[IRCA] Domestic MW DX to Enid OK, January 18-24, 2013

[Glenn Hauser <wghauser@xxxxxxxxx>]

All times and dates strictly UT. Rx: mostly DX-398 with internal antenna only; or Sony SRF-59 as specified; Nissan stock caradio as specified; FRG-7 as specified

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

These logs are in four sexions, Canada [if any], Oklahoma, rest of USA, unidentified, separated by ======= Within each, they are in frequency order

** OKLAHOMA. 530, the Enid area has a brand-new surprise radio station, a TIS/HAR, Jan 18 at 0623 UT, cycling two PSAs over and over, Smoky Bear vs wildfires, and sad story of Sarah Watkins, for http://dontalmostgive.org It`s a steady obviously groundwave signal, looping slightly E/W of due N/S, with Cuba still audible in its null. No ID on half hour or full hour at 0700. 

Still going at next check 1358 with same pair of spots, still no ID at hourtop, but by 1428 has changed to rotate several other PSAs, always attributed to the Ad Council: on crime prevention = protect your house by keeping lox locked, on behalf of US DOJ, National Crime Prevention Center, http://ncpc.org --- two on computer security, http://www.cybertipline.com --- supervise your kids online and encourage them not to post nude photos --- adopt-a-teen for foster-care --- asthma attacks, from EPA. Still no ID at 1500. Now blox weak NWS Wichita on 530. A transmitter hunt will be undertaken this afternoon! 

530, the new TIS/HAR in the Enid area continues to be heard Jan 18. Around 2100 UT I set out to find it. Since it has been DF`d as almost N/S of central Enid, I head east and west to get it from other angles. Soon obvious that it`s from south, not north of Enid. From Garland & Garriott on the west side, it loops SE. So I drive south and east to home in on it, and indeed it gets stronger. 

As I approach Vance AFB, strength and angles indicate it`s obviously coming from somewhere on the base. I stop at the brand-new visitor`s center by the main/north gate (where several antique aircraft are permanently mounted), and enquire. Guess what: the airperson at the desk knows nothing about it, and the noise level inside is so extreme I can`t let her hear it. She does give me a phone number for further info. Altho I`m a USAF vet, you don`t just drive onto the base without permission. From the perimeter I can`t spot a likely antenna.

The same group of Ad Council PSAs are still running in rotation over and over, repeating every few minutes. From listening, there is no clue this thing has anything to do with the military, let alone the USAF or Vance AFB in particular, and there are still no IDs.

After some more phone referrals, someone suggests its purpose is to announce gate closings, etc. It turns out the civilian person likely to know all about it at the Comms Squadron is gone for the long weekend. 

Jan 19 at 1338 UT I monitor again, finding only two of previous PSAs are playing, about locks & home safety, kids & internet, alternating with a new one about the need for booster seats for post-baby kids.

Why can`t they fill time with something more useful, like AFN instead of 5765-Guam? Another check Jan 19 at 2215 UT: now only two PSAs are alternating: asthma and booster seats.

It will be interesting to determine its range. Can any further Oklahomans hear it? Only a few miles away it is weak enough to be nulled out for Cuba at night. On my way out to find it, around the intersexion of Randolph & Cleveland, there was co-channel QRM with a SAH. North-south HV powerline there raises the MW noise level, but also boosts other signals as a supplemental defacto re-radiating beverage antenna.

530, Jan 20 at 0620, Vance AFB, back to alternating only two Ad Council PSAs, the same two I first heard 48 hours earlier, about the same time of night, Smoky vs Wildfires, and Sarah Watkins, dontalmostgive.org --- so maybe there is some kind of ``program schedule`` about which PSAs play at certain dayparts. I`m sure the Ad Council could provide many more to increase the variety and our listening pleasure.

530, Jan 21 at 0622 UT, Vance AFB TIS is again back to the original two Ad Council PSAs alternating at this hour: Smoky/Wildfires and Sarah Watkins on behalf of dontalmostgive. This time, it`s the 10 kW Radio Enciclopedia in Habana which must be nulled, stronger than usual, and producing a fast SAH.

