How Many "W"-stations are Audible on the West Coast in 2023?

[cc333]

I've never heard any "W"-stations (stations whose call signs begin with a "W") out here in California, but I have read here that some people have, at times in the past, been able to DX at least two (WGN 720 and WLS 890). Is it still possible, in this noisy era we're now in, for me to DX these stations?

c

 

[timetraveller]

Here are the 10 farthest west nighttime W stations in the lower 48 measured by longitude:

(N)WKY-930 (0.51 KW) Oklahoma City,OK 35.56200000 -97.50697222
(N)WNAX-570 (5.0 KW) Yankton,SD 42.91305556 -97.31644444
(N)WZFG-1100 (0.44 KW) Dilworth,MN 46.76191667 -96.67202778
(N)WDAY-970 (10.0 KW) Fargo,ND 46.64663889 -96.36422222
(N)WIBW-580 (5.0 KW) Topeka,KS 39.08472222 -95.78302778
(N)WBKK-820 (0.75 KW) Wilton,MN 47.39133333 -95.07805556
(N)WHIR-1230 (1.0 KW) Danville,KY 37.67394444 -94.76608333
(N)WHB-810 (5.0 KW) Kansas City,MO 39.30583333 -94.57522222
(N)WMBH-1560 (0.035 KW) Joplin,MO 37.08922222 -94.56300000
(N)WWWI-1270 (5.0 KW) Baxter,MN 46.29858333 -94.27861111

Here are the 11 farthest west daytime W stations in the lower 48 measured by longitude:

Might be possible to catch one of these at transmitter sunrise.

(D)WKY-930 (5.0 KW) Oklahoma City,OK 35.56200000 -97.50697222
(D)WJAG-780 (1.0 KW) Norfolk,NE 42.03166667 -97.49672222
(D)WNAX-570 (5.0 KW) Yankton,SD 42.91305556 -97.31644444
(D)WZFG-1100 (50.0 KW) Dilworth,MN 46.76219444 -96.67230556
(D)WDAY-970 (10.0 KW) Fargo,ND 46.64663889 -96.36422222
(D)WIBW-580 (5.0 KW) Topeka,KS 39.08472222 -95.78302778
(D)WBKK-820 (10.0 KW) Wilton,MN 47.39133333 -95.07805556
(D)WHB-810 (50.0 KW) Kansas City,MO 39.30583333 -94.57522222
(D)WMBH-1560 (0.5 KW) Joplin,MO 37.08922222 -94.56300000
(D)WWWI-1270 (5.0 KW) Baxter,MN 46.29858333 -94.27861111
(D)WBHR-660 (10.0 KW) Sauk Rapids,MN 45.60497222 -94.13944444

Bill

 

[tvnut]

Try WOAI 1200 San Antonio. 50 kW.

 

[schmave]

WBAP is a glaring absence from this thread! They're not further west than WOAI, but that night signal definitely can go from coast to coast. They are the only station I've heard in both Ohio and Las Vegas.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

WBAP is a glaring absence from this thread! They're not further west than WOAI, but that night signal definitely can go from coast to coast. They are the only station I've heard in both Ohio and Las Vegas.

You didn't wait for me to answer.. LOL

Ive heard WBAP and WOAI here in Alaska a few times

 

[crainbebo]

WOAI-1200, WCCO-830, and WGN-720 seem to be the easiest. 720, especially now that KDWN is gone. But KFIR is a big pest and has left 10KW on more often than not.
Next down the line would be WBBM-780 and WBAP-820. I also occasionally hear WNAX-570 Yankton SD with KVI nulled if conditions are good towards the east.

I've never heard any on the list except for WNAX and WHB. 1100 WZFG should be an easy sunrise catch if the solar activity remains low, I've heard KFNW-1200 on day power at 6AM PT in late October before.

 

[cc333]

Try WOAI 1200 San Antonio. 50 kW.

OK

WBAP is a glaring absence from this thread! They're not further west than WOAI, but that night signal definitely can go from coast to coast. They are the only station I've heard in both Ohio and Las Vegas.

I'll have to try for that one too, but KGO's splatter will make it quite difficult.

Ive heard WBAP and WOAI here in Alaska a few times

If you can hear them in Alaska, I should also be able to hear them in California (I suspect the Rockies and Sierra Nevada might cause some difficulty (this is perhaps one of the reasons why most eastern stations that are otherwise powerful enough can't reach the west coast because they are blocked by several mountain ranges, but perhaps they get reflected or "funneled" up to Alaska somehow).

So far, the farthest east I've reliably received is KRKK 1360, which is ~906 miles from my location.

