It was heartening and reassuring to get so many favorable comments (and
emails) after my last post (which was part one of this series and can be found here). The topic at hand is the avocation of DXing-- taking advantage of the extended range of AM & shortwave broadcasts at night and listening to discover what can be heard over the radio from your location. For better or worse, it's one of those habits most people dabble in when they're alone at night. And most of
us who participate in this habit have close friends and/or partners who would probably be
bored to tears or just openly annoyed if subjected to the challenging listen of trying to
read a far off radio signal.
Once in my room I was sitting with a friend having a beer and just for the hell of it I switched on my old Trans-Oceanic and quickly zoomed into a faint English broadcast from Albania. For some reason I thought he would be half as curious about the discovery as I was, and for a couple of minutes I was hanging on to every word trying to hear the news from the Balkans over the noise floor in my apartment. Then I saw the pain in his face, and shut it down and put the music back on. He thanked me.
While there’s no shame in it, scanning the AM and shortwave dial for
sport and recreation is an acquired taste. You have to be willing to
put up lots of static, whistles, buzzes and some really stupid and
boring radio. But it’s an offbeat way to sample some free (and sometimes fringe) media from
around the country and around the world. And when you power up that
receiver you never really know exactly who, what or WHERE you’re going
to hear.
Winter is better in general for DXing the broadcast bands, and lately I’ve been getting better than usual reception. Since I recorded this scan of the NY upstate AM dial in late November, I’ve gotten strong readable broadcasts in New York City from several stations that eluded me that evening. But the reality is that every night is different That’s part of what makes it interesting.
By the way, if you’re interested in playing along at home, let me pass along a few links. Years ago, you would have to invest in a few books or magazines to have the information to track down unknown and identified radio stations. Nowadays the internet offers up plenty of handy data.
Probably the most important site for tracking down AM & FM stations is the “Radio Locator.” You can search stations by city, frequency or call letters. The advanced search gives you more options. It’s damn thorough. Through this site you can access links to the station, webstreams and even look at coverage maps. Another good site for mediium wave is A.M. Logbook.com. While it’s a bit counter-intuitive. and the Canadian and American stations have separate sections on the site, it is helpful to get a quick look at the wattage of each station when you're trying to figure out where a signal might be coming from.
Don’t forget that computers give off plenty of RF that interferes with radio reception. If you're looking for information in real time you might be better off taping your reception and looking it up later, or at least keeping your radio across the room when you’re browsing on the net for information.
As I did last week, I’m going to go through the dial in text and offer an MP3 of the recording. Last week covered the beginning of the AM dial at 530 and ended at 750 KHz. It was recorded in the November 26, in the Hudson Valley just after midnight. I was using a 1980's Sony analog portable, the ICF-7600A. This week I'll start where I left off and work my way to 950 KHz.
Speaking of that, I should emphasize that I am not an expert or authority as far as DXing or the science of radio. I just fool around with a few relatively inexpensive radios now and then (and occasionally archive the results). Some of you who commented on the previous post are obviously a bit more serious about this stuff, and I really appreciate your feedback. And more importantly I appreciate that you’ve taken the time to read these posts.
Things like picking up AM stations in Europe and Africa from North America has so far eluded me, but it sounds like fun. And I should add that like any hobby, having the right tools can make all the difference. There are many more advanced receivers (and antennas) that I fantasize about playing with one day (from big old “boat anchor” tube equiped table top receivers to contemporary computer based radios). But what I’d like to emphasize is that listening to the radio as an explorer doesn’t require a lot of fancy equipment, money or expertise. All it takes is an interest, some curiosity and a sensitive receiver.
As I said last week, I recommend an analog receiver for deeply sampling the AM and shortwave bands, at least for those on an entry level. Ebay is a great place to look for used radios, just because there aren’t many powerful radios with analog tuning being made these days. Well, actually I know of one pretty good one that has a digital display AND analog tuning, but in general all but the cheapest shortwave radios are all digital these days.
