[IRCA] MW DX from Enid OK, April 27-May 24, 2012

[Glenn Hauser <wghauser@xxxxxxxxx>]

All times and dates strictly UT. MW log editors are welcome to excerpt 
items, reformat and change to favorite timezone if necessary. Rx: 
mostly DX-398 with internal antenna only; some caradio as specified; 
above 2 MHz on FRG-7 with 110-foot east-west longwire.
 
These logs are excerpts from my daily all-band reports, mainly SWBC, 
also VHF/UHF, sometimes, utility, ham, which may be found in several 
archives without much delay, such as
http://www.hard-core-dx.com/index.php?topic=Hauser

And compiled weekly along with extensive news from many other 
individuals and publications in DX LISTENING DIGEST:
http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html

** MEXICO. 540, May 5 at 1115 UT I awaken briefly and turn on a radio 
here, to find a quickly echoing signal in Spanish, some kind of 
dramatic narration with music; furthermore there is a steady SAH of 
200/minute = 3.33 Hz. I conclude it could only be the hi-power 150 kW 
XEWA in San Luís Potosí SLP with reverb/echo from the other lo-power 1 
kW XEWA in Monterrey NL. The echo and the SAH must be very annoying in 
the equal-signal area somewhere between the two sites, i.e. not far 
outside Monterrey, and even in direxions other than SLP`s (Glenn 
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** MEXICO. 810, May 14 at 0520 UT, a Radio Mexicana is dominating the 
frequency, looping southwest. IRCA Mexican Log and WRTH show the only 
one called this on 810, and the direxion fits too, is XESB, in Santa 
Bárbara, Chihuahua, ``Radio Mexicana, La S-B``, but it`s a 1 kW 
daytimer, supposedly signing off at 0100.

However, Cantú, http://www.mexicoradiotv.com/frec_am_0800-1090.htm
shows it as full-time 1 kW, instead in a nearby town:
810 XESB Radio Mexicana, Hidalgo del Parral, Chih. 1,000 1,000
All lists also show a similar station name not to confuse with it:
810 XEIM Fiesta Mexicana + FM 91.3 Saltillo, Coah. 1,000 500
(Glenn Hauser, OK< DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** MEXICO [and non]. 1650 kHz, hot tip from Julián Santiago Díez de 
Bonilla, and Héctor García Bojorge in the DF of a brand-new Mexico 
City station on the x-band, heard from 0230 UT April 27, XEAZR, Radio 
Zer, part of the group of that name, ID as ``"ZER Radio 16-50, XEAZR, 
una emisora de Grupo Radiofónico ZER". But Roberto Gómez citing 
apparently official info says the call is XEARZ, and the power is 5 kW 
day and night. They were playing instrumental music.

So I start looking for it at 0523 April 27: I am mainly getting two 
stations, one with gospel music and one with talk, presumably US, but 
at 0526 the gospel music station makes a Spanish announcement, 0531 
with a partial URL including 1650.com. Surely that is KBJD Denver, 
whose real website is http://www.1650radioluz.com and the other one 
most likely KCNZ in IA. (BTW, don`t forget the listed but rarely 
reported SS in El Paso TX on 1650, KSVE [as in ``suave``], 24h 
romántica in stereo, per NRC AM Log). 

Anyhow, no XE-whatever audible here yet. Not in WRTH 2012, but Cantú 
shows this:
``1650 XEARZ (en construcción) México, DF 5,000 ?``[=night power 
unknown] 
and in the DF list adds this: ``1650 XEARZ En construcción. 5,000 
watts. Permisionada (sin fines de lucro) pero parte de Grupo ZER.``
i.e. its permit is non-profit, so no ads? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX 
LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA. 640, May 12 at 1348 UT, ESPN Radio promo after promo, 
from what used to be WWLS: no IBOC noise on at the moment, whence 
seems like it is less and less imposed, fortunately. 1400 ID as ``KWPN 
AM, Moore-Norman, a Cumulus station``. I had been wanting to catch 
their new ID for the record, as another W-call far west of the 
Mississippi bites the dust. 

But this one was not really heritage; it was strangely granted on 
12/7/81 according to FCC callsign history for facility 22190, when it 
replaced WNAD, which really was a heritage call at the University of 
Oklahoma, which got out of the radio business (only to resume it years 
later with KGOU, class-A FM non-commercial, yet on 106.3, with much 
inferior coverage, altho has now built up spotty relays at several 
other locations in the state). We can only assume having that the old 
W- call made it easier to get a new W-call. 

I thought 640 was a Clear Channel station operating out of 50 Penn 
Place in OKC. But application/ownership info shows it was previously 
owned by Citadel, WAPI in Birmingham AL, and before that by Citadel, 
KKOH in Reno NV! I assume that`s just for bookkeeping. Now they 
obviously want to brand it more clearly as an ESPN affiliate. 

