The Blowtorch that is a struggle to get?

[audioguy]

I forgot to mention-- there is no WSCR hiss! In fact, they have a VERY clean signal. Any hiss you might be hearing is coming from someone else, such as 660 or 700. Both cause terrible IBOC interference in the midwest at night (WLW reactivated their jammer a few weeks ago).

 

[KA7PAT]

1120 KPNW Eugene/Springfield, OR is a 50 kW blow torch that directs it's signal to the fish at sea. Sounds pretty good in Hawaii though.

 

[cd637299]

1120 KPNW Eugene/Springfield, OR is a 50 kW blow torch that directs it's signal to the fish at sea. Sounds pretty good in Hawaii though.

Heard it near Anchorage as well during my tour there.

cd

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

I never could figure out why WCTT could be heard so often with all the 50 kW stations on the frequency. I can attribute KVIS/KGLC 910 being heard coast to coast with 1 kW to the pattern and gain, but I don't think WCTT has that kind of a major lobe. I think the other AM in Corbin, WYGO 1330 was one of the first stations to ever run AT40. Anyone else have that recollection? As I recall, back in the day WCTT was Country and WYGO Top 40.

 

[Steve Green NEPA]

Another impeahment vote for KDKA.
Casual DX here from the same state includes logs from Turks & Caicos and WKZE Sharon CT -- that last one at sunset.

WGY 810 is another. An old logbook from the DXing days in Eastern Queens NYC has dots next to nine stations on 810 aside from WGY. The signal is no great shakes here in NE PA, either, not for a 50,000 watt omni.
WGY is a more northern latitude than a lot of 50Ks across the country. Maybe auroral conditions affect them more so than many.

The last trip to the Folks place in The Villages, FL, I was kind of surprised to hear an enfeebled WOKV 690 from JAX, middays.
Corrections cheerfully welcomed, but aren't they the only 50,000 watt AM omni in the state during the day?
Nighttime is a different story with WOKV, of course ; they fire it all east. But during the day, their omni stick -- different site -- is closer to the Villages. Yet, WOKV has nowhere near the signal that, say, WDAE 620 has in the Villages.

 

[boombox]

I probably already mentioned this in the other blowtorch thread, there are several of the big Midwestern stations that are difficult here in the Puget Sound area because they're right next to locals, and usually can only be heard with decipherable signals when conditions are really good (at least from my QTH -- another local DXer, Crainbebo, has better luck with some of them than I do): WCCO-830 (local stn on 820), WBBM-780 (local stn on 770), WLS-890 (local stn on 880), WLW-700 (local KIRO 710). WSCR is buried under regional KBOI 670.

WSM used to be audible but it buried under regionals, particularly KDXU in Utah. WWL used to be more audible but local KIXI-880 and regional KFLD-870 are usually in the way.

KSTP makes it through well. It's kind of like one of the Midwest condition barometers.

 

[charlestondxman]

WOKV has probably the best AM daytime signal in FL and maybe the Southeast. The water certainly helps it. There's hardly a place within 150-200 miles of Jax that it is not audible.

WRVA is a very tough putt here. I have only heard it a few times.

 

[cyberdad]

WOKV has probably the best AM daytime signal in FL and maybe the Southeast. The water certainly helps it. There's hardly a place within 150-200 miles of Jax that it is not audible.

I'll give that one to WWL....but WOKV would come pretty close.

 

[cyberdad]

I forgot to mention-- there is no WSCR hiss! In fact, they have a VERY clean signal. Any hiss you might be hearing is coming from someone else, such as 660 or 700. Both cause terrible IBOC interference in the midwest at night (WLW reactivated their jammer a few weeks ago).

Is this a new development? Its been a few weeks since I've "been in the neighborhood" of the dial, but they've been a pest for 2nd adjacents as well.....650 and 690. Even WSM's otherwise excellent signal has been affected. I know WGN on 720 is now (thankfully) clean.

 

[audioguy]

WSCR's IBOC has been off for quite some time-- I'm guessing at least a year. They have a very clean signal with great sounding audio. In between words, it's SO quiet! WGN sounds great as well. The only stations with IBOC still on in Chicago are 780, 1390, and 1690. The rest all turned it off!

