Attention all AM DX-ing fans!

Dave Doherty dave@skywaves.net
Sat Dec 5 12:40:39 EST 2009


During a brief stint at WYBG in Massena, NY, I signed off with "And now for 
a word from our chums in Toronto."

CHUM was also on 1050 and relatively close by.  When sign-off was on the 
half hour, I would reach back, hit the transmitter-off switch, and make a 
seamless transition into their newscast.  It was kind of fun.

-d




--------------------------------------------------
From: "Peter Q. George" <radiojunkie3@yahoo.com>
Sent: Saturday, December 05, 2009 11:43 AM
To: "Martin Waters" <martinjwaters@yahoo.com>; "Jr.Paul B. Walker" 
<walkerbroadcasting@gmail.com>; "Dan.Strassberg" <dan.strassberg@att.net>
Cc: <boston-radio-interest@bostonradio.org>
Subject: Re: Attention all AM DX-ing fans!

>
> During the WBZE days, I believe, during their sign-off, they said to 
> listeners "Stand by WBZ/Boston, coming up next!" (*carrier dumped*).
>
> It that true?
>
>
> Peter Q. George (K1XRB)
> Whitman, Massachusetts
> "Scanning the bands since 1967"
>
> radiojunkie3@yahoo.com
> ***********************************************************
>
>
> --- On Fri, 12/4/09, Dan.Strassberg <dan.strassberg@att.net> wrote:
>
>> From: Dan.Strassberg <dan.strassberg@att.net>
>> Subject: Re: Attention all AM DX-ing fans!
>> To: "Martin Waters" <martinjwaters@yahoo.com>, "Jr.Paul B. Walker" 
>> <walkerbroadcasting@gmail.com>
>> Cc: boston-radio-interest@bostonradio.org
>> Date: Friday, December 4, 2009, 8:32 AM
>> WWGB's day pattern supposedly
>> protects WBZ during critical hours as
>> well as during the remainder of daylight. The pattern does
>> indeed have
>> a broad, deep minimum to the northeast. When WWGB first
>> went on the
>> air (60's?), its calls were WBZE. Supposedly, the calls
>> were selected
>> so that people in the listening area, which includes
>> Washington DC,
>> would think they were listening to WBZ day and night
>> because WBZ has a
>> killer nighttime signal there.
>>
>> As for KCTA, back in the '40s, when it was KWBU and I think
>> was 50 kW
>> ND all day (the FCC hadn't yet invented critical hours),
>> Westinghouse
>> tried to get the FCC to force KWBU to sign off at Boston
>> sunset, which
>> would have been 3:15PM in south Texas in December. I know
>> that during
>> critical hours, KCTA's daytime skywave really gets out;
>> I've seen DX
>> reports from places about 1000 miles from Corpus Christie.
>>
>> -----
>> Dan Strassberg (dan.strassberg@att.net)
>> eFax 1-707-215-6367
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Martin Waters" 
>> <martinjwaters@yahoo.com>
>> To: "Jr.Paul B. Walker" <walkerbroadcasting@gmail.com>
>> Cc: <boston-radio-interest@bostonradio.org>
>> Sent: Friday, December 04, 2009 4:17 AM
>> Subject: Re: Attention all AM DX-ing fans!
>>
>>
>> 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.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
> 


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