Nighttime: Used to be KCSP Kansas City, now it's usually KDAL Duluth. Either one relies on nulling out WMT on 600, whose transmitter is about 8 miles from my place.
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AM Frequency of the Week: 610
- Thread starter cyberdad
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I actually have noticed that KCSP'S signal is weaker than it used to be. In fact, one morning last week, I was hearing KDAL on night pattern before they went 5kw omi...with a punch...and took over the channel. Hearing KDAL on night pattern never used to happen at my location.
I remember that well. I didn't know if it was NIMBY or shipping issues holding that up. WTVN was on that STA for something like two years, and it was nice in the local area with those nulls gone. That 1,250 did get out well, although at the expense of some coverage to the far north.
I definitely remember the NIMBY folks striking down the proposed array down in Pickaway County back in the late 1990s. Been a long time but under that plan, I think WTVN would have broadcast daytime from Obetz, as it does now, and moved to the Circleville tower farm at night and blanketed the entire metro and beyond with its main pattern.
That would have been with 50,000 watts at night, still protecting everyone else, thus "Radio Free Canada"
However, to relocate the Day WTVN facility at the new Night facility, they had to reduce power and/or go DA, to protect WSOM/WRQX 600 in Salem, OH, at least until they did nondirectional proofs to show reduced conductivity from M-3 values. Thats my recollection anyway. Don't remember if overlap also had to be reduced to WTAC/WSNL 600 Flint, MI, as their 0.5 mV/m contours touched around Monroe, MI.
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240863177_4730649676946168_4122331990899237978_n.jpg
Does your radio ever get overloaded by KCSP? I've been on some of the KC area SDRs, and the signal is very strong and efficient.
Ah yes how things have changed...back in the day we used to listen to the Bay Area's "the Big 610 KFRC" everywhere up and down the West Coast! Only 5 kW but no interference!
When I used to get into Kansas City once or twice a year for business (and barbecue), I used to sometimes drive by a self-supporting tower just southwest of downtown near the state line. I always wondered if that was (or had been) used by WDAF. Or perhaps been a TV tower. If you're familiar with what I'm talking about, can you shed any light on that?
I am familiar with this tower. It was formerly an active VHF TV tower. Now, I am not sure of the exact use. The KCSP tower is located further south in Prairie Village, Kansas [just off Mission Road] where it has been since 1937 [as I recall reading.]
Bob
On an overnight some time ago, back in Queens NYC, WDAF was coming in very well.
WIP 610 in Philly was off. And WDAF was there, as solid as I ever recall a regional signal from the midwest could be.
In checking the various logbooks available I was surprised to find out that WDAF was 5000 watts OMNI, 24/7/52.
We moved here to PA over 20 years ago. Privy then to more radio talk and discussion, I learned that WDAF not only showed up well in the Kansas City ratings but was number one overall!
Not too long after that performance, 610 changed format and 'WDAF' put their country format on their FM.
I knew that WIOD Miami was omni at night. But I was just surprised by nf8m's nighttime map of 610, which reveals that KEAR San Fran is also 5000 watts omni. I have to think that back in the 60's, say, any one of those three stations could be heard cross country under the right conditions.
WIP 610 in Philly was off. And WDAF was there, as solid as I ever recall a regional signal from the midwest could be.
In checking the various logbooks available I was surprised to find out that WDAF was 5000 watts OMNI, 24/7/52.
We moved here to PA over 20 years ago. Privy then to more radio talk and discussion, I learned that WDAF not only showed up well in the Kansas City ratings but was number one overall!
Not too long after that performance, 610 changed format and 'WDAF' put their country format on their FM.
I knew that WIOD Miami was omni at night. But I was just surprised by nf8m's nighttime map of 610, which reveals that KEAR San Fran is also 5000 watts omni. I have to think that back in the 60's, say, any one of those three stations could be heard cross country under the right conditions.
