WABC Question

[BoscoGoldBear]

I would like to know why I was successfully able to listen to Musicradio 77 WABC back in 1976 all the way from New Haven to Washington, DC, yet I lose 77 AM just after I-91 - all the while with a bickering brother and sister while I acted as my mom's co-pilot (minus a stop in Darien, CT due to a gas attack - we all thought it was my appendix).

 

[PaulRAnderson]

My first guess would be that the AM side of car radios are worse today than they used to be. I doubt WABC suffers from degradation of their signal like smaller, less financially-able stations have due to lack of maintenance of their antenna system or construction near their transmitter.

Paul

 

[JIBGUY]

I think its because you're entering the 50kw station "dead zone".... the area about 75 miles from the xmitter site to the area about 150 milkes from the xmitter site. You losing WABC at New Haven, enters the dead zone where its too far form groundwave, but if you travel further, another 75 to 100 miles, then the SKYwave starts kicking in.

 

[carmen]

perhaps their antenna system is 'too good' and really radiates nothing straight up?

cuz vertical incidence works at this freq no problem

 

[DanStrassberg]

I would like to know why I was successfully able to listen to Musicradio 77 WABC back in 1976 all the way from New Haven to Washington, DC, yet I lose 77 AM just after I-91

You have not provided enough information to get meaningful answers. What time of day were you trying to receive WABC near Hartford? midday? nighttime? twilight? Did this happen only in 1976 or more recently as well? How many times have you experienced the problem?

From personal experience, I can tell you that WABC comes in quite well during the daytime in that area even on a not-so-great car radio, like the one in my long-departed '85 Mercury Lynx. So, too, do several other New York area 50-kW AMs that have transmitters in New Jersey. Even WBBR 1130, which has to contend with first-adjacent WPRX 1120 Bristol CT, comes in quite nicely on I-91 south of Hartford. WNYC (AM) 820, which is only 10 kW DA by day from the farthest-south site of any New York City AM (site in S Kearney is diplexed with WMCA 570), is listenable on I-84 east of Waterbury. Of course, the best New York City signals on I-91 north of New Haven are WFAN 660 and WCBS 880, which transmit from a shared tower on an island near City Island in Long Island Sound east of the Bronx. That location gives those stations a clear shot over salt water to the entire Connecticut coastline, not to mention southern Rhode Island and southern Mass, including what I believe is called "upper" (a misnomer) Cape Cod.

 

[ThatGuyOnTheRadio]

A big reason? There is a lot more crap in the air now then in 1976. Between radio, TV and cell signals bouncing everywhere, not to mention IBOC... a lot more power lines are around too (both above and underground)

That has severally degraded the reception of AM.

 

[chrish]

I can still get WABC during the daytime north of Boston into southern New Hampshire on
a Ford premimum audio system though nowhere near as good as WCBS and WFAN.
WFAN and WCBS are quite listenable during the day and the three are very strong at
night.
Monday driving through Danvers listening to WCBS during critical hours I could hear the ground and sky wave phase the signal a bit.

As the car is almost four years old I'm happy it shows no sign of developing internal electrical noise that often plagues cars as they age destroying the AM reception.

 

[chitchatjf]

I remember getting WABC on a clock radio noth of boston during the music years.

 

[DanStrassberg]

I remember getting WABC on a clock radio noth of boston during the music years.

At night? at twilight? or during the daytime? What time of year? winter? spring/fall? summer? The time of day and time of year are absolutely necessary to understanding whether you are reporting an unusual circumstance. WABC is audible in this area nearly EVERY night--even on cheap radios. It is also usually audible here for a while after sunrise and before sunset. Getting WABC here at midday in the winter is less common--but not UNcommon. Getting WABC here at midday in the summer is the least common situation, but scarcely unheard of. If you want to report reception that you believe to be exceptional, or even just unusual, you need to supply enough info for us to tell whether it really is exceptional or unusual. If you can't recall enough details, please don't waste your own time and everyone else's.

 

[Don Juan]

I remember getting WABC on a clock radio noth of boston during the music years.

Keep in mind that back then we put up with a lot more.

Music on AM? Mono? Skywave fading in and out? Static?

Can't imagine today anyone would put up with it.

Our expectations were much lower.

 

[chrisradioanimal]

WABC Come's In Good Where I Am In Billerica MA. I Listen To The Saturday Night Oldies Show Every Week.