530, Jan 24 at 1900+ UT, I finally get in contact with someone at Vance AFB involved with the new TIS station. They are surprised to hear from me and wonder why I want all this info. Mr. Paul Schillo, civilian, say it`s a TIS with 10 watts, range maybe 5-10 miles. Purpose? ``put on the air at the request of the base for additional communications capability for base leadership`` also to communicate with truckers making deliveries, and people off-base. Assured me it was properly authorized, not clear by whom. Did not want to tell me whether its antenna is the usual short vertical TIS stations use. 

I asked about hearing something other than those Ad Council PSAs and the need for IDs, and he said they had just started inserting IDs around the hour and half hour, and would comply with FCC regs. Altho as military I doubt the FCC has any authority over it. Amid new FEMA PSAs, at 1928 and 2004 UT, by seemingly synthetic voice unlike the other announcements: ``You are listening to 530 AM operated by Vance Air Force Base, Enid, Oklahoma``. Many of the same old Ad Council PSAs continue in rotation, but now there is a new one apparently by a local announcer, including her flub at the end, about ``never leave candles unattached --- unattended`` (Glenn Hauser, Enid, WORLD OF RADIO 1653, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA. 740, Jan 18 at 1401 UT, KRMG Tulsa claims to be from the ``24 hour Fox News center``, but local news about water rationing in OKC as the drought continues, extreme weather. What has Fox to do with local OK news on KRMG? Maybe they just denominate it that for the ``prestige`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA [and non]. 780, Jan 22 at 0647 UT, KSPI Stillwater is again running its 250 watt daytime carrier in the nightmiddle, obviously groundwave steady in null of WBBM, and oppositely audible too is music, no doubt newish KCEG in CO, allegedly 720 watts at night, but enough no doubt to prevent Pueblans from accessing any Newsradio from Chicago. KCEG is even better after 0700 as the KSPI OC helps to keep the QRN/QRM level down (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA. 1120, Jan 22 at 0651 UT, daytimer KEOR Catoosa/Sperry/Tulsa is at first not audible even with KMOX nulled, tho Bruce Winkelman in Tulsa found it back on the air as of Jan 21, also long after dark UT Jan 22; by 0713, has faded in a very poor signal with Mexican music, presumably this. Seems they are running less power than before, rated 2 kW. Next check at 1423 also audible poorly with less KMOX. KEOR had been unheard at all for about a week. Also weak and alone at local mean noon 1830 UT.

1120, Jan 23 at 1406 UT, KEOR is there but very weak with Mexican music, making 192/min SAH with KMOX, = 3.2 Hz, so I bet it`s the KEOR transmitter which is slightly varying.

Not hearing it in the 06-07 UT hour Jan 24, altho there is a weak SAH on KMOX at times, maybe this with open carrier only. At 1338, now Mexican music is back, with SAH counted of 172/minute = 2.87 Hz (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

=====================

** U S A. 720, Jan 18 at 1359 UT, ``ESPN Deportes`` ID, cut off for 1400 legal ID in heavily accented English, ``KSAH, Universal City`` (TX), with WGN nulled. No sign of Jew`s harp music today; later in hour Spanish from presumed XECJC, and no KDWN (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 770, Jan 22 at 0705 UT, ABC News ends, Albuquerque commercial about disabilities, 0706 `Red Eye Radio` --- so it`s either leakage from the KKOB 50 kW main in the North Valley here close to its null toward NYC, or the 230-watt non-direxional nite filler in Santa Fe with no separate callsign. Best in null of WBBM 767 IBOC noise. 