 

[Icangelp]

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.

Off topic, but WCTT has had a very good signal for a very long time.

I don't have my old logbooks, but I believe I frequently heard them in my hometown of Indianapolis in the 60's.

 

[ftballfan]

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.

I've tried in my car, but it was also a struggle. Many of the east coast clears come in better at night than WTMJ. There is a local on 640 about 10 miles away.

 

[Buckeyes2001]

I forgot to mention-- there is no WSCR hiss! In fact, they have a VERY clean signal. Any hiss you might be hearing is coming from someone else, such as 660 or 700. Both cause terrible IBOC interference in the midwest at night (WLW reactivated their jammer a few weeks ago).

Is this a new development? Its been a few weeks since I've "been in the neighborhood" of the dial, but they've been a pest for 2nd adjacents as well.....650 and 690. Even WSM's otherwise excellent signal has been affected. I know WGN on 720 is now (thankfully) clean.

The hash on 690 would be from WLW 700 as they turned their I-BLOCK back on last month. The hash on 650 is probably from WOI 640 or WFAN 660 if they turned their jammer back on. Do you hear IBOC noise on 680 and 660 or just WSCR splatter at night?

 

[ftballfan]

I-BLOC has no purpose on AM!!

 

[MarioMania]

I would like to catch sometimes is the Chicago 50kw AM's

But it's hard in where I am

 

[cyberdad]

The hash on 690 would be from WLW 700 as they turned their I-BLOCK back on last month. The hash on 650 is probably from WOI 640 or WFAN 660 if they turned their jammer back on. Do you hear IBOC noise on 680 and 660 or just WSCR splatter at night?

WLW might be involved in 690 being affected. I don't think, however that it would be the main culprit. As for 650, WSM has always had one of the better skywave signals around here. More than potent enough to break through any WSCR IBOC hash....although not to the point where it can't be impacted from time to time. WFAN is weak here, and WOI is even weaker, so each of these is a non-issue for 650.

Moving down the dial to 620... WTMJ is a major IBOC pest during the daytime. I'm about 35 miles from their stick. At night, they're less of a problem given that they send most of their 10kw away from me.
,

 

[cyberdad]

I would like to catch sometimes is the Chicago 50kw AM's

But it's hard in where I am

I've done it a few times, but not recently. Problem is you've got western blowtorches that now cover up the Chicago blowtorches. I don't think I've ever heard WMAQ or WSCR. But I have heard WGN, WBBM, and WLS.

 

[Buckeyes2001]

The hash on 690 would be from WLW 700 as they turned their I-BLOCK back on last month. The hash on 650 is probably from WOI 640 or WFAN 660 if they turned their jammer back on. Do you hear IBOC noise on 680 and 660 or just WSCR splatter at night?

WLW might be involved in 690 being affected. I don't think, however that it would be the main culprit. As for 650, WSM has always had one of the better skywave signals around here. More than potent enough to break through any WSCR IBOC hash....although not to the point where it can't be impacted from time to time. WFAN is weak here, and WOI is even weaker, so each of these is a non-issue for 650.

Moving down the dial to 620... WTMJ is a major IBOC pest during the daytime. I'm about 35 miles from their stick. At night, they're less of a problem given that they send most of their 10kw away from me.
,

How close are you to WBBM's stick? I wonder if you could get an image/spur of WBBM's I-BLOCK on 690 and 650 and other frequencies from being too close to them? I can't think of what else would cause hash to be present on 650 and 690 other than maybe WLW

 

[radioman148]

I would like to catch sometimes is the Chicago 50kw AM's

But it's hard in where I am

I've done it a few times, but not recently. Problem is you've got western blowtorches that now cover up the Chicago blowtorches. I don't think I've ever heard WMAQ or WSCR. But I have heard WGN, WBBM, and WLS.

I've picked up all 4 Chicago blowtorches on the west coast, but that was many decades ago. In fact the first Chicago station I ever heard on the West Coast was WGN, in Northern California in 1963. WLS was still doable on a regular basis until the mid 80s.

 

[boiseengineer]

WIth all the talk about how bad KDKA is nowadays, who do 'ya think I heard a few months ago on a Sony SRF-A100?
KDKA! Came up out on top of the mess for several hours.