joebtsflk1
Star Participant
Truth be known, I hadn't thought of "WOInk" before this morning. It was inspired by Cyberdad's WSUI = "Big Pig!"
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WMFN to begin testing on 640 from new location
- Thread starter cyberdad
- Start date
Truth be known, I hadn't thought of "WOInk" before this morning. It was inspired by Cyberdad's WSUI = "Big Pig!"
Actually, i wasn't aware of WSUI = "Big Pig" myself until someone posted it in another thread a year or so ago. Oink, Oink!
Birach didn't have to buy any out. It had a CP in Terre Haute for a 640 which was originally planned to move to where WMFN will be (with WMFN, also owned by Birach, turning in its license). However, the Terre Haute CP expired, so they decided to move WMFN to the Chicago area.
radioman148
Walk of Fame Participant
WMFN is on the air now from Peotone. They started out with early 80s Rock Music this morning, but have now settled in with their brokered programming.
BTW: the signal here in the near north Chicago suburbs is pretty good. Their daytime signal is a bit better than their former location in Michigan.
BTW: the signal here in the near north Chicago suburbs is pretty good. Their daytime signal is a bit better than their former location in Michigan.
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Tuned in just a few minutes ago. I'd describe the signal here in the far northwest suburbs as "fair". Actually, a little weaker than what I expected. I think we all knew that the station would be ethnic/brokered. What I heard was SS music followed by an announcement in English hawking available time slots. Followed by a Detroit area (248) phone number. Then more music.
radioman148
Walk of Fame Participant
The night WMFN signal is significantly weaker at my location as well. I'm getting a mix with WOI and before sunrise KWPN in Oklahoma.
About an hour after my last post, around 9:10pm CDT, I checked 640 again. This time WMFN was on top with the same fair-to-weak signal as I had heard earlier in the evening. WOI was also there, but noticeably weaker. So I think it's safe to say that WOI was at 5kw earlier and had powered down to 1kw by the second time I checked in. As for WMFN, the signal was indeed norticeably weaker than the day signal, but not by all that much.
Unless they're not yet operating at full power, I'm comfortable in saying the signal at my location is of marginal commercial value daytime. Clearly audible but weaker, interference prone, and of no commercial value (at my location) at night. All of that said, despite weakness in the west, northwest, and north suburbs, the signal area-wide is still better than most rimshots on the AM band, and should do well as a brokered outlet. Especially since it's in the hands of an experienced operator with a proven track record in that business.
Unless they're not yet operating at full power, I'm comfortable in saying the signal at my location is of marginal commercial value daytime. Clearly audible but weaker, interference prone, and of no commercial value (at my location) at night. All of that said, despite weakness in the west, northwest, and north suburbs, the signal area-wide is still better than most rimshots on the AM band, and should do well as a brokered outlet. Especially since it's in the hands of an experienced operator with a proven track record in that business.
I thought I'd bump up this thread after spending a night in Wisconsin Dells, WI last Thursday. Wisconsin Dells is a resort town about 150 miles northwest of Chicago (as the crow coughs, as Steve Green would say).....
Anyway, WMFN was invisible there during the daylight hours on a good....but not great....radio (Sangean ATS 505). After dark, however, the signal was fair to good. Primarily Spanish ranchero music (for now). Steady and comfortably on top of WOI, which was also steady, but well in the background. I'd estimate the distance from the WMFN transmitter location to my hotel in the Dells at probably 175 miles.
FWIW, nothing else unusual to report. But if anyone has a question regarding any of the night signals at that location, I'll be glad to answer them.
Anyway, WMFN was invisible there during the daylight hours on a good....but not great....radio (Sangean ATS 505). After dark, however, the signal was fair to good. Primarily Spanish ranchero music (for now). Steady and comfortably on top of WOI, which was also steady, but well in the background. I'd estimate the distance from the WMFN transmitter location to my hotel in the Dells at probably 175 miles.
FWIW, nothing else unusual to report. But if anyone has a question regarding any of the night signals at that location, I'll be glad to answer them.
asugeorge1
Star Participant
I have a reception question for you cyberdad. Since you are further away from Chicago up there in the Wisconsin Dells and a little more west, does KSL out of Salt Lake City come in at all on 1160 AM or is WYLL still the predominant signal up there? Also, how about KOA 850 AM out of Denver? I’ve heard KOA before in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago before so I’d imagine it has the chance to fade in up in the Dells.