Why analog? Physically turning a knob ever so slightly allows you to precisely tune in on a station with your fingers and doing so quickly tells you whether an area of a band is active by listening as you zip through it. The “scan” function on digital tuners is typically unreliable for digging out hard to grab broadcasts and physically turning a knob and getting immediate results is more intuitive than waiting at every “step” to hear each digitally rendered spot on the dial.
That said, there are plenty of high-tech digital receivers that offer features unimaginable on analog radios. They’re just generally more expensive and aimed toward more experienced listeners. Speaking of that, there’s a digital radio out there that is constantly marketed on AM radio specifically for serious AM listeners. It’s the CC Radio from C. Crane, and goes for over a hundred and fifty bucks. I have one. While it’s a sensitive radio, it’s also a seriously problematic gadget. And a VERY overpriced one at that. What’s worse is that the CC Radio has an inherent defect that has plagued the radio since it first came out. After a couple years the LED display starts to crap out. The folks at C. Crane charge fifty bucks plus postage to fix the problem. Considering that the CC Radio is their highest profile product, you’d think C. Crane would offer a recall and fix the problem. I’ll probably eventually send my radio in and eat the fee. But it still pisses me off. Buyer beware.
In going through the dial scan I’m posting this week, it’s made me think about what really makes good radio happen. And I think the most important element is “service.” When radio faithfully serves a region, a group, or even perhaps an ideology, it’s about MORE than just money. And
unlike television, a calling to service has always been an integral element of the medium. Maybe that’s why they the BBC doesn’t call their shortwave arm the BBC World “Network.”
And although DXing is fun, its not the best way to hear many of the stations out there that still carry on a tradition of service. While driving around in the great fly-over spans of North America, don’t forget to turn on your radio now and then. There are hundreds of low-power (and often low-profit) radio stations that continue to carry on a useful relationship with their listenership. Really local media is hard to find these days, and now and then you'll find radio stations that are still dedicated to working with and for the communities within reach of their broadcasts.
I’m considering expanding this series into shortwave and further medium wave (AM) scans. Feedback and email is welcome. If you’ve been (or will be) scanning the medium or shortwave bands and have MP3 archives I might be interested in hearing and/or posting your audio adventures. Drop me an email.
Meanwhile, here is the continuation of my casual scan of the AM dial starting at 760 KHz, going up to 950. It’s not spectacular, but it did happen. Here's the MP3.
Segment 2 - Hudson Valley AM Radio 11-25-05 (760 to 950 AM)
760 - WJR Detroit, MI
This station has a helluva signal. Even though it’s snug up against WABC here in New York at 770, it’s still quite readable in the city. Growing up near Detroit decades ago, WJR seemed like Michigan’s official station in a very local and sophisticated way that's hard to imagine today. It’s the station every grownup seemed to listen to. As a kid (with a rock and roll infected mind at the time) WJR seemed a little stodgy back then. But in retrospect it was really quite a radio station.
They called it "The Great Voice of The Great Lakes," and WJR really had an impressive air roster years ago-- articulate gentlemen like J.P McCarthy and Karl Haas, sophisticated music and legendary announcer Ernie Harwell announcing the Tigers play by play. It was friendly, informative and adult radio on a commercial AM station. I guess people go to public radio (which is usually on FM) for this kind of 
format now, but it’s not quite the same. The combination of professionalism, authority, warmth and entertainment that the great full-service AM stations of the past offered their listeners is rare enough anywhere on the dial these days, but a station offering almost all locally produced content and serving an entire region (instead of just promoting that it is) is almost completely a thing of the past. (A vintage video promoting WJR in its heyday is available for download here.)
(If you happen to have any interesting old recordings of WJR, especially Jay Robert’s “Night Flight 760,” I’d might like to swap airchecks with you. Drop me an email.)
