Tremendous Salt Water Propagation for AM

[KR4BD]

My wife and I just celebrated our 30th Anniversary by spending a few days on the outer banks of North Carolina. What a place for DAYTIME AM DXing!!! I did not spend a whole lot of time logging every frequency but these stations were all clearly and steadily heard during the midday hours for the several days we were there:

WFAN-660 New York City--Very Clear
WOKV-690 Jacksonville, FL--Clear
WOR-710 New York City--Clear
WABC-770 New York City--Clear
WCBS-880 New York City--Very Clear
WBZ-1030 Boston--Mixing with Another station (WWGB ??)
WHLI-1100 Hempstead, NY--Clear
WBBR-1130 New York City--Clear
WPHT-1210 Philadelphia--Clear

These stations were all logged on my Factory installed Bose radio in my 2006 Silverado as far south as the parking lot at the lighthouse at Cape Hatteras. There were many others, but I did not have time to positively identify them. As expected, driving a few miles inland, all of the above faded out quickly...

 

[radioman148]

My wife and I just celebrated our 30th Anniversary by spending a few days on the outer banks of North Carolina. What a place for DAYTIME AM DXing!!! I did not spend a whole lot of time logging every frequency but these stations were all clearly and steadily heard during the midday hours for the several days we were there:

WFAN-660 New York City--Very Clear
WOKV-690 Jacksonville, FL--Clear
WOR-710 New York City--Clear
WABC-770 New York City--Clear
WCBS-880 New York City--Very Clear
WBZ-1030 Boston--Mixing with Another station (WWGB ??)
WHLI-1100 Hempstead, NY--Clear
WBBR-1130 New York City--Clear
WPHT-1210 Philadelphia--Clear

These stations were all logged on my Factory installed Bose radio in my 2006 Silverado as far south as the parking lot at the lighthouse at Cape Hatteras. There were many others, but I did not have time to positively identify them. As expected, driving a few miles inland, all of the above faded out quickly...

Awesome! I always wondered what daytime DXing was like from there. Thanks for sharing.

 

[BRNout]

Yes indeed, those are tremendous logs! The dxing conditions on the Outer Banks are legendary on this board, but it's always great to see another first-hand report like this. Very, very impressive.

I've never been out there, but would like to go and will be sure to bring the right radio for the job if I do!

 

[gar hi]

Hey, that's great, KR4BD!!! 8)

And to think over the years the trips I've taken up and down I-95 from here to New Jersey and I didn't know about the good daytime DXing on the outer banks back then. :-[ And back then, I thought it was cool just to hear the New York stations with a good signal from my hotel room somewhere along I-95 in interior North Carolina at night. ;D

Yeah, thanks for sharing. It gives me more incentive that it might be worth my while to take that trip to the east coast of Florida to see if I can pick up any of those stations in the daytime.

 

[radioman148]

Hey, that's great, KR4BD!!! 8)

And to think over the years the trips I've taken up and down I-95 from here to New Jersey and I didn't know about the good daytime DXing on the outer banks back then. :-[ And back then, I thought it was cool just to hear the New York stations with a good signal from my hotel room somewhere along I-95 in interior North Carolina at night. ;D

Yeah, thanks for sharing. It gives me more incentive that it might be worth my while to take that trip to the east coast of Florida to see if I can pick up any of those stations in the daytime.

I've got to try to try that in the future.

 

[ddsparxx]

The station mixing in with WBZ is, I'm pretty much sure, is DC area's WWGB which programs religious Spanish format.

 

[gar hi]

Among the stations that were listed as being received, the only one I wasn't familiar with is WHLI from Hempstead, NY. And now I see why. They have a very directional signal that avoids most of New Jersey, even Jersey City right next to New York but sends out a big blast straight down to the south!


http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WHLI&service=AM&status=L&hours=D

 

[radioman148]

Among the stations that were listed as being received, the only one I wasn't familiar with is WHLI from Hempstead, NY. And now I see why. They have a very directional signal that avoids most of New Jersey, even Jersey City right next to New York but sends out a big blast straight down to the south!


http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WHLI&service=AM&status=L&hours=D

Years ago when I was in NYC I couldn't even hear WHLI until I got east of Queens.

