AM Blowtorch KDWN 720 KHz Las Vegas going dark March 1

[Boombox]

True, 2 to 5 decades in the past it was truly wonderful. However 31 and 41 and 49 meters are still well populated starting pre dawn on the west coast, at around 1130 UTC and going on until almost 1730 (0330 to 0930 PST) those bands are lit up with many Asian, Indonesian, Japanese and other oceanic stations. China is ubiquitous in their presence and influence on shortwave with many differing programs and broadcast services. It's interesting because as China has come to DOMINATE the shortwave spectrum, they also at the same time are absolutely FLOODING the market with very cheap shortwave portables for the third world citizens without internet access. An XHDATA D219 just went on sale at ALI for under 7 bucks US. So yeah, the bands aren't as populated as was once the case, but they are very alive in the night time third world and eastern hemisphere.

Only about 80 minutes to go for KDWN, a station of legends.

Understood on the Morning Asia Pipeline to the NW US (and probably much of the Western states & Western Canada.

But the 31 Meter Band generally is el deado at night. Partly due to propagation, partly due to there being less stations on the air.

When prop finally gets dependable for 31, 41, and 49 meters at night there hopefully will be more to hear. Until then, it's tune in Asia during the morning, especially when the ionosphere is cooperative...

 

[Boombox]

If that happend witch i hope never happens then the 2000 mile pulls would be comming into your shack from Canada and the Caribbean solo into the USA depending on your setup. Its never going to happen. To many rual towns like my family and neighbor depend on AM for news. They advertise all of the car shows farm reports pancake fire house breakfast and road reports. Like they are part of your family every morning. AM Radio will never die.

I can appreciate your enthusiasm for the AM band. I am an AM band DXer and mostly listen to the AM band at night, so I get it. And I think the AM band is important for emergency broadcasting, especially as I live in an earthquake prone region.

That said, the AM band is slowly dying. Younger people listen to "radio" increasingly on their smartphones, listening to music streaming services, so it's not just AM that is threatened with gradual extinction but also FM's days are numbered as well.

At the same time, the AM band in the US still has over 4000 stations, so it will take a couple decades probably for the band to be reduced to all static.

And, like you mention, AM does better in smaller cities and rural areas, because it's more dependable than FM in those areas, and the stations can still make some money advertising for local businesses.

 

[northwoods]

I can appreciate your enthusiasm for the AM band. I am an AM band DXer and mostly listen to the AM band at night, so I get it. And I think the AM band is important for emergency broadcasting, especially as I live in an earthquake prone region.

That said, the AM band is slowly dying. Younger people listen to "radio" increasingly on their smartphones, listening to music streaming services, so it's not just AM that is threatened with gradual extinction but also FM's days are numbered as well.

At the same time, the AM band in the US still has over 4000 stations, so it will take a couple decades probably for the band to be reduced to all static.

And, like you mention, AM does better in smaller cities and rural areas, because it's more dependable than FM in those areas, and the stations can still make some money advertising for local businesses.

And those AM stations do make money.

 

[northwoods]

"Truly Wonderfull 2 decades ago.?" Im sill hunting long haul on the AM broadcast band the past 50 years ago and its the same. Hit after hit. Run a 160 foot long wire ouside antenna and fire up a JRC NRD 345 and get back to us. Hell I hit Anchorage Alaska KENI 650 AM late last year for about 12 seconds. From N.E.Wisconsin on lake Michigan. As Americans we will never let our AM band reduced to static. Ever. Good Lord.

 

[northwoods]

"Truly Wonderfull 2 decades ago.?" Im sill hunting long haul on the AM broadcast band the past 50 years ago and its the same. Hit after hit. Run a 160 foot long wire ouside antenna and fire up a JRC NRD 345 and get back to us. Hell I hit Anchorage Alaska KENI 650 AM late last year for about 12 seconds. From N.E.Wisconsin on lake Michigan. As Americans we will never let our AM band reduced to static. Ever. Good Lord.