Here in Wood Dale, IL in the near NW suburb of Chicago:
Daytime: usualy just splatter from WTMJ
Nightime: KCSP or WTVN
DX/RETRO: Besides KCSP and WTVN I have been noticing KDAL making frequent appearances lately. Others heard include KILT (Houston, TX), WZZK (Birmingham, AL), WIP (Philadelphia, PA), CKTB (St. Catharines, ON), CHNC (New Carlisle, PQ), couple Radio Rebelde outlets, XEEL (Fresnillo, Mexico). Also back in 1980's Radio America from Tegucigalpa, Honduras would make an appearance.
Daytime: usualy just splatter from WTMJ
Nightime: KCSP or WTVN
DX/RETRO: Besides KCSP and WTVN I have been noticing KDAL making frequent appearances lately. Others heard include KILT (Houston, TX), WZZK (Birmingham, AL), WIP (Philadelphia, PA), CKTB (St. Catharines, ON), CHNC (New Carlisle, PQ), couple Radio Rebelde outlets, XEEL (Fresnillo, Mexico). Also back in 1980's Radio America from Tegucigalpa, Honduras would make an appearance.
From NW San Antonio:
Day: A weak but readable KILT.
Night: E/W it's KILT in/out and sometimes strong depending on propagation. Occasionally R. Rebelde in Cuba will pop up. To the N/S, it's a mix of KCSP and XESORN in Saltillo, with the latter usually most common/dominant.
Sunrise: XEGS in Guasuave comes up when it goes to day power, usually taking out KILT for a while.
DX/Retro: I've heard WAGG in Birmingham just once; it was around sunrise a little over two years ago. Several years ago I used to hear a weak XEBX in Sabinas mixing with KILT during daytime before it was retired.
Day: A weak but readable KILT.
Night: E/W it's KILT in/out and sometimes strong depending on propagation. Occasionally R. Rebelde in Cuba will pop up. To the N/S, it's a mix of KCSP and XESORN in Saltillo, with the latter usually most common/dominant.
Sunrise: XEGS in Guasuave comes up when it goes to day power, usually taking out KILT for a while.
DX/Retro: I've heard WAGG in Birmingham just once; it was around sunrise a little over two years ago. Several years ago I used to hear a weak XEBX in Sabinas mixing with KILT during daytime before it was retired.
That is impressive! You would be just outside of their fringe signal
KFRC was my favorite station when I visited my brother in the Bay Area back in the 70's and 80's and I remember the first time I visited with my Sony AM Stereo Walkman in the summer of 1986 during their last days of playing top 40 music.
Their switch to the new format of old music that was way before my time was sad and reminded me of when WABC switched to all talk a few years earlier
I was a big fan of Dr. Don Rose, especially because I had remembered him from WFIL Philadelphia.
When I would return to New Jersey after my California visits, I had always wished I could somehow hear KFRC at night with WIP nulled, even knowing there were many stations across the country in between on the same frequency.
So here I am in Hawaii now, the same distance from San Francisco as I when I was in Jersey, and 610 KEAR can be heard at night.
Of course, having all ocean and no stations in between is a big help but I think how cool it would have been to be in Hawaii back in the day and hear KFRC.
I still hope that maybe one day they will switch their format back to top 40 oldies, a resurrection of the old KFRC.
One of the times I was listening for KFRC back east was when I was in college in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania about 50 miles north of Philadelphia where it was easy to null out WIP and by surprise I heard WIOD with a pretty good signal too.
No, not here at home. However, I have noticed this is the car when I am closer to the transmitter site.
Bob
@ Gar HI : Ftom the old saying 'one man's one man's floor is another man's ceiling', lol ......
A great pal of mine from Brooklyn wound up at KRFC in those Standards days. Harry Mankin. One of the most original, creative, versatile and mischievous people I ever met, he even used the air name 'Harry Callahan' -- in San Francisco, of all places, for crying out loud!
I get your drift about 'before my time'. My own gripe (and Harry's) was KFRC's strict adherence to the 300-song playlist. According to their PD, says Harry, 'We play 'In The Mood' and 'I Left My Heart in San Francisco', and 298 other songs that make us nervous.'
