Topics

151

MW Loggings / KCMY 1300 AM 0400 UTC 23 Jan 2020

« on: January 23, 2020, 0755 UTC »

At the top of the hour, just as I tuned in, I heard a legal ID that listed several frequencies, including an FM translator or two very quickly, but ended with “Cowboy Country” and started playing a country song before the signal quickly receded back into the mess. A quick online search of that frequency and slogan turned up this Carson City, Nevada, station.

The signal on my Field receiver rose back above the fray around 0413 UTC with a country song that matched what I was hearing on an SDR in Winnemucca, Nevada; I also heard a local ad at 0416 UTC that matched the SDR audio. This one’s listed as just 120 watts at night. The distance from me is 622 miles.

152

MW Loggings / KEED 1450 AM 0613 UTC 20 Jan 2020

« on: January 22, 2020, 1800 UTC »

I've been torturing my ears the past few nights trying to decipher what I can hear in the noisy mess on "graveyard" frequencies.

For this one, however, I got lucky. Just as I tuned in, I heard a promo ID that said something to the effect of “Other than putting on a cowboy hat and yelling ‘yeehaw,’ it would hard to get more country. KEED 1450.” Then “Memory Maker” by Mel Tillis started. By 0616 UTC, the signal from Eugene, Oregon, was back down in the mess. This station runs 1,000 watts all the time; distance from me is 278 miles.

153

MW Loggings / KIHH 1400 AM 0606 UTC 17 Jan 2020

« on: January 17, 2020, 0650 UTC »

This signal from Eureka, California, running the Catholic-oriented “Relevant Radio” format, repeatedly rose above the rest of the mess on this frequency with “The Inner Life” call-in advice program. The loudest interference came from an unID country music station.

KIHH is listed as 790 watts at night; distance from me is 509 miles.

154

MW Loggings / KZGD 1390 AM 0601 UTC 15 Jan 2020

« on: January 15, 2020, 1935 UTC »

This station in Salem, Oregon, is listed as running a "regional Mexican" format, but it's now joined the small network of Pacific Northwest stations running a contemporary Christian format in Spanish. It took a couple nights to hear the full English ID that runs one minute after the top of the hour, but I finally caught it.

Other stations in this "la Estacion de la Familia" network that are mentioned in the ID include KBRO and KLDY, which are both in the greater Seattle area.

This station officially runs only 690 watts at night, but it seems to dominate this frequency after dark at my place, which is about 217 miles north of Salem.

155

MW Loggings / KBIF 900 AM 0650 UTC 12 Jan 2020

« on: January 13, 2020, 0435 UTC »

Male announcer speaking in what sounded like Punjabi with some English phrases and phone numbers in English; maybe sponsor messages? I matched the talking with this Fresno, California, station’s online stream. KBIF stayed on top of the frequency most of the time past 0700 UTC, though CKBI in Saskatchewan provided interference at times. This station is listed as running just 500 watts at night; distance from me is 787 miles.

156

MW Loggings / KVMI 1270 AM 0800 UTC 12 Jan 2020

« on: January 13, 2020, 0423 UTC »

Tuned in this Tulare, California, station just in time to hear an ID that mentioned Tulare and “the new 97.5” before playing a cover of “Big Yellow Taxi.” At 0804 UTC, there was a promo for Mike Pesto in the mornings, then “Lovefool” by the Cardigans. After another “My 97.5” ID at 0808 UTC, Extreme’s “My Than Words” played.

This station is listed as just 1,000 watts at night; the distance from me is 827 miles.

157

MW Loggings / WCCO 830 AM 0710 UTC 12 Jan 2020

« on: January 13, 2020, 0420 UTC »

I tuned in to hear “Eye on Travel with Peter Greenberg” talking about the 737 MAX troubles, which I matched with WCCO’s online stream. The fair signal slowly faded over the next 15-20 minutes, but it stayed mostly on top of KNCO in California; I heard the show come back from the break at 0733 UTC.

This clear-channel station runs 50 kW; the distance is 1,371 miles from me. My new Eton Elite Field, paired with the Tecsun loop, is indeed pulling in MW stations my Grundig Eton Satellit doesn't.

