KMOX AM Signal

[scanman1958]

I figured I would start here and see if it will help.

KMOX radio 1120am recently upgraded their FM signal in the local St. Louis area. They had a FM station for a while but it seemed to be a low power station. The new FM station appears to be a powerhouse.

I have a couple questions.

KMOX has a very long history of being heard in almost all of the lower 48 in the late evening and night time. But the last few years their local am signal has been not as powerful as it used to be. Many other local am stations have strongest signals which is a departure from the past. KMOX can still be heard 'forever' at night (I listened to a Cardinals game from a porch on Tybee Island, GA a few years back). Why would they drop the strength of their signal from what it used to be during the day?

And most of their advertisement and internet listing are on the new FM signal. They don't seem to be relating to am at all? Is there a possibility they may drop am radio in the future? I have heard discussions about am not being in cars in the future, but in that same discussion the 'experts' positively stated that am is here to stay.

 

[kc2asb]

KMOX - I've logged them before here in NJ. A number of AM stations have simulcasts on FM, such as 1010 WINS in my local area also on 92.3 FM.

I don't have any information on KMOX dropping their daytime power or changing their antenna pattern. However, I have read that the FCC requires these stations to keep broadcasting on AM as a condition of getting the FM slot. It's possible the AM broadcasts would be discontinued if the FCC dropped that requirement.

You might find this discussion on the current status and possible future of AM broadcasts to be interesting. AM radio is on the ropes but I don't think it will disappear anytime soon. Yes, there has been a push to eliminate it in cars, specifically EV's, as interference makes AM virtually unusable in these vehicles.

AM is it really dead?

https://barrettmedia.com/2024/11/01/am-radio-the-bell-tolls-for-thee/ Thoughts..?

forums.radioreference.com

 

[scanman1958]

Thanks for your input. KMOX has a long history of providing am signals for the Cardinals baseball team. There are "regular" long time listeners in the likes of Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Arkansas. It's in our blood here in the Midwest. People live for the games on am. I too would hate to see it go. And I agree that am isn't going anywhere any time soon.

 

[nick1427d]

 

[kc2asb]

Thanks for your input. KMOX has a long history of providing am signals for the Cardinals baseball team. There are "regular" long time listeners in the likes of Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Arkansas. It's in our blood here in the Midwest. People live for the games on am. I too would hate to see it go. And I agree that am isn't going anywhere any time soon.

I agree, hate to see any of these long standing broadcasters disappear. Changing technology (podcasts, satellite radio) has cost AM (and FM) stations much of their drive-time audiences. People under a certain age do not even use radio anymore, opting for their phones or satellite.

Can't stop the steady march of technology, but not all change is for the better. AM radio still comes through when the internet and cellphones are down.

 

[scanman1958]

I watch those guy

 

[scanman1958]

Whoops. Stupid fingers. I watch those guys all the time. Great info from the dad. Many videos from around town.

 

[lenk911]

KMOX radio 1120am recently upgraded their FM signal in the local St. Louis area. They had a FM station for a while but it seemed to be a low power station. The new FM station appears to be a powerhouse.

Man made interference is killing the AM band. That plus the cost of electricity for a 50 KW transmitter is an issue with diminishing revenue. The FCC, in many markets, has allowed the AM station to use a low power translator in the FM band to recover some of their lost range. Its nice that KMOX was able to license a full power FM station. Many have been force to lease a subcarrier on a FM station to simulcast sometimes from a competitor.

When I was a kid before the Minnesota Twins came to town, I was a big fan of KMOX, Dizzy Dean and Cardinals baseball. Hard to receive at times though because we had a 1130 KHz station. Fortunately, it had a tight nighttime antenna pattern

 

[kf8yk]

KMOX has a very long history of being heard in almost all of the lower 48 in the late evening and night time. But the last few years their local am signal has been not as powerful as it used to be.

KMOX recently started using MDCL. The main benefit is reduced electrical consumption, with the disadvantage of coverage reduction in fringe areas. IBOC/HD Radio can also create issues for analog reception which KMOX runs day & night.

 

[jwt873]

People under a certain age do not even use radio anymore, opting for their phones or satellite.

I'm probably well over that 'certain age' I use satellite and streaming pretty well elusively. I can't remember the last time I listened to a broadcast AM or FM station.

 

[kc2asb]

I'm probably well over that 'certain age' I use satellite and streaming pretty well elusively. I can't remember the last time I listened to a broadcast AM or FM station.

Therein lies the reality facing terrestrial broadcasters. I was born in the mid 70's and over that "age" also. I use streaming to some extent, but not satellite. I like terrestrial radio because there is no subscription fee beyond the cost of the equipment, and it's not dependent on a 5g or internet connection that can go down. Terrestrial radio has a proven track record of coming through during natural disasters, etc.

 

[llzel]

that was great to watch, informative. There was a summer I would travel to Baltimore Airport then drive to Hagerstown MD, on the way I would listen to Cardinal games on the Mighty Mox KMOX radio 50,000 red hot watts. If I remember, they used to lower their output watts during the day and up it at night. Could be a wise tale

 

[kc2asb]

that was great to watch, informative. There was a summer I would travel to Baltimore Airport then drive to Hagerstown MD, on the way I would listen to Cardinal games on the Mighty Mox KMOX radio 50,000 red hot watts. If I remember, they used to lower their output watts during the day and up it at night. Could be a wise tale

I've watched many of their videos before, very well done. Kudos to the both of them for trying to make radio "cool" again, and interesting, for us radio nuts and (hopefully!) the non-radio enthusiast audience.

 

[scanman1958]

The whole situation just got me thinking. Some years ago the KMOX signal during the day was really powerful and clear. No other station was close to the signal. Lately there are a few local am stations that are just as powerful if not more, during the day. But at night KMOX still beats all of them big time. I guess the systems that were mentioned above affects the signal somewhat, not sure.

There is one particular station KTRS 550am that 100% has to cut their power way down (or change the signal pattern) at night because of another station on 550 (not sure where) is affected by the local signal. But it is one of those strong daytime signals that blows KMOX away. I listened to KTRS from St. Louis 120 miles south on Hwy 55 during the morning hours one day before I lost the signal. The same day I lost KMOX about 30 miles along the trip.

It's fun to catch stations at night when I have time. Speaking of "over that age" when I was a kid on the south side I would sit on our neighbors front porch with the man of the house and listen to the Cardinals games with Harry Carey, Jack Buck and Joe Garagiola announcing the games. Joe grew up in the Italian section of the city called The Hill and there is a street named after him and his neighbor Yogi Berra over that way. Talk about baseball history. .

 

[KF0NYL]

For the longest time my dad only had AM radios in his work trucks. We would listen to Paul Harvey at lunch time. We always listened to Cardinal games on KMOX when we couldn't watch them on TV.

Speaking of the Hill, some pretty good restaurants in the area. And if you leave a traditional Italian restaurant hungry it's your own fault.