Worst Southern California Signals AM or FM

[XRQKFM]

Taking in account for tower location, power output and frequency; AM or FM. I know 1580 AM in L.A. maybe on top of the AM list, with 830 AM with it's spotty 50kw non directional signal not far behind. With my Panasonic RF 2200, I was able to completely null out 1580 within a couple blocks from the transmitter site. 1340 in Needles is noisy less than 19 miles from the tower, yet 1340 in Mojave is clean 50 miles out or better. I know the 10,000 watt signal on 1140 in Palm Springs must go somewhere, doesn't it? 1500 in Burbank when it was on the air, barely got out of Burbank with 10KW. On FM, 106.3 in Lancaster barely makes it out of the zip code with 6KW, 100.1 & 103.1 in Tehachapi, despite their mountain location, don't even cover the COL. At Brite Lake in Tehachapi, line of site to the tower; 100.1 has no signal, and 103.1 just barely comes in, yet Fresno comes in fine. Even 101.9 from Los Angeles comes in clean, so it's not the radio.

Just some examples, perhaps some even worse examples can be given.
Southern California being from Mid State south to the border.

Steve

 

[jonbruce]

KWKU 1220 Pomona 250 watt 3 tower directional, The 1320 Oceanside 500 watts directional out to the ocean and 1600 Santa Maria.

 

[LKellerIII]

Historical information about the old KBLA/KBBQ/KROQ has said that the 1500 AM signal was so poor after sunset that it went null in the station's parking lot. I've also read that the old 1580 signal (when it was KDAY) was directional to the west, out into the Pacific; so after sunset, fishing boats could pick up KDAY just fine, but listening on land was problematic.

 

[Michael Rivers Kramer]

How about the now defunct...KPPC 1240 in Pasadena. 100 watts, sharing the dial with KGFJ (1230)who would have to reduce power whenever KPPC was on the air.

 

[radiocph]

I've also read that the old 1580 signal (when it was KDAY) was directional to the west, out into the Pacific; so after sunset, fishing boats could pick up KDAY just fine, but listening on land was problematic.

Australia and New Zealand could probably pick up KDAY a lot better than a large part of Southern California. (Read the 1979 WRTH)

Back in 1979, my family lived in Southwest LA (near Western/Florence for those of you who know the area). KDAY boomed in, it was a favorite of many of my classmates.

Later that year, we moved about 50 miles east to the Pomona area: we could barely pick it up during the day (KWOW-1600 stomped all over it), and at night, XEDM Sonora pretty much owned the channel.

KWKU 1220 Pomona 250 watt 3 tower directional,

I don't know what they play on there now, but I had a friend who had a little gospel show on that station in the early 1990's
(she left town the day before the 1992 riots!). Almost impossible to pick up outside of Pomona, or thereabouts.

How about the now defunct...KPPC 1240 in Pasadena. 100 watts, sharing the dial with KGFJ (1230)who would have to reduce power whenever KPPC was on the air.

I remember that one too. In its waning years (early 1990's) it mostly did Hispanic gospel music. I worked in Pasadena then, and would get off work around 5 pm. On the way home, I tried to listen to Bruce Williams on 1260, but if I hadn't left Pasadena by the time KPPC signed on around that time, KGIL would be unlistenable until I had driven out of Pasadena a few more miles...

 

[radiohistory]

Re: Worst Southern California Signals AM or FM/KPPC

Jon,

Is 1600-AM in Santa Maria still only 500 watts and do they diplex off another tower? When I lived in Santa Maria, KHER-1600 was 500 watts a daytimer, but used its own tower and covered the area fairly well.

KPPC-1240 went off the air for good on September 1, 1996. The specified hours agreement with KGFJ to lower power lasted till 1985. KPPC then increased power to 250 watts and KGFJ was able to use its full 1,000 watts. I have friends who were at KPPC in the '50s and '60s who said KPPC was hard to hear outside the Pasadena city limits, but sometimes was heard via skywave and got DX reports from foreign countires.

For those interested, I wrote a long detailed history of KPPC in 2006-2007 on the 10th anniversary of its demise. Got to the LARADIO.com home page scroll down almost all the way and click on the KPPC history link. Or go to this link to read my article.:

http://www.laradio.com/kppchistory.htm

Jim Hilliker
Monterey

 

[frcradio]

A friend once told me that during the 1970's he worked for a defense contractor and spent some time on Johnston Island,
where the most consistantly heard west coast station was . . . KBBQ/KROQ (1500) Burbank, which maybe answers the question
- Where did the signal go at night ?

 

[XRQKFM]

Great article Jim! I read it from top to bottom, I happen to be in Pasadena just after they switched antennas to back of the church. I had no ideal that thing was putting out 250 watts. Using my Panasonic RF2200 behind the church, I was able to null it out. I never got a good signal while living in Eagle Rock, believe me I tried. I think as far as AM is concerned, KPPC may get the prize for worst AM signal in So Cal.

