I am new here, so forgive me if this topic has come up. I am an avid FM DXer, and I was just wondering what everyone's best FM catch was. Here's mine: I was driving between Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks in Wyoming. I picked up 95.1 KBBY/Santa Barbara. I was amazed that despite the extremely mountainous terrain, I picked up the station so clearly. Other memorable catches include picking up Missouri FM stations from Hampton Beach, NH and Memphis FMs from Rhode Island. I've also picked up Charleston, SC stations from South Florida.
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Your Best FM Catch
- Thread starter AM-FM-DXer
- Start date
From Nutley, NJ, I'd have to nominate 101.5 Radio Reloj out of Havana, Cuba as the best catch. This was during an eksip in 2016/17. This is not based on distance but how rare to catch Radio Reloj on FM in the Northeast USA. On vacation in Eastham, MA (Cape Cod) back in 2018, I was getting good tropo from Providence/Long Island and at point received WKTU 103.5 from NYC, a local station. It was pretty cool to hear a station back home that was 220+ miles away.
From PA:
KMCJ 99.5 Colstrip, MT in the middle of December on and off for 30 minutes, with nothing else on the dial
KPQX 92.5 Havre, MT that next summer, also from PA.. beating KMCJ by about 50 miles... for almost 1600 miles.
K242BK 96.3 Rapid City, SD from PA, about 1200 some off miles.. with an ad for a local Kia dealer, didn't hear its parent 100kw on 95.9
From WY:
One day, with nothing else really happening on the dial, I had a sudden spike to 101.5 and heard CKNL Fort St John, BC.. about 1400 miles with a local ad/psa.
Later that day, had a sudden spike to 92.7 and heard XHELPZ 92.7 La Paz, BCS, MX (the very southern tip of Baja California Sur)
Also heard 2 or 3 mexico city area FMs from WY.
KDRT 95.7 Davis, CA with 100 Watts at 50 feet with an interview with a county official.
And K290AG 105.9 Stockon, CA with country music.. wasnt great but it was them. And the kicker was.. i regularly heard their parent, KSTN 1420 in SE WY at sunrise.
KMCJ 99.5 Colstrip, MT in the middle of December on and off for 30 minutes, with nothing else on the dial
KPQX 92.5 Havre, MT that next summer, also from PA.. beating KMCJ by about 50 miles... for almost 1600 miles.
K242BK 96.3 Rapid City, SD from PA, about 1200 some off miles.. with an ad for a local Kia dealer, didn't hear its parent 100kw on 95.9
From WY:
One day, with nothing else really happening on the dial, I had a sudden spike to 101.5 and heard CKNL Fort St John, BC.. about 1400 miles with a local ad/psa.
Later that day, had a sudden spike to 92.7 and heard XHELPZ 92.7 La Paz, BCS, MX (the very southern tip of Baja California Sur)
Also heard 2 or 3 mexico city area FMs from WY.
KDRT 95.7 Davis, CA with 100 Watts at 50 feet with an interview with a county official.
And K290AG 105.9 Stockon, CA with country music.. wasnt great but it was them. And the kicker was.. i regularly heard their parent, KSTN 1420 in SE WY at sunrise.
I had a Reloj outlet on 98.1 from Knoxville, TN once.....for 15 seconds.
Probably the day in 1981 when, for about an hour, every FM station from Coatzacoalcos and Minatitlán, Veracruz came rushing into Columbia, Missouri, with signals so strong that they overloaded receiver front-ends. When I get home, I'll look up the date when that occurred.
Wow! How did Havana ever obliterate New Jersey 101.5? I guess that is the nature of e-skip.
Does anyone remember a 4th of July, at least a decade ago (maybe more), with an incredible e-skip opening? Does anyone have stories from that day?
I was about 20 or 30 miles north of Andrews NC on a road that goes thru a narrow steep sided river valley and the only station that would stop my car radio's scan was KSKL Scott City KS.
I picked up a very clear WVEE Atlanta from St. Paul, MN one summer day about 18 years ago.
I've got KSKL a few times here via Es. 1150 Miles.
Most recent was in January this year.
Back in 1972 or so (have lost the logbook!) I heard an E-skip event to the northeast. I was living in Tulsa Oklahoma and listening on my parents' console stereo. The best catch of the day was WRVO 89.9 from Oswego NY. Their power was then 930w, 1,140 miles from my house.
