I am only a casual DXer of AM, and usually only when I'm in my car.  I have noticed that reception is much better when the vehicle is newer, it seems with age that the AM band becomes more static filled.

Furthest stations were always at night, I often had to pick up my daughter from a late shift at the Tim Hortons.  One night while indexing through stations, I came upon J.R. Gach, after he had left WNY, and returned to Louisiana, WWL at 870.  New Orleans.  That was the farthest station I can attest that I heard.

I have heard WBBM 870 Chicago while heading north on the 400 one Christmas Eve.  Dave Kerner (ex WEBR AM 970 Buffalo) could often be heard there until he retired in 2023.

It probably doesn't count, but knowing that WWKB 1520 was renowned as a flamethrower at night did have me tuning in when I visited Virginia Beach in 2001 for a family wedding.  While heading to a Norfolk Tides game, I tuned in KB to listen to a Buffalo Bisons game.  The signal came in quite clearly, even though it was early evening, long before sunset.

Last edited by Easily Amused (January 15, 2025 12:39 pm)

This is what I remember, but I could'nt catch any station IDS.
New jersey, iawa, nebraska and origon.
I also could not catch what cities the stations were from because they were fading in and out on fm.

Farthest for me (Renfrew) was an FM in Alabama, or 92.9 Atlanta from the Westin Peachtree, summer 2004.

Here's another example of bizarre DXing. A listener with a huge antenna set-up in the middle of nowhere in Finland picked up a station from Iowa, some 4,000 miles away. What's really weird, though, is it was on 1340 AM - one of the worst frequencies for signals that you can get. 

In a real rarity, a local Iowa TV station did a 5-minute segment on the incident and on DXing itself. 

See it here. 

When working at CHYM part time in the mid 70's, the station received letters from a few towns in Sweden.  The station was coming in loud and clear for about a week, and the listeners took the time to find out CHYM's address and wrote in to let them know they had been receiving the signal.  They loved the music.  CHYM was still at 1490 at the time. 

paterson1 wrote:

When working at CHYM part time in the mid 70's, the station received letters from a few towns in Sweden.  The station was coming in loud and clear for about a week, and the listeners took the time to find out CHYM's address and wrote in to let them know they had been receiving the signal.  They loved the music.  CHYM was still at 1490 at the time. 

Wow, 1490! Another awful frequency that barely gets out at night into its own city. (Frequencies designated as "local," which generally means 1,000 watts day, 250 watts night, include 1230, 1240, 1340, 1400, 1450 and 1490.) So to get one of them in Sweden is an astounding catch. 

The reason 740 and 860 are left blank on that FCC list is because those frequencies have Canadian priority. Both CFZM and CJBC have night signal protection 750 miles in all directions from Toronto.

mace wrote:

The reason 740 and 860 are left blank on that FCC list is because those frequencies have Canadian priority. Both CFZM and CJBC have night signal protection 750 miles in all directions from Toronto.

Yes, both are designated as "Canadian Clear," although there can be regional or local stations on those frequencies, as long as they're very low powered, especially at night.

Wikipedia has a great list of which stations in North America get priority by frequency. I think most of us know what they are, although I was surprised to see CKDO Oshawa on the list at 1580, even though it's nowhere near 50K and I can't get it in Toronto at night. (And barely during the day!)

Just as interesting to those of us who are into this stuff, is the list of stations that once were clear channel priority outlets and no longer are. I always wondered what happened to WOWO in this area. (My first ever DX-ed station.) The list explains why it's now mostly absent at 1190 here at night. 

Speaking of WOWO, a few years ago, I was sitting at my desk in the TV newsroom where I worked, when one of the anchors was conducting a tour for a guest from the U.S. They stopped near me and explained what it was I was up to, and just as they were about to leave, the guy's eyes opened wide and he exclaimed "WOWO! You know WOWO?"

I happened to be wearing the T-shirt seen below that day and told him, "yes, I used to listen to it all the time," citing evening jock Ron Gregory and "The World Famous WOWO Fire Escape" where they supposedly got all their weather data from.

