What's the most impressive/surprising nighttime AM signal you get on a regular basis?

[gar hi]

What station is always there at night but you wouldn't expect it to be either because of signal strength, directional aim, distance, or a combination of those?

When I got out here, I expected to hear the big 50 kw stations from California and other places in the west but I never expected to hear KSFO (only 5 kw) which has a signal here that rivals the others such as KFI, KNBR, and KNX.

While much of their signal is directed this way at night, I never expected a 5 kw standard power station would be regular from 2,330 miles away.

I was thinking about that last night when I was listening to the AM band on my DT-120


So what's your most unexpected nighttime AM regular station at your location?

 

[rbrucecarter5]

From Jackson, MI, I remember being able to null CKLW and clearly hear PJB in the late 80's.

 

[charlestondxman]

Several of these at night in Charleston. WHK 1420 from Cleveland is one of them. Only 5,000 watts at night, but usually I hear them over the other 1420 signals that are much closer even though they're 600 miles away.

Another surprise nighttime signal is 1080 from Louisville. I get them the most of any signal on the frequency, even over KRLD or Hartford.

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

I remember my neighbor who was a ham radio operator referring to WHK as a "clear channel station" and that was why WAMM...WFLT had to sign off at night. It was never a "clear channel", but was a very old and well protected Class III-A. WHK has a dogleg three tower array, or almost an "incomplete parallelogram" arrangement. It looks like it was a two tower array that a third tower was added, probably when they became 5000 watts nighttime.

In the past, I would say WING and WAKR were the most surprising skywaves, particularly for 5000 watts. I'd say any AM with a 10 mV/m skywave return at times is the most impressive. That requires usually 50000 watts and at least a 3 tower array to get enough gain. Some 5000 watt stations like WTVN have a skywave equivalent to about 50000 watts Class III/Class B minimum efficiency in the major lobe.

 

[HGR1290]

Agree with WAKR and WING at night to the north. Another one was WONE-980 which did well into northern MI at night.

Going the other way, WLAP-630 is extremely regular into North Georgia at night. 970 from Louisville is often good too.

 

[KeithE4]

KMOX 1120 St. Louis and KWKH 1130 Shreveport are semi-regulars in northeast Mesa AZ during the winter -- weak but audible. I live in an area that where there's trouble receiving the only two local "market-wide coverage" Ancient Modulation stations, KFYI 550 and KTAR 620, about 30 miles away in Phoenix, at night.

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

Agree with WAKR and WING at night to the north. Another one was WONE-980 which did well into northern MI at night.

You probably didn't hear WHIO much because of WHGR 1290 back in the day.

 

[spiritof67]

From my location (St. Louis), I think "La Rancherita del Aire" (XEMU Piedras Negras, CI) on 580 kHz sends a fairly reliable signal here. I think it's 5 kW, and the low dial position helps too.

 

[mimo]

From my location (St. Louis), I think "La Rancherita del Aire" (XEMU Piedras Negras, CI) on 580 kHz sends a fairly reliable signal here. I think it's 5 kW, and the low dial position helps too.

When I lived in southeast Iowa, a mere 4 hours north of St. Louis, they were in every night.

 

[cyberdad]

Two that are a little surprising to me are WONE (980), Dayton, OH and WMBD (1470) Peoria, IL. Yes, both are 5kw aimed right at me, but each is a strong and reliable as most of the 50kw ND blowtorches within several hundred miles of me. There are other 5kw stations with patterns favoring me on the former "regional" channels that don't do nearly as well. "Back in the day", WDXR (1560) also did very well with just 1kw from Paducah, KY.

 

[gr8oldies]

I had to think for awhile, but WDLR-1550, Delaware, Ohio has made it into East Tennessee with a strong, listenable signal nightly. It's 500 watts even though they are supposed to reduce power to micro levels at night, they don't (I haven't checked since they got their new FM translator though).Incredible signal one wouldn't think possible. I also got a strong signal one evening from NewCastle IN on 1550.

Back in the day where I grew up in West Central Ohio, the most surprising were WCSC-1390 in Charleston SC and WLCY-1380, Tampa, neither of which I should have been able to receive. Both top 40 at the time.

 

[crainbebo]

KVOX-740 Fargo ND. They can be surprisingly strong on 940w with ESPN at night, and at 1100 miles, that is no easy feat. But besides CBX there isn't much to interfere with eastbound on that frequency.
KPJC-1220 Salem OR is also common on 171 watts. They are known as "Hebrew Nation Radio."
I'd also have to say KACH-1340 ID is on the list. 530 miles and they are common in the graveyard slop, way over many others at times. They have a soft rock format called "Favorites 105," as they have a 105.5 translator in Preston.

 

[icybluelake]

Two that are a little surprising to me are WONE (980), Dayton, OH and WMBD (1470) Peoria, IL. Yes, both are 5kw aimed right at me, but each is a strong and reliable as most of the 50kw ND blowtorches within several hundred miles of me. There are other 5kw stations with patterns favoring me on the former "regional" channels that don't do nearly as well.