Jim, one name stood out in your story; Fred Fomer, lived in the Westlake Village portion of Thousand Oaks, back in 1984. Fred told me he was the Chief Engineer for KPPC, and he had some equipment from the station he wanted to sell me. The price was right! $75, for the console and two turntables, that look like they had seen their better days, so I passed. Big mistake! The guy at pirate radio station KDNF 1210AM, in Thousand Oaks, bought them instead, and managed to restore the console and turntables with ease. The equipment is still in service to this day for production, as the pirate station; allegedly went silent. To think I passed on what turned out to be pretty nice equipment for $75, I could kick myself!

Historical information about the old KBLA/KBBQ/KROQ has said that the 1500 AM signal was so poor after sunset that it went null in the station's parking lot.

I did time at a Reno radio station on 1550, that could not make its own parking lot at night. KNZR Bakersfield, blew us away, like it was down the street. My Panasonic RF2200 could not null out KNZR, pegging the meter, with RF gain on zero. Nothing like doing radio; knowing nobody could listen!

Steve
www.knjoradio.com

 

[nmoore6676]

Great article Jim! I read it from top to bottom, I happen to be in Pasadena just after they switched antennas to back of the church. I had no ideal that thing was putting out 250 watts. Using my Panasonic RF2200 behind the church, I was able to null it out. I never got a good signal while living in Eagle Rock, believe me I tried. I think as far as AM is concerned, KPPC may get the prize for worst AM signal in So Cal.

Jim, one name stood out in your story; Fred Fomer, lived in the Westlake Village portion of Thousand Oaks, back in 1984. Fred told me he was the Chief Engineer for KPPC, and he had some equipment from the station he wanted to sell me. The price was right! $75, for the console and two turntables, that look like they had seen their better days, so I passed. Big mistake! The guy at pirate radio station KDNF 1210AM, in Thousand Oaks, bought them instead, and managed to restore the console and turntables with ease. The equipment is still in service to this day for production, as the pirate station; allegedly went silent. To think I passed on what turned out to be pretty nice equipment for $75, I could kick myself!

Historical information about the old KBLA/KBBQ/KROQ has said that the 1500 AM signal was so poor after sunset that it went null in the station's parking lot.

I did time at a Reno radio station on 1550, that could not make its own parking lot at night. KNZR Bakersfield, blew us away, like it was down the street. My Panasonic RF2200 could not null out KNZR, pegging the meter, with RF gain on zero. Nothing like doing radio; knowing nobody could listen!

Steve
www.knjoradio.com

The "pirate station" you mentioned eventually became KD-Radio and was at one time carried on the audio channels for several cable systems in Southern California. When I was at Valley Cable and after they had downsized to just the City of San Fernando we produced a local TV show from the small San Fernando TV studio which we sent via phone hybrid to KD radio in Thousand Oaks, which carried our audio over the other cable systems.

Go to: http://www.kdradio.com/ for more KD Radio Info.

 

[LKellerIII]

A friend once told me that during the 1970's he worked for a defense contractor and spent some time on Johnston Island,
where the most consistantly heard west coast station was . . . KBBQ/KROQ (1500) Burbank, which maybe answers the question
- Where did the signal go at night ?

That's amazing! I had to google Johnston Island. Apparently it's 700 plus miles WSW of Honolulu. I loved "Super 15" KBLA about 1966-67, and their night-time jocks (Jim Wood, "Humble" Harvey Miller) provided the most eclectic rock radio you could find in those couple of year before Free-form FM took hold on KPPC and KMET.

Unfortunately, the station was almost impossible to pick up at night where I grew up in Tujunga - probably about 8 miles (and a tall mountain) north of their Burbank transmitter.

 

[ajhenderson]

KALI isn't as bad as some of those, but it isn't too good.

KCAA in the IE... when it's actually on the air.

 

[greatstart]

I did time at a Reno radio station on 1550, that could not make its own parking lot at night. KNZR Bakersfield, blew us away, like it was down the street. My Panasonic RF2200 could not null out KNZR, pegging the meter, with RF gain on zero. Nothing like doing radio; knowing nobody could listen!

Steve
www.knjoradio.com

Steve,

Believe it or not, I still have my Panasonic RF2220 that I bought because of your recommendations back in 1984 when you used it to test your AM 1200 signal.

From where I live now, I can barely receive 1550 during the day, and I am only 33 or so miles to the east of the transmitter site. Forget about night time.

-Glenn

 

[radioguybroadcasting]

I did time at a Reno radio station on 1550, that could not make its own parking lot at night. KNZR Bakersfield, blew us away, like it was down the street. My Panasonic RF2200 could not null out KNZR, pegging the meter, with RF gain on zero. Nothing like doing radio; knowing nobody could listen!

Steve
www.knjoradio.com

Steve,

Believe it or not, I still have my Panasonic RF2220 that I bought because of your recommendations back in 1984 when you used it to test your AM 1200 signal.

From where I live now, I can barely receive 1550 during the day, and I am only 33 or so miles to the east of the transmitter site. Forget about night time.

-Glenn

When did you last listen for KXTO?

I know for a fact they put in a newer/better audio processor, fixed some transmitter issues and will eventually be working on some ground system issues.