158

MW Loggings / KOGO 600 AM 0300 UTC 09 Jan 2020

« on: January 09, 2020, 1707 UTC »

There's always a mess on 600 kHz here, with KGEZ in Montana and CJWW out of Saskatchewan usually vying to be on top. But at 0300 UTC last night, with no sign of CJWW, I caught KOGO rising up just in time for its legal ID: “You’re listening to K-O-G-O, San Diego.” This one's listed as 5 kW around the clock; distance from me is 1,087 miles.

159

MW Loggings / KHAT 1210 AM 0323 UTC 09 Jan 2020

« on: January 09, 2020, 1702 UTC »

Heard KHAT in Laramie, Wyoming, with only a trace of semi-local KMIA in the background. The station played some country songs by Brett Eldredge, Old Dominion and Rascal Flatts; I compared what I was hearing with the station's web stream. That was followed by weather for Laramie at 0330 UTC after giving “New Country 96.7” ID, a station promo, then more country music. This one's listed as just 1 kW at night; distance from me is 930 miles. Still figuring out how well my new Tecsun loop can work.

160

Equipment / SW/MW radio recommendation?

« on: December 31, 2019, 0047 UTC »

OK, here's my scenario: I have a Eton Grundig Edition Satellit portable receiver (love that one), along with a few older radios, and I have up to $75 (U.S.) to spend on another portable.

SSB isn't necessary, but something that'a good with both shortwave and mediumwave would be great. Recommendations?

161

MW Loggings / WBAP 820 AM 0800 UTC 22 Dec 2019

« on: December 23, 2019, 0505 UTC »

Heard this Fort Worth, Texas, station with a clear “WBAP and WBAP.com” ID into Dallas area news headlines after the national news, then an ad break as the signal faded out for the moment. At 0806 UTC, another “WBAP and WBAP.com” ID just before “Red Eye Radio” started a new hour. Loop antenna effectively nulled Seattle's KGNW on the same frequency.

162

MW Loggings / WOAI 1200 AM 0815 UTC 22 Dec 2019

« on: December 23, 2019, 0451 UTC »

Heard this San Antonio station broadcasting “Coast to Coast AM” with a guest talking about UFO reports among military pilots until Fox News on the half-hour mark, then ads, including a hiring ad for a Texas-based trucking company.

The signal faded periodically, but was otherwise generally good at the peaks and mostly clear with little noise. This one's about 1,800 miles from me.

163

MW Loggings / KBGG 1700 AM 0550 UTC 22 Dec 2019

« on: December 23, 2019, 0445 UTC »

Heard this sports talk station out of Des Moines, Iowa, playing a sports talk show, followed by CBS Sports update on the hour, then a message from a troop to his family based in Iowa before going to new hour of a sports talk show. This was staying on top of the frequency with little sign of XEPE.

This one's listed as 1,000 watts at night; about 1,457 miles southeast of me. My wife bought me a Tecsun AM loop antenna for my birthday, and it turns out it really makes a difference for mediumwave DXing!

164

MW Loggings / KFAB 1110 AM 0425 UTC 25 Nov 2019

« on: November 25, 2019, 1956 UTC »

Another Midwest catch by listening through the closer big signal: Heard KFAB out of Omaha on the car radio (2014 Kia Sedona factory radio) while waiting to pick up my kid in Marysville, Washington, just northwest of me. A male weather forecaster giving a winter storm warning and other forecast information for Omaha was briefly above and then audible below KBND from Bend, Oregon. Then Bill Cunningham’s radio show continued on KFAB.

Once I got back home, I tuned in just before 0700 UTC and in a moment of silence on KBND between ads and Fox news on the hour, I heard part of an Omahajobs.com ad, which I confirmed via KFAB’s livestream. I then heard, periodically, “Coast to Coast AM” on KFAB, which was running several seconds behind KBND’s broadcast of it. Distance from here to Omaha is approximately 1,400 miles.

165

MW Loggings / WHO 1040 AM 0418 UTC 23 Nov 2019

« on: November 24, 2019, 0244 UTC »

I knew if I was patient enough, I could hear Des Moines, Iowa, despite the strong and annoying CKST out of nearby Vancouver, B.C., on the same frequency. As the “Our American Stories” program returned from ads, I heard part of Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man” cut through CKST’s talk, which matched the SDR audio of WHO from Kansas City.

The station’s audio continued to bubble up to audible levels at times to mix with CKST and KXPD (a low-power station near Portland, Oregon, that runs China Radio International programming). Distance from here to WHO is about 1,460 miles.