AM Frequency of the Week: 640 (Re-start)

So let's try this one again! Frank, if you're hanging around, perhaps you can delate the attempts that I...and Bruce...made to start the thread when the board was down. I don't believe it's possible to post in those. Thanks....and thanks to those who got the board back up and running.

Back OT. Frequency of the week: 640

Days here far northwest suburbs of Chicago. It's a very weak, but usually reliable, WMFN from the Grand Rapids, Michigan area. With a good radio, especially in winter, it's possible to catch WOI in the background. As many of you know, WMFN has a CP to move to the far southwest suburbs of Chicago. 4400 watts aimed right at the city should provide a fairly respectable signal.

Nights: Currently it's aa mix of stations with WMFN most frequently on top. WOI is "second most likely" to surface. When WMFN comes on semi-locally with 1600 watts nighttime, it should comfortably own the channel, but I'd expect to hear other stations in the background, and an easy-to-null signal.

Retro: In the '60s and on into the mid-70s KFI was often doable, but I wouldn't call it regular. By the late '70s and into the '80s, KFI became less frequent, and when WWLS came on nights from Oklahoma, it was usually on top. Actually, I haven't heard either one, at least in identifiable form, for quite a while. Evenings before sunset in Los Angeles, often would produce WHLO from Akron.

Downtown St. Petersburg,FL 33701- about 4 blocks from Tampa Bay, 640- medium to strong Cuba, day and night; when WDAE 620 had their IBOC/HD on, the Cuban 640 didn't come in very well, due to the IBOC-hash-clutter, but now, the 640 from Cuba is strong enough day and night to stop at 640 when scanning on the car radio.

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Eastern Hernando county, FL Ridge Manor E; medium to strong WVLG-640-the Villages, at night WVLG is on top on Cuba, but just barely some nights.

Near north Chicago suburbs it's a fair WMFN during the day. At night a weaker WMFN in a mix with WOI & others. Pre sunrise KWPN formerly WWLS sometimes comes in.

Retro: Before WMFN came on WOI could be heard here during the day on a good radio weak, but steady.
I first heard KFI at night in the Chicago area in 1962. At that time it was a big thrill for this "young DXer" to finally hear the west coast. KFI could be heard here fairly well especially in the winter in the 70s & 80s. In the 90s & early 2000s I could still catch it pre sunrise. In fact I often heard it on my car radio on early winter mornings.
In recent years I haven't heard KFI here at all.

Forgot about Cuba. Especially in the '70s, I'd hear it more often than KFI.

Very weak CFMJ Toronto days, Very strong CFMJ at night, and sometimes Boston's NPR affiliate comes through.

Houston daytime - extremely weak signals, almost impossible to identify. One seems to be a news talk station. One seems to be in Spanish. Another seems to be a sports talk station. But crosstalk from a local 650 always seems to kick in right when I am about to get an ID or a commercial that might give me a clue. I assume the sports talk is the one in Oklahoma City, but I don't have a clue about the other two. It takes an 8 foot loop and a Hammarlund SP-600 to pull them in at all.

Nighttime is the usual mush - not worth the effort.

rbrucecarter5 said:

Houston daytime - extremely weak signals, almost impossible to identify. One seems to be a news talk station. One seems to be in Spanish. Another seems to be a sports talk station. But crosstalk from a local 650 always seems to kick in right when I am about to get an ID or a commercial that might give me a clue. I assume the sports talk is the one in Oklahoma City, but I don't have a clue about the other two. It takes an 8 foot loop and a Hammarlund SP-600 to pull them in at all.
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Could one of those signals....likely the news-talk....be KTIB? They have a good signal along the central gulf coast. I can hear them (weak, daytime) at the place where we frequently stay on the beach near Pensacola).

Without an ID, I would never confirm it. They are the closest, and most plausible news talk. KWPN is the closest sports station, and the most plausible. But the Spanish language station dominates a bit, I have no idea what it could be. There are nine listed on radio-locator from 600 to 900 miles away.

640 here is a weak signal from whatever the call letters are for the signal in South Florida (it used to be WMEN). They carry the New York Yankees games in South Florida. I have heard them in Freeport and Nassau as well, strong. In Myrtle Beach, you get WFNC, Fayetteville, NC there. It sometimes mixes in with the FL 640 down here.

Warminster PA(Philly 'burbs):

Daytime: WWJZ Mount Holly NJ(christian talk, ex-Radio Disney).
Night: same station, only weaker.

Daytime - nothing

Nighttime - KFI Usually a good signal too.

Nothing much has fallen into the 640 bucket since last time around (I don't remember if it was here or on the Venta/Fybush board).

Daytime here in NEPA: WWJZ from NJ
A few sunsets past : WFNC NC, CHOG from Canada and WHLO as a CCH stations.
One night log was from WGST in GA.
The only one I have taped is CHOG:

Retro, in a way:
My folks lived in the Villages, FL, from 1994 to 2013. The aforementioned WVLG 640 was really, really loud. They signed on playing the Standards, then switched to Oldies when the demos and retirees who had 'aged into retirement age' replaced and eventually outnumbered the original settlers.
From where my Folks lived, I could walk to WVLG's studios in five minutes. My Long Island DJ buddy Big Ed Newlands jocked there and we shot the breeze, exchanging mutual 'Of all the radio joints in the world' taunts. 'What are YOU doing here?' 'No, what are YOU doing here?'

Anyway, on my second-to-last visit to the Folks' place, I decided to try to hear and tape a station on every AM frequency late at night, off the trusty GE SR II. And I did. Of course, I didn't get that many actual * IDs *, but my work was done.
One of the things on tape was from when I somehow arranged for a wicked null of WVLG itself -- when Big Ed was on the air. The null I achieved probably slowed down the RPM of the songs he was playing.
The WVLG stick is west of the Villages, not at the studios. So what I guess was Cuba was coming in via the null. When I told Big Ed this, he feigned sulking. 'You got rid my MY SHOW so you could hear CUBA?' he said, in mock umbrage.

I would guess Cuba (R. Progreso) would be a major pest for WVLG.

Here in Cincinnati on the 640 Dial.

In the daytime it's really nothing. But in the nighttime I can hear scrambled up mess. One night, I've been listening to 640 and but suddenly One of the radio stations told their call letters. I was really surprised by that!

Nighttime : (Yep You see it) Scrambled up mess with a call letters of one station I've got. But guess the radio station I've heard from their call letters. If You got the right call letters. I'll tell You.

It's 640 WHLO Arkon, OH. It's a pretty unexpected catch!

Daytime:::Nothing ( maybe a hint of KFI, but haven't really tried daytime dxing )

Nights:::The one and only KFI 640 from Los Angeles. This is a 50KW, class A clear channel station. I'd be curious to know how far out east this monster signal can travel. Being a native Californian ( politics aside ), this is one station that is dear to my heart as I grew up with this station.

formula72 said:

Daytime:::Nothing ( maybe a hint of KFI, but haven't really tried daytime dxing )

Nights:::The one and only KFI 640 from Los Angeles. This is a 50KW, class A clear channel station.

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KFI is listenable all the way to Vegas daytime on most car radios. Before the FCC "opened up" the former I-A clears, it wasn't unusual to hear KFI at night here in the Chicago area.