[IRCA] KOKB 1580 open carriers and daytime Spanish mystery, XEDM?

[Glenn Hauser <wghauser@xxxxxxxxx>]

Latest report; all times and dates UT:

UNIDENTIFIED. 1580, KOKB Blackwell OK cooperated again this Saturday by deleting modulation, but keeping carrier on to muscle aside the local noise level, which was rather severe, so I strain to hear the Spanish station underneath. There it is again, July 17 at 1343; slogans shouted at 1345, but can`t make out any ID. This is on the E-W longwire and FRG-7; then I try in the yard DX-398. Nothing in the NW/SE null of KOKB, and the Spanish seems roughly E-W. It does fade completely out at times, and back in, so it`s likely remnant skywave, 2.5-3 hours after LSR, not groundwave. 

One clue made it at 1407 during phone interview, mentioned ``a las 15 de la tarde``, which would more likely be a Mexicanism than an Americanism, such as XEDM Hermosillo, Sonora. Meanwhile I try to find a webstream for comparison, but no more luck than in 2007. Cantú`s audio link leads to a squatter. 

Wikipedia says they do run a ``Radioperiódico`` Saturday and Sunday mornings. Still bits of signal when I quit at 1429. If this really is XEDM, of course it should be in Spanish every day, not just Saturday --- altho long ago in the borderblaster era I think it did have some English. When I have checked under KOKB carrier on weekdays I have only heard something in English (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

Previous reports in reverse order:

UNIDENTIFIED. After managing to modulate most of the week, KOKB, 1580, Blackwell OK was back to open carrier Friday July 16 at 1307 UT, so I strained to hear the weak stations underneath. All in English, but if KOKB can keep from modulating into Saturday we`ll have another try at the unID Spanish. Today one station is dominating with sports talk, about baseball, basketball, golf, not // ESPN on KCRC 1390. At 1343 another station fades up briefly with YL host, phone number starting with 944-, perhaps a local swap show somewhere (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA. 1580, KOKB Blackwell, open carrier at 1246 July 8; still lots of skywave on high-end MW frequencies, but no Spanish audible here today Thursday. At 1404 recheck, KOKB had resumed modulating with ad for Frontier Lanes bowling in Stillwater (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA. 1580, KOKB, still not recovering modulation, open carrier only at 2125 check July 5. But back on at 2147 July 6. No doubt it will be silent again in a few days (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA [and non]. 1580, KOKB Blackwell still modulationless Sunday July 4 at 1331 UT, so I strain to hear the Spanish station below open carrier as on Saturday mornings: no, only English heard today, 1335 fading up with sermon; also at 1401 English. The local noise level here is extreme, and could not even hear this without the KOKB carrier to quieten the frequency. Certainly more than one understation could be involved, but still suspect an English station has Spanish only on Saturdays (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

UNIDENTIFIED. 1580, KOKB Blackwell OK once again loses modulation on another Saturday morning, giving me another chance to try to pull in the daytime-DX Spanish speaker underneath. July 3 at 1351 UT I can just barely make it out, fades in some at 1351 and 1401, enough to tell it`s Spanish, but nothing more. Tried the caradio in garage at 1414 and heard a bit more Spanish before fadeout. 

XEDM Hermosillo if nothing closer possible? There was a sporadic-E opening into VHF already but not from that part of Mexico. However, Es effects on lower frequencies than VHF become broader and broader geographically. 

