Messages

781

MW Loggings / Re: WWL (tent.) 870 AM 0645 UTC 24 Jan. 2020

« on: January 24, 2020, 2239 UTC »

Since I got the Eton Field BT two weeks ago, I've been very impressed with its MW reception; I can't try it with a shortwave antenna just yet. And after nearly a month of using it, I'm getting better at fine-tuning my Tecsun loop that I use with the radio.

Biggest basic tip I have for using the loop: Put it and your radio on a lazy Susan. It's a game-changer, as it makes it effortless to change the orientation of the radio and the loop at the same time.

In a week's time, we'll be mostly moved back to our regular house after seven months of living elsewhere while cleaning up and rebuilding 70% of the house after a plumbing leak disaster. Can't wait to get back there, as it's a quieter environment for radio reception and I have a good longwire antenna there.

782

MW Loggings / WWL (tent.) 870 AM 0645 UTC 24 Jan. 2020

« on: January 24, 2020, 1734 UTC »

I have this as tentative because I didn't hear any ID or local ads to help confirm my hunch that I was hearing New Orleans from up here near Seattle.

For several minutes at a time between about 0645 and 0755 UTC, I heard "The Dave Ramsey Show" fade in, with long fadeouts in between. WWL is the only station on 870 listed as playing the show in those hours, so I tuned an online SDR in Alabama to 870 and it was echoing what I was hearing. But those long fadeouts kept me from 100% confirming this was WWL.

KFLD, which is much closer to me and usually audible, was down in the mess. Weird reception night, as some of the usuals were missing, but WOAI out of San Antonio was booming in like a local station at times.

783

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.

784

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.

785

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: WREC 4080 USB 0050 UTC 18 January 2020

« on: January 19, 2020, 0113 UTC »

0111 UTC: Just tuned in via D.C. SDR and heard a "Ren & Stimpy" promo and then bits from the cartoon ... man, how I miss that show!

0112 UTC: WREC ID, then "Cherry Pie" by Warrant

0115 UTC: ID, then "Something to Believe in" by Poison

Anyway, signal's fighting increasing noise via the SDR. No signal out west here. Just tried the Uniontown SDR at 0115 UTC, and the signal's noticeably weaker there with more noise.

0118 UTC: Checked back on my local SDR (K9VD) and could just barely hear the Poison song. So the signal's sort of making it this far west now.

786

MW Loggings / Re: KIHH 1400 AM 0606 UTC 17 Jan 2020

« on: January 18, 2020, 0010 UTC »

I thought about that. There also are country stations on that frequency in Cottage Grove, OR; John Day, OR; and Jerome, ID. My next challenge will be pulling out an ID from that overlapping mess.

787

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.

788

MW Loggings / Re: WCCO 830 AM 0710 UTC 12 Jan 2020

« on: January 15, 2020, 1941 UTC »

That KNCO signal on 830 annoys me. There are a quite a few frequencies out here that would still be "clear channels" if it weren't for mid-power stations in California.

Thanks for posting the history of the station. I minored in history in college and thought about majoring in it, so one of my favorite things to do while hunting mediumwave stations is to look up the history of the stations I hear.

789

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.

790

General Radio Discussion / Re: Reception based on East coast/West coast

« on: January 15, 2020, 0345 UTC »

As a lifelong West Coaster who sometimes visits the East Coast, I sometimes am jealous of the East Coast's better reception of African/Middle East stations.

I didn't realize how much I take our morning reception of Asian stations (SO many CNR and CRI stations are audible most days before 10 a.m.) for granted out here.

791

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.

792

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.

793

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.

794

MW Loggings / Re: KOGO 600 AM 0300 UTC 09 Jan 2020

« on: January 10, 2020, 2034 UTC »

Thanks. It also turns out that the "no sign of CJWW" was wrong. I didn't hear country music, but I did hear a station doing preaching in the background. It turns out CJWW runs preaching instead of music for a couple hours in the nighttime. Didn't figure that one out until last night when I was trying out my new Elite Field, which is my newest "toy."

I could also hear talk radio at times in the mess, which was likely KOGO, but it stayed in the background last night.

795

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.