unID 1680 heard middays recently near El Cajon, CA

[pianoplayer88key]

Hi all...

Recently I've been frequently hearing 2 stations at around noon on 1680 kHz on my Tecsun PL-606 using the Select-A-Tenna. One of them I suspect is KGED Fresno, CA, due to its Asian language programming.
The other one sounds like it could be Spanish, and I'm wondering if it's KNTS Seattle, WA? It's the next closest to me (third closest is KNRO Monroe, LA, but I doubt it's them, and I don't find any Mexicans (XE) on 1680 within that distance in the database.).

Here are links to several recordings. Reception varies on all of them - sometimes KGED is absent and the unID is faintly heard, and at other times KGED totally dominates and the unID is only faintly audible when KGED's carrier is not modulated. BTW the first couple were recorded with the PL-380, as I didn't yet own the PL-606.

1680 - 20101110 2101 - 0101pm local - PL-380+SAT+Fence - 41,00 - 2 stations - 3:35 - two stations are mixing
PL-380 - 20101209 2039 - 1680 - N, SAT 35,00 , +fence 42,08 - 1:30 - check 0:43-0:48
PL606 20110201 2001 - 1680 - SAT - KGED + unID - 4:26 - KGED dominates first minute or so, other is audible underneath, both nearly equal and weak around 1:30, varying reception next couple minutes with KGED typically on top, after 3:30 KGED dominates with unID audible underneath
PL606 20110201 2112 - 1680 - SAT - KGED dominates, possible other carrier - 3:50 - KGED owns first part of recording, off-frequency carrier detectable sometimes, song ends 1:28, unID inaudible at first then I hear possible traces of it a bit later
PL606 20110204 2101 - 1680 - KGED+unID - SAT+fence - 2:22 - both weak, hear what sounds like a spanish theme song second half minute or so, spanish speech audible almost a minute in, KGED music comes up around 1:40 or so
PL606 20110204 2112 - 1680 - KGED+unID - SAT+fence - 2:30 - language at first difficult to ID, sounds like spanish around 0:27, KGED under/mixing shortly after that
PL606 20110206 2000 - 1680 - KGED+unID - SAT+fence - 2:56 - two stations mixing, sounds like KGED is playing some kind of music (unless that's side splatter from 1670 KHPY), spanish sounding speech starting around 0:32, other signal almost buries spanish around 2 min
PL606 20110206 2003 - 1680 - KGED+unID - SAT+fence - 1:42 - music nearly buries possible spanish till about 0:54, more (KGED?) music 1:01-end
PL606 20110207 1959 - 1680 - KGED+unID - SAT+fence - 6:15 - KGED semi-dominates about 1-3 min in, otherwise 2 signals are heard faintly mixing, possible spanish in last minute or so
PL606 20110207 2005 - 1680 - KGED+unID - SAT+fence - 3:55 - weak possible spanish mostly heard, some possible KGED under/mixing.
Signal strengths on the PL-606 on last two mostly indicate 39/00, sometimes down to 37/02 or up to 39/14 or so.

Does anyone have any idea what that Spanish-language station could be? Is it possible that 10kW KNTS Seattle, WA, could be making the nearly 1,070 mile trek to my location in the middle of the day?

Reception is difficult, though, due to co-channel QRM from KGED Fresno, CA, and off-channel desense/blocking from 1670 KHPY Moreno Valley, CA, 1700 XEPE Tecate, BCN (TX near Tijuana airport), 1630 XEUT Tijuana, BCN, and/or possibly (due to the shape factor on the tuned Select-A-Tenna) 1170 KCBQ San Diego, CA, whose 50kW 9 miles to the north reads 81-82/25 on the barefoot PL-606. A few days ago, though, 1170 and 910 KECR (who uses the same site) were off the air for several minutes around 1pm, giving me opportunity for some rare midday DX around those frequencies, but that's a topic for another post.

