AM Frequency of the Week: 890

Here in Wood Dale, IL (near NW suburb of Chicago):

Daytime: WLS
Nightime: WLS

WLS is the farthest of the Chicago 50 kW blow torches from. I am able to get a slight null during night, but nothing identifiable heard except for a DX test (see below).

DX catches: Was able to hear KBYE (Oklahoma City, OK) during a DX Test in 1981 with a code ID making it through partially nulled WLS. All other DX was heard with WLS being of the air: KVOZ (Laredo, TX), KDXU (St. george, UT), HJPM (Colombia), CADZ (Cuba)

Daytime:::Nothing

Nights:::KDXU out of Saint George UT. I wish I could null it and score a WLS catch, but as of this writing, nothing. I read about someone out in Sacramento picking up WLS on another website.

formula72 said:

Daytime:::Nothing

Nights:::KDXU out of Saint George UT. I wish I could null it and score a WLS catch, but as of this writing, nothing. I read about someone out in Sacramento picking up WLS on another website.

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Just keep after it. For the past 35+ years, I've been in California at least 2-3 times a year on biz and family trips. Sometimes even more. I've heard WLS all over between Napa Valley and San Diego, as well as numerous points in between. It's not as easy as it used to be, especially with KDXU and the 890 near Pismo Beach, but it still can be done.

cyberdad said:

Just keep after it. For the past 35+ years, I've been in California at least 2-3 times a year on biz and family trips. Sometimes even more. I've heard WLS all over between Napa Valley and San Diego, as well as numerous points in between. It's not as easy as it used to be, especially with KDXU and the 890 near Pismo Beach, but it still can be done.

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Well, last night I tried once again on my Sengean PR-D4W, walking around the yard with it, in hand, and I picked up 3 stations. KDXU, KVMX ( 480 watt regional Mexican station 126 NE miles ), and KIHC ( a 5KW religious / relevant radio from San Luis Obispo 165 miles south ) but no hint of WLS. I doubt my RF-2200, GE super radio II or Sony ICF-EX5MK2 would do any better at this point. I will not give up, but I think were I'm located, skywave propagation would have to favor stations from the east and the ionosphere would have to be the perfect mirror. I know its there ( buried underneath ), but its getting that confirmation through the noise that frustrates me.

On a good radio when conditions favor the east I'd bet you can hear WLS. Don't give up.

radioman148 said:

On a good radio when conditions favor the east I'd bet you can hear WLS. Don't give up.

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+1. As I've posted previously, I've heard WLS on the west coast on multiple occasions.

cyberdad said:

+1. As I've posted previously, I've heard WLS on the west coast on multiple occasions.

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Cyberdad, is that in recent years? It's been much tougher to hear WLS for me in recent times, but before KDXU & some other stations came on, WLS was an easy catch for me on the west coast.

WLS is rarer here than WBBM and WGN. I might hear them 2x/year if that.

In all fairness, WLS ( where the 45 meets interstate 80 in southern Chicago ) is 1830 miles away from my listening post. I'm sure if the band was clear, it could be heard just above the noise floor of the best radios. It's pretty neat that the signal has reached Hawaii on more than a few occasions.

radioman148 said:

Cyberdad, is that in recent years? It's been much tougher to hear WLS for me in recent times, but before KDXU & some other stations came on, WLS was an easy catch for me on the west coast.

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I could usually work around KDXU by nulling it. Things DID get a little more complicated when the station near Pismo Beach came on. But I do recall WLS under KDXU one one of my more recent trips to So-Cal. I do agree WLS in California is not as easy as it used to be.

Back in the day before the AM band got so cluttered, WLS WBBM & WGN could be heard every night on the west coast along with WMAQ at one time.
Back then WLS had the best signal of the Chicago clears.

Orange County, TX Days - nothing, Nights - WLS

Well, I found out "why" I'm having such a hard time getting WLS. According to this map.....

http://nf8m.com/pattern_maps/2016/NIGHTTIME-UNLIMITED/NIGHTTIME-UNLIMITED_map_890KHz-1.html.

I seem to be in the cloud of three stations which I already knew ( and hear ), but seeing it makes it completely understandable now, why WLS can't be heard here in San Jose, but can be heard in eastern Sacramento / Auburn / Placerville

In most areas of central and southern California, if you can null out KDXU, WLS should be a catch ( not going to say easy )....