Anyone listen to "distant" AM stations at night?

[ridgescan]

Was someone sitting on the speaker?:lol:

..............DAN!!! OMG that's bad. It turned out to be the words which suggested afternoon sex, which in those days was pretty heavy subject material for a teenybop station. Don't insult my family again.

 

[Zaratsu]

..............DAN!!! OMG that's bad. It turned out to be the words which suggested afternoon sex, which in those days was pretty heavy subject material for a teenybop station. Don't insult my family again.

whoops! sorry if ya took offense. I guess I never really connected "Afternoon Delight" to post-vernal coitus. I thought it was about picnicks or havings muffins with butter in the gazebo or something, maybe some hippy kid with sparklers or something. Makes me wonder who really has the dirty mind here.:lol:


Its about boinking in the afternoon?
Starland vocal band says "qualudes" not "sex" to me. That goes for the whole decade. It would take an army of weed whackers to change my mind. The 70s were too "natural".:lol:

 

[ridgescan]

Its about boinking in the afternoon?
Starland vocal band says "qualudes" not "sex" to me. That goes for the whole decade. It would take an army of weed whackers to change my mind. The 70s were too "natural".:lol:[/quote].................yeah but the cars were the baddest and it was an easier time then (I'm sure 'someone' is gonna come in here and take a catswat on me) allIMO. No offense Dan

 

[WartHog]

Ahh. WLS in its heyday. Boy i remember all those DJ's too.
Remember when they banned "Crimson and Clover", by Tommy james and the Shondelles?

A great INEXPENSIVE radio for the AM band is a GE Superadio II.
The I model was ok, the II the best in the lot, and the GE Superadio III
just a tad behind the II.
I run the GE II here, beats the daylights, (should I say "nightlights", lol), outta my Sony 2010, even with the Sync Detector.

Pair it up with a Selectatenna, http://www.selectatenna.com
and you will have an absolutely killer AM setup on the cheap.

 

[rhalld38]

Late at night I heard some AM station in Colorado and I'm here in IL. While I was living in Traverse City, MI. I could pick up AM 720 and WLS 890 in Chicago, probably because I think their antennas are on the Hancock or Sears building...?

 

[gcgrotz]

Late at night I heard some AM station in Colorado and I'm here in IL. While I was living in Traverse City, MI. I could pick up AM 720 and WLS 890 in Chicago, probably because I think their antennas are on the Hancock or Sears building...?

I can pick up WLS here in VA in the winter when static is less. Their antennas are not on any buildings, AM antennas are designed primarily for ground wave radiation to cover the local area in the daytime, and are ground mounted. Because of the wavelength, it is most often a 1/4 wavelength, especially at the lower frequencies. This requires the use of a "ground image" to make up the other missing half of the optimum 1/2 wave dipole. This consists of 120 wires on or in the ground in a radial pattern around the base of the tower. Do a little research on medium and high frequency vertical antennas, there is much to be found.

I would guess that many, if not a big majority of hams and SWL's got their start listening to distant AM stations late at night. For me it was Dick Summers on WBZ in Boston, and CKLW in Windsor, Ontario.

 

[DocDaddy]

My 3 favorites from the 60's...

WLS - Chicago
KAAY - Little Rock
KCHI - Chillicothe, MO

 

[jeffy]

DXing...

Ridgescan, radio sure did help alot growing up in "homes"... Lots of kids had it worse than me though. I listen basically every night. I rarely miss a night. I like talk radio formats and a certain amount of music. When I was young and in the navy seabees I traveled a good bit. I was stationed in the Bahamas, Iceland and Diego garcia in the 70's. My home ports were Pt. Hueneme, Calif. and Gulfport, mississippi. I ALWAYS had a small radio with me. I would listen to 700WLW in the Bahamas for instance.

Warren, It irritates me too that stations don't give their callsign ID's. This makes trying to get dx info very much a pain in the butt.... plus, in my opinion, unprofessional.

Could yous guys give me a list of say 5 of the best a.m. dx'ing radios under (or barely over) $100? I know the CC radio is over $100 but would like opinions on it if possible.

Jeff... Morgan county Ohio

 

[n5ims]

Late at night I heard some AM station in Colorado and I'm here in IL. While I was living in Traverse City, MI. I could pick up AM 720 and WLS 890 in Chicago, probably because I think their antennas are on the Hancock or Sears building...?

WLS AM 870 transmits just outside of Chicago in Tinley Park, IL. Scott Fybush has details on his site here http://www.fybush.com/sites/2004/site-041015.html

 

[n5ims]

Could yous guys give me a list of say 5 of the best a.m. dx'ing radios under (or barely over) $100?

When I was into AM DXing, I tried several radios and the best results were using an old 5 tube radio (if you had to pay for it, I'd say $10 max) and an old radio from a late 60s or early 70s Chevy (stock). Radios were built to pull in any signal it could when those were built. Anymore, most radios that can receive the AM broadcast band don't really care how well they work there.

