Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
This is the time of year when all parts of the U.S., at least quiet locations, should receive an AM station on almost every or every frequency at night, sometimes very strongly. In the outer Duluth, Minnesota area, stations that come in at night with particular intensity are KOA Denver (850), WBBM Chicago (780), WJR Detroit (760), WLS Chicago (890), WSM Nashville (650), KFAB Omaha (1110), and CJBC Toronto (860). Others which usually make it in, but are weaker or have competing stations to interfere with, are stations like CJGX Yorkton (940), WABC New York (770), and WSB Atlanta (750). If you haven't yet, try AM anytime between sunset and sunrise. You might be surprised with what you hear.
Way back when, I made it my goal to receive an identifiable station on every possible frequency (540, 550,...1600 kHz at the time). I finally succeeded after a lot of effort. Those graveyard frequencies are hard to pick out just one station on! I remeber 1230, 1240, and 1450 kHz were three of them (1450 was my last frequency to get something I could identify on).
DXing is better here in the center of the country at this time of year, partly because there are fewer thunderstorms in Tornado Alley adding noise to the signals with every bolt of lightning they produce.
I love dxing this time of year, Here in Atlanta, I can get WSM, WLW, WCKY, WLAC all during the daytime,, many many more at night.
Atlanta must have good soil conductivity. Here in Duluth, where the soil is not very conductive, stations from over 60 miles are generally weak, even 50 kilowatters, even on my DX-398 in a quiet location. In fact, you can't hardly hear anything over 150 - 200 miles during the daytime. However, it's the opposite in western Minnesota, with 5 kW stations from 100 miles away coming in as clean as a bell on my car radio and often with competing stations on many AM frequencies.
Perhaps if AM radio would play something I'd like instead of talk shows...and if the sound quality of AM would increase....but I doubt either are going to happen.
But that's cool that the AM stations can be heard further at night. I'm going to guess this has to do with the solar cycle? I'm somewhat into CB radio which is also AM and due to solar activity we get "skip" conditions where someone can be heard several thousands of miles away.
The sunspot cycle has nothing to do with AM radio. The wavelengths are too long. CB is an entirely different matter; you gotta have sunspots to make the skip happen. With AM, the D layer absorbs signals in daytime, but after sunset it goes away and the signals can refract off the E layer.
Way back when, I made it my goal to receive an identifiable station on every possible frequency (540, 550,...1600 kHz at the time). I finally succeeded after a lot of effort. Those graveyard frequencies are hard to pick out just one station on! I remeber 1230, 1240, and 1450 kHz were three of them (1450 was my last frequency to get something I could identify on).
Way back then, I did the same and sent a letter to every station with the time I heard them, a few songs they played and their times and asked for confirmation. Most did reply back and I had a binder full and in order by frequency of my QSL's.
Being the 60's all I had to put on the envelope was:
Today it's probably not all that tough to go online and find a station's full mailing address.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
