AM Frequency of the week: 1210

(Coming to you a day earlier than usual due to upcoming travel). Far northwest suburban Chicago.....

Days: Moderate splatter from WRTO (1200). Otherwise, 1210 is empty.

Night: WPHT from Philadelphia. A bit of an underperformer (KYW is usually stronger). KGYN from the Oklahoma panhandle is a frequent intruder....sometimes even overtaking WPHT, IMHO, the fact that KGYN can be heard on a semi-regular basis here says something about KGYN, WPHT, and the FCC's ability (or desire0 to keep a lid on thinss.

Retro: Before WRTO (and its predecessors) came on, I used to be able to sometimes catch the now-defunct WKNX from Michigan during the winter months on daytime skywave.

Reynoldsburg, Ohio ...
* Daytime: Usually an extremely weak WDAO from Dayton, if it makes it to me on the east side of the metro. 1,000-watt daytimer because of ...
* Nighttime: WPHT, generally fair to strong. When I was growing up and first DXing, it was WOGL playing oldies and the Phillies. Listened to Harry Kalas, Scott Graham, etc. many nights back in the 1990s.

In the near north Chicago suburbs daytime is nothing but WRTO splatter. At night it's WPHT. Not nearly as strong as in the old days when it was WCAU. I also have heard KGYN from time to time.

cyberdad said:

(Coming to you a day earlier than usual due to upcoming travel). Far northwest suburban Chicago.....

Days: Moderate splatter from WRTO (1200). Otherwise, 1210 is empty.

Night: WPHT from Philadelphia. A bit of an underperformer (KYW is usually stronger). KGYN from the Oklahoma panhandle is a frequent intruder....sometimes even overtaking WPHT, IMHO, the fact that KGYN can be heard on a semi-regular basis here says something about KGYN, WPHT, and the FCC's ability (or desire0 to keep a lid on thinss.

Retro: Before WRTO (and its predecessors) came on, I used to be able to sometimes catch the now-defunct WKNX from Michigan during the winter months on daytime skywave.

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Would not surprise me if KGYN is broadcasting at night with their 39,000 watts that is suppose to be for critical hours or their 50,000 watt day pattern. I have heard them here in Phoenix, Arizona many times at night.

The 39,000 watt critical hours pattern does not protect WPHT at all, whereas if KGYN was broadcasting on their 10,000 watt night-time pattern, there is a serious null away from all points east and north. On the night pattern, KGYN should not be heard at all in Chicago. WPHT is a clear channel station after all, but that doesn’t mean much these days does it?

The Valley of the Jolly Green Giant (LeSueur, MN)

daytime-nothing
nightime-really nothing...

Retro: In Iowa, picking up KOKK 1210 Huron SD on EFA, Extended Football Authority when KOKK stayed on 5 kW day pattern for several nights. Normally they should be protecting Philadelphia. And hearing KGYN in an post sunrise skip session.

Now: A whisper from KGYN along the Front Range of CO, usually near sunset. Nights usually a little better, but somewhat noisy.

What might have been: KFMZ 1470 Brookfield MO had a CP about 10 years ago to move to 1210 with 5 kW daytime and nominal class D night power. Never built out and CP expired.

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

Daytime: These days just splatter from WRTO.
Nightime: WPHT and KGYN are the two common ones with WPHT being the more reliable one.

DX/RETRO: Prior to WRTO comming on WILY (Centralia, IL) was possible during daytime when conditions were good. Other notable DX in the past: WKNX (Saginaw, MI), WDGR (Dahlonega, GA), WSBI (Static, TN), WDAo (Dayton, OH), WGSF (Arlington, TN), WBIU (Denham Springs, LA), WQLS (Ozark, AL). On the foreign front: Radio Coro (Venezuela) and Radio Reloj (Colombia). Also one trans-atlantic DX on 1215kHz: Virgin Radio, England in 1997.

Warminster PA(Philly 'burbs):

Local talker WPHT, both day and night.

NW San Antonio:

Daytime: Some splatter from local 1200 WOAI plus a weak image of close-by local 1350 KCOR.

Sunset: KUBR "La Nueva Radio Cristiana" in San Juan, TX, comes up with a fair signal.

Night: KUBR remains and can usually be nulled to hear KGYN, which has a less consistent signal. There's still a bit of WOAI splatter.

Sunrise: Sometimes I can briefly hear a weak WMPS "Sunny 1210," an oldies station in Bartlett, TN, when it goes to day power.

Retro: On rare occasions I used to hear Fox Sports station WLRO in Denham Springs, LA. It got knocked off the air over a year ago because of flooding. I'm not sure if it's back on because I haven't heard it since well before then.

Around the Sacto area, it's KRPU, Radio Punjab... Formerly a Family Radio station, IIRC...

Daytime - usually nothing, maybe I'll get KMIA Auburn in winter (Regional Mexican)
Night - usually KHAT Laramie, WY (Country) and a mess north-south; KMIA usually shows up along with KRPU Rocklin CA (Punjabi).
Others heard - CFYM Kindersley, SK (Classic Hits, this is quite common), KRSV Afton, WY (Country), KGYN Guymon, OK (Country), KHKR Washington, UT (ESPN), KQEQ Fowler, CA (was Hmong, now Spanish religion - heard once years ago in Bothell at sunset, back when KEBR/KRPU was Family Radio).

Wanted on 1210 - KOKK Huron, SD (Country); maybe at sunrise one morning. They are 5kw days, 900w night at 1093 miles. And KPRZ San Marcos, CA (Religion), which is the last CA station on 1210 I need. The problem is their pattern - it goes straight into the Pacific day AND night! During Au, KRPU is dominant. Distance would be 949 miles.

