A trip to North Dakota (Aftermath)

In this thread, I will talk about the AM captures in Bismarck, North Dakota. Let's get on with it.
On the way of this trip, It is the daytime. I was passing some 50KW targets along the way.
I have listened to 1070 WFNI, 1120 KMOX. 50KW Chicago stations 670, 720, 780, 890, and 1000. 1540 KXEL, 1040 WHO, 1110 KFAB and then back 830 WCCO, 1500 KSTP, and 1670 WOZN.
I have traveled to Cincinnati, OH as My start and then take a break to Omamha, NE in a hotel.
I've listened to dial 700, But 700 WLW isn't there in the very late sunset but 1530 ESPN affilate WCKY came in.
After that, My family, and I went to go to Custer, South Dakota for three days. I have listened to 700 and 1530 in Custer, South Dakota.

Here's the radio stations I received in Custer, SD

700 WLW Cincinnati, OH Low-Hearable
920 KKLS Rapid City, SD Local
1060 KGFX Pierre, SD Hearable Received in Sunset
1510 KCKK Littleton, CO Hearable
1530 WCKY Cincinnati, OH Hearable with mixed stations underneath.
1610 WQYU Pirate Radio Close to Custer from 6 miles. Semi-Local? "Crazy Horse Memorial" News. Man saying, Repeating. Is that really a pirate radio station?
1630 Spanish Possibly KRND Fox Farm, WY
1650 Spanish Possibly KBJD Denver, CO

700 and 1530 from My come city came in. I was happy that I heard these two signals.
After those days. My family and I traveled to Bismarck, ND.
Hours of listening of the AM signals, I've heard These kind of radio stations.

540 CBK Watrous, SK Hearable
550 KFYR Bismarck, ND Local
600 KSJB Jamestown, ND Semi-Local Hearable
650 CKOM Saskatoon, SK Semi-Hearable with other radio stations mixing underneath.
670 WSCR Chicago, IL Hearable outside, But not in the inside of the house.
680 CJOB Winnipeg, MB Hearable
690 Spanish Low-Hearable Possibly XEWW Baja California, Mexico
700 WLW Cincinnati, OH All Interfered with Local 710.
710 KXMR Bismarck, ND Local
720 WGN Chicago, IL All Interfered with Local 710.
740 KNFL Fargo, ND Semi-Hearable
760 WJR Detroit, MI Hearable outside, But not in the inside of the house.
780 WBBM Chicago, IL Hearable outside, But not in the inside of the house.
820 Christan Talk Possibly WBKK Wilton, MI and Possibly WBAP Fort Worth, TX in the area.
830 WCCO Minneapolis, MN Hearable
850 KOA Denver, CO Hearable
860 Spanish Possibly CJBC Toronto, ON Semi-Hearable
880 KRVN Lexington, NE Semi-Hearable with stations mixed and underneath.
890 WLS Chicago, IL Hearable outside, But not in the inside of the house.
900 CKBI-2 Prince Albert, SK Hearable Coverage map pointed to North. Maybe didn't puted in nighttime coverage?
1020 Spanish Semi-Hearable Possibly KMMQ Plattsmouth, NE
1040 WHO Des Moines, IO Hearable
1060 KGFX Pierre, SD Mixed Semi-Hearable
1090 Mixed Possibly KAAY Little Rock, AR
1110 KFAB Omaha, NE Hearable, Probably the best signal to hear in the house.
1130 KBMR Bismarck, ND Local
1160 KSL Salt Lake City, UT Hearable, Got the Legal ID Recorded "KSL FM Midfield, KSL Salt Lake City. KSL news radio 102.7 and the 1160 am." Recorded with a new 3DS XL with headphones and a mic attached. Also, That's My first Legal ID recorded!
1270 KLXX Bismarck-Mandan, ND Local
1380 KOTA Rapid City, SD Hearable with mixed radio stations underneath.
1460 KLTC Dickinson, ND Hearable with mixed stations underneath.
1500 KSTP Minneapolis, MN Hearable
1510 KCKK Littleton, CO Hearable
1520 Mixed Possibly KOKC Oklahoma City, OK
1530 WCKY Cincinnati, OH Hearable with mixed stations underneath.
1540 KXEL Waterloo, IO Hearable
1610 Spanish Possibly CHHA Toronto, ON Semi-Hearable with mixed stations.

After that. I was playing My DS for a while and listened to some FM stations along the way to Madison, WI.
A couple stops for food, We had made it to Madison, WI, Home of 1670 WOZN.
I've listened to other signals coming right into Madison, WI in the nighttime.

These are the stations I've gotten from Madison, WI

670 WSCR Chicago, IL Semi-Local Hearable
700 WLW Cincinnati, OH Hearable
720 WGN Chicago, IL Semi-Local Hearable
780 WBBM Chicago, IL Semi-Local Hearable
830 WCCO Minneapolis, MN Hearable
890 WLS Chicago, IL Semi-Local Hearable
940 WFAW Fort Atkinson, WI Semi-Local Received at sunset Hearable
1000 WMVP Chicago, IL Semi-Local Hearable
1070 WTSO Madison, WI Local
1530 WCKY Cincinnati, OH Hearable
1670 WOZN Madison, WI Local

If You want to hear many small and Canadian radio stations. Just come to North, and South Dakota for the radio stations. You'll find variety!

All of these radio stations was received on radio model Sony ICF-SW7600GR

After that, I came home to Cincinnati. Home, Sweet, Home.

The 2 stations you listed as "Spanish" on 690 and 860 are actually French stations from Saskatchewan. There is no Spanish radio available at all except for CHHA on rare occasions. 690 is CBKF-1 from Gravelbourg, Saskatchewan and 860 is CBKF from Saskatoon.