That said, the absolute best radio I have ever used for AM DXing, was a $1000 portable AM Broadcast Monitor. The sound quality was horible, but it was not designed to listen to, but to read the large signal strength meter (ranges went from volts down to micro volts of signal). The built in loop antenna was fantastic. I was able to null out a 5000 wat signal from a mile from the transmitter and pull in a signal on an adjacent channel. Too bad I could only get my hands on it when we did our signal coverage testing.

 

[Patch42]

Could yous guys give me a list of say 5 of the best a.m. dx'ing radios under (or barely over) $100? I know the CC radio is over $100 but would like opinions on it if possible.

The absolute best bargain for MW DXing is the Sony SRF-59. I got one at Kmart for $15, including a cheap headset. It's an ultralight pocket radio. No speaker -- earphones/headphones only. Pure analog. The tuning is via a rather small, stiff dial that can be difficult to make small adjustments with. The analog dial is non-linear and far too small to be of much use anyway. All that said, this radio gets very good reception disregarding its size and incredible reception considering its size. There appears to be some variability in quality from unit to unit. If the first one you buy doesn't truly amaze you, go buy another one. At least they're cheap enough that you can afford to. Sony has been selling refurbs for $10. If you can get in on one of their free shipping deals it's worth a try. Otherwise, just hit up the local retailers until you find one.

There are quite a few radios in the sub-$100 range that would do okay for MW DXing if paired with a loop like the Terk or the Select-A-Tenna. Most of them aren't all that great on their own.

The Grundig S350 is pretty decent on MW for the money. Being analog, single conversion, it does suffer from images. That can be quite annoying. For MW DXing I'd look for an older one that doesn't have the frequency lock feature.

Slightly over $100, if you can still find one, the Kaito KA-2100 is a very good radio. In some tests I did a few weeks ago it was at worst half a step behind the best portables I have. (My Panasonic RF-2200 and Sony ICF-S5W were neck and neck for best of the bunch.) The differences were just barely perceptible.

The Sangean PR-D5 has received some very good reviews. I've not used one myself.

Stay away from the RCA Superadio III. It used to be a decent radio when it had the GE label, but they've apparently changed the production with the relabeling and quality is all over the map. Not worth the risk.

If you don't need portability, you might want to look for an older tabletop SW unit. Keep an eye on ebay and you might find a good bargain. Or hit up some local estate sales.

The CCRadio is well made, sturdy, and has a number of nice features. It's rather sensitive as well. Perhaps too sensitive if you live in an urban area. There have been numerous complaints of overload from people who live fairly close to a transmitter. If it were priced at $70 or so I'd say it was a good radio for the money. IMO the suggested retail price is way too high for what you're getting. The CCRadio-SW is a much better deal for about the same money.

The best portables I have are the Panasonic RF-2200 and the Sony ICF-S5W. Neither has been made for over 20 years. The ICF-S5Ws are like hens teeth because they were only on the market a couple years. There are lots of RF-2200s available, but word of the excellent performance of this radio has gotten out and they usually go for $175 or more if in halfway decent shape.

I hope this helps.

 

[kb2vxa]

"Their antennas are not on any buildings, AM antennas are designed primarily for ground wave radiation to cover the local area in the daytime, and are ground mounted."

That's what a ground plane is only here the ground itself is the plane. In the early days the antennas WERE on top of buildings only they were variants on the Marconi T design. Here's a picture for you to ponder, the guy who invented FM; Maj. Edwin H. Armstrong was some kind of nut.

The last rooftop antenna I saw was back in the '60s when WRAW in Reading PA had their transmitter atop Pommeroy's Department Store in the center of town. It was a short tower with the radials suspended barely 6' above the roof, I had to duck in a few places getting to the transmitter or I would have gotten the top of my head singed. Since then they moved it to the bank of the Schuylkill River so now they can actually be heard outside the city. Maybe that's because ground conductivity is everything? (;->)

 

[thumper26]

DX'ing Rediscovered...

As others have mentioned, I too listened to WOR out of NYC and thoroughly enjoyed the wayward stories of yesteryear by Gene Sheppard in the '50's and early '60's. Then the DJ's exploded on WINS, WMCA, and WABC. I was an offical member of Charlie Greer's "Happy Huggy Bear Club" - lol! Those were the days, Herb Oscar Anderson (HOA), Scott Muni, Dan Ingraham, Cousin Brucie and so many others I've now forgotten. There was also a 10-minute show every weeknight on WOR at 10:00 pm that presented, and was known as, "The Good News of the Day". I can't remember the broadcaster's name, but he only reported the good news that had happened - what a concept! Does anybody by any chance remember that guy's name? I drives me crazy that I can't remember it!

I remember back in the late 1950's when I was 14 and travelling by car with my parents from NJ to Chicago to see my uncle that I was amazed that the car radio started losing reception to WABC out of NYC as we travelled west. For some reason, I thought the whole country listened to WABC - it just never occured to me that radio (any band) had limited coverage - LOL!!

Anyway, that started my interest in DX'ing. I kept turning that dial on the radio trying to find a station I could listen to as we drove through PA, W. Va., Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. I heard some amazing (to me) stations on that trip and a whole new world was opening up to me, but I didn't realize it at the time.

