AM Frequency of the Week: 890

Like the three Chicago 50KW non-directional blowtorches, this is going to be an easy one. Albeit a little different than the others.

Day: WLS with a good signal. Last week, when I wrote about WLS' splatter effect on 880, I think I said that their tower was 60 or so miles to my south-southeast. I double-checked that today with R-L, and the distance is actually 53 miles. That's still roughly double the distance of the other three blowtorches (670, 720, and 780), so naturally between that, the higher dial position and the development that's sprung up in the area of the WLS tower, the signal isn't in the same class as those with the closer sticks. But it's still "good".

Night: All WLS, although, on occasion, I can get some infrequent (and minor) convergence. This is a very recent development. Also if I null WLS, I can sometimes hear something very weak in Spanish underneath. It's pretty much unidentifiable, but it doesn't seem to be Cuban.

Retro/Other locations: WLS was my prized mainland DX catch as a teenager on a 1962 Impala car radio on the north shore of Oahu one Saturday night in February 1965.

Fast forward to my college days in southeast Iowa during the late '60s. WLS had a weak but listenable daytime signal from 200 miles away....and a steady following. At night, convergance was a problem for WLS, and a lot of radio dials were changed to KAAY and/or KOMA, which had better signals.

Near Ottumwa IA, WLS was the alternate button on car radios in the 60s when KIOA was playing a crap song, or at night when KIOA's pattern went west. 1969, listening to WLS with reverb on oldest brother's 1967 GTO. Animal Stories in the morning, Boogie Check at night in the 70s.

Along the Front Range in Colorado, the only Chicago ND 50 kW left at night without a local co-channel is 720 WGN. 670 is occupied by KLTT Commerce City (Denver) and the other two, 780 KCEG and 890 KJME, both licensed to Fountain, come from Tim Cutforth's six tower multiplexed plant between Colorado Springs and Pueblo. 890 has been running all Beatles (as group and as solo acts) for well over a year. They're both fairly potent AM signals, although 890's 5 kW day is the definite stronger of the two.

In the near north Chicago suburbs it's WLS day & night. I'm about 40 miles from the WLS tower. They are not as strong as the other Chicago 50KW sticks, but the reception is good.

Retro other: Back in the 60s when I first DXed from other locations, WLS had the best overall skywave signal of any Chicago station, especially in the west and south. My cousins in New Orleans had a button
on their car radio in the late 60s & 70s set to WLS as the signal there at night was like a local.
I also heard WLS in Hawaii in November of 78. Ahh the days of the clear channels.

Reynoldsburg, Ohio ...
* Daytime: All splatter from local WRFD (880). You have to be at least an hour northwest of Columbus, maybe more, to start getting any trace of WLS' daytime signal. Even as far away as Lima, WLS is audible but under WRFD slop.
* Nighttime: Almost always WLS, listenable but never quite as strong as the other Chicago 50Ks.

joebtsflk1 said:

Near Ottumwa IA, WLS was the alternate button on car radios in the 60s when KIOA was playing a crap song, or at night when KIOA's pattern went west.

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KIOA playing a crap song? Youngsie would never allow that!

Seriously, although KIOA had its major lobe aimed west (or west-northwest), they did send a smaller "spike" east-southeast. The result where I was in Mount Pleasant ....50 miles east of Ottumwa....was a very listenable night signal. Usually strong enough to take out CBM (Montreal). If anything, KIOA at night was easier than daytime, because splatter from WTAD (930 from Quincy, IL) was less of an issue.

In the other direction, while I was in college, I had a girlfriend who was from Rockwell City, Iowa. 100 or so miles northwest of Des Moines. Throughout high school and when she was home from college, she listened to KIOA day and night.

(apologies for the veer)

I want to add to what Cyberdad alluded to earlier: The WLS signal is nowhere near as good as it was years ago day or night. Apparently, all the building that's gone on around their transmitter site has really degraded their signal. In the 60s & 70s when I drove by their site there was nothing but farmland all around the site.

radioman148 said:

I want to add to what Cyberdad alluded to earlier: The WLS signal is nowhere near as good as it was years ago day or night. Apparently, all the building that's gone on around their transmitter site has really degraded their signal. In the 60s & 70s when I drove by their site there was nothing but farmland all around the site.