With 800+ FMs in the logbook, I guess I can divide it up into sections. Low-power, furthest distance, and shortest distance E-skip.
LOW POWER
KRAZ-105.9 Santa Ynez CA, branded as Krazy Country. Heard 6/16/21 from Ellensburg WA during major e-skip to California/Nevada. This station only runs 65 watts of power, at 863 miles. Easily heard the ID. At the same time I heard the 93.7 'Alt 100.9' translator from San Luis Obispo (99 watts) and the KJOP-1240 translator on 94.1 from Lemoore CA (110 watts). I love strong e-skip openings.
KWMV-LP 95.9 Westcliffe CO comes close. 94 watts, heard 7/5/15. They converted to a 6KW signal on 91.7 and canceled the 95.9 license.
FURTHEST DISTANCE
I've only heard 2Es (double-hop) twice. Once in 2017 and once last year. The latter event shattered the record. 7/20/23, driving mobile with the Hyundai Santa Fe and the Pioneer Supertuner III. Nice opening to 108 MHz to Amarillo, parts of New Mexico, western KS, western OK region. At a 'honey hole' spot in the Wenas Valley, northwest of Selah, where many locals fade to nothing, I had a 94.1 IDing as "Q94", and later went to commercials with a Market Basket commercial. I confirmed it as KQXY Beaumont TX, based on the fact that while Market Basket was in TX, there's NO locations outside of SE TX...so it couldn't be Amarillo. And the ID Q94 was right on course. 1,826 miles.
Tuned over to 95.1 and heard the ID "Kicker 95.1" = it was KYKR Beaumont at 1,830 miles! The signal was amazingly strong for being 2Es. A great memory on a hot summer morning. There were ripe E-skip clouds over multiple locations and everything aligned well.
(No sign of Houston at all. I thought I had KSBJ-89.3 but the Jeremy Camp song wasn't playing at the time. It was probably Altus OK, The House FM. No sign of Louisiana either. Tried 92.1 but couldn't pick up the Lake Charles station. Next time?)
The previous record was from 2017, KWTX-97.5 Waco at 1623 miles. Also 2Es.
SHORTEST DISTANCE
From the monster E-skip opening of 7/14/21, also to California. I had San Francisco up to 103.7, Sacramento to 105.5, and down at 89.3, it was Relevant Radio, which turned out to be KPJP Greenville CA - only 468 miles from Ellensburg!!
However, I had a tentative shorter distance on 89.7, an UNID with the World Cafe, which had it IDed or cued RDS, could have been KNCA Burney CA at only 426 miles. I missed TOH by about a minute.
LOW POWER
KRAZ-105.9 Santa Ynez CA, branded as Krazy Country. Heard 6/16/21 from Ellensburg WA during major e-skip to California/Nevada. This station only runs 65 watts of power, at 863 miles. Easily heard the ID. At the same time I heard the 93.7 'Alt 100.9' translator from San Luis Obispo (99 watts) and the KJOP-1240 translator on 94.1 from Lemoore CA (110 watts). I love strong e-skip openings.
KWMV-LP 95.9 Westcliffe CO comes close. 94 watts, heard 7/5/15. They converted to a 6KW signal on 91.7 and canceled the 95.9 license.
FURTHEST DISTANCE
I've only heard 2Es (double-hop) twice. Once in 2017 and once last year. The latter event shattered the record. 7/20/23, driving mobile with the Hyundai Santa Fe and the Pioneer Supertuner III. Nice opening to 108 MHz to Amarillo, parts of New Mexico, western KS, western OK region. At a 'honey hole' spot in the Wenas Valley, northwest of Selah, where many locals fade to nothing, I had a 94.1 IDing as "Q94", and later went to commercials with a Market Basket commercial. I confirmed it as KQXY Beaumont TX, based on the fact that while Market Basket was in TX, there's NO locations outside of SE TX...so it couldn't be Amarillo. And the ID Q94 was right on course. 1,826 miles.
Tuned over to 95.1 and heard the ID "Kicker 95.1" = it was KYKR Beaumont at 1,830 miles! The signal was amazingly strong for being 2Es. A great memory on a hot summer morning. There were ripe E-skip clouds over multiple locations and everything aligned well.
