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Three venues in three weeks

The only station I hear on 1340 here in the day is WTAN.

There's another station in the background but it's 1250 WHNZ because I'm so close to their transmitter.

At night, I hear WTAN but it's easy to null out completely turning the radio and then it sounds like the usual mix of many stations, the typical graveyard sound.

I've never spent as much time lately as I should with greveyard frequencies.

I'm wondering if I listen to 1340 long enough at night with WTAN nulled out if WMID from Atlantic City could drift in.
 
I've caught WTAN daytime in the Gulf Shores area. Weak, but steady. Unidentifiable stuff underneath.

WFSH/1340 out of Milton, FL morphed into WEBY.....or at least WEBY came on 1330 after WFSH left.

Indeed, WEBY is one of the two most powerful daytime signals on that part of the beach (the other being WWL). But nulling WEBY lines you up perfectly with Clearwater, so 1330 becomes a complete non-factor.
 
K6JHU said:
Unless the FCC data base is not up to date on this, WCRV is the only station operating within 10 km (about 5 miles) of their stated transmitter location.
Click to expand...

It's the only thing operating there as far as I know, too. I've seen the TX site from the sky and from the ground, it's pretty nice and still very well groomed by the Bott people. It's very close to the TN/MS state line if I remember correctly, going out towards Collierville-way. Here's a nice bird's eye view from Bing.
 
If WTAN is nulled out, I would expect Georgia, other FL and AL GYs. WMID is going to be extremely tough. I can barely get 550 miles on any GY on a normal night...

-crainbebo
 
Despite it being a GY channel, 1340 is relatively clear in the Perdido Key-Gulf Shores area.  When WFSH left the channel it opened the saltwater path for WTAN.  The daytime signal is quite weak, to be sure, but given the horrible ground conductivity in the area, there's nothing from adjacent Alabama, Florida, Mississippi or Georgia that can overtake it.  WEBY presents a strong signal on the first adjacent, 1330. But as I said, it's easy to null....which opens up WTAN.  1350 is a 5kw signal from New Orleans....also via saltwater and also weak (although stronger than WTAN).

If I get a chance next week, I'll see if I can determine what I so far haven't been able to identify underneath WTAN.  That's partly because I haven't really spent much time trying.  My problem, however, is I'm not sure how much time I'll need to spend helping Mrs. Cyberdad with Shrimp Fest.
 
You know, *I* oughta check out the GY stations more, next daytime DXpedition. I tend to ignore them, trying to pull in whatever farthest stations I can get.

cd
 
First stop....an overnight in Cleveland. Surprise, surprise, the hotel was noise free and not obstructing signals.

In brief, the New York and Chicago blowtorches were all solid. WMVP to the point where it was probably the best skywave signal. WBZ, KMOX, and WLAC, also among the strongest.

I was looking for out of town signals while driving during daylight hours yesterday and this morning. WJR and CKLW were the strongest. CFCO, CFTR, WLW, CFZM, KDKA, WWVA all fair-weak. WSCR was very weak, but steady. WGN even weaker, but in and out. There was something on 780, but it was pretty unintelligible...can't say if it was WBBM.

A note about CFZM. The daytime signal was pretty decent (as was CFTR), but last night in the car it was really getting trashed. It sounded almost like a GY channel with the local solidly on top, but multiple stations underneath. Don't know whether "football power" might have had something to do with this, or it was all something else. Since there was such a mess under CFZM, I was never able to pick out any of the individual "culprits".
 
Quickie update....

Last night and tonight, I'm in Canton, OH. Probably the noisiest hotel I've been in all year, and I'm not quite sure why. I'm away from the elevators and electrical equipment, but it's still exceedingly noisy. Noisy enough on AM to wipe out just about everything except locals on 1060 and 1480. So unless there's a miracle and the noise stops there's no chance for (AM) DX here.

An update, also, on my previous CFZM comment.... I followed CFZM the entire 40 mile drive south from Cleveland's east suburbs to here during the noon hour yesterday. Signal was solid and very listenable the entire way. The program was a call-in request show, and two of the calls were from the U.S....Syracuse, NY and Erie, PA. Speaks both to CFZM's big daytime signal and the lack of a similar format in most areas of this country.

As for the other stations listed in yesterday's post, CFTR and CKLW were noticeably weaker here, while WSCR and WGN disappeared entirely. Whatever had been faintly audible on 780 also was gone. The other signals were pretty much the same...except for CFCO which got lost in WHLO's splatter.
 
Is that noise still terrible outside too? I don't even TRY to DX inside a hotel. I usually go down the elevator and go outside to AM DX. At the Hampton Inn Gresham, however, I needed a light coat because the Gorge winds were TERRIBLE! Probably blowing 15-25 mph out there, and didn't stop!

-crainbebo
 
It really depends on the hotel. My first night on this trip, my hotel was no problem whatsoever. No noise and the building itself was not blocking incoming signals. The place where I am tonight and last night in Canton, OH is just the opposite. But I've stayed here before and haven't encountered these problems, so it could be my room is just in a bad location. "Luck of the draw". Or maybe it has to do with all the new HDTVs they've installed here since my last stay.

I will say, however, that the bad "luck of the draw" happens more often than it used to. And I speak from the experience of being lifetime Platinum with Marriott. That means means over 1,000 nights with those guys.

Go outside?....I've done that. In fact, I do that on just about every stay at the London Grosvenor Square Marriott, which is across the street from a noise-free park. But usually I'm in for the night and don't feel like schlepping back outside....especially in lousy weather.

Or put in other terms....I'm prone to "wuss out" if I can't find a way to work around the conditions inside the hotel.
 
