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AM Frequency of the week: 540

cyberdad

cyberdad

Administrator
Staff member
Once again....we're now working our way through channels that are now home to class A channels. Next up: 540.

Days: At my home QTH northwest of Chicago, it's WAUK from the Milwaukee area with a fair signal. 400 watts. Low end of the dial. Pattern that's somewhat favorable to me. It all adds up to a station that gets out quite well.

Nights: WAUK cuts off the northwest lobe which improves the signal here slightly. I still hear CBK as often as not. Usually under WAUK, sometimes mixing on an equal basis. And in winter, CBK winds up on top on some nights.

From time to time, other stations turn up. WDAK and KNOE historically have been the most common "usual suspects". XEWA used to also be do-able as often as not, but it's been at least ten or fifteen years since I've heard that one. Does anyone (such as David) know if they're running reduced power? Or are they even still on?

Other Location: How's this for an impressive daytime signal....

From my own experience with the Trans-Canada Highway, CBK is audible on a good car radio, from Just inside the western border of Ontario near Falcon Lake to near Sparwood, British Columbia. Just beyond the border with Alberta. That's a distance of over 920 highway miles!
 
cyberdad said:
From time to time, other stations turn up. WDAK and KNOE historically have been the most common "usual suspects". XEWA used to also be do-able as often as not, but it's been at least ten or fifteen years since I've heard that one. Does anyone (such as David) know if they're running reduced power? Or are they even still on?
Click to expand...

Those two were my constants when living in Cleveland nearly 6 decades ago!

Today, WDAK is non-directional with 36 watts at night, and KMLB (the newer calls) is 26 watts. They both appear to still be on the air, but no doubt they run syndicated programming and do nothing live and local at night.
 
Since CBEF moved from 540 to 1550, there has not been a dominant station, since the US station protect the Canadian border, and CBEF was quite well protected at a 6.3 mV/m NIF contour. Last new logging on 540 is WFLF a couple of years ago in the car. Usually I get the Pittsburgh area station.
 
Down here, it's only been XEWF in Tlalmanalco. The only other strong candidate is CBK in Saskatchewan. They're 50-kW ND, so I'll be looking for them.

Jim
 
KR1S said:
Down here, it's only been XEWF in Tlalmanalco. The only other strong candidate is CBK in Saskatchewan. They're 50-kW ND, so I'll be looking for them.

Jim
Click to expand...

Just a comment that may help DXers: the Mexican licensing authority lists stations by the "location" of the station transmitter facility. The US concept of "City of License" is not one that is employed in Latin America.

In this case, Tlalmanalco is a contiguous suburb of Mexico City, and XEWF appears in media directories as "Ciudad de México".

Were the Mexican system to be employed, we would have KFI in Buena Park, WABC in Lodi and WKAQ in Cataño.

So when listening for local references on a station, look for the market, not the location.

XEPRS in Tijuana is given with a location of "Rancho del Mar" which you will never hear mentioned. Or, picking one broadcasting in Spanish, XEMO, also in Tijuana, will never mention "Rancho Vista Hermosa" nor will, in all probability, the clients with ads on the station. It will be "Tijuana" for the station and the different "Colonias" or neighborhoods for mentions of locations in ads.
 
In the near north Chicago suburbs WAUK has a pretty decent signal during the day. At night the signal is still pretty good and usually on top of CBK although CBK sometimes comes in on top.

Retro/other: Before WAUK signed on, I forgot what year, KWMT could be heard here during the day winter and summer. Long ago I have heard KNOE at night a few times, but mostly it was CBK.
 
I forgot all about KWMT. I've heard them a few times during daylight hours on the SuperadioII with WAUK nulled. I've also heard them during the day under WAUK on a couple of really good car radios.

And then there was the time a years back when for some reason KWMT was running daytime power (5KW nulled toward CBK) at night and was widely heard. As well as discussed on this board. Do any of you guys remember that? It definitely was an easy catch for me.
 
In the valley of the Jolly Green Giant (Le Sueur, MN)
Daytime-either KWMT Ft Dodge, IA (classic country) or WXYG St Cloud, MN (the Goat Album Rock). Mainly KWMT until I get on top of the hill going towards the cities then its a crap shoot
night-usually CBK
 
cyberdad said:
I forgot all about KWMT. I've heard them a few times during daylight hours on the SuperadioII with WAUK nulled. I've also heard them during the day under WAUK on a couple of really good car radios.

And then there was the time a years back when for some reason KWMT was running daytime power (5KW nulled toward CBK) at night and was widely heard. As well as discussed on this board. Do any of you guys remember that? It definitely was an easy catch for me.
Click to expand...

I don't remember that, but KWMT could be heard here during the day any time of year, except during heavy thunderstorms. Do you remember what year the 540 in the Milwaukee area went on the air?
 
Day - nothing
Night - CBK Watrous SK (CBC R1, serving Regina). XESURF Tijuana BCN (SS Religion) is often heard in the null. Very rarely, XEWA San Luis Potosi (Los 40) will make it in, about 2000 miles away at 50KW.
At sunrise, KYAH Delta UT (News/Talk) is often heard, along with KVIP Redding CA (Religion).
NOTE: 540 is one of those 'even' 9khz channels too. I haven't heard any TP activity here, but I know the low-power NHK1's and the CNR1s have been caught on the coast!