I started thinking I'd like to get a ham's license and really get into radio, but at 14, I had no budget to buy anything but a book now and then. I read a lot and learned early on that the antenna was the key to any really successful radio operation, and that's about as far as I got. Girls suddenly became more interesting at the time.

Well, after 41 years of marriage, three grown kids, retirement, and now a larger budget, I am re-entering the world of DX'ing. Several years ago I bought a SuperRadio III since it was touted as THE AM radio to have, but I was severely disappointed in its performance. I wound up selling it on eBay because I found it wasn't even a suitable table radio with all of its drift.

I just bought a Sony ICF-SW7600GR and am rediscovering the magic of AM DX'ing again. I have not ventured much into SW/LW DX'ng with it yet because of the time of year, and just trying to get back up to speed. I have a couple of new books coming to get myself educated for taking the Technician's test for my initial ham license. I have a lot to learn before I get my first ham rig and serious table SW radio, but in the meantime, even though conditions in summer are not ideal, I am having a ball just DX'ing AM with the Sony at the moment.

thumper

 

[k8tmk]

Some old abbreviations:
WGN = World's Greatest Newspaper
WCFL = Chicago Federation of Labor
WTTW = Window to the World
WHFB = Heart of the Fruit Belt
WSJV = St. Joseph Valley
WNDU = Notre Dame University
WSBT = South Bend Tribune

Randy

 

[oldranger]

Broadcast band Listening

I have done it for years.Thats how my scanner listening hobby started.Later ham radio.
I love al the aspects of the radio hobby.
I recomend to anyone in broadcast band DXing that they purchase a loop antenna such as the Selectenna.

 

[rabidmoose57]

Every Night

I listen to 850 out of Denver almost every night. Jhon Calderra does a great talk show. I use a Grundig S 350 ,and untill someone stole it, a 60 foot copper wire antenna. Huge fan of late night radio.

 

[Aa3rt]

I'm glad to see this thread still active! Boy, you guys sure are jogging the ol' memory banks!

I'd mentioned in a previous post that I used to enjoy listening to WCFL in Chicago from my home in northwest PA, especially during those long, cold winter months when my old Zenith floor model radio also provided a welcome source of heat with all the tubes. I even managed to recall a couple of the disc jockeys from that era-Ron Britain and Barney Pip. Does anyone else recall Pip's cry of "Turn 'em into peanut butter!" when giving sports scores?

I also remember that WCFL used to do comedy skits, parodies of old radio adventures. Recall "Chickenman" or "The Green Hairnet"?

My buddy, who had a car with a working radio in it, was a big fan of CKLW. I recall CKLW 20-20 news with the teletypes clattering in the background while the news was being read. There was a newscaster who used to read the news in a deep voice (Byron MacGregor?) and loved to put deep emphasis on the word "billion" whenever he had the opportunity to use it in a newscast.

Reading all the reminicenses caused me to do a Google search and I found this site dedicated to CKLW:

http://www.thebig8.net/

EDIT A little further surfing yielded a website for WCFL:

http://www.radiotimeline.com/am1000wcfl.htm

My first real experience was when I got a Lafayette Crystal Radio (yellow in color and shaped like a rocket).

When I was very young (and I just turned 55) I remember my father bringing in a small crystal radio shaped like an airliner, made of grey plastic.

In our area of rural Pennsylvania, we still had crank telephones. (It wasn't until 1964 that dial service came to our town.) My father connected the antenna with an alligator clip on the end to the crank on the phone and the radio magically came to life. I was probably only 6 or 7 at the time and that helped spark my now lifelong interest in radio.

I asked my father, now 82, about that radio when I was visiting him last fall and he has no recollection of it. Has anyone here ever seen anything like what I'm describing?

 

[57Bill]

I had a cyrstal set connected to a long wire. Besides bringing in the local am stations, it brought in signals like local hams, and anything else that was strong in the area which was on am. I could tune in a Sunday morning net on 160 meters! Circa 1957. That's when the fun began for me!

 

[mikelib]

Good old days

Ahh, what good memories, when I was a teenager I lived in NYC near the Holland Tunnel. I was 14 years old and in the freshmen year at Chelsea Vocational High, when I built my first crystal radio. I used to lie in my bed at night with a Lafayette headset on and listen to Allen Freed on WINS radio. I was hooked; I got my ham radio license, in my last year in high school. I use to DX the MW band from the radio in my 1950 Ford Coupe. I remember that I used to get a country western station that originated in a night club in Wheeling West Virginia.
Good Dxing
Mike Lib

 

[57Bill]

I listened to the old "Moon Dog" Alan Freed in Cleveland on 850 am. His show was followed by a show titled "Car 85" - a precursor to the TV show "Cops" that came some 50 years later! This was a remote broadcast from a Cleveland police car that retransmitted the police calls over the air, and the radio guy that rode with the police would describe what was going on on the call. Unlike the television version that came 50 years later, the radio show was a flop!
Funny how this thread brings back long-forgotten memories.