Today, WJR is just another Disney owned right wing news/talk station, like WABC or WLS (Once great stations as well.) And on this night I’ve run across Dr. Laura on WJR. Either she’s your “stay at home doctor,” or the most humorless bitch on the radio, either way Dr. Laura Schlessinger is ultimately a sadistic egomaniac who has no business offering help to strangers on the radio. Notice that even when she’s offering good advice for a change (telling a mother to ease up on disciplining her toddler into a swimming career) she still needs to berate the mother for bad parenting.
770 - WABC NYC
I’m not sure what this is, but they’re talking about George Best, an incredible soccer player who was done in by some bad habits. I didn’t stick around long enough to find out what they were selling. Commercials are offensive enough, infomericials are the ultimate in media prostitution. In a sense, it’s even worse than the Republican propaganda they broadcast all day long. Especially when you’re talking about a legacy station and frequency like WABC. But that’s exactly how WABC squanders their Friday overnight hours, with useless PAID programming. It’s bad enough when a low profit and desperate radio outlet plays informercials to survive, but when a Disney/ABC’s flagship station that covers eastern North America yields to this kind of whoredom is irresponsible and sad.
780 - Should be WBBM in Chicago, but not tonight
790 - Nothing Intelligible
800 - CKLW Windsor, ON
Although it’s in Canada, CKLW is the other major clear channel AM station in the Detroit market. Once a legendary North American rock/top 40 station, CKLW is now a talk station, specializing in advice, health and local issues. It’s soft around the edges, but refreshing compared to a conservative Disney propaganda outlet.The topic in this clip: Gall Bladders. Hey, they’re important!
810 - WGY Schenectady, NY
It’s the Albany area’s only clear channel AM station (also owned by Clear Channel Communications). And this is a bit from “The Phil Hendrie Show.” Although Hendrie isn’t on the air in New York City, he’s a national host with a unique approach to talk radio (WFMU featured his work on “Aircheck,” which you can hear with this link). Actually he has one real trick, and he does it well. Hendrie regularly has obnoxious guests who say outrageous things, and then he gets people to call up and argue with the guests. What makes it unique, is that Hendrie is the host and also pretends to be guest at the same time (deftly switching between the big radio microphone as himself and then to telephone and affecting a voice as he assumes the role of the “guest.”) Pretty funny, right?
I thought so too. Over the years it’s been a routine that’s provided lots of laughs to his many listeners “in the know.” And he admits his ploy on a regular basis on this show, but continues to generate callers who haven’t caught on to his puppet show yet. It’s a con game that almost gets some people to make fools of themselves arguing with a fictional character. However, it might be funnier if he wasn’t such an ass.
Hendrie’s concept of a radio show as a non-stop prank is a routine all his own, but lately he’s turning into a one trick pony. Like Lassiter, without his inherent humanity, Hendrie offers little or no good will on his program. What’s worse, Hendrie's not a political talk host, but he just LOVES the Iraq War. I guess it all fits in with his radio M.O.– the big guy deceives and bullies the little guys, and everybody gets a good laugh.
While there’s always been a crude, misogynistic and even racist edge to many of Hendrie’s characters who serve as mock guests on this show, it was easy to assume it was all satire meant to make light of his “character’s” ignorance. However, these days it seems clear that his corral of fake guests are just permutations on Hendrie’s id. He gets to play the balanced and mediating host AND the rude and monstrous guest on the phone. Sometimes you wonder which one is really Hendrie.
Like in this small edit caught in this dial scan. The “guest” Hendrie pretends to be alleges that his home has suffered some natural disaster and he making a big stink about how he’s not eligible for the same level of benefits as a Katrina victim. He even gets a joke in about people having to defecate in public in the Superdome. Funny stuff. And notice how his “guest” keeps referring to the New Orleans levees as dikes. I doubt Hendrie even knows the difference. His program is a showcase for ignorance masquerading as satire.
820 - (Not sure)
Don’t think it’s WBAP in Ft. Worth, but that’s a common catch in the Midwest. It’s the Police I think, some pop song. Sounds like it might be bumper music for a talk show, maybe a pre-show repeat of “Coast To Coast.” It ain’t WNYC.