(No sign of Houston at all. I thought I had KSBJ-89.3 but the Jeremy Camp song wasn't playing at the time. It was probably Altus OK, The House FM. No sign of Louisiana either. Tried 92.1 but couldn't pick up the Lake Charles station. Next time?)
The previous record was from 2017, KWTX-97.5 Waco at 1623 miles. Also 2Es.
SHORTEST DISTANCE
From the monster E-skip opening of 7/14/21, also to California. I had San Francisco up to 103.7, Sacramento to 105.5, and down at 89.3, it was Relevant Radio, which turned out to be KPJP Greenville CA - only 468 miles from Ellensburg!!
However, I had a tentative shorter distance on 89.7, an UNID with the World Cafe, which had it IDed or cued RDS, could have been KNCA Burney CA at only 426 miles. I missed TOH by about a minute.
When I still lived in NJ:
WMBX 102.3 - Jensen Beach FL
Received in Toms River Manchester NJ in 2004.
Here in Upstate South Carolina I've received:
KAJA 97.3 San Antonio TX
KVET 98.1 Austin TX
KNCT 91.3 Killeen TX
KQKQ 98.5 Omaha NE
KNDY 95.5 Marysville KS
KUWS 91.3 Duluth MN
KESD 88.3 Brookings SD.
Greatest Tropo Catches from SC:
99.7 WOOF Dothan AL
101.5 WSOL Yulee FL
104.1 WGLF Tallahassee FL
WMBX 102.3 - Jensen Beach FL
Received in Toms River Manchester NJ in 2004.
Here in Upstate South Carolina I've received:
KAJA 97.3 San Antonio TX
KVET 98.1 Austin TX
KNCT 91.3 Killeen TX
KQKQ 98.5 Omaha NE
KNDY 95.5 Marysville KS
KUWS 91.3 Duluth MN
KESD 88.3 Brookings SD.
Greatest Tropo Catches from SC:
99.7 WOOF Dothan AL
101.5 WSOL Yulee FL
104.1 WGLF Tallahassee FL
Another one I forgot - sometime in the mid-2010s, I was on the beach in South Padre Island. I picked up 93X out of Minneapolis clearly and even recorded the legal ID!
Where I am located, I am 47 miles from New Jersey 101.5, it comes in weak in the car but can lock into HD in spots. It mixes with WPDH from Poughkeepsie in spots where I am. Coincidentally, WLYF from Miami on 101.5, I receive most often when ESkip occurs
One of the fun things about single-hop E-skip is that it seems so magical to a listener who doesn't know what's going on - but yet it's actually such a predictable phenomenon to an experienced DXer.
Florida, Louisiana or Texas from Western NY? That's a typical summer Es opening. It's actually the very short skip - 600 miles or less - that's much more of a rarity.
FM is so cluttered here I don't do much DX on the band anymore. But in the analog TV era, this was a great spot because Rochester had no low-band VHF stations. My best catch over the years was channel 3 from Sterling CO in 2008, right on the very outer edge of single-hop Es range. Only time I ever saw Colorado here.
Best trop here was also around that same time - WLIO 35 from Lima OH and channel 67 from western Kentucky were in quite well one warm night.
Florida, Louisiana or Texas from Western NY? That's a typical summer Es opening. It's actually the very short skip - 600 miles or less - that's much more of a rarity.
FM is so cluttered here I don't do much DX on the band anymore. But in the analog TV era, this was a great spot because Rochester had no low-band VHF stations. My best catch over the years was channel 3 from Sterling CO in 2008, right on the very outer edge of single-hop Es range. Only time I ever saw Colorado here.
Best trop here was also around that same time - WLIO 35 from Lima OH and channel 67 from western Kentucky were in quite well one warm night.
I have heard rumors that Channel 3 Huntington WV was occasionally picked up in Cuba and Nova Scotia when they switched to Channel 3 in 1952 (from 5) and were briefly had the "World's most powerful TV transmitter". I believe they were using around a 300 foot tower at the time. If it wasn't on the channel 3 history site I would doubt it. That's a long way for a signal not to have on channel interference especially over the Northeastern US. I realize skip "acts like a giant rf mirror" but would another on channel signal closer to the receiver tropo too and mess up the farther signal?
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