Wait a minute! I recently logged WABC NYC on the basis of `Red Eye Radio`, as the only 770 on that program affiliate list
http://www.redeyeradioshow.com/article.asp?id=2531095#state-NM
which still shows in ABQ it`s on KTBL 1050 (a subsidiary of KKOB). Now the KKOB schedule itself
http://www.770kkob.com/page.php?page_id=702
confirms `Red Eye` is indeed on KKOB 770, M-F 12-4 am MT (07-11 UT), Sat 12-3 am, and 11 pm-4 am Sun. So has 770 exchanged overnight programming with 1050? 

The KTBL schedule still shows `Red Eye`:
http://www.1050talk.com/common/more.php?m=10&mode=schedule&r=2
but starting at 11 pm MT most nites. What`s really on 1050? `Red Eye` made some claim to be #1; does that mean it`s ahead of C2C in ratings or affiliate coverage? WABC is certainly possible here, but will have to wait for at least a `Red Eye` echo with KKOB or KKOB (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 810, Jan 20 at 0630 UT, gospel music from NW/SE, and not much competition from WHB to the NE; 0637 ``glorifying his name, Victoria`s KLVZ, where love lives``. Victoria? Texas? Across the Strait of Juan de Fuca or Puget Sound from BC in Washington? 

No, KLVZ is in Brighton, Colorado, and the slogan matches in the NRC AM Log, address in Aurora, U4 2200/430 watts. The ``Victoria`` was pretty clear, but I don`t know of any such place around Denver. There is a Victor CO near Cripple Creek. 

Googling around, I find posts on http://www.denverradio.net at the end of July 2011, 
http://www.denverradio.net/newforum/viewthread.php?tid=8187
that its Spanish format was ending, and referred to having started as ``Radio Victoria`` on 1220. So apparently that slogan lives on in English. BTW, KLVZ is licensed to KLZ Radio (560). I see the similarity. 

Surprised I haven`t heard this before as night pattern
http://transition.fcc.gov/ftp/Bureaus/MB/Databases/AM_DA_patterns/1412554-113432.pdf
has major lobe to the SE, and another almost as major to the NNE, with a deep null at 75 degrees, which is not exactly the direxion to Kansas City (but New York?), other nulls roughly toward Seattle and LA.

{Also, checking FCC`s Call Sign History:
KLVZ  09/10/2007
KLDC  04/05/1996
DKLTT 04/05/1996
KLTT  11/22/1982
KBRN

What a mess; KBRN was the original Brighton station, on 800 and IIRC daytimer only, but sometime attained fulltime by shifting to 810. KLTT of course is now the 50 kW on 670} (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 

** U S A. 810, Jan 22 at 0655 UT, novelty song in Spanish, 0657 ``La Sabrosita 810, Radio Rama``, more music. Mexican loops E/W so must be very close to the border west of here. But none of the XEs on 810 have that slogan according to Cantú, IRCA and WRTH. Of two RAMA group stations, 1 kW XESB in Santa Bárbara, Chihuahua is well-positioned, but it`s a Radio Mexicana (BTW, 810 bears 15 Mexicans, second only to 1340 with 17; why? So much for once clear-channel XEFW Tampico, whose 50 kW day must plummet to 1 kW nite).

So I google on ``Sabrosita 810`` and that goes immediately to WMGC in Murfreesboro TN! http://www.lasabrosita810am.net/inicio.html
where there isn`t much except a UStream link. NRC AM Log confirms that slogan, 24 hours, but only 6 watts at night! Yeah, sure, 5 kW day power is more like it, or maybe 500 watt PSRA power. FCC AM Query on the PSRA shows a complex schedule
http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getimportletter_exh.cgi?import_letter_id=4050
with 500 watts applying only to certain segments after 6 am local (now 12 UT), otherwise 10 or 16 watts, all in deference to WGY. Presumably RAMA would not apply to WMGC, so maybe that is not the acronym I heard (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 880, Friday Jan 18 at 1407 UT, from E/W, KLRG Sheridan AR is managing to modulate today! With `We-the-People` radio, host mentioning that it`s once-a-week, unless he gets more sponsors. Angle is that it`s 1776 again, i.e. time for another revolution with guns against the government. No problem from N/S KRVN this morning, much weaker. But what has become of `Imus in the Morning`, once heard on KLRG and still on his affiliate list for 5-9 am CST?
http://www.imus.com/station-list/category/arkansas

