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Author Topic: KCKK 1510 AM 0215 UTC 8 Apr 2020  (Read 1504 times)

Offline skeezix

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KCKK 1510 AM 0215 UTC 8 Apr 2020
« on: April 08, 2020, 0218 UTC »
KCKK is 700 miles away.


I=4 Some QRM from 1500 KSTP (local station)

0215Z 34543 S9 Cher "You Better Sit Down Kids"
0217Z 34543 S7 Simon & Garfunkel "I Am a Rock"
0219Z 34543 S7 ID "1510 AM The Rock"
0219Z 34543 S7 The Supremes "Baby Love"
0234Z 55545 S9+10 Johnnie Tyler "Disco Lady"
0236Z 55545 S9+10 ID "The greatest hits of all time. 1510 AM The Rock"
0236Z 55545 S9+10 The Mamas & The Papas "Monday, Monday"
0240Z 45444 S9 Shades of Blues "Oh How Happy"






National NC-125 with Bonito Boni-Whip antenna
« Last Edit: April 10, 2020, 2107 UTC by skeezix »
Minneapolis, MN

Offline pinto vortando

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Re: KCKK 1510 AM 0215 UTC 78 Apr 2020
« Reply #1 on: April 08, 2020, 1110 UTC »
Nice catch on the Colorado station as most of their nighttime signal is not directed your way.
WLAC Nashville TN with 50kw pretty much crushes everything else on 1510 at this QTH.
Das Radiobunker somewhere in Michigan

Offline skeezix

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Re: KCKK 1510 AM 0215 UTC 78 Apr 2020
« Reply #2 on: April 09, 2020, 1514 UTC »
This one showed up for a little bit, right near the top of the hour to get a good ID, then faded out.

1500 KSTP (a 50kW flamethrower) usually causes too much problems for fun on 1490 & 1510, especially at night when they go directional and throw almost everything to the west (where I am, about 20 miles away right in the center of their night pattern). Daytime they're omni.

Got lucky this night that KSTP didn't interfere too much and pulled out KCKK.



Minneapolis, MN

Offline pinto vortando

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Re: KCKK 1510 AM 0215 UTC 78 Apr 2020
« Reply #3 on: April 09, 2020, 2300 UTC »
This one showed up for a little bit, right near the top of the hour to get a good ID, then faded out.

1500 KSTP (a 50kW flamethrower) usually causes too much problems for fun on 1490 & 1510, especially at night when they go directional and throw almost everything to the west (where I am, about 20 miles away right in the center of their night pattern). Daytime they're omni.

Got lucky this night that KSTP didn't interfere too much and pulled out KCKK.

Sounds like the 50kw blaster is running digital sidebands.
Got a similar situation here in Michigan with 50kw WWJ AM 950.  Their pattern is aimed upstate directly at me
so forget about hearing anything on 940 or 960.  Their signal on the SDR looks like a 30kc wide curtain.  :(
Das Radiobunker somewhere in Michigan

Offline skeezix

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Re: KCKK 1510 AM 0215 UTC 78 Apr 2020
« Reply #4 on: April 09, 2020, 2319 UTC »
This one showed up for a little bit, right near the top of the hour to get a good ID, then faded out.

1500 KSTP (a 50kW flamethrower) usually causes too much problems for fun on 1490 & 1510, especially at night when they go directional and throw almost everything to the west (where I am, about 20 miles away right in the center of their night pattern). Daytime they're omni.

Got lucky this night that KSTP didn't interfere too much and pulled out KCKK.

Sounds like the 50kw blaster is running digital sidebands.
Got a similar situation here in Michigan with 50kw WWJ AM 950.  Their pattern is aimed upstate directly at me
so forget about hearing anything on 940 or 960.  Their signal on the SDR looks like a 30kc wide curtain.  :(


KSTP is AM analog only (thankfully), but they do have decently wide sidebands that will go well into the LSB of 1510 (and USB of 1490).

I don't think we have any running IBOC anymore on MW in the Twin Cities. 740 WDGY & 830 WCCO used to have it up until a couple of years ago, then it was disabled and their signals are clean now.  WDGY as well as 540 WXYG both run AM Stereo (C-QUAM) these days. Yes, we have more AM Stereo stations than IBOC.

Unfortunately being in a large metro, we have a few strong stations that wipe out the adjacent channel neighbors. SDRs can usually help significantly with that, to a point. There's also a couple with wide signals (+/- 10 kHz audio), which sound nice.


Speaking of IBOC... Around 0230-0245 GMT, I tuned the entire band (530-1700) with the SDR. I did not see one station that had IBOC running. 780 & a couple around 1000-1100 used to. That was a pleasant surprise.


« Last Edit: April 10, 2020, 0150 UTC by skeezix »
Minneapolis, MN

Offline pinto vortando

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Re: KCKK 1510 AM 0215 UTC 78 Apr 2020
« Reply #5 on: April 10, 2020, 0404 UTC »
Amazingly enough, looks like WWJ has their digital sidebands turned off tonight.
Heard my first station ever on 940.  Caught WIDG St. Ignace MI 5kw @ 2300Z.
Programming was Religious-Catholic Relevant Radio. 
Das Radiobunker somewhere in Michigan

Offline pinto vortando

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Re: KCKK 1510 AM 0215 UTC 8 Apr 2020
« Reply #6 on: April 13, 2020, 1214 UTC »
FWIW, WWJ AM 950 and WXYT AM 1270 have recently turned off their digital sidebands. Both are 50kw Detroit stations.
Das Radiobunker somewhere in Michigan

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Re: KCKK 1510 AM 0215 UTC 8 Apr 2020
« Reply #7 on: April 13, 2020, 1319 UTC »
That's great news, hopefully more do that.
Minneapolis, MN

Offline pinto vortando

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Re: KCKK 1510 AM 0215 UTC 8 Apr 2020
« Reply #8 on: April 13, 2020, 2301 UTC »
That's great news, hopefully more do that.

That would be nice.  :)

My guess is that since most HD receivers are installed in cars
and hardly anybody is on the road during the present situation
the stations turned off the digital to save on their electric bill.
Das Radiobunker somewhere in Michigan