Thanks mimo for the heads up for dial 690 and 860.

Thanks for posting the bandscan from your trip.

WQYU708 on 1610 in Custer. It's a TIS station (Traveler's Information Station). These stations are operated by either the state's Department of Transportation or ran by the city government. Some provide road conditions while others have weather info and information about a particular place. The Custer TIS has information related to the ongoing construction of Crazy Horse Monument.
My local 1610 (and 530 khz) TIS stations carry road construction information (and in winter, mountain pass conditions) and are owned by the Washington State DOT. Down in Toppenish, 20 miles from me, 1610 is a different story - it's another TIS (WPKV296) with a tape loop of events happening in the city. Toppenish is the home base for the Yakama Indian Reservation and has lots of activities each year. This is NOT owned by the state of WA, it's owned by the City of Toppenish.

I'd read and replied first to your earlier post, Schlep 82. Then I tapped into this thread. Sorry for jumping the gun.
So I see you are using a Japanese radio in the USA to hear Canadian stations, lol.

Bandscans are a blast! It was a few years ago at my Folks' home in Central Florida that I got to hear (and tape) stations on every frequency over the course of a few evenings. That was at night, of course, using a barefoot GE SR 2 and a cassette deck. The GE SR 2 only went up to 1630, though.

As someone mentioned: If it were at night, your 860 was the French CJBC from Toronto. At least that's the city to where the station is licensed. With this house came included a Hamilton Beach can-opener/AM-FM radio. It's always tuned to 860.
Thumbnail DXing tip: If you listen to a foreign language for a while and don't hear a long 'I' sound, it's French.

Good DX, Schlep 82 !

Steve Green NEPA said:

The GE SR 2 only went up to 1630, though.

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The GE SR 2 easily re-tunes to cover to 1700. You need to make a new dial, though. I just tape mine on the outside. That was when KVNS actually mattered to me - I had every radio in the house converted to cover the X-band.

Great report Schlep. Thanks!

Are there other radio stations I've missed? If You know. Just tell Me, and I'll think about it.

Steve Green NEPA said:

I'd read and replied first to your earlier post, Schlep 82. Then I tapped into this thread. Sorry for jumping the gun.
So I see you are using a Japanese radio in the USA to hear Canadian stations, lol.

Bandscans are a blast! It was a few years ago at my Folks' home in Central Florida that I got to hear (and tape) stations on every frequency over the course of a few evenings. That was at night, of course, using a barefoot GE SR 2 and a cassette deck. The GE SR 2 only went up to 1630, though.

As someone mentioned: If it were at night, your 860 was the French CJBC from Toronto. At least that's the city to where the station is licensed. With this house came included a Hamilton Beach can-opener/AM-FM radio. It's always tuned to 860.
Thumbnail DXing tip: If you listen to a foreign language for a while and don't hear a long 'I' sound, it's French.

Good DX, Schlep 82 !

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In places like Iowa, 860 would be CJBC, but not so in North Dakota. You're right below Saskatchewan, and even in the daytime some of those stations from north of the border make it as far south as Bismark. He definitely has Saskatoon at 860.

Je suis corrigé, monsieur !

But are you sure about the language part of the reception? Is the 860 in Saskatoon 'foreign'language' ?

I am positive. 860 in Saskatoon is a 10 kw Radio Canada affiliate, just like CJBC. I'm very familiar with the area and know that CJBC is long gone by the time you reach North Dakota. French would be a foreign language to Americans but it isn't to us. Like CJBC, CBKF gives it's calls, in French, between programmes. 690 in Gravelbourg is a repeater of 860 and the 2 stations coverage overlaps. It is also 10 KW but is located more in the southwest portion of the province. There is a good portion of Saskatchewan the receives both as a local signal. In Regina, 690 is so strong, that for years I thought it was the Regina affiliate, not knowing the transmitter is a good 2 hours away. 860 also has excellent coverage in Regina, being about the same distance away.

Oddly enough I have never heard CJBC Toronto, even though CFZM has come in multiple times. When I tune in 860 and it's French, it's always // to 690 CBKF-1, so CBKF-2 Saskatoon. Maybe someday I'll hear two FF stations and finally confirm CJBC. I wasn't able to catch CHFA or CKSB before they both went off.

crainbebo said:

Oddly enough I have never heard CJBC Toronto, even though CFZM has come in multiple times. When I tune in 860 and it's French, it's always // to 690 CBKF-1, so CBKF-2 Saskatoon. Maybe someday I'll hear two FF stations and finally confirm CJBC.

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At my home in the Chicago area, for whatever reason, CJBC is typically the weaker of the two. Although lately it's been barreling in at least as strong as CFZM. That said, where I am right now in Florida, CJBC is almost always....at least for me...a much easier catch. A little hard to figure, because as I'm sure you know, they're diplexed with CFZM on the same stick in an open area just off the 401 freeway west of Toronto. I've driven by it dozens of times.

It's different here in Ottawa. Both CJBC and CFZM are equal strength in the day, but CJBC is stronger at night.

FWIW both Saskatchewan French CBKF AM stations frequently make it here to Western WA at night, as crainbebo can also attest. They get out rather well.

mimo said:

It's different here in Ottawa. Both CJBC and CFZM are equal strength in the day, but CJBC is stronger at night.

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That was always my experience during the years I made the Ottawa-Toronto run a few times each year. Regardless of whether I did it vial 401/416, highway 15 through Smiths Falls, or "the scenic route"--highways 7/37 through Perth and Tweed (which was actually confirmed as the quickest by a reporter who drove and timed all three for an article in the Ottawa Citizen.