This show is not to be confused with a once 24/7 radio network of the same name which crashed in 2008. Now it applies only to central Arkansas as a nutty Tea-Party ``paleo-conservative`` show on KLRG Fridays at ``7-8 am`` (but now it`s after 8 am!), as in

http://www.wethepeopleradioshow.com/
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 930, Jan 24 at 1328 UT, `Morning in America`, i.e. the far right wacko Bill Bennett show. His website is no help in locating affiliates: you have to enter a zip code and then keep getting blank pages, even by putting in 78216, the studio address for suspect KLUP in San Antonio. Broader Google search on program name and 930 does bring up KLUP among others, so retry MIA site search on default San Antonio zip 78201, and that finally produces listing for KLUP, as heard several times before in WKY null (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 1010, Jan 24 at 1259, as I intune just before 1300 UT, legal ID in English as ``KXXT, Tolleson-Phoenix``. See previous discussion of their ``15000/250`` watt powers, and this is still more than an hour before sunrise (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 

** U S A. 1110, Jan 23 at 0638 UT, KFAB Omaha is splattering, first noticed the noise listening to KMOX 1120 and then WTAM 1100. Sounds normal on 1110 itself. The splat would be something normally expected close to Omaha with superstrong signal, so something may be out of whack, or the `wide` bandwidth setting of my DX-398 is slipping. At least KFAB dropped IBOC some time ago (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. 1360, Jan 18 at 1504 UT, mentioning area codes 206 and 425, Emerald Heights Academy in Belleville (?). Something in the St. Louis MO area? The area codes will reveal. No, both of those are in the Seattle WA area and the Academy is a Catholic school in Bellevue. Religious teaching followed. Certainly not the 1360 up there, Spanish KKMO in Tacoma, but no doubt one of the EWTN English affiliates around here, KAHS in El Dorado KS, or KDJW in Amarillo TX (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

==================

UNIDENTIFIED. 900, Jan 18 at 0649 UT, screaming gospel huxter in Spanish, loops N/S with SAH. I sure hope this is not what has become of the once mighty XEW (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

UNIDENTIFIED. 1510-, Jan 19 at 1315 UT, once again there is a low het on low side looping NE/SW, pointing to KCTE Independence MO, but the main sports signal audible on 1510 IDs as WLAC. Just recently I had decided KCTE was back on frequency, so is another one off 1510 now? Or do they maybe have two different transmitters? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

UNIDENTIFIED. 1650, Jan 18 at 1422 UT, Spanish talk seems about European fútbol. Hard to DF with the splash from local KOAG 1640, but seems more like El Paso than Denver direxion. KBJD Denver is supposed to be religious, and KSVE El Paso is supposed to be ``María`` romantic music, so neither fits. A fast SAH develops at 1426 and soon overtaken by English, no doubt from resurgent KCNZ in Iowa (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

UNIDENTIFIED. 2660, Jan 20 around 1220 UT, very weak carrier here from a suspected second harmonic of 1330. Still seemed to be audible at 1455, which is rather late for anything at a distance.

2660, Jan 24 at 1225 UT, another go at the presumed second harmonic of something on 1330: JBA carrier. I proceeded to DX SW and MW and did not get back to 2660 until 1347, and now it`s best yet: definite gospel music in English, 1350 announcement, more music, 1356 announcement, but fading into noise level and gave up for today at 1402. Enid sunrise was 1338 UT. 

Looking thru the NRC AM Log for GOS or REL formats not too far away: best bet is KGLD Tyler TX, 1000/77/psra 500 watts non-direxional, with address in faraway Baytown. Perhaps someone near Tyler could check this out. Seems a bit late for WVHI in Evansville IN or WLOL in Minneapolis. All the others of those formats are way too far in distant states (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

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