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The Nighttime out-of-area Blowtorch where you are

B

Bill Shadowcat

What out-of-local-area AM station or stations just BOOM into your area at night?

For me in SW Missouri, it is 1200 WOAI San Antonio.

I also get WBAP from Dallas and the big 4 (670, 720, 780, & 890) from Chicago as well, and 870 from New Orleans.

But 1200 is the big one! 8)
 
In south FL, it used to be WBT 1110. But no more.

WSB 750, WLAC 1510, and WCKY 1530 used to fill the bill as well; none are killer signals here anymore.

KMOX 1120 is still fairly clear of interference here, but the signal doesn't boom in; there is a CP for a WFNX 1120 in Coral Springs FL less than an hour's drive from here, so even KMOX will have issues soon.

cd
 
In western Michigan, WBZ is usually strong. CFZM is also strong as well. WJR and CKLW aren't so strong.
All distances from Manistee, MI
Farthest east most nights: WBZ Boston (791 miles)
Farthest south: WWL New Orleans (1,015 miles)
Farthest west: KOA Denver (1,002 miles)
Other notable station farther than 800 miles: WBAP Dallas (992 miles)
 
In northern VA, I get WFAN, WOR, WABC, WCBS, WPHT, WBZ, WJR, WGN, WSCR, WBBM, CFZM, KMOX, WHAS, WSM, WLAC, WWKB (Buffalo), WCKY, WCB, Cubans 670, 640 as they sounded like blowtorches but don't tell the Castro brothers, and WINS. KDKA was a blowtorch here before all the IBOC garbage get put on the airwaves. Now KDKA gets interfered with WBZ's IBOC, which itself a blowtorch.
 
In the old days in Southeast MI, the closest directional I-Bs were the strongest. WCFL 1000, WOWO 1190 at 50000 watts night, and WCKY 1530 after Sacremento sunset were strong. Close I-As from Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati were weaker due to having less radiation at the angles relevant to reflection. WBZ 1030, KYW 1060, WRVA 1140, were also strong though further away. WLW 700, WHAS 840, WHO 1040 and KMOX 1120 were strong. WMAQ 670, WGN 720, WBBM 780, and WLS 890 were only marginally stronger than WNBC 660, WABC 770, and WCBS 880 most nights, and they switched back and forth with conditions. In the Straits Area of Michigan, the situation was similar, but in addition to WJR 760, WFDF 910 and WWJ 950 now have the strongest skywave signals, exceeding WJR. At 50 kW, all close DAs are near 10 mV/m at peak, some predicted and some measured. I still to this day lament WOWO downgrading. It was one of the worst technical changes in radio history.
 
From northern Detroit area I get:

WBZ - Boston - always strong
WGN - Chicago - always strong
WLS - Chicago - always strong
WBBM - Chicago - always strong
WMVP - Chicago - usually listenable
WSM - Nashville - most of the time
CFZM - Toronto - always strong
CFRB - toronto - Sometimes - not always
WCBS - New York - usually pretty good
WGY - Upstate New York - can be spotty
WHAM - Rochester, NY - usually pretty good
KYW - Philly - can get most of the time
WLW - Cinnci - always strong
WHAS - Louisville - always strong
WCCO - Twin Cities - usually pretty good
WHO - Des Moines - Can be spotty
KMOX - St. Louis - usually pretty good
WRVA - Richmond, VA - usually pretty good
WWL - New Orleans - not always - considered a good catch now-days for my area
WKNR - Cleveland Sports Station - can be spotty
KDKA - Pittsburgh - occasionally - thought I would get this better - really a rare catch now-days
W??? - Columbus, OH Station - not sure of call letters

Of course, I also get WJR, WWJ, CKLW which are locals for me.

:)
 
WTVN 610 Columbus is what you are thinking of. Carl Smith designed it to the equivalent of a 50 kW Class III/Class B at minimum efficiency in the major lobe maximum, which goes toward Michigan.
 
My two strongest and best nighttime signals in the north Chicago suburbs are WSM and CFZM. There are plenty of other 50 kw stations that are receivable to some degree, but these are the most consistent. They are the stations that an ordinary (non-dxer) radio listener might actually notice, tune into, and enjoy listening to.
 
In the Mobile, Alabama area the best nighttime signal is usually WWL from New Orleans. But it's actually here 24/7 due to the saltwater path so I dunno if you'd count it as a true out of market signal since we always get it. It's about 150 miles away.

Other strong regulars down here are WSM and WBAP. Everyone else seems to suffer from interference, especially the Chicago stations. If anything, the Cuban stations at night are as strong or stronger and more regular than anything from the US.
 
Gotta go with WBZ and CFZM from southern Michigan. Not even WJR or the Chicago 50kw's are that strong.
 
Fwiw : During the day here, between Hazleton and Pottsville PA, it's WOR from NYC as a 'distant'. WOR is 105 miles east of here. But at night they often get dunked by a Spanish station.

At that same nighttime .... through those great hours while wearing the earphones .... WBZ is hard to beat. WHAS Louisville is another thumper, as is the 1100 from Cleveland.

WBAL Baltimore is 115 miles off, south of us, and they come in during the day. But they're not too solid at night for some reason.
 
Here in southwestern Ohio.....(not counting WLW & WCKY)..................