KOKB was still OC at 0127 July 4, but by now lots of skywave stations are possible; July LSS is 0145 UT when they ought to cut power from 1000 to 49 watts, but since they can`t even remote-control their modulation, I have my doubts about that (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA [and non]. Anomaly stations check circa 1900 UT June 28:
1120, KEOR still absent as it has been for weeks; a pity with its shiny new antenna towers in the woods going to waste

1580, KOKB Blackwell, (over)modulating again instead of open carrier for past few days. So much for my Spanish mystery until KOKB fails again. Meanwhile, Bill Hale researched possibilities, tnx! ---

``Glenn, According to 100000watts.com, the only 1580 with SS Sports is WTTN in Columbus, WI: ESPN Deportes 1580 
1580s with 'Spanish' anywhere in their Format are: 
KBLA Santa Monica, CA 
WDAB Travelers Rest, SC 
WLIM Patchogue, NY: Radio Adonai
WNTF Bithlo, FL: Latina 1580 
WVZN Columbia, PA``

1670, Winkeljohn`s talking houses still rumbling away in mutual-QRM

99.9, GCN pirate, Enid, back on the air after missing over weekend (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

UNIDENTIFIED. 1580, June 28 at 1325 UT, KOKB Blackwell OK is still on open carrier only, which helps to alleviate the higher noise floor we are forced to endure from all the cable DTV converter boxes we have had to add to the household appliances. (Of course, we could unplug them all in an emergency, and later they would all have to re-scan for signals.) 

No Spanish audible unlike two days earlier, but weak English discussion of World Cup; hmmm, I wonder if that could be like 1% modulation from KOKB itself? 1359 hoping for algo identifiable, sounds like two very weak signals mixing. At 1443 I tried the caradio in the garage which is further from the noise, and a preacher in English was atop one or two others.

Wayne Heinen of NRC says there are no US Spanish stations known in this area; could it have been XEDM, Hermosillo, Sonora? Possibly, but in an unusual daytime opening that long after sunrise in the 900-mile range, and no Space Shuttle to stir up the D-layer. XEDM has downgraded itself from 50 to 10 kW in the last few years, presumably still non-direxional; news format apparently now as ``DM Noticias`` per WRTH 2010. 

There are several other Mexican 1580s less likely due to power, distance. I should note that when I was getting Spanish on 1580, there was no sign of XERF 100 kW on 1570 vs the not very strong Catoosa OK station. XERF has made surprising daytime appearances before in the winter, but here we are at summer solstice when insolation angles are rising quickly after sunrise here at 1115 UT, Hermosillo 1228 UT.

KGAF 1580 Gainesville TX has now replied confirming it was not them in Spanish on Saturday (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

UNIDENTIFIED. 1580, KOKB Blackwell OK has again lost its modulation, June 26 at 1328 UT, carrier still on but now on home rig FRG-7 with 100+ foot E/W longwire I can hear a weak station underneath in Spanish talk, apparently about sports, guess what game? Barely makes a SAH with the stronger KOKB. Fades very little, but maybe residual skywave 2.25 hours after LSR? Or remnant of groundwave from one of next-closer 1580 stations? 

It`s really too weak to make much out, but did hear ``15-80`` mentioned so it`s not a relay. Still just barely audible at 1450, 3.5+ hours after LSR as KOKB is still OC.

Strangely, there are no 1580s in Kansas, but how about KGAF Gainesville TX = Baja Oclajoma right across the Red River? Time to research: KGAF website http://www.kgaf1580.com/ ``Hometown Radio`` looks totally WASPy, but they don`t give a detailed program schedule and like so many commercial stations neglect to show anything about what they do on weekends, which is often different, like brokered to any and all comers. 

NRC AM Log 2009-2010 has it as C&W and by the time I am online after 1500, webcast is indeed that. Log shows nothing in Spanish in neighboring states, AR, CO, MO or the other Texans, except for KIRT with Spanish religion from Mission, way down in the RGV, surely not thence, 700 miles away. Inquiry out to KGAF, anyway (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA. 1580, KOKB Blackwell, off the air the afternoon of June 24; rather than just open carrier which they have been known to run days at a time instead of overmodulated sportstalk; but back to the latter the next morning (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** OKLAHOMA. Have not reported on the anomalous stations lately, so as of the afternoon of June 21: 
1120, KEOR Sperry-Catoosa-Tulsa is still off the air. 
1580, KOKB Blackwell is still on the air with overmodulation distortion, sportstalk // 1020 KOKP Perry. 
(Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST)


      

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