830 - (A muddle of stations)
Might be WCCO in Minneapolis in this mess, but nothing ineligible.
840 - WHAS Louisville, KY
Another clear channel station readable across a huge chunk of North America. A news broadcast – An Iraqi cleric is upset about civilian casualties from a suicide bombing, ninety million girls around the world are excluded from primary school, and Japan is in the outer space business.
850 - WEEI Boston, MA
Sports talk. Maybe you like sports talk. I don’t get it. I think I’d rather hear a little more about Gall Bladders.
860 - (Nothing intelligible)
Another standard catch alludes me. CJBC, a French CBC station has been at this frequency as long as I remember. While I don’t speak French, I’ve heard a lot of intriguing and good music here over the years, and lots of French talkin’. But tonight, CJBC isn’t bouncin’ in like usual.
870 - WWL New Orleans, LA
Not coming in strong, but readable. The news-- the Audubon Zoo opened that day, and apparently the animals missed the human visitors. The whole city must be missing human visitors. One of the most important cities in Americas will never be the same, and the human tragedy in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrna is still a huge wound. Somebody might wanna tell Phil Hendrie that it’s still not very funny.
For over two months after the hurricane, WWL was the flagship station of "The United Broaders of New Orleans." It was a cobbled together disaster network-- a joint effort of Clear Channel Communications and Entercom Communications that offered an on-air sounding board for the community and up to the minute information on how to survive and deal with the tragedy. In all the horror it was encouraging to briefly hear radio stations super-serving thier community in a time of need. It’s something AM radio can still do very well.
Before settling in New York, I lived in Michigan and the deep south and WWL was a dependable stop on the AM dial. And as I mentioned in the last post, I was a big fan of the overnight trucker’s show, the “Road Gang,” Originally hosted by Charlie Douglas, in the early 80's the Dave Nemo took over the Road Gang. Never a provocative host, Nemo just provided a nightly radio home for trucker’s on the highway, and a bunch of great old country and western for everybody. Overnight, the Road Gang covered the whole route of I-75, from the Ontario border all the way down to Miami, and a huge portion of the country’s mid-section.
This station blasts up into the midwest, and was the perfect home for a national radio show. Eventually Nemo’s program was broadcast to other stations, then he moved his new network to Nashville. That’s all over. Nemo has left the broadcast band for XM. However, if you like you can relive the glory of his WWL show by downloading these files– Here are MP3's (part one and part two) of Nemo’s Roadgang program from August 4, 1989. I have to admit that this show really turned me on to a lot of old country music over the years. Check out Nemo’s recitation of “I am the American Trucker” at the middle of part one of these archives (or just grab this edit). It’s beautiful.
880 - WCBS, NYC
Shopping on “Black Friday” is apparently an addiction, or so says a Connecticut shopper. It has nothing to do with the products. It’s the “process.” Has there ever been a more cynically devised pseudo-event than Black Friday?
890 - WLS Chicago, IL
Once a huge Midwestern rock station, clear channel WLS is just another conservative talk station on the AM dial. It’s just more powerful than most. As it of its time as one of the last big AM top 40 stations and before it became a right wing talk outlet, there was a period of seat-of-pants tomfoolery that made for entertaining listening. In the mid-80's John “Records” Landecker would open up the phones at night in between rock and roll records and you never know what would happen. These days, those same hours on WLS are a bit more predictable and a lot less funny. You get time-delayed Sean Hannity and another local Chicago program which also follows the day’s Republican talking points to the letter.
That local show is “The Deborah Rowe Program.” And on this night Teri O’Brien is sitting in. She’s lined up “incriminating” clips from a C-Span of interview of author Bill Press for the hour’s entertainment. His crime? He’s a LIBERAL! And what’s worse, she says he brags about being rich AND he doesn’t like the Bush tax cuts. I’m surprised he’s not in prison.