While I was at FCC, took a look at their day and nite patterns: 5 kW 
day has major lobe to the SW, not much toward Enid tho not a full 
null. 1 kW nite has null west toward KFI, of course, and a lesser null 
to the east, protecting what? Memphis, I guess. Major lobes sort of 
kidney-shaped toward NNE and SSE (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING 
DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA. 780, May 22 at 0125 UT, as I am checking out 770 KKOB, 
notice that KSPI Stillwater is already off the air, unlike yesterday. 
Official May sunset is 0130 UT (June and July: 0145). Conversely, this 
daytimer sometimes leaves its carrier on past sunset, or even all-
night (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA. 780, UT May 23 at 0125, KSPI Stillwater is absent again 
before its mandatory sunset close at 0130. I had not been checking 
whether it was also missing during the day, but it was on as normal at 
1245. I suppose daytimers don`t have to occupy all their legal airtime 
if they don`t want to (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA. 1430, May 22 at 0553, good signal with a caller from 
Scottsdale on ``Extra Sports 910``. Soon faded to nothing, then back 
up. I was expecting something more exotic than KTBZ Tulsa, but slogan 
chex for KGME in Phoenix on 910, and both of them are on the Fox 
Sports Network. No other likely sportstalkers on 1430 around here 
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA. 1580, April 30 at 1830, still at 1955 UT, KOKB Blackwell 
has once again crashed, carrier still on but no modulation, while 
sibling 1020, KOKB Perry is funxioning normally with stupid sports 
talk. 1580 still/again dead air at 1205 UT check May 1, but back on at 
1728, both modulating musical break at the moment. 

It`s really incredible that this station group, Triple [sic] Play 
Sports Radio, lets it happen again and again for hours or days at a 
time, no one paying attention, and obviously no one at the 1580 plant 
to do anything about it. O, for the good old days of KLTR 1580, a 
genuine local station in Blackwell (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING 
DIGEST) 

** U S A. 770, May 21 around 0130 UT, KKOB Albuquerque NM is audible 
with fair and steady signal. This is just when the annular eclipse is 
about to occur there, but a local talk show says nothing about it! 
Sounds live but may not be; hostess breaks for ID and ads. I was 
listening on the portable as I went out into a field for our best view 
of the setting sun. Unfortunately there were too many clouds in the 
way, but I felt a certain qinship to the `Querquians nevertheless. I 
expect this reception was normal, nothing to do with the eclipse, with 
K`KOB still on day power and tower (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING 
DIGEST)

** U S A. 770, KKOB NM, was in with a steady signal at eclipse-time, 
UT May 21, so I check it again 24 hours later, UT May 22 at 0125-0130+ 
in exactly the same situation, out in the field with the portable DX-
398. This time the sky is cloudless and the moonless setting sun is 
unimpeded, but NO signal from KKOB. There could be other variables, 
but now I`m thinking maybe the partial eclipse did have something to 
do with its audibility yesterday, even here far off the track.
KKOB official UT sunrise/sunset times:
May 1200-0200, June 1145-0215, July 1200-0215
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 770, UT May 23 at 0125, 48 hours after the eclipse, KKOB 
Albuquerque is again inaudible under the same circumstances when it 
was audible on May 21 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 1190, May 3 at 1157 UT, sorrowful breakup song suitable for 
teeny-boppers, from what else, Radio Disney, dominating frequency for 
a while, then Home Depot ad (whose customers are presumably adult), 
1158 fading and losing out to a Fox Sports outlet, but enough signal 
at 1200 to hear a local ID for KPHN Kansas City [MO], meshing with the 
NE/SW DF on it (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 1190, May 11 at 1200 UT, KFXR Dallas ID, NBC News Radio, but 
lasted only two minutes with an optional cutaway at one minute! This 
is the extremely direxional multi-stick array, the original KLIF, and 
dominating the frequency for a bit here (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX 
LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 1220, May 1 at 1222 UT, ID for ``Hometown Radio, AM 1220, 
KOMC, 24 hours a day``. Hmmm, is that a new call for Oklahoma, Midwest 
City? Makes sense, but no, it`s really Branson MO and soon faded 
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 1450, May 1 at 1210 UT, end of news from the Missouri 
Network, then to local news and ads, but never could copy any clue 
before it faded from dominance over hundreds of other 1450s; well, 
maybe dozens audible here. I was hoping the affiliate list at 
http://www.missourinet.com/radio-stations/
updated 2/17/12, would have only one on 1450, but there are two:
KIRX in Kirxville, and
KOKO in Warrensburg --- Likely the latter which is closer (Glenn 
Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DGIEST)

