Strong AM signals

[DavidEduardo]

WCKY is another station that used to make it down here prior to its DA flip. I haven't heard them in years; during the day I receive 1530ESPN out of Austin, but once the skywave starts to kick in, 1530 is all Spanish.

KGBT Harlingen.

In South Central Texas, WSM is fairly reliable at night. I pull in WSB at sunset and a little after, but Spanish also rules 750 at night. I'm not sure if I'm receiving El Paso, although one night I think I had Caracas.

Caracas is 100 kw, nicely installed. And non directional. El Paso is directional to protect WSB.

[BRNout]

I once had a flight where there was a change of planes in Cleveland and I had about an hour to wait for my next flight and I remember sitting there in the terminal and listening to what I could get on my little Walkman.

WJR was coming in good and AM reception is usually not that good in general in airport terminals.

Not a bad signal for being about 100 miles away received in those conditions.


Oh, and this was during the day, between 12 and 1 pm.

WJR is practically like a local around Cleveland.  I recall driving north on I-271 near Mayfield Heights (east of Cleveland) at about 3:30 pm on a summer afternoon (about 3 years ago).  Was looking around AM and using the seek function of my radio when it landed on 760.  To be honest, I was a little slow that day and was wondering what this station was that dared compete head to head with WTAM and how they could have secured the rights to Hannity on such a nearby signal.  Needless to say, I was shocked to hear the WJR ID, news and traffic at the next break.  

On subsequent trips to the Cleveland area, WJR has always provided an impressive daytime signal in the area and - on a drive from there to Buffalo - I held WJR all the way up past Dunkirk, NY.  Past that point, it started having issues from adjacent local signals.  

I have yet to hear WLW during the day here in the Chicago area and don't see it happening thanks to the hyper-muscular signal of WGN in my area which splashes all the way down to 700 at times.   WGN is the strongest AM at my house, followed closely by WBBM.

[radioman148]

I once had a flight where there was a change of planes in Cleveland and I had about an hour to wait for my next flight and I remember sitting there in the terminal and listening to what I could get on my little Walkman.

WJR was coming in good and AM reception is usually not that good in general in airport terminals.

Not a bad signal for being about 100 miles away received in those conditions.


Oh, and this was during the day, between 12 and 1 pm.

WJR is practically like a local around Cleveland.  I recall driving north on I-271 near Mayfield Heights (east of Cleveland) at about 3:30 pm on a summer afternoon (about 3 years ago).  Was looking around AM and using the seek function of my radio when it landed on 760.  To be honest, I was a little slow that day and was wondering what this station was that dared compete head to head with WTAM and how they could have secured the rights to Hannity on such a nearby signal.  Needless to say, I was shocked to hear the WJR ID, news and traffic at the next break.  

On subsequent trips to the Cleveland area, WJR has always provided an impressive daytime signal in the area and - on a drive from there to Buffalo - I held WJR all the way up past Dunkirk, NY.  Past that point, it started having issues from adjacent local signals.  

I have yet to hear WLW during the day here in the Chicago area and don't see it happening thanks to the hyper-muscular signal of WGN in my area which splashes all the way down to 700 at times.   WGN is the strongest AM at my house, followed closely by WBBM.

I can still get WLW during the day on the Kennedy on the northside in my car. I can't get WJR during the day anymore due to the AM on 750 in Portage, Indiana.

[BRNout]

I can still get WLW during the day on the Kennedy on the northside in my car. I can't get WJR during the day anymore due to the AM on 750 in Portage, Indiana.

I'll have to give it a try sometime when I am NOT at home.  Because WGN is very strong in this area and so far I haven't had any daytime luck with WLW.  However, we'll see about it sometime when I am a little farther away from WGN's tx site.  As for WJR, I've tried several times during the day but they can't seem to overcome the slop from WBBM's obnoxious hash maker. 

[Len14043]

I travel to Chicago a few times a year and can receive WLW easily on I-80 and quite well in the downtown area near and along the lake. WLW is a challenge near O'Hare and the northwest suburbs because of 670 and 720. As you continue on north, WLW is weak but listenable in Milwaukee. For some reason, WLW seems to make it into Chicago better than the Chicago clears make it into Cincinnati. WJR put a faint signal into Chicago. I'm speaking only in terms of daytime reception.

[radioman148]

I can still get WLW during the day north of Chicago, but absolutely no luck with WJR.
In the early 60s not only could I get WJR during the day, but 1130 (WCAR) came in also before WISN moved to 1130. Also I could hear CKLW during the day.
Never could get KMOX during the day because of WMBI, but 550 in St. Louis always came in.
Also KWMT Fort Dodge, Ia was a daytime catch before Jackson, Wi came on as well as WOI Ames, Ia. All of these daytime catches in the 60s.
It's a whole different AM band now.

[BobOnTheJob]

It's a whole different AM band now.

And a whole different FM band and a whole different TV band. Maybe the prez saw all the change on the broadcast bands & decided to jump on the band wagon. Results are the same...his 'change' seems about as popular with voters as the AM/FM/TV changes are with DXers.

[airpab]

KOA/Denver seems to have the widest swath of omni-directional coverage at night?  No?

I'm in Northern California and get it regularly.  I think a few on here have said they get it in Michigan?

Anyone know if KOA is indeed the most wide-covering, omni-directional AM signal in the US?

[Tim from Springfield, IL]

In Springfield, IL on my car radio, during the day I can get a strong, reliable signal of 1000-watt WCAZ-990 from Carthage, IL (110 miles northwest).  I've also picked up WCAZ at least faintly in SW Wisconsin during the day before (about 175 miles northwest of Carthage), and fairly reliably as far east as Decatur and the St. Louis metro area.  Pretty impressive for a small radio station with a 1kw stick in far western Illinois.

[gar fla]

KOA/Denver seems to have the widest swath of omni-directional coverage at night?  No?

I'm in Northern California and get it regularly.  I think a few on here have said they get it in Michigan?

Anyone know if KOA is indeed the most wide-covering, omni-directional AM signal in the US?

It's a regular here in Tampa at night and if it weren't for our local splatter from 860, it would be listenable much of the time too.

It actually comes in better than some of the big New York stations.