signal strengths of metro-Boston stations

[wa1ion@xxxxxxxxxxxxx (Mark Connelly )]

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The following is a list of currently-active metro-Boston/Worcester 
stations and their daytime signal strengths as noted at East
Harwich, MA on Cape Cod (about 70 miles / 112 km SE of downtown 
Boston).  This gives a fair impression of the "get-out-ability" 
(transmitting efficiency) of the various stations in this direction.

I used a Drake R8A receiver (gain: normal, bandwidth: 6 kHz) and 
a homebrew RL-1 Remotely-Tuned Loop with Quantum head.

 580 | WTAG | S9, bad 590 slop
 590 | WBNW | S9+38
 650 | WRPT | S9+15 .. new station, unimpressive signal
 680 | WRKO | S9+45
 740 | WJIB | S9+25
 760 | WVNE | S9+25
 800 | WCCM | S9+22 (CJAD-PQ just slightly behind)
 830 | WCRN | S9+18
 850 | WEEI | S9+38
 890 | WBPS | S9+31
 900 | WMVU | poor: mixed w/ NS & DE when Maine dominant nulled 
 950 | WROL | S9+43
 980 | WCAP | S9+22
1000 | WCMX | S9 (w/ stronger CKBW-NS nulled)
1030 | WBZ  | S9+35
1060 | WJLT | S7 (phenomenally weak: just o/ KYW-PA)
1090 | WILD | S9+30
1120 | WADN | S9+8
1150 | WNFT | S9+28
1170 | WDIS | can't measure ... covered by WKPE Orleans
1200 | WKOX | S9+28
1230 | WESX | S9+30
1260 | WEZE | S9+27
1280 | WEIM | S9 (w/ aggregate null of stronger WADO-NY & WFAU-ME)
1300 | WJDA | S9+20
1320 | WARA | S9+20 (WDER-NH, CKEC-NS audible under)
1330 | WRCA | S9+15
1360 | WLYN | S9+25
1390 | WPLM | S9+32
1400 | WLLH | poor ... covered by WIDE-ME & WOND-NJ
1410 | WMSX | S9
1430 | WXKS | S9+30
1450 | WNBP | S9+20 (others including ME & NJ under)
1460 | WBET | S9+10
1470 | WSRO | S9+5 (in even mix w/ WZOU-ME)
1490 | WHAV | can't measure accurately ... covered by WPOR-ME
1510 | WNRB | S9+30
1530 | WCEG | S9+10 .. recently returned to the air
1550 | WNTN | S9+18
1570 | mix  | WPEP & WNSH about even at S9
1600 | WUNR | S9+18 mix WLNG-NY

Some of the above stations are daytime only and others run
uselessly-low power at night.  Even the "serious" full-time 
stations can all experience some night time interference, even 
if only by selective fading resulting from the blending of
sometimes out-of-phase skywave and groundwave signals.  The 
strongest Boston stations are not necessarily the best night
signals: first skip signals from New York City stations such 
as 1130 and 1560 usually pin the S-meter (S9+60).  Pattern and 
power changes from day to night affect the various full-time 
Boston area station in different ways.  Most of the channels 
above 1030 are badly QRM'ed by skip from elsewhere, although 
WNRB's juiced-up east / southeast night beam sometimes pegs 
the meter, even though the daytime groundwave is weaker.  On 
a "good night", strengths of some of the big-gun Trans-Atlantics 
can rival those of major Boston stations: e.g. Madrid-585 similar 
to WBNW-590, Seville-684 to WRKO-680, and RNE1 synchros - 855 
similar to WEEI-850.  I've seen Saudi Arabia - 1521 peg the 
S-meter in Harwich.  Other stations such as Norway-1314 and 
UK TalkRadio-1089 have come close.