• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Your strongest AM (MW) skywave heard/indicated on a stock portable?

P

pianoplayer88key

Hi all...

I've heard a few quite strong skywave signals in the mediumwave band booming in like locals on a few of my radios now and then, and I got to wondering... What's the strongest skywave-only signal you've heard on an ultralight-sized portable / pocket radio, without the aid of any external antenna? I would be especially interested in hearing signal strength reports, either as indicated on the radio, or some other way. (To me, S1 to S9 or S9 + 60dB probably is much different than most of you, so reporting in terms of that means nothing to me. For example, S9+60 isn't on my scale (if it was, the radio would be overloading so badly the audio would be distorting), S9 would mean an extremely strong local that's bleeding across several channels each way, and/or blocking reception of weaker signals in the vicinity (for example, a 50kW low to medium dial station 5 miles away over a good ground), S7 would be something like a city-grade noise-free local, S4 would be about where the seek would trip or a simple tune indicator would light, and S1 may have barely distinguishable audio, and/or a somewhat beating carrier due to co-channel interference in the daytime.)

I'll start things off with a link to a photo of my Tecsun PL-380 receiving a station about 300 miles east of me.

http://picasaweb.google.com/PianoPlayer88Key/TecsunPL380#5513028246488272354

By comparison, several locals are consistently weaker than that - a 5kW at 9 miles on 910 on night pattern, a 2.9kW on 1170 at night who diplexes with the previous (50kW day), a 1kW 8 miles away on 1360 at night (5kW day), a 50kW 32 miles away on 690 at night (77kW day), among other weaker ones. My PL-380's signal display maxes out at 63,25. The only stronger stations, all locals, than the pictured one are: 600 KOGO (5kW, IBOC, 8 miles), 690 XEWW on day pattern, 760 KFMB (5kW day, 50kW night, 7 miles), 910 KECR on night pattern, 1130 KSDO (10kW, 6 miles), 1170 KCBQ on day pattern (50kW), and 1360 KLSD on day pattern.
The above station pictured doesn't always hit that level, but it does regularly get within 6-8dB of it. I also remember on my previous portable, a Panasonic RQ-SW20 (which I still have), even before they turned on their IBOC buzzer I would often see them light the tuning LED on the adjacent channel some winter nights, which is otherwise only done by my above mentioned locals. (I've also seen 1530 KFBK Sacramento, CA, do the same thing at times on the Panasonic, but I haven't yet checked out how strong it gets on my PL-380.)

So who here has had skywave reception (using only a small portable's built-in antenna, and FYI a GE / RCA / whatever brand SuperRadio or equivalent is too big) that would compete with that? :)
 
Kind of a tough one because I've used everything from cheap clock radios to Superradios. In Ohio I could give WLAC an S9 (stronger than WSM.) WTAM may have been 2nd.
Still sorting the dial out in Tennessee; WLW is about an S5 and so is WCKY. I was surprized to get a strong WMAL on 630 last night.
 
Well, other than the superradio (for this thread I prefer loggings made with a radio at or under 6" in its largest dimension, or with an antenna no longer than 4"), what would take the cake? Also is there another way you can describe your S9 reception of WLAC? To me, a S9 would be like receiving a 50kW local 5 miles away in the middle of the dial over good ground (not saltwater though), including splattering several channels across the dial, and/or desensitizing and blocking weak signals on the same - definitely overloading the front end to a level that a typical listener may notice. (On my PL-380, if it's not showing at least a 49,00 noise floor due to desensitization at least on the 2nd or 3rd adjacent, it's not an S9. A S7 generally is about 60,25 to 63,25 (display cap) on-channel.) What does your S9 mean, or what on your scale would match my S9?
 
You mean today? Or back when AM had clears?
If we include the past, my 6 transistor Japanese pocket radio in 1966 gave me CKLW, WABC, WLAC, WSM, WBAP, KSL, and many others as an S-6 or S-7.
I agree with your descriptions of relative signal strengths and effects in reception.
 
The strongest DX I can remember was hearing KGO in the LA area on a car radio in the 60s. It would sometimes cause interference to local KABC. It came in like a local everynight. I don't know whether it's as strong these days with all the interference.
 
My best catch was getting 1200 WOAI in LA back in March, though on a car radio. A very weak signal, but I knew it was WOAI since they were airing a Spurs game that night.
 
A tough one to answer, with an Eton E5/Grundig G5 in OR, it's KFBK about 400 miles away starting about 3 in the afternoon during the fall of 2007. In VA, WBZ seemed to be a bit stronger than WFAN, WTAM, WBT, and WCBS and its IBOC hash often block out KDKA and WHO at night. I didn't measure the signals, though. Hope that answers the question. I normally use radios better at AM.
 
QTH Owensboro, KY....

