The Blowtorch that is a struggle to get?

[Buckeyes2001]

The thread about nighttime blowtorches that boom in made me think of this: What is/are the blowtorch signals (AM or FM) that you struggle to get because of IBOC issues/adjacent channel interference/intermod/terrain or otherwise?

For me on AM that would be KDKA 1020. It's very faint during the day and at night it gets stomped on badly by WBZ's I-BLOCK. So even though it's less than 150 miles away as the crow flies, I can barely ever hear it here in Vermilion, OH.

I imagine south of Monroe, MI, WDFN would be a struggle to get at night. In fact, how close to the towers do you have to be at night to hear WDFN from south of their towers?

 

[audioguy]

WJR would be easy to get on 760, were it not for the crap put out by WBBM 20 kHz away. WSCR used to do the same thing to WSM until they turned off their I-BLOCK. Now WSM comes in great every night.

 

[cd637299]

In south FL, one would think WSB 750 to be a snap. It's anything but. Cuba has a Progreso there now, and even in the olden days, there was Caracas & Managua to deal with; but I never hear those ones anymore (Managua moved to 740 anyway).

cd

 

[ddsparxx]

WSCR 670 is often interfered by the Cuban 670 here in VA at nights, and WSM gets some interference from WFAN's IBLOCK. KDKA also gets some interference from the noise from WBZ.

 

[pianoplayer88key]

Here just south of El Cajon, CA, it depends a lot on my radio's selectivity for some stations.

594 JOAK - heard once through nulled 600 KOGO and its IBOC
657 Pyongyang - heard once or twice through 660 KTNN and 640 KFI's IBOC
670 KBOI - used to be a regular until they changed their night pattern, now the last time I definitely heard it was when they tested while the Chicago stations were off
680 KNBR - strong, but splash from local 690 XEWW
700 KALL - see 680
720 WGN - heard once when ultra-blowtorch KDWN was off the air
770 KKOB - strong, but 50kW 760 KFMB 7.3mi NW stomps all over it
774 JOUB - heard a few times through KFMB, KKOB and KKOH
780 KKOH - fair, but a radio with bad enough selectivity will allow 760 to give it fits
780 WBBM - heard once through KKOH and splash from KFMB
800 XEROK - challenged by local XESPN
820 WBAP - normally occupied by XEABCA Mexicali, also residual splash from 830 KLAA
830 WCCO - heard once through a nulled KLAA
840 WHAS - listing only cause I heard it one night under ultra-blowtorch KXNT
850 KOA - sandwiched between 840 KXNT and 860 XEMO
870 WWL - normally occupied by KRLA but heard a few times
880 KRVN - competition from other co-channels
900 XEW - splash from overbleeding 5kW 910 KECR 9.3mi N of me
972 HLCA - heard the TOH time tones through the muck once, nothing else
1000 KOMO - mixes with semi-local KCEO
1030 KTWO - used to be a regular until semi-local XESDD started mauling it
1040 WHO - heard a few times recently in the muck with local KURS silent
1080 KRLD - co-channels, and splash from 1090 XEPRS & splash/IBOC from 1070 KNX
1110 KDIS - a tough daytime catch (no-thanks 10kW 1130 KSDO 6mi N & 50kW 1170 KCBQ 9mi N) in spite of 80kW sent toward me. KNX is practically the same distance but is a good 25 dB stronger and in the clear.
1110 KFAB - sometimes heard through KDIS and KSDO
1160 KSL - strong, but KCBQ still makes it tough on some radios even though they drop to 2.9 kW
1180 KERN - fair, but KCBQ is there. I heard it once at noon when the Q was off for a few minutes, though.
1190 KEX - normally occupied by KGBN
1200 WOAI - residual splash from semi-local 1210 KPRZ, also KYAA and others on-channel
1500 KSTP - more often I hear the one from the SF Bay area
1520 KOKC - reliable, but fairly weak
1566 HLAZ - heard once through 1560 KNZR and 1580 KMIK's IBOC (which thankfully they've since shut off and recently opened up the analog to 10 kHz)
1575 VOA Thailad - heard once or twice dodging 1580s KMIK and KBLA

 

[crainbebo]

Sometimes CBK 540 comes in real well, sometimes it is barely audible with a barely-audible XESURF under it. A bit of a struggle to get KDWN due to KIRO. Now that I live in Monroe, KGA and KFBK are about WIPED out by KKXA's gazillion kilowatt IBOC, which irritates me as I thought IBOC on AM was slowly fading away?

-crainbebo

 

[Lawppy]

I'd have to go with KDKA too. Pittsburgh is about 280 air miles from here and KDKA is barely audible in the WBZ I-BLOC hash.

FM would belong to many of the Detroit FM signals. All approximately 100 miles distant, 104.3 and 107.5 are audible, but the rest of them are no-shows due to I-BLOC, class A's and translators.

 

[Wthom100]

In the northern Detroit area I would say KDKA - I have heard this station occasionally but usually pretty fuzzy - I would think it would come in better but as was stated in other peoples posts sounds like WBZ IBOC infringes on KDKA signal.

CFRB 1010 AM Toronto is another one I would think would come in better in my area.

:-X

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

KDKA has been the hardest to get blowtorch since the 1920s. There has always been some distance, conductivity, or antenna design issue, which is why DXers and radio people have long called it Fadey KA. it must be that by fixing a problem in one direction, a problem in another direction crops up.

This was a problem long before IBOC added to it.

 

[schmave]

Here in Columbus, Ohio, it's always been KDKA (about 185 miles ENE of me). I've heard it come in very well in this area less than five times ever. I am amazed it gets here daytime with the horrid ground conductivity between here and Pittsburgh.
WTAM is bad here at night because of cancellation issues, not to mention a faultline about halfway between here and Cleveland that takes some wind out of 1100's signal. WBAP only gets into Columbus proper if WVSG (ex-WOSU) is off the air, but behind WVSG's night pattern it's pretty solid.

 

[ftballfan]

CKLW struggles to make Manistee at night despite running 50kW. WLS also has its issues (the other 50kWs in Chicago come in pretty much 24/7 in Manistee). WTCM (AM) and WJNL have troubles despite both being less than 50 miles away from Manistee and 50kW day (WTCM is 1.1kW at night while WJNL is a daytimer).

In Allendale, WTMJ rarely makes it. In Manistee, WTMJ is usually the strongest AM station 24/7.

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

You should be able to hear WTMJ quite well in Allendale, at least in the daytime. Was there a lot of electrical noise? I know you could hear WOKY 920 in Grand Rapids in the daytime on early transistor radios.

 

[Icangelp]

There several blowtorch 50 KW stations that I don't hear at night, or hear only a weak signal, but that is because their night directional signals do not favor my location. 1170/WWVA comes to mind.

One reason you may not hear WTCM is the very reason they were permitted a 50 KW signal, very poor ground conditions. Plus, they are directional, sending much of their signal Northeast.

Up until a few years ago, I used to visit Grand Rapids weekly. I think I recall receiving WTMJ on my car radio during the day while in the GR area. Been at least ten years though.

 

[cyberdad]

Up until a few years ago, I used to visit Grand Rapids weekly. I think I recall receiving WTMJ on my car radio during the day while in the GR area. Been at least ten years though.

If there's an issue with WTMJ around Grand Rapids it's because at 50kw. its directional mainly to the north....versus "back in the day" when it was 5kw non-directional (daytime, but directional at night).

Back to the topic of the thread, I'd say there are several "hard to get" blowtorches relatively nearby. Toronto has four 50kw blowtorches that are difficult if not impossible in the Chicago area. CFMJ on 640, basically due to its tight night pattern, CFTR on 680, which has whatever might be left of its nighttime signal swallowed up by WSCR and it's IBOC. CFRB on 1010 makes it hear as often as not, but weak and not reliable. Splatter from local WMVP doesn't help. CHUM on 1050 has been absent....at least for me...since its music days. It was fairly rare even then, with XEG usually on top before the channel became more crowded. Now CKSB usually dominates the mess.

Other "nearby" blowtorches that are at least somewhat difficult include CKLW, KFAB, and WWVA. And then, there's the trio sandwiched in with each other on 1130....WISN, WDFN, and KFAN. All are at least 10kw and usually completely invisible at night. In the case of WISN, the stick is only a bout 35 miles from me.

Others have mentioned KDKA. The night signal around here is no bargain either, but it's still fairly reliable. WBZ does fairly well, but the IBOC isn't strong enough to be an issue. And fortunately the local 1030....which is only about two miles from me....is off at night, even though they're authorized to be on.

 

[audioguy]

One reason you may not hear WTCM is the very reason they were permitted a 50 KW signal, very poor ground conditions. Plus, they are directional, sending much of their signal Northeast.

WTCM makes it into the Chicago area fairly often; usually in the early a.m.

CFTR can be heard sometimes, but I hear WCTT from Corbin, KY a lot more consistently. They were VG last night...

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

WTMJ should have the same or better signal with 50 kW day toward Grand Rapids as it did with the old 5 kW nondirectional day pattern. The null to the SE is the only direction that is less than a 5 kW Omni inverse field, and that's shallow just to compensate for being closer to the Louisville area station on 620 and WTVN 610. The area between Union Grove and Lake Michigan is mucky clay. I've seen it close up and walked in it. All very flat farmland. And it shows as 15 on M-3, which is believable.

 

[KE4KLS_Radio]

When in FL I get IBOC noise from 1100 WTAM and 1120 KMOX, which makes WBT 1110 sound "hissy."

 

[ftballfan]

You should be able to hear WTMJ quite well in Allendale, at least in the daytime. Was there a lot of electrical noise? I know you could hear WOKY 920 in Grand Rapids in the daytime on early transistor radios.

Electrical noise galore!! WGVS and WGHN are also impossible to get, yet graveyards WTKG, WJRW, and WHTC come in listenable.

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

Electrical noise can be different at different frequencies. Have you tried WTMJ in your car? You can find an electrically quiet spot by tuning to a nearby vacant or nearly vacant frequency and driving to a spot where there is very little buzz, then try tuning it in.

 

[cyberdad]

CFTR can be heard sometimes, but I hear WCTT from Corbin, KY a lot more consistently. They were VG last night...

I like to refer to WCTT as the "little blowtorch", because with all the big signals on 680, WCTT...at least IME...is the station most likely to break through all the WSCR hiss and slop at night in the Chicago area.