is still possible to KFI in the Midwest! I woke up at 6-6:30AM on Labor day 5 mi E of Richmond IN off I-70 in a motel room,tuned to 640 on my Bose Wave and immediately got KFI with an ID. Dumb Luck or what? I remember getting 5kw stations from up to 700 mi that morning and I only "played with" the radio for 20 min or so.
I tried for the other Calif stations to no avail.
I'd like to get KFI from SW fla like gar did. Better catch!

I haven't been able to get KFI just north of Chicago these days because of the jumble on 640. I can null Cuba, but then I get the nearby Grand Rapids, Mi station. I presume if I keep trying, I could get it at the right time--whenever that may be.
Regarding WHLO they were never a problem as they always signed off around west coast sunset in the 60s & 70s.
 
radioman148 said:
Is there a website where I can view Capital Gold's (1548) directional pattern?

Yes, there is, but I'm traveling (Vancouver BC tonite), and I don't have the link on my laptop. I'll push it from the computer where I have it after I get home this weekend.

As I said in my previous post, it was like a local in Germany earlier this month. But it's invisible not far from London to the north....where there's other stuff on 1548. My sister-in-law is from Manchester, where there's no trace of Capital Gold. Even in the Cotswolds, about 90 miles northwest of London, Capital Gold is "iffy" by day...usually absent by night.
 
Did WHLO/Akron sign off at night. I remember them coming in strong at nights on 640 in the 60's when I tried to DX KFI from Georgia and Florida.

WHLO goes to 500 watts output at night. their signal output is pretty much an oval shape projecting more to the northeast and southwest. They are 5000 watts during daytime hours. Day or night, they're not worth listening to anyways.
 
Back in the mid 70s [in northeast Ohio] I was sitting in my very first car [an old 62 Nova with only an original equipment AM radio] one night and remember picking up some stations out of California , picked up three of them but do not remember the call letters. Also picked up a station out of Denver. Inside my house on different nights used to try and pick up am 620 WSUN out of St Petersburg [since that's where I grew up]. Used to be able to get it and WTMJ out of Milwaukee as they drifted in and out. No longer able to pick up WSUN because sometime in the past a station from Tennessee [Knoxville I think] went on air at the same frequency.
 
cyberdad said:
radioman148 said:
Is there a website where I can view Capital Gold's (1548) directional pattern?

Yes, there is, but I'm traveling (Vancouver BC tonite), and I don't have the link on my laptop. I'll push it from the computer where I have it after I get home this weekend.

As I said in my previous post, it was like a local in Germany earlier this month. But it's invisible not far from London to the north....where there's other stuff on 1548. My sister-in-law is from Manchester, where there's no trace of Capital Gold. Even in the Cotswolds, about 90 miles northwest of London, Capital Gold is "iffy" by day...usually absent by night.

Thanks!
 
YEKIMI said:
Did WHLO/Akron sign off at night. I remember them coming in strong at nights on 640 in the 60's when I tried to DX KFI from Georgia and Florida.

WHLO goes to 500 watts output at night. their signal output is pretty much an oval shape projecting more to the northeast and southwest. They are 5000 watts during daytime hours. Day or night, they're not worth listening to anyways.
I don't believe the topic was whether or not WHLO is worth listening to, but since you brought it up, their morning show Quinn & Rose, while syndicated, seems a bit different than the run of the mill morning news/talk.
 
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