Tropo 5/21/14 from Manistee, MI

[ftballfan]

Summary: This good tropo opening lasted from about 11am through about 4pm. Several usual suspects were missing for large periods of time or never showed up at all, including 93.1 WIMK (which never showed up), 97.1 WGLQ, 101.1 WIXX, and 104.7 WYKX, but 102.5 WCMM was strong most of the time. I got all the full-market Chicago stations minus 91.5 WBEZ (local co-channel and first adjacent), 95.5 WNUA (local co-channel), 98.7 WFMT (local co-channel), 102.7 WVAZ (local co-channel), and 103.5 WKSC (local co-channel). At one point, WJMK and CJQM were fighting it out on 104.3! For most of this afternoon, I was getting both Drive frequencies, so I could just shift the dial between 96.9 and 97.1 and hear the same song. Also, a few suburban Chicago Class A stations came in (102.3 WXLC, 103.1 WVIV, 107.1 WZVN).

* – stopped seek around noon
87.7 – WGWG Chicago, IL
88.1 – WHID Green Bay, WI*
88.3 – WSMZ Crystal Valley
88.3 – WTCY Greilickville
88.5 – WNLI Sturgeon Bay, WI
88.7 – WIAA Interlochen*
88.9 – WYMS Milwaukee, WI
89.3 – WGNB Zeeland
89.3 – WPNE Green Bay, WI*
89.7 – WLMN Manistee*
89.7 – WUWM Milwaukee, WI
89.9 – WLJN Traverse City
90.1 – WMBI Chicago, IL
90.1 – WORQ Green Bay, WI
90.3 – WBLV Twin Lake*
90.5 – WPFF Sturgeon Bay, WI*
90.7 – WHAD Delafield, WI*
90.9 – WYVM Sheboygan, WI
91.1 – WOLW Cadillac*
91.3 – WRMW Peshtigo, WI
91.5 – WICA Traverse City
91.7 – W219DK Manistee*
91.9 – WHDI Sister Bay, WI
92.1 – WEZY Racine, WI*
92.1 – WLTU Manitowoc, WI*
92.3 – WJPD Ishpeming
92.3 – WPWX Hammond, IN
92.5 – WBWI West Bend, WI
92.5 – WFDX Atlanta
92.7 – WAUN Kewaunee, WI
92.9 – WJZQ Cadillac*
93.1 – WXRT Chicago, IL
93.3 – WLDB Milwaukee, WI
93.5 – WBCM Boyne City
93.5 – WRQE New London, WI
93.7 – WBFM Sheboygan, WI
93.7 – WKAD Harrietta
93.9 – WDOR Sturgeon Bay, WI*
93.9 – WLIT Chicago, IL
93.9 – WNBY Newberry
94.1 – WWKR Hart
94.3 – WFCX Leland
94.5 – WLWK Milwaukee, WI*
94.5 – WTNR Holland
94.7 – WLS Chicago, IL
94.7 – WZOR Mishicot, WI*
94.9 – WKZC Scottville*
95.1 – WIIL Union Grove, WI*
95.1 – WLST Marinette, WI*
95.3 – WGVS Whitehall
95.5 – WQEZ Glen Arbor*
95.7 – WRIT Milwaukee, WI*
95.9 – WKSZ DePere, WI
95.9 – WLJW Fife Lake
96.1 – W241AG Sheboygan, WI
96.1 – WMAX Holland
96.3 – WBBM Chicago, IL
96.3 – WSFQ Peshtigo, WI*
96.5 – WKLH Milwaukee, WI*
96.7 – WBDK Algoma, WI*
96.7 – WLXV Cadillac*
96.9 – WWDV Zion, IL*
97.1 – WDRV Chicago, IL
97.1 – WGLQ Escanaba*
97.3 – WRNW Milwaukee, WI
97.5 – WKLT Kalkaska
97.5 – WWSN Whitehall
97.7 – WMLQ Manistee*
97.9 – WLUP Chicago, IL
98.1 – WGFN Glen Arbor*
98.1 – WLKN Cleveland, WI*
98.5 – WQLH Green Bay, WI*
98.5 – WUPS Harrison*
98.7 – WLDN Ludington*
99.1 – WMYX Milwaukee, WI*
