Unusual AM skywave propagation

[mwaters@wesleyan.edu (Martin J. Waters)]

        As was the case over a very wide area a few months ago (May?) for
several nights, last night brought a severe suppression of most AM skywave
reception -- in this case, at least here in Connecticut. I suppose it's the
sunspot situation. Nearly all the regular nighttime Class A stations were
almost totally absent. WBAL is a litmus test for me -- it normally thunders
in. It was simply not there. Ditto up and down the dial, with a couple
exceptions. Beyond WBZ, which I think of as a nighttime local, and which
was weaker than normal, there was almost nothing. The exceptions were WBT,
very strong, and WTOP, weaker than usual, WWKB, very weak, and WSAI, very
poor. But normally very strong signals such as WJR, WTAM, WOWO, were not
discernible, either at around 9-10 p.m. or at around 1-2 a.m.
        The most interesting thing was, though, that this must be some sort
of phenomenon in which at the same time other skywaves from a particular
area were coming in unusually strongly instead. There were Spanish-speaking
stations all up and down the dial where normally there are other stations.
I was getting Spanish on 580, 620, 630, 640, 670, 680, 750, 810, 900, and
990, among others. I did not get the high-power station in the Caribbean
that sometimes shows up on 1020. On 1180, which is Radio Marti in the
Florida Keys and the corresponding Cuban shooting back, I was getting an
incredibly strong signal and no WHAM at all. Normally, if the Spanish is
heard, it is way in the background -- never on top. I did not get any good
IDs for any of these Spanish stations, however.
        On the theory that these were all Cuban and/or Mexican and/or even
central and South America, I tried to get some U.S. stations from the same
direction, but WWL, which I normally can't hear anymore, was not there. The
station in Miami on 710 was not bothering WOR. WSB was not there. WOAI was
not there. So, go figure.
        The other interesting thing about this is that local groundwave
signals sounded much better because of the lack of interfering skywaves. I
think of this as probably what they sounded like 50 years ago at night,
before too many stations were put on the air. For example, WDRC (AM) in
Hartford sounded good at my location, as I'm told it once did, whereas at
night normally it's way down in the mud. My litmus test for the groundwaves
is WWCO, 1240, in Waterbury, which normally is lost in the muck before
sunset where I am but was quite listenable last night.
        I pass this along for those who might be interested, with the
thought that tonight might bring more of the same. For example, the
historical branch of the newsgroup could listen to 1260 in Boston if this
phenomenon were occurring and perhaps hear what its nighttime coverage was
like in the 1940s when it was WNAC, the Yankee Network flagship station.

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