Wow. What vision. 35 relevant years of Standards and 300 worthwhile songs comes out to a little over just 8 songs per YEAR offered to their audience. And if I have my dates correct, KFRC had no competition at the time.
Back East here and in other places, the Standards audiences arguably got treated even worse. For one, those syndicated / satellite Standards extention speakers were using the 1990's concept of ten-in-a-row and two endless spot clusters per hour. More importantly, that 300-song noose of a playlist was NOT what the targeted audience grew up hearing or enjoying.
The only exception I ever heard was WPEN 950 in Philly. They had a far-flung playlist and were getting terrific ratings. No competition for them, then, either. And PA's Don Kennedy with his Big Band Jump was also a treat.
I'm surmising that you, like I am, are a rock-and-roller, Gar. But to see and hear my Folks and people their age being serenaded solely by some K-Tel discount CD closeout box set was disgusting. It must be as unacceptable as us hearing Classic Rock and Classic Hits make us wait until the end of fifteen spots to hear something we're likely to tune out anyway.
Harry was making $27 an hour at KFRC, which he says made up for his 'playing the same songs I played yesterday.'
A great pal of mine from Brooklyn wound up at KRFC in those Standards days. Harry Mankin. One of the most original, creative, versatile and mischievous people I ever met, he even used the air name 'Harry Callahan' -- in San Francisco, of all places, for crying out loud!
I get your drift about 'before my time'. My own gripe (and Harry's) was KFRC's strict adherence to the 300-song playlist. According to their PD, says Harry, 'We play 'In The Mood' and 'I Left My Heart in San Francisco', and 298 other songs that make us nervous.'
Wow. What vision. 35 relevant years of Standards and 300 worthwhile songs comes out to a little over just 8 songs per YEAR offered to their audience. And if I have my dates correct, KFRC had no competition at the time.
Back East here and in other places, the Standards audiences arguably got treated even worse. For one, those syndicated / satellite Standards extention speakers were using the 1990's concept of ten-in-a-row and two endless spot clusters per hour. More importantly, that 300-song noose of a playlist was NOT what the targeted audience grew up hearing or enjoying.
The only exception I ever heard was WPEN 950 in Philly. They had a far-flung playlist and were getting terrific ratings. No competition for them, then, either. And PA's Don Kennedy with his Big Band Jump was also a treat.
I'm surmising that you, like I am, are a rock-and-roller, Gar. But to see and hear my Folks and people their age being serenaded solely by some K-Tel discount CD closeout box set was disgusting. It must be as unacceptable as us hearing Classic Rock and Classic Hits make us wait until the end of fifteen spots to hear something we're likely to tune out anyway.
Harry was making $27 an hour at KFRC, which he says made up for his 'playing the same songs I played yesterday.'
Update from Hartland, VT:
Still WGIR by day, but listened last night and not a peep from anywhere. Maybe poor conditions, so I'll try again some other time.
Still WGIR by day, but listened last night and not a peep from anywhere. Maybe poor conditions, so I'll try again some other time.
From Yuma, Arizona
Day: Nothing
Night: KAVL Lancaster, California
Day: Nothing
Night: KAVL Lancaster, California
I've never cared for music that was from before I was able to remember, so anything before 1965 when I was 3 years old (as far back as I can remember hearing songs on the radio or from records) just doesn't interest me such as doo-wop, 50's rock and roll, big band, swing.
It always amazes me in a good way how many young people who were born decades after the 60's and 70's like the music from that era.
But I agree completely about what's become of classic rock and oldies stations.
The same handful of songs over and over again to the point where I even turn off good songs I used to like because I've heard them way too much, such as Hotel California, Hey Jude, Sweet Home Alabama, Heart Of Glass, Every Breath You Take, and the most over played song of all - Brown Eyed Girl.
With all the songs that were made in the 60's, 70's, and 80's, it just escapes me why they ignore most of them and only play a very limited list of songs all the time.
And it's the same songs too in all the different markets.
There are some stations that are exceptions, of course, but they are few and far between.
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