WOAI-1200, WCCO-830, and WGN-720 seem to be the easiest. 720, especially now that KDWN is gone. But KFIR is a big pest and has left 10KW on more often than not.
Next down the line would be WBBM-780 and WBAP-820. I also occasionally hear WNAX-570 Yankton SD with KVI nulled if conditions are good towards the east.

I've never heard any on the list except for WNAX and WHB. 1100 WZFG should be an easy sunrise catch if the solar activity remains low, I've heard KFNW-1200 on day power at 6AM PT in late October before.

I've been trying for WGN, but I keep getting blocked by KFIR. It's an otherwise pretty empty frequency though, so I should get it sooner or later if I persist.

c

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

OK


I'll have to try for that one too, but KGO's splatter will make it quite difficult.


If you can hear them in Alaska, I should also be able to hear them in California (I suspect the Rockies and Sierra Nevada might cause some difficulty (this is perhaps one of the reasons why most eastern stations that are otherwise powerful enough can't reach the west coast because they are blocked by several mountain ranges, but perhaps they get reflected or "funneled" up to Alaska somehow).

So far, the farthest east I've reliably received is KRKK 1360, which is ~906 miles from my location.


I've been trying for WGN, but I keep getting blocked by KFIR. It's an otherwise pretty empty frequency though, so I should get it sooner or later if I persist.

c

What are you using for a radio and antenna while dxing?

that has ALOT to do it with it, as does the fact i have no operating am stations within 180 miles of me, and when i dx, im 1/2 mile from ANY power lines

 

[boombox4]

Here in the Seattle area I've heard (in no particular order) WOAI 1200, WBAP 820, WCCO 830, WWL 870, WBBM 720, WSCR 670, WCKY 1530, WJR 760, and -- a long time ago -- WSM 650, WLW 700 and WLS 890. Also had one fluke reception of WRCR 1700 in New York when they were South Asian programming. I think I heard a couple more Chicago stations when I was DXing from Eastern WA, but can't remember which ones.

 

[cc333]

What are you using for a radio and antenna while dxing?

I use various antennas, none of which are particularly excellent:

• MLA-30+ amplified loop
• Tecsun AN100 tunable loop
• ~80 foot random long wire dipole (ungrounded at the moment, but performance seems pretty good regardless)
• A combination of two (MLA 30 or AN100 connected to the random wire, or the MLA 30 connected to the AN100, which actually gives quite a boost).

that has ALOT to do it with it, as does the fact i have no operating am stations within 180 miles of me, and when i dx, im 1/2 mile from ANY power lines

You're lucky, as unfortunately I'm stuck with no less than five 50,000 watt flamethrowers (KNBR 680, KCBS 740, KGO 810, KTRB 860, KFAX 1100) and messes of power lines all over the place. It's amazing I can DX anything!

@boombox4 That's some impressive logs you have there! I doubt I'll be able to log any of those down here, but with winter coming, who knows?

c

 

[boombox4]

@boombox4 That's some impressive logs you have there! I doubt I'll be able to log any of those down here, but with winter coming, who knows?

c

Thanks man. Some of it is luck (probably most of it). I live near sea level in a valley with the Cascade Mountains maybe 40-50 mi east of me. But DX still will arrive here.

A lot of it is listening to the station underneath the dominant one. WBAP comes in underneath a local, and is often IDable with commercials mentioning Ft Worth or Dallas. WOAI comes in on 1200 when the BC Canada Punjabi station isn't coming in well. WCCO comes in on 830 when conditions are right and the Grass Valley station (KNCO) isn't coming in well. That kind of thing.

Other W's were received in the 80s before every channel became packed with regional stations. Most of the more recent ones I haven't heard since the early 2010's, when conditions were overall better than they are now.

 

[DavidEduardo]

The issue with transcontinental DXing is not the station but the congestion on each frequency.

In the East (Cleveland) I got plenty of 500 watt and 1000 watt stations from CA, OR and WA,, and even a few 250 watters such as 1450 in Porterville, CA. and even KIKI in Honolulu.

 

[Gregg.]

I'm thinking WHO 1040 Des Moines should be audible on the West Coast. 50,000 watts non-directional. Any other station on 1040 in the U.S. at night is putting out very little power to protect WHO. In Canada, there is a 50,000 watt station on 1040, CKST Vancouver. But I assume that's directional pointing away from the U.S. So I'd guess it doesn't interfere with WHO south of Portland.

And Boombox4 says he once heard 1700 WRCR in the Seattle area. It is in Rockland County (hence the call sign) about 20 miles north of NYC. I heard them in the early morning in New Hampshire a few times. There are only a handful of stations broadcasting on 1700 in North America. One is in the Tijuana area, fulltime at 10,000 watts, one near Dallas at 1,000 watts nights and one in Des Moines, also 1,000 watts at night. So WRCR is quite a catch, a nighttime 1,000 watt station across four time zones!