 

[Icangelp]

Went down to the Cape a few times with my friend's family back in the late fifties and sixties, and they introduced me to the Big Ape, WAPE 690, beach top 40 at its best. I think it was 25KW at the time.

 

[radiorob2.0]

My wife and I just celebrated our 30th Anniversary by spending a few days on the outer banks of North Carolina. What a place for DAYTIME AM DXing!!! I did not spend a whole lot of time logging every frequency but these stations were all clearly and steadily heard during the midday hours for the several days we were there:

WFAN-660 New York City--Very Clear
WOKV-690 Jacksonville, FL--Clear
WOR-710 New York City--Clear
WABC-770 New York City--Clear
WCBS-880 New York City--Very Clear
WBZ-1030 Boston--Mixing with Another station (WWGB ??)
WHLI-1100 Hempstead, NY--Clear
WBBR-1130 New York City--Clear
WPHT-1210 Philadelphia--Clear

These stations were all logged on my Factory installed Bose radio in my 2006 Silverado as far south as the parking lot at the lighthouse at Cape Hatteras. There were many others, but I did not have time to positively identify them. As expected, driving a few miles inland, all of the above faded out quickly...

I was able to catch WMCA while out there in '98.

 

[radioman148]

My wife and I just celebrated our 30th Anniversary by spending a few days on the outer banks of North Carolina. What a place for DAYTIME AM DXing!!! I did not spend a whole lot of time logging every frequency but these stations were all clearly and steadily heard during the midday hours for the several days we were there:

WFAN-660 New York City--Very Clear
WOKV-690 Jacksonville, FL--Clear
WOR-710 New York City--Clear
WABC-770 New York City--Clear
WCBS-880 New York City--Very Clear
WBZ-1030 Boston--Mixing with Another station (WWGB ??)
WHLI-1100 Hempstead, NY--Clear
WBBR-1130 New York City--Clear
WPHT-1210 Philadelphia--Clear

These stations were all logged on my Factory installed Bose radio in my 2006 Silverado as far south as the parking lot at the lighthouse at Cape Hatteras. There were many others, but I did not have time to positively identify them. As expected, driving a few miles inland, all of the above faded out quickly...

I was able to catch WMCA while out there in '98.

I would think that WINS might make it out there too since they send a great deal of their signal towards the ocean.

 

[Steve Green NEPA]

In their ratings heyday, which was relatively recently, WHLI was famous for 'making the book' in several survey areas aside from Long Island -- NYC, the Fairfield County books in CT, New Haven, and the Jersey shore.......

A buddy of mine sent me a DX logging from a dial-spin he took at the Outer Banks from 1974. I have to scour the files for it and will post it. Indeed, though, The Big Ape and WBZ were among those heard. He also noted WIBG 990 Philly as a 'ton of brix -- so THAT'S where it all goes')........

On Long Island's south shore, as far west and as close-in to NYC as Amityville, and probably even closer to NYC, the Salt Water Shuttle is evidenced by stations heard pretty far south. I recall listening to a cheesy clock radio at my aunt and uncle's in Babylon and hearing this station next to huge WQXR 1560 .... steady all day .... which finally IDed as WVAB 1550 Virginia Beach. But in more ironic fashion considering the post topic, in later DX years from almost the same spot it was not unusual to find WOBR 1530 atop the frequency at midday. That as in 1530 WOBR -- Outer Banks Radio ......

Anyone here ever DX on AM from Bermuda ? ............

 

[Steve Green NEPA]

One more recall before heading off to work ....

In the early Sixties, we'd vacation at the cousins' place in Norfolk. It was somewhat inland (Tidewater Drive and Kathy Court), but there was enough of a swampy (though pretty) inlet community basis to provide a decent water path, which WSID Baltimore utilized to come all the way down Chesapeake Bay into the proverbial cheesy clock radio.

WSID was a thousand watt daytimer on 1010. The Bali distance calculator says 165 miles. Reitreating : it was on the clock radio. WSID's stick must've been pretty bear the harbour.

Since those times, the nearer-by Portsmouth put a station on 1010, so I guess WSID (or whatever they're now called) isn't heard anymore in Norfolk.