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WLS here all night and all day. But my report is the same, from 200 miles west: the signal is considerably poorer than, say, 20-40 years ago, both day and night.

gr8oldies said:

Lafayette, IN. When I lived there in the 90s, WLS was the strongest of the Chicago clears and would stop scan in West Lafayette.

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I think WLS showed up in a couple Arbitron books in Lafayette. I never worked in the Lafayette market, but I'd peek at the 12+ published ratings from time to time when I worked in central Indiana in the 90s-2000s.

Regarding other stations on 890, I had a friend who lived in Memphis, Tn and he was frustrated in the early morning hours during fall & winter when he wanted to listen to Larry Lujack on WLS, but got heavy interference from the Laurel, Ms station. Also, another friend in the Oklahoma City area had to wait for then "KBYE" in OKC to signoff so he could hear WLS.
when I was down there in the OKC area WLS used to overpower the local on 890 during critical hours.

It used to be that I could get WLS sporadically in the daytime in West TN during the Fall and Winter in the late 70's.

The only excitement I have about 890 is retro.

Midland, Lubbock 1960,70's - WLS was somewhat weaker than KOMA, but had its following throughout West Texas.

Houston / Galveston early 1980's - it would start coming in on the beach at Galveston as early as 4 PM in the summer. Mine was not the only radio tuned to WLS on the beach!

Jackson, Michigan later 1980's - a clear and almost local AM stereo signal during the day. That is about 200 miles. They were my go-to top-40 station in Jackson, along with WKRC which was almost as strong. Then - the music died.

Houston now - shell of its former signal. Given the present format, not something I bother with. However - I had curious phenomenon 10 years ago at a rest stop West of Clayton, NM. The area is almost devoid of AM. A local graveyarder, very weak stations like KGNC, KOA, KLZ, etc. It made the AM dial very vacant. But - I was able to hear the characteristic HD AM sidebands on 660, 680, 710 (interfering with KGNC), 730, 770 (interfering with KOB), 790 (obliterating what little was left of KFYO, 880, 900. All had characteristic HD noise, which a careful DX'er can distinguish from background static. Those are the HD sideband pairs for the low band Chicago clears! There was not a trace of carrier or analog from the Chicago stations. But the sideband pairs were there, and even at that time - before the turn-off - there were really no other contenders for those sideband pairs. This convinces me that at some point, if AM all digital ever happens - amazing range may be the result. The radio I was using was not HD, but I have every reason to believe an HD radio might have decoded the Chicago stations. I observed the same phenomenon twice - at different times of the year and different times of day. I was astounded to say the least. Incidentally - I also got sideband pairs on 630 and 650 that were a little stronger. I suspect KFI. Again no proof - no carrier, no analog, just that rushing stream effect, much stronger than background static.

I have a nighttime observation, too. I was experiencing some HD sideband trash about 9 years ago on 700 and 720 at night here in Houston. I was able to null it by turning the radio. I have my father's old compass - military grade. I put it on axis with the radio. I was nulling in the exact direction of New York! I suspect WOR. I have never heard a trace of WOR in Texas. It is covered by powerhouses like KGNC, KEEL. But there were the sidebands - from the exact direction of New York.

My own observations about WLS' degraded signal....

No question the signal isn't what it used to be. At the top of the thread, I alluded to convergence here where I am 53 miles north-northwest of the WLS stick. As I indicated, that's a fairly recent development. I attribute the convergence to the weakened signal due to the much-discussed residential and commercial development near the transmitrter site. Based on my most recent travels (let's say 2016-17) the groundwave signal is weaker than it used to be in all directions.

The skywave is also weaker than it was "back in the day", but the skywave also seems to have partially recovered during the past year or two. Not to the extent that it's back to it's former self, but better than it was 5-10 years ago. The operative word here is "seems". For example, Florida is place where WLS used to be common. Then it was missing more often than not. Now it's present most nights.

Unscientific, I realize. Just one guy's experience. But I've had more success hearing WLS in distant locations via skywave during the past year or two, than I had been having in the previous 10-15 years.