** U S A. 1510-, May 24 at 1146 UT, dominant signal still skywave with 
local ad for Olathe Kia, and still off-frequency to low side producing 
audible het (with Denver?), i.e. KCTE, Independence MO, 10 kW daytimer 
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 1650, May 3 at 1146 UT, ``16-50 The Fan`` with sports talk, 
i.e. KCNZ Cedar Falls IA. Already too late to get XEARZ, with my local 
sunrise now 1136 UT, one minute earlier every morning (Glenn Hauser, 
Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

UNIDENTIFIED. 1140, April 28 at 0553 UT, gospel huxter in Spanish, 
good signal from N/S, surely XEMR 50/50 kW, Monterrey NL? Others have 
reported this as ``MR Deportes`` as listed in WRTH, IRCA and Cantú 
i.e. a sports format, but whenever I hear it, there`s religion. Maybe 
both, like KFXY 1640 Enid? The station website via 
http://www.gruporadioalegria.com/ mentions nothing but sports, and no 
program schedule.

Could I really be getting a US station? I always thought it was XEMR. 
Prime suspect in the NRC AM Log is KHFX, Cleburne TX near The 
Metroplex, but with a Houston address, 24 hour Spanish religion as 
``Radio Ato``, 5000/710 watts. Pattern book shows its main lobe is to 
the NW, which would audiblize it here, while XEMR`s is a circle 
tangent to Monterrey, ``everything`` going to its SW (Glenn Hauser, 
OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

UNIDENTIFIED. 1340, May 1 at 1218 UT, Bill Bennett, `Morning in 
America`, with BB himself delivering commercial for C. Crane radios. 
This was looping E/W, so doubt it was OKC, but what? Show website 
makes you search by `your` zip code for affiliates. None in 741 = 
Tulsa, but 737 Enid leads to 731 = OKC, KEBC. 

Trouble is, there is no such station any more, having converted to 
KGHM, ``The Game`` months ago. BB sure is out of touch with his own 
network, just as he is with political reality in the XXI century 
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

UNIDENTIFIED. 1420, May 24 at 1144 UT, I am tuning the hi end of MW 
band while there is still some skywave (today`s Enid sunrise was 1118, 
and it will be earliest in a biweek at 1113), and hear an ID as 
``Classic Country KCKM (or KCKN?)``. KCKM is 1330 in Monahans TX, and 
related KCKN is 1020 in Roswell NM. NRC-AM log says 1330 sometimes 
relays 1020, as ``Kickin` Country``, but that slogan is not on the 
1020 entry.

But 1420? Nothing remotely similar among the callsigns listed there, 
anywhere. DF seemed WSW/ENE, but the DX-398 has misled me before. In 
the NRC AM Log 2011-2012, there is an intriguing 1420 entry in NM: a 
CP for Rowe, 2.5/0.103 kW, both non-direxional. Rowe? Never heard of 
it. Can`t be near Roswell, which has a local 1430. Rand McNally atlas 
skips it in the index. Info from FCC AM Query shows coördinates, and I 
quickly find Rowe on the atlas map, just across I-25 from Pecos NM --- 
between Las Vegas and Santa Fe, so I have driven by it multiple times.

Could this CP now be on, at least testing, somehow with programming 
from KCKN or KCKM? CP holder is Sangre de Cristo Broadcasting (named 
for a mountain range which can look blood-red at sunset, hardly the 
only one, not literally for the blood of Christ), which is licensee of 
540 KNMX Las Vegas, and FCC AM Query shows it also has applications 
for 1290 and 1370 in `Vegas. Inquired of Jerry Kiefer at KCKN and he 
replied immediately: 

``Hi Glenn, Strange one, I will pass this along to Bob Souza down in 
Monahans. Like Sgt. Schultz, "We know nothing about nothing". Can't 
believe a harmonic would do this; like you say, maybe somebody is 
playing games. At that time we have a decent signal into that area and 
we are playing music from Roswell. If I hear of anything unusual I'll 
let you know. We are "classic country" and Monahans IDs as "kickin 
country". Though mixing of frequencies in Roswell proper (1020 & 
1230), we do have an image around 1410 but doesn't make it out of 
town. Know nothing about 1420, I doubt if they will have much signal 
south of I-40.

540 is a case, even though they are DA to the NW with a null to 
protect 550 in Midland, you can hear a fringe signal on a car radio in 
Roswell. Lot to be said about good conductivity: 710 out of Amarillo 
has a whole lot better signal in Roswell than 770 out of ABQ.

On a side note, we're started building out 1480 in Dallas; by July I 
expect you'll have some critical hours RF up your way. She should have 
close to 300 kW ERP to the NNW. No target date yet but hopefully early 
July. We caught one stealing new rolls of cooper by way of 
fingerprints and the cops nabbed him. 21 year old from the area. With 
the activity in the area, not much action now. Thanks, Jerry`` (Glenn 
Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

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