It’s third tier Republican smear radio, and during the day the AM dial is jammed with these clowns in between superstar propagandists like Limbaugh and Hannity. However, there is usually some relief from the Republican blather on late night radio. Usually after midnight, the only neocon blabbermouths you hear are a few stations that rerun some from the day schedule. I suppose most Republicans are in bed. But it’s not yet midnight in Chicago, and the Disney’s 50,000 watt propaganda machine is still getting a few kicks in before the national paranormal chatterfest called “Coast to Coast AM” gets underway at 12.
Notice the signal is being chewed around the edges by a Spanish station. I believe it's “Radio Progresso” from Cuba.
900 - CHML Hamilton, ON
Like CKLW, CHML is a lifestyle talk station, focusing on health, finances, relationships and local issues. But every night for a few hours around midnight they use their huge clear channel signal to rebroadcast old time radio shows. It’s a great idea that takes you back to the days when people used to sit around and watch the radio. As you hear, I’ve caught the very beginning of an episode of the 50's sci-fi series “X-Minus One.”
In case you’re into this sort of thing, or you just want to find out what a “Moklin” is and what it means to be one, you can download an MP3 of this whole X-Minus One episode with this link.
910 - (Nothing Intelligible)
930 - CKNS Espanola, ON
It’s 10,000 watts on the north shore of Lake Huron broadcasting into the great white north, but there doesn’t seem to be much information available about this station on the web. Sounds like contemporary country of some kind.
930 - (Sports)
No idea what or where this is.
940 - CINW Montreal, QC
It’s the pre-feed rerun of Coast to Coast AM. The show starts at one a.m. but some stations can’t get enough so they repeat some of a previous show until the fun begins. The topic: The Hollow Earth theory. They say there’s a sun inside the Earth and people and all sorts of stuff.
Although Art Bell is the original host and creator of Coast to Coast, lately he’s only been on once a week, and many of those are reruns too.
950 - WHVW Hyde Park, NY
It’s an old rockabilly rave up broadcast just down the river from where I was making this recording. WHVW’s slogan boasts that they’re “The last independent, locally owned radio station in the Hudson Valley.” And they are. They’re also a complete anomaly. Run by former radio pirate and record collector “Pirate Joe,” WHVW reflects his musical vision– a format of old fashioned American roots: blues, jazz, country and all the stuff that would eventually evolved into rock and roll. It’s all run on a shoestring, but WHVW serves a bunch of upstate music fans with tunes they won’t hear anywhere else on the dial. I don’t know how they pay the electric bill for the transmitter with the scarcity of commercials on the station, but it’s been up and running this way for a few years now. There’s a handful of live DJ’s every day, but for the majority of the day WHVW is an automated mix of Pirate Joe’s favorite pre-oldies. It’s rare enough to hear AM stations feature music at all, let alone offer air time to the more raucous and rockin’ sounds that made AM radio great in the 40's and 50's. Thanks Pirate Joe!
I included three extended MP3 archives of WHVW in my transistor radio post a few weeks ago. You can find them here. And in the spirit of the season of giving, here’s a link to another.
Next week, I’ll either keep going on this dial scan, or I’ll dip into some samples of shortwave broadcasts. I haven’t decided yet.
Thanks for listening.
I'm familiar with the FM potato antenna, and wondering is there is a similarly user-serviceable equivalent for AM. Does anyone know something I can throw together using materials already around my apartment that will provide an AM signal boost? I know there are commercially available antennas, but I'm cheap.
Posted by: Pete | December 12, 2005 at 12:34 PM
Prof:
I used to tune in to WCBS 88 from Hartford when I was a kid, and I never needed to look at the dial becasue of the pitch of the underlying whine that came through the crappy radio. That and the voice of Myra Waldo or the fellow hawking Gramercy Park Clothes (64 W23rd st).
Stay tuned!
Posted by: Henry Lowengard | December 12, 2005 at 03:53 PM
Pete,
Loop antennas can be made very cheaply and can be very effective, whether you connect them directly to your radio or simply place them near a radio that contains a ferrite loop antenna built-in. There are a ton of different designs. Here are a few to get you started, but Googling "homebrew loop antenna" should find a lot more if this doesn't cover what you want.