WANTED
KRXA Carmel Valley CA (Spanish Rel) - Have never heard this one, just XESURF. Doesn't help that most of the pattern goes right into the Pacific.
KNMX Las Vegas NM (Spanish, thought I had them a few years ago with a HSFB game but it was just too weak to ID the commercial that followed.)
 
crainbebo said:
Very rarely, XEWA San Luis Potosi (Los 40) will make it in, about 2000 miles away at 50KW.
Click to expand...

Oddly, XEWA is still licensed at 150 kw day and night. Most of the stations on AM that have chosen to reduce power, like 940 and 730 in CDMX, show as such in the official lists. Yet XEWA, which wanted to shut down the AM but was not allowed due to loss of service issues, still shows at 150. I wonder if they are indeed running that level..
 
I had XEWA pretty strong tonight about local sunset in SE Arizona. About 15 minutes later, XESURF in Tijuana started to trade places with them. Later on, the band seemed to drop out, as listening on 800, neither XEROK in Juarez or XESPN in Tijuana were barely breaking over the noise. I gave up hoping to hear CBK in Saskatchewan.

Jim
 
Interesting frequency. East Tennessee (Knoxville/Sevierviile area) WRGC, Sylva NC daytime. Nighttime: I just checked and it's a hodge podge. I've never received WFLF in TN, even though WOKV on 690 is a pre-sunset regular.

Retro/other: KWMT was brought up. They ran daytime power and pattern at night for a couple of days and were widely reported. I heard them on the Central Indiana SDR. We've had discussions about whether KWMT would be a daytime regular if it wasn't for WAUK and WKFN, (Clarkeville TN). I've heard KWMT after sunrise near Lafayette IN. Otherwise the suburban Milwaukee station (WYLO at the time) was usually audible days.

Where I grew up in Western Ohio, CBEF would make it in around sunset
 
KR1S said:
Later on, the band seemed to drop out, as listening on 800, neither XEROK in Juarez or XESPN in Tijuana were barely breaking over the noise.
Click to expand...

Recent excellent propagation conditions followed a pattern I've noticed over the years. Conditions often get very good just before the sun tosses some particles our way, causing a geomagnetic storm. We had a relatively minor G2-level storm last night, that worked its way around and must have been the reason the band dropped out. The storm is over but there's still some fat aurora showing here as I write this: https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/communities/radio-communications

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

Daytime: WAUK with good signal. Few times during winter months managed to get KWMT during daytime in the past.
Nightime: WAUK with decent signal. Usually CBK heard with WAUK nulled.

DX/RETRO: Besides the above mentioned stations, KNOE and WGTO used to be logged in the past as was CBEF before they left the frequency. XEWA used to be easily logged, but as others mentioned that is no longer the case. Others heard in the past are KNMX (Las Vegas, NV), WEIA (Columbus, GA), CJSB (Ottawa, ON), CBT (Grand Falls, NF). Finally under good conditions HTOW, Radio Corporacion from Managua, Nicaragua used to make it into Chicago and was heard by several DXers back in 1980's.
 
In west Houston, during the day I hear a very weak talk station which I assume is KMLB in Monroe, LA, the former KNOE. Never strong enough to ID, but I can recognize Rush Limbaugh there now, which matches their schedule. Nights are XEWA, seemingly not as strong as they used to be. At sunset I have heard another SS station, assumed to be KDFT in the DFW area, although I've never stuck around to hear an ID. Honestly not a frequency I've spent a lot of time on since I returned to Houston in 2016.

When I was in Perth Australia prior to 2016, nothing in the daytime, nights a strong 4QL in Longreach QLD, 10kw at 1,800 miles, usually on top of RRI in Bandung Indonesia (10 kw at about the same distance north of me). At my sunrise (after the Australian east coast was in daylight) I could always catch the RRI sign on, on top of the frequency.

Retro in Tulsa OK in the 1970's it was KNOE in the daytime, XEWA at almost local strength at night.
 
radioman148 said:
I don't remember that, but KWMT could be heard here during the day any time of year, except during heavy thunderstorms. Do you remember what year the 540 in the Milwaukee area went on the air?
Click to expand...

IIRC, The Milwaukee 540 went on in the air in the early or mid 60s as WYLO, COL Jackson, WI. I remember listening to it in my Dad's 1958 VW Beetle (our second car) shortly after I got my DL in 1965. Programming was varied, but for years it was known for having a heavy dose of polka music. Anyway, I believe WYLO was 250 watts non-directional, but I'm not 100% sure about that. When the station first went on the air, it was a daytimer. Jackson remains the COL today as WAUK.

As for XEWA, count me as among those who don't believe that they're running their fully authorized 150kw.
 
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Thanks guys! I remember the calls WYLO, but I was thinking that it was later than 1965. Anyway, thanks for refreshing my memory.
 
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