AM Frequency of the week: 1240

Home location far northwest suburban Chicago.....

Days: WSBC Chicago with a fair-weak signal. Nulling it usually produces a very weak WSDR from Sterling, IL.

Nights: WSBC gets swallowed up by the mess of stations on this graveyard channel. But my "fledgeling" attempts of DXing graveyard channels have produced a couple of positive ID catches. Both from Wisconsin and each with similar calls. WOMC from Rhinelander, and WJMC from Rice Lake. Roughly 240 and 280 miles away respectively.

Reynoldsburg, Ohio ...
* Daytime: Slop from local WYTS on 1230, but WHIZ from Zanesville - roughly 40 miles east - can be heard under that, much more so during the winter. Back when 1230 ran IBOC, you could hear its hash within 10 miles of Zanesville.
* Nighttime: Less slop from 1230, otherwise a lot of nothing.

In the near north Chicago suburbs WSBC has a decent daytime signal. At night it's a real graveyard mess with WSBC barely audible. I've never been one to have the patience to dig out DX on these frequencies. Waaay back this was one of the conelrad frequencies.

gr8oldies said:

Quincy, IL: WTAX, Springfield (I guess it's approprate for a state capitol to have a "WTAX")

Click to expand...

Forgot about WTAX. I heard them with a positive ID one morning before sunrise a little less than a year ago. WTAX also has a really good daytime signal for a graveyard
channel station. Not surprising however, given the excellent ground conductivity in Central Illinois.

.....And yes, I've had the same thought as you about their "appropriate" call letters.

Days:
A mix of WAGO Reading, and a weaker WEJL/WBAX Wilkes-Barre. The stations aren't
at right angles, but it's close enough for a null.

Nights:
Not much at all. Nothing surfaces. We used to get WBAX back in Queens after WGBB signed off,
when both stations were 250 watts. But it's really wearying trying to identify things at night on
a GY. Too much syndication and confusion.

I * did * manage to hear that WWON Rhode Island DX TEST ; can't locate the date, maybe 10-15
years ago. I caught two code IDs. The next day a cassette tape and letter were in the mail to them.
I even included a picture of the den and the obligatory return postage for a QSL. Never heard a word back.

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

daytime-WJON St Cloud
nightime-a bunch of garbage/nothing

1240 here is mostly hash from local WTMA on 1250. I have heard WFOY St. Augustine, FL on the frequency though during the daytime with a good, sensitive radio. By the beach it is easier to get.

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

Daytime: WSBC with good signal. Not as strong as they used to be from their old transmitter site on Belmont Ave.
Nightime: WSBC, but they are nullable. Also they are not on the air on 24 hours basis so there are some DX windows possible, something that was not common during the WSBC/WEDC/WCRW frequency sharing arrangement.

DX/RETRO: Just like 1230 kHz not much time spent DXing the graveyarders in the past. WSDR (Sterling, IL), WTAX (Springfield, IL) the common catches with WSBC off the air. Others heard when WSBC/WEDC/WCRW were off: WIBU (Poynette, WI), WKDA (Nashville, TN)

Yakima, WA
Day - KXLE Ellensburg (News/Talk), and a very weak KTIX Pendleton, OR (ESPN) in its null. Of course I've heard many stations on this channel at night. Night logs include:

KBUP Olympia WA (Catholic)
KCVL Colville WA (Country)
KEJO Corvallis, OR (Fox Sports)
KQEN Roseburg, OR (News/Talk)
KRDM Redmond, OR (Regional Mexican)
KRJW Altamont, OR (CBS Sports)
KOFE St. Maries ID (Classic Hits)
KWIK Pocatello ID (News/Talk, repeats KID-590. Last heard when they simulcasted KQEZ/106.3 EZ Rock, now that's a KID simulcast as well.)
KMHI Mountain Home, ID (CSN International)
CJOR Osoyoos, BC (Adult Contemporary)
KNRY Monterey, CA (Adult Standards - an Aurora beacon out here)
KSUE Susanville, CA (News/Talk)
KPOD Crescent City, CA (News/Talk)
KSMA Santa Maria, CA (News/Talk - so far my farthest graveyarder ever)
KJOP Lemoore, CA (Catholic)
KSAM Whitefish, MT (Sports)
KLYQ Hamilton, MT (News/Talk)
KBLL Helena, MT (News/Talk - no longer on the air)

Wanted on 1240...
KLTZ Glasgow, MT (Country - should be possible on good eastern conditions. Has been heard in BC.)
KJCR Billings, MT (Christian Music - again should be possible on good eastern cx)
KCVV Sacramento, CA (Spanish Catholic - I've got KXLE in that direction but who knows. Maybe during another good Au if I can get around KNRY.)
KELK Elko, NV (Adult Contemporary)
CFNI Port Hardy, BC (Hot AC - Coast AM. Not heard often in the lower 48. This is way up at the very northern tip of Vancouver Island, far from Victoria.)

Day time::: KNRY, little station that broadcasts from the famous Cannery Row, in Monterey, California.

Transmitter is right up on the waterline to. https://www.google.com/maps/@36.616...U-tGFsuYpVYduKOPWnIA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en

It plays oldies. Signal is not very strong here in San Jose, but can be received on some of my better radios. Granted, its only 1KW.

Nighttime...Forget about it......Wobble / grumble

Southington, Connecticut.

Daytime: WWCO Waterbury. Since February or March they have been simulcasting WRYM a Spanish station from Newington, CT. Viva Radio! Is the station's name. Owned by Merv Griffin back in the day.

Night: It's a mess.

For 21 years WWCO simulcast WDRC 1360. WDRC and the two other stations that simulcast its programming were sold to Full Power Radio, while WWCO was sold to WRYM.