HCDX Loop Antenna Index
Homebrew Box Loop Antenna
Hula Loop
Inductively Coupled Loop Antenna (made with picture frame)
Australian 1 meter Loop Antenna
Minnesota DX Club Loop Antenna page
Hoop Loop (embroidery hoop)
Posted by: ralph | December 12, 2005 at 05:19 PM
Sad thing is that you're about to reach KVOO, but because it was a north-south clear channel you won't pick it up in NYC. All the better, since it's tossed aside its storied history to become conservative yes-radio KFAQ.
Posted by: Account Deleted | December 12, 2005 at 11:53 PM
DW, I think I'd need to be a little further west to pull in that one. WWVA out of West Virginia seems to own that frequency (1170) at night here on the east coast.
Posted by: The Professor | December 13, 2005 at 12:37 AM
Too bad WWVA is in the way.
The Tulsa TV folks have an entire page of KVOO ephemera:
http://tulsatvmemories.com/tulrkvoo.html
Posted by: Account Deleted | December 13, 2005 at 03:21 PM
Prof:
Would you rather have these relatively few clear channels blanketing the country or allowing more low-power stations to broadcast at night?
The fact that some of these things broadcast infomercials is absolutely heinous.
Posted by: Webster Hubble Telescope | December 18, 2005 at 11:54 PM
Even better, I find, than Radio Locator is Radios.com.br. It requires some understanding of Romance languages, as it's all in Portuguese, but not only does it seem to have a larger set of listings than Radio Locator, it also lists worldwide streamable TV stations, as well.
Posted by: Eric | December 25, 2005 at 11:31 PM
TO: Henry Lowengard
Re: Gramercy Park Clothes, 64 W. 23rd St. NYC WABC at night: $5 for 60 seconds!
I was the guy "hawking." My commercials must have been damn good for you to remember them from 1977! Actually, I owned the company, wrote the commercials, spoke them on the air. Thanks for the memory.
Milt Kamen
Posted by: Milton Kamen | May 31, 2007 at 05:52 PM
This afternoon my wife and I were talking about Gramercy Park Clothes, and I found Milton Kamen's listing. Question for him: Weren't two of your salesmen as mentioned in the commercials "Bella The Fella" and "Rosie With The Cigar"? What became of them...and of your business? Obviously, your commercials were, indeed, memorable. I even visited your store once on a trip from Connecticut.
Posted by: Cliff Saxton | October 14, 2007 at 05:43 PM
To: Cliff Saxton
How did you remember radio commercials from 30 years ago!
Yes, Rosie with the cigar and Bella the fella and Tony no balony and Alabama Charley were part of the sales force...long since gone. The Big Iron Gate is no more.
Actually in or about 1990 I opened a women's store in West Hartford with everything in the store selling at $8. That developed into a flock of stores but radio advertising didn't fit into the marketing program so I couldn't have fun. Never liked the rag business anyway.
Thank you for remembering my "Gramercy Park Clothes factory outlet" and the radio commercials that made it successful. Very, very fond memories for me.
Be well.
Milton Kamen
Posted by: Milton Kamen | October 19, 2007 at 05:27 PM
For Milton Kamen:
I loved your Gramercy Park Commercials! In fact, I memorized one (as best I could, without pencil and paper, while driving in and out of Manhattan) -- "Men who are doctors, lawyers, eyeglass wearers..."
Is it possible to get a digital audio copy of this commercial? I wold LOVE to have it for my collection.
Please contact me, Milton. Thank you!
John Talbott
[email protected]
Marietta, GA
p.s. "And in these days of cockeyed prices, Gramercy Park is an eye-opener!"
Posted by: JohnnyTee | April 25, 2009 at 03:37 AM
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Posted by: flying shoes | March 12, 2010 at 02:44 AM