 

[crainbebo]

My full list of W-stations...

570 WNAX Yankton SD
600 WBOB Jacksonville FL on a 2021 DX test
640 WCRV Collierville TN on day power in 2019
650 WSM Nashville
670 WSCR Chicago
700 WLW Cincinnati
720 WGN Chicago
760 WJR Detroit
780 WBBM Chicago
810 WHB Kansas City
820 WBAP Fort Worth
810 WGY Schenectady NY
830 WCCO Minneapolis
840 WHAS Louisville
870 WWL New Orleans
890 WLS Chicago
1030 WCTS Minneapolis, on day power in 2017
1040 WHO Des Moines (I should have put this on the 'easiest' list - CKST is gone and they are easy.)
1100 WCGA Woodbine GA on a 2022 DX test
1100 WTAM Cleveland
1160 WYLL Chicago
1200 WOAI San Antonio
1220 WCPH Etowah TN, 1/1/21 DX Test
1530 WCKY Cincinnati
1570 WFRL Freeport IL
1600 WRPN Ripon WI during great conditions 11/22/16
1620 WTAW College Station TX
1660 WQLR Kalamazoo MI
1660 WBCN Charlotte NC in 2015, CBS Sports - NOW DEFUNCT
1670 WOZN Madison WI same night as WRPN.

Notice most are clear-channels in the Great Lakes/Midwest and a few back east. WBZ is well-wanted, and has been heard recently in WA/BC. WMVP too, I wonder if the new pattern could shoot through KNWN if WBBM is strong enough. And WZFG-1100 should be possible on a great sunrise session or if they accidentally leave the 50KW (or even 5KW-CH) on.

 

[radioman148]

OK


I'll have to try for that one too, but KGO's splatter will make it quite difficult.


If you can hear them in Alaska, I should also be able to hear them in California (I suspect the Rockies and Sierra Nevada might cause some difficulty (this is perhaps one of the reasons why most eastern stations that are otherwise powerful enough can't reach the west coast because they are blocked by several mountain ranges, but perhaps they get reflected or "funneled" up to Alaska somehow).

So far, the farthest east I've reliably received is KRKK 1360, which is ~906 miles from my location.


I've been trying for WGN, but I keep getting blocked by KFIR. It's an otherwise pretty empty frequency though, so I should get it sooner or later if I persist.

c

WGN, WLS used to be regularly heard in California as late as the 80s. You still might be able to hear WGN if you’re not near Las Vegas.

 

[fybush]

At the moment, there's no obstacle to hearing WGN in Las Vegas, either. (Aside from KFIR running day power at night...)

 

[cc333]

(Aside from KFIR running day power at night...)

This.

KFIR comes in loud and clear at my present location, and it's quite frustrating.

c

 

[K8PLW]

WBAP is a glaring absence from this thread! They're not further west than WOAI, but that night signal definitely can go from coast to coast. They are the only station I've heard in both Ohio and Las Vegas.

Agreed. WBAP is my furthest "Armchair copy" DX AM signal. Booms in here most nights (SE Michigan - 1,000 miles).

 

[schmave]

It would for me as well if not for local WVSG on 820. I've heard WBAP very well in western Ohio at night, as well to within 20 or so miles of Columbus coming up I-71, and even under WVSG during brief breaks in its programming.

 

[boombox4]

RE: WHO 1040, I used to hear them now and then during the winter, mainly 11 years ago when conditions were a bit better. TBH, I haven't actually listened for them recently, though. WHAS 840 rings a bell, probably a one-off in the late 1980s when I'd DX with my Sanyo Boombox and a 3.5 ft spiral loop. Also WTAW College Stn TX 1620 came in about 6-7 years ago when local KYIZ was running a dead carrier. I also logged WYLL 1160 once because I could read the YL preacher and line her pgm up with what was on their website. That was a good DX night in 2011-2016, when WYLL was audible behind KSL.

A lot of hearing Midwest stations on the West Coast is having a good loop (or other good antenna) and a radio with some high fidelity (Superadio, PR-D4W, good Walkman, etc.) and using decent headphones. You gotta listen to the station behind the station, and lower fidelity, narrow bandwidth radios may cut out just enough of the speech to make it tougher to ID. In the 80s it wasn't always the case, but congestion since then has made it nearly a necessity.

Using a similar setup is also preferable to DXing the graveyard channels (1230, 1240, 1340, 1400, 1450, 1490, etc.).