Attention all AM DX-ing fans!

[Martin Waters]

>--- On Thu, 12/3/09, Paul B. Walker, Jr. <walkerbroadcasting@gmail.com> wrote:
> WGSF, according to Flinn Broadcasting's
> own website is broadcasting in spanish as Radio Ambiente.
> 
> On Thu, Dec 3, 2009 at 4:02 PM,
> Dan.Strassberg <dan.strassberg@att.net>
> wrote:
> WGSF Memphis TN on 1030 runs 50
> kW-D, 10 kW-CH, 1 kW-N DA-N (three
> towers in-line protecting WBZ). The D and CH operations are
> ND. The format is Black Gospel, I believe. The distance between
> WGSF and WBZ is 1135 miles.

   WGSF may be the Spanish signal I get here every day at around sunset -- not cutting back to the critical hours power, perhaps? But I'm thinking that wasn't my Neil Diamond station on Thursday.

   With the now-explained unusual propagation conditions, the possible stations are several -- especially a few 50 kW daytime-only stations. Like, WWGB, Indian Head, Md., 50 kW, DA. That's a regular visitor at my home on winter mornings -- as late as 8 or 9 a.m. That station should have a critical hours license. 

   A couple additional stations on 1030 kHz are required to reduce power during critical hours -- including daytimer WBGS, Point Pleasant, W.V., 50 kW day, directional; 2.9 kW critical hours, non-DA.

   Maryland and West Virginia are the closest to Boston of the stations on 1030.

   The earliest time I could find that any station would be switching to critical hours power was 3:30 p.m., EST, awhile later than when I thought I heard the audible signal go away. Maybe what I heard was just a fluctuation. 

   The other with critical hours operation is WNVR, Vernon Hills, Ill. (just outside Chicago). The license is 10 kW day, 3.2 kW critical hours, 0.12 kW night, DA-3. It has an application pending for 27 kW day, 8 kW critical hours, 0.21 kW night, DA-3.

   And in the micro-trivia department: A very old daytime-only station on 1030, KCTA, Corpus Christi, Texas, 50 kW, is licensed to operate from sunrise at Boston to its local sunset. Somewhere in the mist of radio history there's a story that goes with that, I'm sure.