Propgtn MW DXing in the Sixties

[kc2asb]

I grew up with a Zenith Royal-1000 radio. DX'ed all the shortwave bands on it, but I really had a lot of fun on MW band. I grew up (and still live) just outside of NYC in northeast NJ and my favorite AM was WABC. I was an avid listener from 1973 (I was 9), until they went all-talk in 1982. But, as much as I enjoyed listening to WABC I had a lot of fun DX'ing the AM band. I only wish that I had kept logs of what/when I heard various stations. All I can say for sure is that I heard stations from all over the east coast and midwest. WABC was definitely big-time radio, the stations I heard while DX'ing had that small-town sound that appealed to me. I guess that sound is one of things I miss about Top 40 on the AM band. I still DX the AM band, but it's not quite the same.

Those old Zeniths had a reputation as "hot" performers on the AM broadcast band. They are prized today by collectors and Dx'ers alike.

I agree about DX-ing the band today. It gets tedious, as the stations largely sound alike with their syndicated political/religious/sports talk formats. At least WABC devotes a few hours each weekend to its music radio heritage.

 

[p1879]

RE: Radio Americas, Radio Swan. Somewhere here I have a QSL Card and a letter from them. If I encounter them, perhaps will make a new thread on that interesting story. The Station also was on 6000 Kcs. at times. Old "Tomcat" Kneital could tell a good tale.

Here, still listening to AM Broadcast late-night, using the XHDATA D-219 portable with headphones in bed.

 

[kc2asb]

RE: Radio Americas, Radio Swan. Somewhere here I have a QSL Card and a letter from them. If I encounter them, perhaps will make a new thread on that interesting story. The Station also was on 6000 Kcs. at times. Old "Tomcat" Kneital could tell a good tale.

Nice! Looking forward to reading it if you do find the QSL. Tom Kneitel told a lot of good tales in the pages of Pop Comm. I've heard that he was quite a character.

 

[ditto1958]

I’d say 95% of my AM listening in the 60’s and 70’s was Top 40 stations. There were no “real“ Top 40 stations where I grew up- the ones that just play the current Billboard top 40 hits over and over 24-7. To get that we had to wait until after dark and listen on the car radio to WCFL or WLS Chicago. The local stations played Top 40 hits, but also mixed in a lot of oldies. And high school sports broadcasts.

 

[pjxii]

I just moved from a townhouse in Florida to a single house in Alabama. Haven't had a chance yet to put up a HF antenna but did set up my Panasonic RF-2200 on my nightstand by a window. Since my house has a metal roof I was just planning on using the '2200 for pulling in FM stations which it does very well, but I am very surprised by how many distant MW stations are coming in at night, and the local daytime ones as well.

I got away from MW DXing quite a while ago as there are so many stations broadcasting syndicated shows but over the past few days I'm finding that there are still some with local programming, which is what I enjoy listening to. It's like being a kid again scanning the MW band after dark.

 

[tuihill]

I’d say 95% of my AM listening in the 60’s and 70’s was Top 40 stations. There were no “real“ Top 40 stations where I grew up- the ones that just play the current Billboard top 40 hits over and over 24-7. To get that we had to wait until after dark and listen on the car radio to WCFL or WLS Chicago. The local stations played Top 40 hits, but also mixed in a lot of oldies. And high school sports broadcasts.

Car radios back in the day (vacuum tube types) were much higher spec receivers than your usual home tabletop. Apparently this was necessary for the mobile application of decent reception capabilities. Makes sense.

 

[kc2asb]

Car radios back in the day (vacuum tube types) were much higher spec receivers than your usual home tabletop. Apparently this was necessary for the mobile application of decent reception capabilities. Makes sense.

Old car radios, even ones from the 90's, seem to be very sensitive in general. It's not hard to adapt them for home use.

The radio in my '96 Camry is hot on MW, even pulling in fairly distant low-power TIS stations. The telescoping power antenna certainly helps too.

 

[fr5dh]

I live on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean. I started listening to radio by listening to AM stations from South Africa in the morning before sunrise. I didn't understand English, but it was so magical in the early 80s.

73's
FR5DH

 

[kc2asb]

I live on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean. I started listening to radio by listening to AM stations from South Africa in the morning before sunrise. I didn't understand English, but it was so magical in the early 80s.

73's
FR5DH

Excellent! The magic is what got most of us into the hobby. Are there many AM stations left in your part of the world?

73's
KC2ASB

 

[fr5dh]

Excellent! The magic is what got most of us into the hobby. Are there many AM stations left in your part of the world?

73's
KC2ASB

The two transmitters on the island were dismantled about ten years ago. Otherwise, Radio Mauritius still operates on 684, 819 and 1575 kHz. I also receive stations on the East African coast at nightfall.

Thank you,
FR5DH