I have to agree with you about both of those, WONE and WMBD. They are both regulars for me and a little bit surprising, WMBD less so. I would add some of the St. Louis stations, namely KZQZ 1430 (former WIL) and KSLG 1380 (former KWK). Both regulars, and especially KZQZ is absolutely puzzling as to how it can show up in the middle of the day when I can't hear KMOX or KTRS.

And then there is KQQZ 1190, also from the St. Louis area, which is a nighttime regular and shouldn't be, ever. That one is in another category altogether.

Also the 1520 from Sikeston, MO, an odd regular visitor, considering that I can seldom even hear KOKC. I thought they had their transmitter issue fixed long ago.

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

In the 1000 watt category, KGLC...KVIS 910 Miami, OK. The symmetrical broadside pattern maximum is the equivalent of about 5000 watts based on Class B minimum efficiency toward both coasts.

 

[davideduardo]

In the 1000 watt category, KGLC...KVIS 910 Miami, OK. The symmetrical broadside pattern maximum is the equivalent of about 5000 watts based on Class B minimum efficiency toward both coasts.

From my DX days in Cleveland, this one would often come in at sunset skip time, quite clearly and dominating the channel.

It also did well in Omena, MI, but not as well as Cleveland.

I learned that in OK, it's "My - ayh - muh" and not "My-am-ee".

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

From my DX days in Cleveland, this one would often come in at sunset skip time, quite clearly and dominating the channel.

It also did well in Omena, MI, but not as well as Cleveland.

I learned that in OK, it's "My - ayh - muh" and not "My-am-ee".

I imagine that many station engineers and managers with stations on 910 were surprised when they found out that they weren't just staying on Day facilities.

KGLC was also strong in the NW Chicago Area. WLS isn't that strong there, so there was almost no sideband interference, and when I first heard KGLC there, I was amazed at it booming in almost like a clear channel. I probably figured there had been an upgrade that wasn't shown in my 1969 copy of WRTH.

 

[Radio-X]

540 AM CBK Waltrous, SK.

Pick it up with shocking regularity at night here in Seattle (often better than 690 CBU/Vancouver)

Daytime would be KXTG/Portland. Good daytime signal well north of Seattle.

Radio-X

 

[cyberdad]

..... I would add some of the St. Louis stations, namely KZQZ 1430 (former WIL) and KSLG 1380 (former KWK). Both regulars, and especially KZQZ is absolutely puzzling as to how it can show up in the middle of the day when I can't hear KMOX or KTRS.

And then there is KQQZ 1190, also from the St. Louis area, which is a nighttime regular and shouldn't be, ever. That one is in another category altogether.

Also the 1520 from Sikeston, MO, an odd regular visitor, considering that I can seldom even hear KOKC. I thought they had their transmitter issue fixed long ago.

I hear KZQZ quite a bit at night. Not yet during daylight, but I haven't really tried for it. And I'd guess that it could be done on daytime skywave during winter months. But while I hear KZQZ just about every night, it's more prone to fading than the others that I mentioned. It also fights with Indianapolis (ex-WIRE). KQQZ is another category indeed. I hear it nightly, although 1190 is fairly vacant around here. So, in the words of Elmer Fudd, "something scwewy's going on around here".

As for the 1520 from Sikeston. KRHW has got that super-tight pattern aimed north-south. Which sends the north lobe right at you. I'm not sure what's going on with KOKC. Sikeston came on as KMPL around 1965 or '66. At that time, I heard them just about every night at home here in the Chicago area. But when I was away at college, about 70 miles south of you, it was all KOMA. Perhaps KMPL had a different pattern than what it has now as KRHW. But I've also noticed that KOKC "ain't what it used to be." I was hearing them all the time here at home when they were on that STA, but since they "fixed" their transmitter issues, they've been worse than ever. I was in South Dakota in July, where they used to blast in at night like a local. But on my recent visit, they were just another skywave signal. Listenable, but nothing special.







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[DX_AR]

This is opposite of the intended topic, but KMOX is surprisingly and consistently weak in Central Arkansas. You would think that a 50kw non-directional pattern about 300 miles away would be solid but it's not. Most nights it is still a listenable signal, but there are some nights in the summer that it almost completely disappears.

Also, 1090 KAAY in Little Rock (about 30 mi. from their tower) goes from crystal clear to absolutely nothing at dark. I live right in it's alleged nighttime signal pattern but in reality it doesn't exist. I heard their tower was messed up at one time but I haven't heard it at night in years so not sure what the deal is anymore.

 

[DX_AR]

To get back on topic, 1100 WTAM in Cleveland shows up regularly here and pretty strong. I know it's a clear-channel but from living a little over 700 miles away from the tower I think it's still pretty impressive to be so consistent.