WTIC night signal

[Eli Polonsky]

> > From: Aaron Read <readaaron@friedbagels.com>
> To: boston-radio-interest@bostonradio.org
> Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2007 01:21:23 -0400
> Subject: WTIC night signal
>
> However, I also noticed that the skywave reception 
> was VERY in-and-out for the entire drive...even the 
> part of I-90 through Springfield, where one would 
> think WTIC should come in just fine.  But alas, not 
> really...there's just as much static, hash and fade 
> there as there is in frickin' Syracuse.
> 
> I'm relatively new to AM DX'ing, but this strikes me 
> as odd?  Is there a particular reason why it'd come 
> in at all so far away, but not improve even when so 
> much closer?

Yes, it's because you were probably "in between" the
skywave and the strong radius of the groundwave. It's
only about 30 or 40 miles from Hartford to Springfield.
That's too close for skywave, which is signals reflecting
off the ionosphere which come back to Earth farther away
than that, typically.

You're still getting skywave in Syracuse and farther out, 
but as close as Springfield, you're no longer getting 
skywave and you're now relying on mainly groundwave, and
apparently WTIC's groundwave night signal isn't very good
in that area. Though it doesn't have a deep or sharp null
in that direction, it may be somewhat directional against
that area at night.

The most pronounced example of what I'm talking about that
I can think of in this area is WWZN 1510, which cannot be
heard in their nighttime null on groundwave in Framingham, 
but even in their null direction, they catch some skywave
and can often be heard at night (though poorly) farther 
out in the same direction. I've heard them at night out
in southern Connecticut and upstate New York better than 
they can be heard in Natick or Framingham.

EP