Strongest skywave is WTAM Cleveland. Other clear channels along the lake front (Chicago and Detroit) are solid but not as strong as 1100.
 
radiorob2.0 said:
QTH Owensboro, KY....

Strongest skywave is WTAM Cleveland. Other clear channels along the lake front (Chicago and Detroit) are solid but not as strong as 1100.
Click to expand...
SW Ohio

I have several small portables, but I usually pick up my Sony SRF M37 for small time DX fun.

I agree with 1100/WTAM being the strongest nighttime signal, though never constantly or consistantly, followed by 860/CJBC. 650/WSM and 760/WJR. I am usually DXing when I turn on my radios, so I'm trying to tune out the stronger stations.

Although on a cluttered frequency, CJBC is often a strong signal here at my house. Not usually local strong, but strong.
 
KGO 810, CFFR 660, CBR 1010, CKMX 1060, KFBK 1530, 670 KBOI, 750 KXL, 1190 KEX to name several...

-crainbebo
 
Here in Tampa, it would have to be 870 WWL.

They can get so strong at night that the splatter sometimes takes over WCBS on 880.
 
Here northwest of Chicago, I'd have to say it varies. WCCO lately has had a stud signal. KMOX is always reliably strong. WSM, WLW, CFMZ, WHAS, WWL, WTAM, and WLAC are always reliable as well.

But for "best ever", I'll give it to KXEL on a clear cold winter night. Used to consistently pin my s-meter....albeit with occasional fading. "Next door neighbor" WCKY also used to always be good for a pin or two before they went to the nighttime pattern at Sunset Sacramento time.
 
Here in the Lowcountry of South Carolina, there aren't many. WBT can do it sometimes, up to about a S7 or so, sometmes with full quieting, but rarely. We are on the very edge of its cancellation zone, so it gets some noise, and another station interferes usually.

WPTF also does it a lot, more often than WBT. WWL is strong enough sometimes to almost override WCBS on a walkman. WLAC also does it very frequently, coming in earlier in the day than most of the other clears.

WCBS does it some during the winter, but my best ever was WBT. About five or six times, I've picked them up with no interference, and just a little hum. When that happens, it interferes with 1120 and 1100 from Cleveland (which also comes in strong).

WBT stays in almost all day during the winter, and on a good radio, sometimes even during the summer.
 
In SW Fla-Englewood to be exact the strongest AM station on skywave is 1110 Charlotte. And it's not real strong all the time.
 
Have you ever measured skywave with a field strength meter? I had a couple of them for several months at a time (the people didn't need to use them for a while and wanted to keep the contacts and switches exercised and unoxidized). I measured several signals in the 10 mV/m rance form Southeast Michigan. WMVP, WCKY, and WOWO before they reduced night power to 9800 watts were the strongest. WWJ and WFDF on 50 kW at twilight are in that range near the Straits of Mackinac.

A similar question is what stations have you heard skywave with a crystal radio. Back in the day, I would hear WCFL and WOWO with a 130 foot antenna on a crystal radio. With a germanium diode, I figured that it had to be more than 5 mV/m with that antenna to be heard.

Anyone get substantially more than a 10 mV/m measured skywave?
 
Schroedingers Cat said:
Have you ever measured skywave with a field strength meter? I had a couple of them for several months at a time (the people didn't need to use them for a while and wanted to keep the contacts and switches exercised and unoxidized). I measured several signals in the 10 mV/m rance form Southeast Michigan. WMVP, WCKY, and WOWO before they reduced night power to 9800 watts were the strongest. WWJ and WFDF on 50 kW at twilight are in that range near the Straits of Mackinac.

A similar question is what stations have you heard skywave with a crystal radio. Back in the day, I would hear WCFL and WOWO with a 130 foot antenna on a crystal radio. With a germanium diode, I figured that it had to be more than 5 mV/m with that antenna to be heard.

Anyone get substantially more than a 10 mV/m measured skywave?
Click to expand...

Regarding crystal radios, the stations I heard the best in the Chicago area were WJJD and at night WLW.
 
I had relatives in Park Ridge, radioman, and WJJD blasted in there on the crystal radio. Once they signed off in the old days, you'd get WGN. Not sure why WBBM didn't or I didn't notice it. The predicted signal for WJJD was about 400 mV/m there and pinned the signal meter on my Sony (12 on a 10 point maximum scale. Never had a field strength meter there. WGN and WBBM were just past the 10 end of the scale, predicted at about 100 mV/m. WMAQ was about 10, close to 100 mV/m predicted. Groundwave of course.
 
Ralphie from A Christmas Story, based on the life of Jean Shepherd, would most likely have had a crystal radio. Where he really lived on Cleveland Ave. in NW Indiana, he would have received WIND and WJOB. He did have a ham license (Jean Shepherd that is), K2ORS.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom