• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

AM Frequency of the Week: 780

There could be some difference in conductivity, but it may just be distance. I wouldn't get a loud signal from WGN until around Monticello (which isn't straight up I-65 but still north.
I've had a phenomenon when I lived in Quincy, IL and would cross the Mississippi River listening to a weak daytime signal from WLS. I'd cross the bridge and it would become much louder.
 
gr8oldies said:
There could be some difference in conductivity, but it may just be distance. I wouldn't get a loud signal from WGN until around Monticello (which isn't straight up I-65 but still north.
I've had a phenomenon when I lived in Quincy, IL and would cross the Mississippi River listening to a weak daytime signal from WLS. I'd cross the bridge and it would become much louder.
Click to expand...

I used to have that experience, too, when driving in that area. Not just with WLS, but all the Chicago stations seemed to pick up in strength on the other side of that bridge.
 
True. It was like there was a loose connection in your antenna until you crossed the bridge. As I recall, KMOX was attenuated in Quincy but fine on the Missori side.
 
gr8oldies said:
True. It was like there was a loose connection in your antenna until you crossed the bridge. As I recall, KMOX was attenuated in Quincy but fine on the Missori side.
Click to expand...

And if you were crossing from Keokuk into Missouri, all the Iowa stations would drop off when you crossed the bridge and the Missouri stations would increase in strength. Something about those rivers in that area. The same effect seemed to happen crossing the Mississippi at the Quad Cities.
 
San Jose, California

Daytime..Nothing.
Nights...KKOH out of Reno, Nevada comes in pretty quite good. Last night though, KKOH was down ( not sure if it had anything to do with the recent winds we had ).

Anyways, I figured this was my one and only chance to try and score WBBM out of Chicago. First off, I'm not sure if the propagation from the east, was any good last night. Secondly, When WBBM did make it here, all I got was mumbling modulation under a lot of static, on 2 of my radios. The signal didn't want to come in clearly. Now I know WBBM is 8KW short of 50K, but hot darn that signal is crap! If I had to guesstimate, they are either at 35KW, have a slight directional signal that favors the east, or something is seriously wrong with the transmitter! I have gotten WGN come in loud and clear, at its peak, before it fades under KDWN. In fact, most stations that are far outside the fringe do come in for a period ( with good enough modulation under the static, where you can listen to the program for short bursts of time ), but with WBBM, I couldn't make out what was being broadcast. I kept the radios on for over an hour, and maybe the mumbling sound would make it in every 5-10 minutes. I wish I could have gotten an audio clip for you guys.

Radios used @ 10:30PM to 11:30PM ( distance from WBBM transmitter is 1820 miles )
Panasonic RF-2200
Sangean PR-D5
 
Last edited:
WBBM was good last night when I checked the Key West and Lamont, Alberta SDRs. Not good on the southern Alberta SDR.
 
cyberdad said:
WBBM was good last night when I checked the Key West and Lamont, Alberta SDRs. Not good on the southern Alberta SDR.
Click to expand...
Last night KNOM was very strong on the Haida Gwaii SDR. You might have been hearing a bit of that. I've been hearing WBBM on Key West also very well and in Iceland, but have not heard it or WGN much on the Hawaii SDR in Oahu. In fact I only heard WGN on the Hawaii SDR once this season.
 
radioman148 said:
Last night KNOM was very strong on the Haida Gwaii SDR.
Click to expand...
Last time I was on that SDR a few nights back it was WBBM and KNOM mixing. KNOM getting the better of it, but not by much, and WBBM clearly audible.

As many, if not most of you, already know. WBBM had to power down a bit when it moved from it's stand-alone site near Schaumburg to diplex with WSCR in Bloomindate, Illinois, about 6 miles or so to the southwest. WBBM is now authorized for 35kw day and 42kw night. I, personally haven't noticed much difference. None whatsoever at my location (23 miles to the northwest). What very little difference I have detected is a very slight loss in the day signal in deep fringe areas in Wisconsin, Iowa, and Southern Illinois.
 
Last edited:
If KKOH had been off the air, it's back on now.
 
cyberdad said:
Last time I was on that SDR a few nights back it was WBBM and KNOM mixing. KNOM getting the better of it, but not by much, and WBBM clearly audible.

As many, if not most of you, already know. WBBM had to power down a bit when it moved from it's stand-alone site near Schaumburg to diplex with WSCR in Bloomindate, Illinois, about 6 miles or so to the southwest. WBBM is now authorized for 35kw day and 42kw night. I, personally haven't noticed much difference. None whatsoever at my location (23 miles to the northwest). What very little difference I have detected is a very slight loss in the day signal in deep fringe areas in Wisconsin, Iowa, and Southern Illinois.
Click to expand...
I wonder if KKOH was off the air when you were listening? I usually hear them mixing with KNOM.
 
radioman148 said:
I wonder if KKOH was off the air when you were listening? I usually hear them mixing with KNOM.
Click to expand...
I didn't hear it. Which surprised me. IME they generally dominate 780 in most of the western U.S, and much of the west coast of Canada,
 
cyberdad said:
I didn't hear it. Which surprised me. IME they generally dominate 780 in most of the western U.S, and much of the west coast of Canada,
Click to expand...
They do. In fact this season when I've logged on the Hawaii rcvr on Oahu, I hear KKOH and KNOM battling it out. As we get toward March KNOM will disappear.
 
radioman148 said:
They do. In fact this season when I've logged on the Hawaii rcvr on Oahu, I hear KKOH and KNOM battling it out. As we get toward March KNOM will disappear.
Click to expand...
Yep....I was thinking of KKOH being an easy catch in Hawaii, when I mentioned that they dominate the "western U.S." at night.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.
Back
Top Bottom