Also since I'm near 32°45'40"N 116°56'50"W, am I too far south to experience the apparent recent Auroral conditions that I'm seeing others mentioning?

 

[K6JHU]

If I cross check the Radio-Locator and FCC AM Query, the only two chocies for a Spanish language signal (not coutning a Mexican not in the data base) is KNTS (Seattle) or WTTM (New Jersey). Given your location, I would suspect it is Seattle.

 

[pianoplayer88key]

I'm thinking it's Seattle, too, but... IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY?!?!? They're about 1,070 miles from my location, and on 1680 where ground losses due to frequency are high, no less, not to mention the FCC M3 map says Washington State's ground conductivity is generally poor! Also, normally 1670 KHPY Moreno Valley, about 87 miles from me, is difficult to receive middays in summer. Yes, they're also 10kW, but with a directional antenna aimed almost toward me.

Also, why would I be hearing that little 10kW non-directional signal at noon, but in the mid to late evening monster 50kW directional (with a lobe toward me) 1000 KOMO is basically AWOL/MIA? Normally they tear up semi-local 250-watt (nighttime) KCEO Vista, CA, about 38 miles from me, but last night and/or the night before KCEO had the frequency all to itself.

Also I tried posting this topic to the IRCA mailing list which I've recently subscribed to, but no luck. Any ideas what could be up?

 

[fangio28]

Mexico or a pirate or both

 

[fybush]

I'm thinking it's Seattle, too, but... IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY?!?!? They're about 1,070 miles from my location, and on 1680 where ground losses due to frequency are high, no less, not to mention the FCC M3 map says Washington State's ground conductivity is generally poor! Also, normally 1670 KHPY Moreno Valley, about 87 miles from me, is difficult to receive middays in summer. Yes, they're also 10kW, but with a directional antenna aimed almost toward me.

Also, why would I be hearing that little 10kW non-directional signal at noon, but in the mid to late evening monster 50kW directional (with a lobe toward me) 1000 KOMO is basically AWOL/MIA? Normally they tear up semi-local 250-watt (nighttime) KCEO Vista, CA, about 38 miles from me, but last night and/or the night before KCEO had the frequency all to itself.

It's all about the difference in frequency. 1680 is high enough that it behaves almost like shortwave - what you're getting in the middle of the day isn't groundwave at all, but rather skywave. Not at all uncommon at midday in mid-winter at the distances you're describing. (And this explains why you're not hearing KHPY - you're way too close for a skywave bounce and too far for groundwave.)

KOMO is too low in frequency for daytime skywave, at least not with the same regularity as 1680.

 

[pianoplayer88key]

It's all about the difference in frequency. 1680 is high enough that it behaves almost like shortwave - what you're getting in the middle of the day isn't groundwave at all, but rather skywave. Not at all uncommon at midday in mid-winter at the distances you're describing. (And this explains why you're not hearing KHPY - you're way too close for a skywave bounce and too far for groundwave.)

Actually, KHPY has been blasting in like a local in the middle of the day this winter, even using only the PL-606's built-in ferrite bar antenna. (KNTS requires the Select-A-Tenna, though, and gets competition from co-channel Asian-language KGED in Fresno, CA.)

KOMO is too low in frequency for daytime skywave, at least not with the same regularity as 1680.

Also, KOMO's frequency here is occupied in the day by KCEO, which runs 2,500 watts daytime (250 watts nighttime) from about 38 miles away.

Also I'm often getting 1580 KMIK Tempe, AZ, competing with KBLA Santa Monica, CA. KKDD San Bernardino sometimes drowns out KZSB Santa Barbara (normally it's the other way around in summer), many of the graveyards are active in the early afternoon, and often most of the channels above around 1200 or 1300 kHz are occupied. Notably absent, though, with a couple exceptions, is 50kW 1530 KFBK Sacramento, CA. In fact, though, 1570 KPRO Riverside, CA, has been making regular midday appearances here, and you wouldn't expect it based on their directional pattern.