When does skywave actually kick in?

[mimo]

With great skywave conditions occuring during the daytime and having listened to all the "blowtorches' from 500 mi and in, is anybody trying for the 5000 watt stations? For example 780 is an open frequency here in Central Mass. About 1 hr after sunset WBBM 780 Chi comes in well almost nightly but there is a 1 hr or so window just before and just after sunset where I hear a country music station calling themelves "Kicks or kix country. But I couldn't get a positive ID. A halfheatered (or slightly lower and heftier part of the body) attempt to ID the station on Radio Locator did not result in a positive result. I have gotton stations from as far away as Atlanta (NOT WSB) during this period that simply "disappear" about 45 min after sunset. To me it's fun to try and get the weaker ones at this time since they are much less predictable.

The station you are getting is CFDR 780 Halifax Nova Scotia. It can be heard in my location, Ottawa Canada, under WBBM quite often. It is a fifty thousand watter. They are applying to move to FM

 

[vibe]

Thanks for the ID

 

[8638]

I have actually gotten some substantial skywave reception in the middle of the day in the mid of winter listening to WWKB/1520 Buffalo, NY (during their now defunct oldies format). At 2:00 PM in the afternoon, it was coming in loud and clear in Manchester, NH where I was driving to work. That is over 400 miles away from Buffalo! The sun was still fairly high in the sky! I was totally floored on how well it came in the "Queen City".

At 2:30 in the afternoon, driving across the New Jersey Pine Barrens, I hit the band selector to AM, which was on 1520 KHz from the night before. KB came booming in, like a local. This was last fall, if memory serves well (they were still in the Oldies format). I thought I was hearing things!!! I've also heard the NYC clears in Richmond, Va. during winter, starting at about 3:30 PM.

Neat stuff!

 

[vibe]

Also heard the NYC "clears" about 1 hr after local sunrise just south of Richmond about 1 month ago plus WBZ.
Growing up in New Britain CT, 1520 Buffalo was like a local on most afternoons in late fall and winter. I'd go back and forth between KB, WABC and locals WPOP (we pi$$ on people) and WDRC (we don't really care).

 

[fortmill]

This takes me back to my teen-aged years, just south of Richmond, in the 60s. I had a five tube Westinghouse clock radio that was my constant companion. During December-February, the radio pretty much stayed on 770AM, I went to sleep with WABC, then it woke me up with WABC about 6:30 and stayed with me till I left for school about 8:00AM. When I got back to my room about 4:30 PM, WABC was there waiting for me. But WABC did fade out during the day, even in Winter. WNBC (now WFAN) and WCBS, on the other hand, were usually recievable ALL DAY during the winter. All year, WABC, as well as WKBW and WLS and WCFL came in like locals at night, with very little fading. In fact, WABC and WKBW came in better than our local top 40 WLEE/1480 at night, which always had an underlay of what sounded like a hundred other stations, even though the local was very strong (I was in the main lobe of the 5000 watts signal, with the transmitter about 18 miles away). All of which is to say, Richmond seemed (still does, on my visits back) a great place for AM DX.

 

[vibe]

If skywave "kicks in" well below sunset in the Boston-NYC- Chi area in late fall and winter, I wonder how early it "kicks in" up in Canada and Alaska at this time of year? Anyone w/ any experience on this?

 

[mimo]

It varies from location to location in Canada. I remember when I lived in Calgary, maybe 2-2:30 pm in December...In Ottawa it seems like it starts around 3-3:30, roughly the same time it starts in Central Pennsylvania. I do remember one day in Toronto back in 1996 when WBBM stayed in all day. I know for Ottawa, skywave times are the same as for Williamsport Pennsylvania....if that helps any.

 

[gr8oldies]

In Ohio anytime after about 3:30 it's possible to look for DX. There are days the band never completely closes..I've had high noon reception of WBZ and WSB in the dead of winter. Growing up, WABC would kick in around 4:30 but often be gone well before our sunrise. I have noticed eastern stations hanging on a couple of hours past sunrise, however.

 

[rdcuffpa1]

it was solid going East until Baton Rouge in Lousiana. Amazing signal. Daytime Dallas is tough due to a local 1040.

In addition to the groundwave propagation over water that's been discussed, I believe most of Texas also has much higher-than-average ground conductivity, which is why the range for many Texas AM stations is so large.

Richard in Allentown, PA