99.5 – WUSN Chicago, IL
99.7 – WZDR Sturgeon Bay, WI*
99.9 – WCPQ Park Forest, IL
100.1 – WCUZ Bear Lake*
100.3 – WILV Chicago, IL
100.5 – W263BQ Sheboygan, WI
100.7 – WKKV Racine, WI*
101.1 – WIXX Green Bay
101.1 – WKQX Chicago, IL
101.3 – WSUE Sault Ste. Marie
101.5 – WJNR Iron Mountain
101.7 – WMRR Muskegon Heights
101.9 – WLDR Traverse City
101.9 – WTMX Skokie, IL
102.1 – WRKU Forestville, WI*
102.3 – WXLC Waukegan, IL
102.5 – WCMM Gulliver*
102.7 – WMOM Pentwater*
102.7 – WRVM Suring, WI*
102.9 – WHQG Milwaukee, WI
103.1 – WOGB Kaukauna, WI
103.1 – WVIV Highland Park, IL
103.5 – WTCM Traverse City*
103.7 – WXSS Wauwatosa, WI
104.1 – WRLU Algoma, WI*
104.3 – CJQM Sault Ste. Marie, ON
104.3 – WJMK Chicago, IL
104.5 – WSNX Muskegon
104.5 – WXER Plymouth, WI
104.7 – WDDW Sturtevant, WI
104.7 – WYKX Escanaba
104.9 – W285DY Ludington
104.9 – WPCK Denmark, WI
105.1 – WGFM Cheboygan
105.1 – WOJO Evanston, IL
105.1 – WSBW Sister Bay, WI
105.3 – WLVE Mukwonago, WI
105.5 – WSRJ Honor*
105.7 – WAPL Appleton, WI*
105.9 – WCFS Elmwood Park, IL
105.9 – WKHQ Charlevoix
106.1 – WMIL Waukesha, WI*
106.3 – WKLA Ludington*
106.5 – WHBZ Sheboygan Falls, WI
106.7 – WKRU Allouez, WI
106.7 – WPPN Des Plaines, IL
106.9 – WLGE Baileys Harbor, WI*
106.9 – WNRG Brookfield, WI
107.1 – WCKC Cadillac
107.1 – WZVN Lowell, IN
107.3 – WBBL Greenville
107.3 – WUPF Powers
107.5 – WCCW Traverse City
107.5 – WDUZ Brillion, WI*
107.5 – WGCI Chicago, IL
107.7 – WVCY Milwaukee, WI*
107.9 – W300CG Manistee*

 

[gar hi]

Those are some great catches, especially considering that tropo is usually at it's weakest during those hours.

And you're 177 miles from Chicago.

Virtually any good tropo reception I've heard has always been gone after late morning with only a couple of exceptions.

I'm sure the lake was the reason you were able to get all those catches during those usually off hours for tropo.

 

[ftballfan]

Those are some great catches, especially considering that tropo is usually at it's weakest during those hours.

And you're 177 miles from Chicago.

Virtually any good tropo reception I've heard has always been gone after late morning with only a couple of exceptions.

I'm sure the lake was the reason you were able to get all those catches during those usually off hours for tropo.

The most incredible was getting several Class A stations! WZVN is over 200 miles away and runs only 2.65kW (and there is a 107.1 less than 50 miles away!) Also, I can normally get WIXX from Green Bay even during dead band conditions, but KQX was over it all afternoon.

I think some stations' IBOC made it up (99.1, 100.7, and 103.7 Milwaukee most likely, because of the lack of catches on 98.9, 99.3, 100.9, and 103.9)