"AM radio is being threathend with gradual extinction? Because the youth dosent listen? " **** you. Communist talk. You leave our offspring out out this red flag communist.

 

[n6hgg]

Well here it is 24 hours later and they're still on the air. We'll see when it goes dark I suppose.

 

[cc333]

I read on another forum that there is another DX test planned for tonight at the same time, after which it will officially go dark for good.

We'll see if it pans out....

UPDATE: T-minus 10 minutes....

c

 

[cc333]

Huh. No test, just the Station ID and news.

Sounds like business as usual.... What's going on?

c

 

[Boombox]

"AM radio is being threathend with gradual extinction? Because the youth dosent listen? " **** you. Communist talk. You leave our offspring out out this red flag communist.

Well, younger demographics increasingly don't listen to radio, AM or FM. It doesn't take a 'red flag communist' to see that reality. It's just fact, whether AM radio fans like it or not. Ask people who work in the radio business.

I didn't call you names over your opinions.

 

[iowajm780]

There was a station that I listened to around the late 80's whose call sign has slipped my mind, was running C-QUAM stereo and sounded just phenomenal. The audio processing they used for the classic rock format sounded way better than an FM'er with the same format. Daytime coverage was also huge running 25kw day non-directional. It was directional after sunset with a power drop. My first job in the business was working overnights on an lowly 1,000 watt AM in the graveyard band. I would sometimes have a hard time hearing my own voice over the skywave of other stations even being just a few miles from the tranmsitter. All air staff was all live 24/7 everyday and way before automation. All music played from carts, records, or reel-to-reel tape. Right out of high school and my first job in broadcasting, I thought it was the greatest thing ever. I could count the number of listeners I had with one hand. The fun part was being able to tag along with the chief engineer and learn so much him. It's kind of a bummer to see a blowtorch AM station like that like KDWN go dark.

 

[dwhit29689]

This whole thing is sad. As a child I loved catching the distant stations from the Chicago area family home. KOA, KAAY and when traveling WGN and WBBM. I'm old. I don't care to stream. I miss the AM stations of years past...and I miss RUSH. No replacement for RUSH. I still prefer AM radio for current events. One station I could never receive from a distance is WHAM 1180 Rochester, NY 50K. Never found it from out of state. Understandable that antenna land is worth more now...it's always about the cash and how fast one can get it.

 

[Grunddiigg]

850 KOA in Denver is still throwing out some serious 50k waves. I went down to Roswell, NM for a weekend this summer and in the evening in my hotel I thought I would play around on my PL-880. I pulled is 850 KOA clear as a bell.

 

[dwhit29689]

Yep...big AM stations I've always been intrigued with. I'd spend hours in the car when the family camped hunting stations at nite. Incidentally 720khz is 50K WGN outside Chicago. It's in my older brothers' back yard in Elk Grove. Never a problem getting that when out west. I never heard the LA station on the same freq. That's like QRP.

 

[formula72]

I wish KFIR would return [power down] to night time power (183 watts). They are broadcasting at full day power at night, making it very difficult (or impossible) for those of us wanting to capture WGN or KOTZ.

 

[Boombox]

I wish KFIR would return [power down] to night time power (183 watts). They are broadcasting at full day power at night, making it very difficult (or impossible) for those of us wanting to capture WGN or KOTZ.

What region of the country are you in? Just curious. I am in WA state, and KFIR is mostly a no-show here. Of course, I get heavy splash from KIRO (50KW) so hearing WGN here would be like hearing Mars. I.e., not very likely.

 

[formula72]

I'm in south San Jose.

I have no way to null KFIR, its 10KW signal just blankets the bay area. I wish I was further south.
This is uncalled for BY KFIR. I have sent them a Facebook message and a direct email, and have yet to receive a reply.
I'm borderline on sending the FCC an email, asking why no one has asked KFIR to power down at night. They need to apply for a permit, and as of now, can only "legally" broadcast at 183 watts.