Bet they put a little zizz or two on Portsmouth 1010 through the day in some metro Norfolk spots, though!

 

[radioman148]

In their ratings heyday, which was relatively recently, WHLI was famous for 'making the book' in several survey areas aside from Long Island -- NYC, the Fairfield County books in CT, New Haven, and the Jersey shore.......

A buddy of mine sent me a DX logging from a dial-spin he took at the Outer Banks from 1974. I have to scour the files for it and will post it. Indeed, though, The Big Ape and WBZ were among those heard. He also noted WIBG 990 Philly as a 'ton of brix -- so THAT'S where it all goes')........

On Long Island's south shore, as far west and as close-in to NYC as Amityville, and probably even closer to NYC, the Salt Water Shuttle is evidenced by stations heard pretty far south. I recall listening to a cheesy clock radio at my aunt and uncle's in Babylon and hearing this station next to huge WQXR 1560 .... steady all day .... which finally IDed as WVAB 1550 Virginia Beach. But in more ironic fashion considering the post topic, in later DX years from almost the same spot it was not unusual to find WOBR 1530 atop the frequency at midday. That as in 1530 WOBR -- Outer Banks Radio ......

Anyone here ever DX on AM from Bermuda ? ............

Obviously there's a nice waterway radio pipeline from Long Island to the outer banks.

 

[gar hi]

Anyone here ever DX on AM from Bermuda ? ............

I've been wondering what daytime DXing is like there too.

The only thing I can say regarding DXing from there in general is that we went on a cruise when I was little (1967) and Bermuda was one of the stops. One of the things I still remember is how happy my older brother was because he could still listen to WABC. Whether this was during the middle of the day too, I can't say but I still remember hearing that famous WABC chime.

 

[charlestondxman]

All of the East Coast clears bring huge signals down the coast. Two summers ago, I was going down US 13 through most of the Eastern Shore of VA, and I was amazed to pick up all of the strong Washington and Baltimore AM's (right from the bay), and they sounded like you were right in the Washington area.

All of the big New Yorkers (880, 770, 660) were audible into Virginia Beach, and they bring a huge signal down the Delaware coast, better than most of the other clears.

WOKV has a huge daytime signal, as every single day in Charleston, SC (about 207 miles away) it comes in very well during the day, and is audible out to around 20 miles inland.

 

[radioman148]

>>Anyone here ever DX on AM from Bermuda ? ............>>

Several months ago someone on this board talked about DXing from Bermuda. Sure wish he'd read these posts.

 

[nd2023]

I heard WCBS 880 all the way in Miami over a local station in the middle of the day. I had a foot in the ocean at Miami Beach, but I'm impressed at the distance WCBS went in the middle of the day. As soon as I went even 100 feet inland on the sand, WCBS disappeared. There's nothing but water (besides a little bit of Queens) between Miami and the WCBS transmitter in New York City.
I think a 50,000 watt non-D AM station on Nantucket would cover the whole length of I-95 from Maine to Florida 24 hours a day.

 

[radioman148]

I heard WCBS 880 all the way in Miami over a local station in the middle of the day. I had a foot in the ocean at Miami Beach, but I'm impressed at the distance WCBS went in the middle of the day. As soon as I went even 100 feet inland on the sand, WCBS disappeared. There's nothing but water (besides a little bit of Queens) between Miami and the WCBS transmitter in New York City.
I think a 50,000 watt non-D AM station on Nantucket would cover the whole length of I-95 from Maine to Florida 24 hours a day.

Somebody who was in Bermuda reported hearing WINS during the day and at least one other east coast station.
Sure wish we could get a Bermuda DXer on here.

 

[BRNout]

There's nothing but water (besides a little bit of Queens) between Miami and the WCBS transmitter in New York City.

Well, that's not exactly true - a little chunk of the east coast from Virginia Beach down to about Morehead City, NC lies between Miami and New York City too. However, it includes a lot of low lying and marshy areas that don't do much to degrade a solid groundwave signal.

These reports of dxing New York from Florida during the day are incredible to me. I hope to get the chance to try it sometime to see if that's truly what's going on, because we're talking about 900 miles or so. That's as far as a lot of almost-clear 50 kw stations can go via skywave at night.