Not much new or unusual this morning on my pre-sunrise drive from northeast Ohio. East west path was the best.....New York stations were strong, Chicago weak. WBZ was also banging in. Exception was WMVP, which had a monster signal once again. The other notable thing this morning was Cuba completely trashing WSCR. (The "Cuban Chorus" on 710 was also clearly audible under WOR).

Tonight I'm in Louisville, KY in a noise-free hotel. Gulf Shores tomorrow.
 
Zach... Just sent you a PM with our space/contact into for Shrimp Festival. Hope to see you there, sir!

....Jack
 
cyberdad said:
Not much new or unusual this morning on my pre-sunrise drive from northeast Ohio. East west path was the best.....New York stations were strong, Chicago weak. WBZ was also banging in. Exception was WMVP, which had a monster signal once again. The other notable thing this morning was Cuba completely trashing WSCR. (The "Cuban Chorus" on 710 was also clearly audible under WOR).

Tonight I'm in Louisville, KY in a noise-free hotel. Gulf Shores tomorrow.
Click to expand...

WMVP (formerly WCFL) has always put a big signal into the east. From your reports I guess that hasn't changed.
 
Zach said:
cyberdad said:
Zach... Just sent you a PM with our space/contact into for Shrimp Festival. Hope to see you there, sir!

....Jack
Click to expand...

I got it. :)

Can't guarantee my presence there, but I definitely will attend and stop in and say hi if the schedule permits.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Zach. If it works out great...if not, no worries!
 
radioman148 said:
WMVP (formerly WCFL) has always put a big signal into the east. From your reports I guess that hasn't changed.
Click to expand...

Oh yeah....the signal was near-local quality. Much stronger than the other Chicago blowtorches.
 
DX'ing AND Shrimp-eating?
I'm really jealous ;D

Last time I stayed in a motel, I was right up against a huge sign pylon (6-foot diameter steel post about 60-feet tall). I could have kicked myself for not having a radio with me.
The thing was two feet from my window. I wondered what a loop antenna on the window sill could have coupled to it. Also, wondered what all that Georgia lightning would do.
 
kenglish said:
DX'ing AND Shrimp-eating?
I'm really jealous ;D

Last time I stayed in a motel, I was right up against a huge sign pylon (6-foot diameter steel post about 60-feet tall). I could have kicked myself for not having a radio with me.
The thing was two feet from my window. I wondered what a loop antenna on the window sill could have coupled to it. Also, wondered what all that Georgia lightning would do.
Click to expand...

My hotel doesn't have the benefit of a massive on-site antenna, but it's noise free, so I'll gladly settle for that. And, yup, I've already sampled the excellent Alabama local shrimp a few times. Outstanding....expecially with an ice-cold Yuengling draft! :)

Just a few notes and updates for this and other threads from the past couple of days here.

590: Checked it out in the car yesterday in the morning in the Gulf Shores Wal-Mart parking lot. About a mile north of the beach and clear of any noise sources. Sure enough, the Cuban classical music station was in there under WDIZ. Very weak, but unmistakable. I wouldn't be at all surprised if the signal couldn't make it another 10-15 miles north to where Zach is.

At night I'm getting something else in Spanish on 590....so I'm guessing Mexico.
R
Cuba also easily audible daytime on 530, 570, 640, 670, 690 (under WIST), 710 (under WNTM..."chorus" seems a little more out of sync than previously), 870 (R. Reloj under WWL), 890 (barely), and 1180 (battle with R. Marti).

620: I was hearing big band/40s nostalgia here yesterday morning before dawn. Strong for about 15-20 minutes. No ID. Then it faded rapidly, and WDAE took over. Any ideas what this might have been?

1340: Had this in the car yesterday late morning driving along the beach. All WTAN very weak. Again, I heard something underneath that was even weaker, but I couldn't make it out....much less ID it. WEBY was a pest with its splatter, but not enough to cover up 1340.

Chicago blowtorches: WSCR and WLS totally wiped out by Cuba. WGN very weak, WBBM and WMVP stronger, but still only fair at best.

Strong skywaves: WSM, WCNN, WSB, WBAP, WHAS, KMOX, WOAI, WLAC, WCKY.
 
cyberdad said:
590: Checked it out in the car yesterday in the morning in the Gulf Shores Wal-Mart parking lot. About a mile north of the beach and clear of any noise sources. Sure enough, the Cuban classical music station was in there under WDIZ. Very weak, but unmistakable. I wouldn't be at all surprised if the signal couldn't make it another 10-15 miles north to where Zach is.

620: I was hearing big band/40s nostalgia here yesterday morning before dawn. Strong for about 15-20 minutes. No ID. Then it faded rapidly, and WDAE took over. Any ideas what this might have been?
Click to expand...

All I hear is a trace of WDIZ on 590; there seems to be some strong interference at home that takes over when I null out Panama City. My car radio's antenna is de-coupled and so I don't get much on either band, but even on the coast all I seem to hear is Panama City on 590.

No idea what 620 could be. There's a small oldies station in LaGrange, Georgia but they're more 50-60-70s oldies, not nostalgia. And the only other 620 I've heard down here is out of Jackson, and it's sports talk.
 
My guess is that the Cuban classical on 590 doesn't have enough left by the time it gets to the Alaban ama Gulf Coast to get more than a couple of miles inland. As I said, it's really weak...in addition to being under WDIZ. And WDIZ probably doesn't get very far inland either (I've never really tracked it).

As for the 620, one thought I had was that maybe the Cubans are up to something. I remember years ago, I was on Sanibel, and they were playing a slew of Bing Crosby records on a frequency they were experimenting with. (Might have been 600khz...but I really don't recall). But OTOH, 620 would seem to be an odd place for the Castro brothers to turn up. They could hardly consider WDAE (or WJDX) to be subversive. ;D
 
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