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[IRCA] MW harmonix on 60 meters
UNIDENTIFIED. Never heard this before in morningly scans of 60m, but
Oct 13 at 1300 a US MW station on 4800, cutting on and off
intermittently, more off than on, but when cut on was quite distorted,
and cutons did not seem to correlate with modulation level. Most
likely harmonic, but 4800 could be an even multiple of all these: 600,
800, 960, 1200 and 1600!
960? That`s local KGWA x 5. So I first rule that out and the other two
locals on 1390 and 1640; it could be some other mix and not an
harmonic. At 1306 I think I detect it // in mixture on 1600, but not
nearby KUSHing. Not audible on 3200. 4800 spur at S9+15 QRMs CODAR and
another very weak broadcast signal, possibly XERTA at QRP.
Kept listening for next semihour and it was extremely frustrating with
only bits and pieces of audio. At 1314 did clearly mention ``the
Dallas-Fort Worth area`` --- but the 1600 station there, KRVA is in,
what else, Vietnamese, as just reconfirmed. In case it`s still Texan,
at 1322 checked for // on 1200, but not // presumed remnant of WOAI.
1323 ad or PSA for cancer screening. 1326 soul music; 1332 ad with
dialog. Enough of that, missing other good DX.
1356 recheck, still audible cutting on and off; 1359 wrapping up show
giving today`s date. Naturally was not cut on when any legal hourtop
ID might have been given. 1428, one more check, still cutting on and
off. There is a loose connexion in the transmitter or antenna
somewhere, causing this harmonic, or external mixing spur (Glenn
Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1482, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Not there 10/14
http://www.w4uvh.net/dxld9076.txt
UNIDENTIFIED. Re 9-076: 4800, no sign at 1325 Oct 14 of the MW
harmonic(?) cutting on and off, nor at several later chex. They could
at least let it go until we could ID it.
Assuming it was from Texas, due to the clear mention of Dallas-Fort
Worth when I first heard it, but that could have been the origin of a
networked program, and we know it`s not KRVA, in the Vietnamese
Metroplex, the other 1600 kHz possibilities are KOGT in Orange, which
per NRC AM Log 2009-2010 has a C&W format; KOKE Pflugerville, but
that`s no match with Mexican;
OR --- a new station not yet on the air as of publication, in Dalhart,
3000/250 watts. That could fit for a new station still installing or
adjusting equipment. Checking FCC AM Query, apparently not. No calls
assigned yet, is still only a CP, and now with an application by Amy
Meredith to change city of license to Vega, a town known to everyone
who has driven I-40 west of Amarillo, while Dalhart is out of the way
except for US-54, 87 or 385 travellers, in the extreme NW corner of
the Panhandle. Could be she`s aiming to rimshot the huge Amarillo
market; hope it doesn`t upmess the NWS TIS relay on 1610. Yes, tho day
power reduced to 2.5 kW, pattern puts the major lobe toward AMA. But I
digress (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
http://www.w4uvh.net/dxld9077.txt
** U S A. A few days ago I had a US MW harmonic on 4800, and now one on 4740, this one definitely identified. As I was heading for Makassar on 4750, which turned out not to provide much signal today, I was interrupted at 1256 Oct 24 on 4740 by strong, distorted Spanish, obviously a US commercial station.
Lots of PSAs with 800 numbers, some ads inmixed; 1259 one for SSS. Audio mostly on but sometimes cuts out briefly. Not exactly FM or SSB, but S-meter level affected by modulation level. At hourtop 1300 accented ID in English for a W-call on 1580 in Wisconsin! And back to Spanish, 1304 mentions ``sports center cada 20 minutos``, more ads and PSAs in Spanish including from HUD. 1305 ID as ESPN Deportes Radio (ESPN letters pronounced in English), 1306 opening ESPN show ``De Mano a Mano``. 1310 starts fading down, but back up at 1320, more PSAs, one regarding anti-discrimination, 800 number. 1335 finally a bit of music, ESPN Deportes again, 1337 sounded like local ad; 1340 another HUD PSA and website sounded like www.mexicoaffordable.com but that`s not valid.
Threw in one commercial in English at 1342 for holiday-something in Cambria, phone starting with 920. 1343 outlook for the day`s games in fútbol italiano, hondureño, béisbol de las grandes ligas. By 1345 had faded out again, but checked again before hourtop it had revived at 1358 with another Selective Service PSA, 1359:50 Clear ID in English as: ``WTTN, 1580, Columbus, Wisconsin`` and back to Spanish. Did not check further as too much else to monitor.
Meanwhile, I had concluded it was WTTN by consulting the NRC AM Log 2009, which shows that as the only 1580 in Wisconsin. However, its format info says: OLD - CNN/DG, ``The Goose`` and some Spanish on Sundays. OLD means oldies, as in rock music; DG means Dial Global network, variety of music formats and talk shows (all in Spanish??). There is no separate listing for ESPN`s Spanish sports network.
Address is axually in Beaver Dam, another nearby town to Columbus as is Cambria, in Columbia county.
WTTN is 5 kW in daytime, direxional, and only 4 watts at night. FCC pattern plot shows major lobes at 105 and 290 degrees, minor lobe at 200 degrees, null at 235, so we are in between those two. See http://www.fcc.gov/ftp/Bureaus/MB/Databases/AM_DA_patterns/1297309-106702.pdf
That`s for 1580, but what is the pattern and power output on 4740?
Surely the WTTN calls originally (and still?) allude to Watertown, not too far away, between Madison and Milwaukee, and Watertown is in a major lobe from site due west of Columbus almost halfway to Arlington. Welcome to America`s newest tropical band station, but will it last? Surely others tuning for DX on 60m heard this (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Pending in DXLD 9-078
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