WSM - 650 - Nashville
WFAN - 660 - New York
WSCR - 670 - Chicago
WGN - 720 - Chicago
WSB - 750 - Atllanta
WJR - 760 - Detroit (also during the day)
WHAS - 840 - Louisville (also during the day)
WCBS - 880 - New York
WLS - 890 - Chicago
WMVP - 1000 - Chicago
WTAM - 1100 - Cleveland
KMOX - 1120 - St. Louis
WRVA - 1140 - Richmond, Va.
WHAM - 1180 - Rochester
WLAC - 1510 - Nashville
 
SW Side of Cincinnati

I'd say my two strongest and most reliable signals are WTAM & WHAS, followed closely by CJBC or WSM and KMOX. Naturally, CJBC does get blasted occasionally.

650 WSM
720 WGN
760 WJR
770 WABC
780 WBBM
840 WHAS (Not as consistantly strong as I would expect...am I near the cancellation zone?)
860 CJBC Usually strong.
870 WWL
880 WCBS
890 WLS
1000 WMVP
1100 WTAM As you would expect, one of my stronger out of town signals.
1120 KMOX Usually one of the better oot signals.
1140 WRVA
1510 WLAC
 
here in Northern NJ there's not much space on the dial at night! but of the out of towners I know and look for, I can often drive around here listening to WBT Charlotte in the evening, at least in the winter. There may be one or two out of area signals that are stronger.

Growing up in Roanoke VA, we got one skywave signal that stood out like a local: Group W, Westinghouse Broadcasting, 1A clear channel WOWO Fort Wayne. Or maybe better than local: Just up the dail, perhaps three mile from my house, Oh Lordy 1240 WROV, then 250 watts at night, had the sound of the graveyard chewing around its edges. Not so for WOWO - you got pure, clean sound on 1190. Most distant regular was WHO in Des Moines.
 
In Phoenix, it's usually:

660: KTNN, Window Rock (yes, it's the same state, but it's almost 300 miles away)

680: KNBR, San Francisco

770: KKOB, Albuquerque

810: KGO, San Francisco

1070: KNX, Los Angeles

1160: KSL, Salt Lake City


KFI hasn't been reliable since the plane hit the tower several years back.
 
That's easy. In Houston, of course, it's WOAI-1200, San Antonio at just over 280 miles due west.

Out of state 50k watt blowtorches yields WSM & WLAC-Nashville, which are present in SE Texas every night, as is WWL-New Orleans. KMOX-St. Louis and WGN-Chicago, are present, but not near the strength that they once were back in the days. WLS-Chicago also used to be much more reliable down here, but now is hit or miss.

I don't know what's happened to it in the past couple of years, but KWKH-Shreveport at 1130 used to be very reliable down this way but I haven't heard a peep from KWKH in Houston for quite awhile now.
 
Here in Vermilion, OH those would be:

650 WSM - Nashville, TN
660 WFAN - NYC
670 WSCR - Chicago, IL
720 WGN - Chicago, IL
750 WSB - Atlanta, GA
770 WABC - NYC
780 WBBM - Chicago, IL
810 WGY - Schenectady, NY
830 WCCO - Minneapolis, MN
880 WCBS - NYC
890 WLS - Chicago, IL
1000 WMVP - Chicago, IL
1030 WBZ - Boston, MA
1060 KYW - Philadelphia, PA
1120 KMOX - St. Louis, MO
1140 WRVA - Richmond, VA
1210 WPHT - Philadelphia, PA
1510 WLAC - Nashville, TN
1530 WCKY - Cincinnati, OH

I didn't include WLW, WJR, CKLW, CFZM since I can get them during the day too.
WTAM is my closest and most local blowtorch although WJR often registers a higher signal strength here than does WTAM.
KDKA and WHO get run over by WBZ's I-BLOCK quite a bit here.
WHAS get stomped on by WCCO's I-BLOCK more times than not
WWL get trashed by WCBS's I-BLOCK
WOR get clobbered by WLW's I-BLOCK
 
The super boomers are marked with *

Here in McKinney it is,

530 Cuba (weak but always there)
580 WIBW (varies, usually on top)
650 WSM (kinda weak, always there)
670 Chicago (kinda weak, always there)
700 WLW (When KHSE is out)
720 WGN (kinda weak, always there)
750 WSB (kinda weak, always there)
780 WBBM (kinda weak, always there)
830 WCCO (kinda weak, always there)
850 KOA (kinda weak, always there)
860 KKOW (mostly strong)
870 WWL *
890 WLS (kinda weak, always there)
1040 WHO *
1100 WTAM (kinda weak, always there)
1110 KFB (kinda weak, but always there)
1120 KMOX *
1130 KWKH (semi-weak, but there and fading)
1160 KSL (When KVCE is out)
1170 KMOX (kinda weak, always there)
1200 WOAI *
1210 KGYN *(I have NO idea why, their pattern has no signal pointing this way)
1500 KSTP * (always there, but subject to fading)
1520 KOMA (in the skip zone, so its not terribly strong)
1560 OKC * (usually on top, but noisy)
1640 Oklahoma
1700 KVNS * (when KKLF is out, or nulled)
 
In Boise Idaho.
640 KFI is still strong.
680 KNBR
690 XEWW CBU gives them fits sometimes.
810 KGO not nearly like KNBR
850 KOA
880 KRVN but is trashed by cheater KWIP
960 CFAC They're not supposed to be heard here!
1010 CBR Noted with 15 mV/m on an average night
1070 KNX
1090 "XEPRS" and KBOZ depending on the radios orientation.
1130 CKWX
1160 KSL Up to 20 mV/m but sometimes has a lot of quick fading.
1180 KOFI but trashed lately by KERN running 2.5 kw Non-D on an STA.
1510 KGA even with 15 kw and a partial null my way.
 
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