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AM Frequency of the Week: 540 (New format idea)

cyberdad

cyberdad

Administrator
Staff member
I had an idea last week to bring some order to this feature. Rather than try to choose F.O.T.W. on a random basis, I thought we'd just do things in dial position order....but with a twist. So let's start at the bottom with the North American clears that used to contain more than one "dominant" station (the old 1-Bs). I thought we'd start there because we just had a thread that primairly had to do with the old "1-A" blowtorches. So we'll begin at 540, and next time go up to 680, and so on. Okay, then, what are you guys hearing lately on 540?

Here northwest of Chicago daytime, it's a fair signal from WAUK from Jackson, WI. Just northwest of Milwaukee. On a really good radio, KWMT is audible underneath (barely).

At night, WAUK throws a lobe in my direction, so it's usually on top of CBK. On rare occasions when conditions are just right, CBK can overtake WAUK on a sustained basis. A couple of years back, KWMT stayed on day power for several nights and also basically took over the channel here.
 
East Tennessee (Knoxville/Sevierville) by day WRGG, Sylva NC. Sunset or by night, WDAK and others. I've not managed to hear WFLF though WOKV and even WBOB are sunset regulars.
 
In the near north Chicago suburbs during the day a pretty good WAUK. At night a weaker WAUK with CBK sometimes in there fighting. Many years ago before WAUK, previously WYLO, signed on I used to be able to hear KWMT during the day, but not anymore.
 
540 in Islip,NY. Incredible signal. I get them in Eastern Pennsylvania during the day. Their format is Spanish Religion. I'm sure they have a tiny audience,but what a signal. Millions of potential listeners.
 
Daytime log here in NE PA has WWCS Canonsburg PA real weak (home once to Perry Como
and Bobby Vinton!).

CJSB from Canada and -- a goodie, WLIX from Long Island are the nighttime logs.
I don't have any of them taped, regrettably. I hope you folks trust my word on
all of that epochal DX largesse, hi.

* * * * * * *

Olden 60's days near JFK Airport, we'd often hear a SSS litany of sign-offs: First WLIX, then
WDMV DelMarVa, KNOE Louisiana, sometimes the Canonsburg PA station, and a surprisingly loud KWMT from Iowa at times.
The-then WGTO from Central Florida occasionally would be in the parade of sign offs.
Nighttimes it was usually CBT -- the announcer would pronounce the COL as 'Gronnnd Falls'.
CBK was a toughie, rarely logged, despite what's been heralded on these pages as an
incredible signal.
 
Here in Charleston, WFLF comes in well daytime with its 50kw signal and water path. WYNN Florence is usually heard under it. At night, it is a mix of stations.
 
CJSB hasn't been on AM since 1994. They flipped to 106.9 in September of that year.
That being said you don't really hear anything here in it's former hometown of Ottawa.
 
@ Mimo: Yes, the CJSB logging indeed was from May 23 1994. Sorry if I gave the impression that they are a nighttime 'regular' here.
The WLIX logging was from 5 months later. I considered it a 'goodie' because I used to work there as a newsman for a while. At the time of their logging here in NE PA, they were something like 220 watts nighttime. I once caught them, about 1PM, on the Delaware Memorial Bridge. Benale is right. That's an incredible signal they had at 250 watts -- and now they're 10,000 watts.

On signals, Mimo, reiterating: Have you gotten CBK from where you are? Lots of people genuflect before the CBK DAYtime coverage and consider it to be in the top five or so sensational signals. Yet, as I said, it was most often CBT Grand Falls by us at night near JFK Airport.
 
North of Atlanta, WDAK during the day, WRCG as sunset approaches. At night, mostly WKFN and WASG.
 
I've heard CBK probably 5 times in Ottawa since CBEF moved to 1550. It's by no means a regular, and when it does come in, it's often very weak and barely intelligible. I have to listen for certain audible clues at times. There have been times it has come in and been listenable. I grew up listening to CBK and using it as a test to see how good a radio was. If I got it home and it couldn't pick up the station, it was a lousy radio. Luckily that never happened. I lived in Calgary when I got into listening to radio. The signal is very good there. It would easily stop the scan feature on any radio.
 
Springfield, IL (good car radio only and away from noise): Marginal daytime signal from KWMT (perhaps with hints of Clarksville, TN underneath, especially in late afternoons), plus faint slop from 550 KTRS St. Louis.
 
mimo said:
I've heard CBK probably 5 times in Ottawa since CBEF moved to 1550. It's by no means a regular, and when it does come in, it's often very weak and barely intelligible. I have to listen for certain audible clues at times. There have been times it has come in and been listenable.
Click to expand...

Your post make me think of our old friend Tincap, who used to be a regular here and was living about an hour south of you in Brockville. Here's a guy who snagged all manner of stuff from Europe and all over North America, but last I heard had never logged CBK despite numerous attempts.

Miss you, Tincap. If you're still around lurking, we need to see your stuff back on this board!
 
cyberdad said:
Your post make me think of our old friend Tincap, who used to be a regular here and was living about an hour south of you in Brockville. Here's a guy who snagged all manner of stuff from Europe and all over North America, but last I heard had never logged CBK despite numerous attempts.

Miss you, Tincap. If you're still around lurking, we need to see your stuff back on this board!
Click to expand...

I found him on another board when this one went under for a bit, and he said he had finally logged it, and then it became fairly regular for him. He got it before I did, and that made me believe it was possible. My logs have been barefoot, picking it up on my G8 when walking home from work.
 
WASG day and night from Mobile, but I'm only about 20 miles from the transmitter site. If not for local QRM the signal 24 hours a day would be pretty solid. Prior to WASG's move to 540, I used to hear WDAK out of Columbus a lot at night.
 
south of Minnesota River (suburban Minneapolis)

Daytime - WXYG "The Goat" Sauk Rapids/St Cloud, MN

Nightime -mix of WXYG and CBK (moreso CBK)
 
I've heard "The Goat" getting stomped on (or should I say "head-butted") in broad daylight by CBK northwest of Wadena on U.S. 10.
 
from West Houston. Daytime - very weak KDFT. Sunset - WFLF. Nighttime - cacophony
 
cyberdad said:
I've heard "The Goat" getting stomped on (or should I say "head-butted") in broad daylight by CBK northwest of Wadena on U.S. 10.
Click to expand...

oh I know. I have a lake house on Mille Lacs (30 miles east of Brainerd) and there are times I have the same situation during the day.
 
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