Yakima WA

Days - nothing
Night - a mix of stuff, CJDC Dawson Creek BC with country, KDXU St. George UT with news/talk, and usually KYWN Meridian, ID is mixing with Spanish Religious music. KVMX Sacramento shows up during Au or around sunset with Regional Mexican. WLS Chicago is much rarer than WBBM/WGN, but it comes in a few times a year with news/talk.

Wanted on 890...
KIHC Arroyo Grande CA (Immaculate Heart), don't know why this has never made it.
KJME Fountain CO (supposedly All-Beatles music) should come out of the mud like a ton of bricks, but never does. Yet 870 has 'The Big 87, KJMP' a few times a week mixing with others. And they are lower power than KJME...whaaaatt?
KBBI Homer AK (NPR) I know I've heard 'Democracy Now!' on 890 early in the mornings, but I just can't seem to get an ID or weather forecast out of it. Would be a good log for AK #4. KTZN, KTKN and KINY are the other three. Yes, KFQD is NOT part of these three.

Warminster PA(Philly 'burbs):

Daytime: splatter from local 900 WURD(religious talk).
Night: WLS usually.

cyberdad said:

My own observations about WLS' degraded signal....

No question the signal isn't what it used to be. At the top of the thread, I alluded to convergence here where I am 53 miles north-northwest of the WLS stick. As I indicated, that's a fairly recent development. I attribute the convergence to the weakened signal due to the much-discussed residential and commercial development near the transmitrter site. Based on my most recent travels (let's say 2016-17) the groundwave signal is weaker than it used to be in all directions.

The skywave is also weaker than it was "back in the day", but the skywave also seems to have partially recovered during the past year or two. Not to the extent that it's back to it's former self, but better than it was 5-10 years ago. The operative word here is "seems". For example, Florida is place where WLS used to be common. Then it was missing more often than not. Now it's present most nights.

Unscientific, I realize. Just one guy's experience. But I've had more success hearing WLS in distant locations via skywave during the past year or two, than I had been having in the previous 10-15 years.

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I completely agree with this. WLS' skywave here as close in as Ohio is better than it was a few years ago; not nearly as good as the other four flamethrowers on a nightly basis, but it's better. 53 miles away in that ground conductivity ... you shouldn't be getting convergence. I've written in other posts before that driving between Chicago and Ohio at night, I have to get close to Columbia City or Fort Wayne to start hearing a lot of convergence with 670, 720 and 780. 1000, it starts just east of Valparaiso, but that's understandable with the higher dial position.

Does anyone know the last time WLS rebuilt their ground system? Perhaps that's the problem with their degraded recption over the years.

joebtsflk1 said:

Does anyone know the last time WLS rebuilt their ground system? Perhaps that's the problem with their degraded recption over the years.

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WLS first installed and used 120 x λ/2 buried radials. Then about 15 years ago they added another set of 120 x λ/2 radials buried slightly less deep, and bonded the common point of each set together at the the tower base. My information source: a retired C.E. of WLS.

BTW, WLS has measured their groundwave field intensity 1 km from their tower base, and shown that it meets the value expected for their tower height, carrier power and frequency. So observations about them having a weaker signal now than in "the old days" likely are based on the uncertainties of the varying losses over long, groundwave propagation paths, local noise levels, receive systems of unknown characteristics, and human perception/judgment.

rfry said:

So observations about them having a weaker signal now than in "the old days" likely are based on the uncertainties of the varying losses over long, groundwave propagation paths, local noise levels, receive systems of unknown characteristics, and human perception/judgment.

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No - basically saying that it is our imagination doesn't fly. I still own and use the same receivers that I had in the early 1980's, before the signal drain. They are in proper alignment and in good condition. I have tested at the same locations, at the same time of day, and same time of year. Something has definitely changed, as other stations behave exactly the same as they did decades ago - including the other Chicago clears. The only differences - (1) higher levels of ambient noise thanks to poorly designed electronics in use - a variable I have eliminated by repairing the problems in my listening environment. (2) more clutter on the band in the form of more stations, US and Mexican, than there used to be. Since the music died on WLS, I no longer care whether I can hear them or not. They are just another talker of little or no interest to me, playing syndicated programming I can get from dozens of other outlets.