1210 has been pretty nasty to me, both here in NEPA and back during my youth near Idlewild/JFK Airport in Queens NYC.

In my downbeat DX years here in NE PA, day and night provides only WPHT.
WPHT has been notable here, though, for a few reasons.
a) I enjoyed listening to the Phillies-versus-my-Mets games when the late Andy Musser did the PBP. He was a bright, happy guy. He was the definitive parallel to the Mets' jolly PBP guy Bawb Murphy. It was terrific listening to the fun that both announcers were having, and interesting hearing Musser analyze, with gracious neutrality, game strategy for * his * Phillies and my Mets .

b) From time to time, the beer buddy across the street from me used to get shooed out of his house by his wife for drinking too much beer and watching Phillies and Eagles games on TV. So punctually, every month or so, he'd show up at my place with a 36-pack of Miller and we'd listen to the Phillies games off my GE SR II. I don't watch hardly any TV. He got to be quite the apprentice DXer, turning the radio to and fro, and tilting it, for better reception.

c) About five years ago I had WPHT on the GE SR II in St. Clair PA, during a paint job. I heard this station splashing onto it, playing Oldies. It turned out to be WGNY 1220 from Newburgh NY. The mid-winter/daytime-skip thing was happening that day.

* * * * * * *

1210 back in the salad DXing days near JFK was barren. 1210 might've been my worst frequency for total new loggings. That channel's loggings were just WPHT and some stray Cuban station -- except for one SSS instance. There was this wee, grumbling English station way under WPHT. It was dark out by us ... dusk. The much-louder programming on what was then 'WCAU' paused for just a few seconds. That was enough time to hear the faint station say 'WCNT'.
WCNT was from Centralia Illionois, They were a 1000-watt daytimer then.

WCNT was their calls up to 1967; then they flipped to WILY, now with oldies (and an FM translator). I doubt I'll ever hear WPHT in the west, especially with WY/OK/SK and the noise level nowadays. If there ever was a time machine to go back to 1967, I'm sure WCAU would be in every night after the daytimers went off. The only PA station I've gotten was KDKA last February - and that took my local going off the air + good eastern cx.

Daytime - nothing

Nighttime - KZOO Honolulu but weak.

My dream catch would be WPHT (formally WCAU) but even in Florida, their signal at night was not as strong as you'd expect for a 50 kw non directional station on that frequency.

That's surprising because I grew up about three miles from the old WCAU transmitter but could hear them on my old record player which didn't even have a tuner.

They came in so strong on the AM band, as if the transmitter was right down the street.


And BTW ... Go Eagles! Fly Eagles Fly!

@ Gar :
I had wanted to re-do the various dial bands on my Lafayette HA 600 for some time. The frequency determination on this otherwise excellent 'budget communications receiver' could be off a bit. So I bought a few of those spools of real skinny tape, different colors, and set to work.
Primarily, I wanted the AM band as close as I could get it to perfect. The main tuning knob had a bit of 'play' to it before it got into gear, which I couldn't do much about. But I was determined to correct the other part of the impreciseness -- the actual dial. As many here know, the calibration can get wonkier the higher on the band you go.

Well, after 'perfecting' the AM band as best I could, I decided to get gay and do the 31 meter band next -- my most frequented short wave one. WWV 10000 was the obvious starting reference point. So with a pencil-compass point, plus much better eyesight and ambition than today, I had at the 31-meter band.

And I did it good, lol. I lived in Northeast Philly at the time. WCAU's stick was across the Delaware, in NJ. Perhaps it was as proximate to me then, as it'd been to you.
So, WCAU 1210 cheerfully volunteered various harmonics for my pursuit of dial accuracy. They also came in at places such as 2420, 4840, 9680, and so forth. I situated one tiny piece of tape to the 31 meter dial at 9680 out of respect for them, so I knew exactly where my analog self existed.

crainbebo said:

I doubt I'll ever hear WPHT in the west, especially with WY/OK/SK and the noise level nowadays. If there ever was a time machine to go back to 1967, I'm sure WCAU would be in every night after the daytimers went off.

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Philadelphia's WCAU was a fairly easy catch in the 60s when I was on the west coast. A different time for sure.

WCNT? And here I thought KKNT 960 in Phoenix had inappropriate call letters!

radioman148 said:

Philadelphia's WCAU was a fairly easy catch in the 60s when I was on the west coast. A different time for sure.

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Yeah, I could hear them in northern California in the late 70's after the station in Oklahoma would sign off.

Waiting for a station to go off the air late at night so you can hear a more distant station is something young DXers today will never know.

hawaiigar said:

Daytime - nothing

Nighttime - KZOO Honolulu but weak.

My dream catch would be WPHT (formally WCAU) but even in Florida, their signal at night was not as strong as you'd expect for a 50 kw non directional station on that frequency.

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My memory of KZOO from my year at McKinley high school in Honolulu is that for a killowatt they had a pretty good sounding signal. Even on the Kona coast where we once spent a couple of days. (And KPOI with 5kw on 1380 came in like a local...albeit with a little convergence distortion from time to time at night).

As for WCAU/WPHT, their night signal in Chicago definitely isn't what it used to be. Same goes for where I was earlier this week in Sarasota, near your old stomping grounds. I'm now in our usual spot in Pensacola for a month. A little noisy here in the condo, but I'll go out on the deck at some point this coming week and check out how 1210 sounds here. Its blank during the day with a 1220 just across the bay from here (which I think may have relocated to Mobile.)