Lastly, how about 990 CBW AM (CBC Radio One) out of Winnipeg, Manitoba? I would think that has a chance to come in better up there too. I’ve snagged CBW from time to time down here in Phoenix since 990 is a pretty open signal.
WYLL owns 1160 at the Dells, as well as most of Wisconsin at night. The night signal up there is quite good. Even at my home location at night, WYLL is solid. But you can hear stuff...mostly unidentifiable...underneath. And the signal still isn't in the same class as the other Chicago 50kw blowtorches. I think their night pattern effectively sends about 23KW in my direction. As for KSL, before WYLL (and its predecessors) came on at night. I'd describe KSL as semi-regular here. Not present every night, but audible (albeit usually weak) at least 50% of the time. More often than that in winter.
KOA is a regular at my home location, once our local 850 daytimer signs off. It's also an easy catch at night at the Dells and in most of Wisconsin.
Finally, CBW actually is one of the better and more reliable nighttime skywave signals at my location. They also were booming last Thursday night at the Dells.
Wisconsin Dells has a local on 900. 1kw day, 220 watts night, non-directional. The station (WDLS) actually began life on 990 as a daytimer. I don't know for sure, but my guess is that the frequency swap, which was roughly timed with the beginning of nighttime operations, had something to do with the probability of getting trashed on a nightly basis by CBW (as well as being forced to operate at much lower night power) had they stayed at 990.
CADXER
Leading Participant
After a DX tip from a local DXer on the IRCA mailing list yesterday (thanks Tom), I checked WMFN AM 640 this morning and noticed that they are now relaying the Spanish language station WMHJ (AM 810 and 93.3 FM). Frequent "La Poderosa de Michigan" slogans. Full WMHJ ID at the top of the hour.
WMFN AM 640 Peotone/Chicago along with "few good hours of air time available" mentions several times during the broadcast.
WMFN AM 640 Peotone/Chicago along with "few good hours of air time available" mentions several times during the broadcast.
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Just a note that WOI is one of the oldest radio stations in America. It goes back to a Morse Code station in 1911. It was established by Iowa State University as 9YI. It broadcasts an hour of concert music in 1921 and in 1922 it became the first fully-licensed non-commercial station west of the Mississippi.
We've discussed before that many early stations, KDKA, KCBS, WWJ, WBBM, WBZ, etc. over time got to 50,000 watts. Many of their dial positions became clear channel frequencies.
Then there are stations like WOI that never sought high power. In WOI's case, it was never owned by a commercial broadcaster, but remained in the possession of a university. The University of Iowa's WSUI also goes back to 1911. St. Louis University's WEW (now a commercial station) goes back to 1912 and University of Wisconsin's WHA goes back to 1915. All are fairly low power. WHA was a daytimer till a few years ago. WEW still is.
We've discussed before that many early stations, KDKA, KCBS, WWJ, WBBM, WBZ, etc. over time got to 50,000 watts. Many of their dial positions became clear channel frequencies.
Then there are stations like WOI that never sought high power. In WOI's case, it was never owned by a commercial broadcaster, but remained in the possession of a university. The University of Iowa's WSUI also goes back to 1911. St. Louis University's WEW (now a commercial station) goes back to 1912 and University of Wisconsin's WHA goes back to 1915. All are fairly low power. WHA was a daytimer till a few years ago. WEW still is.
K
kf4rca
Guest
WGST in Atlanta started out as a college station for the Georgia School of Technology (Now Georgia Tech) in March, 1922 only 2 days after WSB. Not many years ago there was a big scandal about Georgia Tech throwing out some of the early broadcast equipment of WGST. It was the first rocker in the market. In 73 it became commercial when it was sold to Meredith. It was at one time on 890 then moved to 920 and then to 640 where it is today.
I always wondered why WOI and WHA never sought full-time operation throughout most of their history. If not higher power. Each has been on the air for 90 years or longer. WOI even went so far as to launch a full-power commercial TV station. WOI-TV, Channel 5, ABC affiliate, which was owned by Iowa State University for roughly half a century before they finally sold it.
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