Turns out the guy was from Fort Wayne and was astounded anyone had heard of his town. What are the odds?

 

mace wrote:

RadioActive wrote:

Speaking of WOWO, a few years ago, I was sitting at my desk in the TV newsroom where I worked, when one of the anchors was conducting a tour for a guest from the U.S. They stopped near me and explained what it was I was up to, and just as they were about to leave, the guy's eyes opened wide and he exclaimed "WOWO! You know WOWO?"

I happened to be wearing the T-shirt seen below that day and told him, "yes, I used to listen to it all the time," citing evening jock Ron Gregory and "The World Famous WOWO Fire Escape" where they supposedly got all their weather data from.

Turns out the guy was from Fort Wayne and was astounded anyone had heard of his town. What are the odds?

 

Cool t-shirt. Do you still wear it?

Haven't for a while. It's seen better days. But then, which of us hasn't?

I still have no idea who that guy with the moustache is.

paterson1 wrote:

RadioActive wrote:

paterson1 wrote:

When working at CHYM part time in the mid 70's, the station received letters from a few towns in Sweden.  The station was coming in loud and clear for about a week, and the listeners took the time to find out CHYM's address and wrote in to let them know they had been receiving the signal.  They loved the music.  CHYM was still at 1490 at the time. 

Wow, 1490! Another awful frequency that barely gets out at night into its own city. (Frequencies designated as "local," which generally means 1,000 watts day, 250 watts night, include 1230, 1240, 1340, 1400, 1450 and 1490.) So to get one of them in Sweden is an astounding catch. 

Yes, as I recall at 1490 CHYM didn't exactly blast out.  We would receive the odd call from London, ON in the daytime, so they could tune us in about an hour away.  CHYM 1490 would have been 10,000 watts day/5,000 night at the time.  They moved to 570 in 1979 with 10,000 watts day and night. 

In the 70's while CHYM was at 1490 we could just pick them up at Sauble Beach. They were directional with a 4 tower array off of Williamsburg Road Kitchener. I believe their signal was directed north.

Then as Paterson1 mentions they managed to get a pretty sweet frequency of 570 khz in 1979. This coincided with CFOS firing up a transmitter on 1490 khz in Port Elgin.

For me, probably Radio Paradise on 825kHz.  Back in the 1980's and well before CHAM took the 820 spot.  I don't think the station exists anymore. Below is a QSL someone else received from them with the particulars.  The islands are just east of Puerto Rico.

Looking through this compendium of most-distant logs...

Europe is still very much possible, but I think you will need a directional antenna and/or a very decent loop and radio. If you're in the inner city, it will be a challenge. Your best bet might be 1089 in the UK, TalkSport. They have a number of stations on that same channel, but one or two are very strong. Europe tends to do well right after our local sunset, into later in the evening, and there can be a resurgence around midnight, before daylight impacts Europe. One tactic I have, on the rare occasions I aim east (I simply prefer south and west and my outdoor antennas are fixed), is to go up and down the band listening for tones (heterodynes) caused by signals that are just slightly off our 10 KHz spacing (Europe is 9 KHz). If the tone is loud enough, I check the relevant Euro 9KHz channel. Also, if 530 is ever off air, listen for 531.

Other comments: I am highly skeptical anyone in ON is going to hear Oregon on FM. It's possible, but even if it happens the reception will most likely be marginal and weak. E-skip single-hop range is roughly 500 to 1500 miles. Double hop happens, but there has to be two clouds. I've had 2Es to New Mexico once, with Missouri, the mid-point, doing very well. Once lucked into two stations from Colombia and one from Dominican Republic (same opening) which lasted for a half hour or so, and I am thankful I was recording channels. But the signal was quite difficult to work. None of these 2Es catches sounded like that dominant e-skip we all hear. I've been in the hobby since 1977, and those no longer really interest me except as evidence that an opening is underway. When an opening happens, most of my best catches are on unattended radios recording specific channels, which I then review. One could do the same with an SDR digital radio that can now record the entire band. I have tried that but have had computer compatibility issues. Anyhow, I spend most of my FM DX time reviewing unattended recordings (five-plus radios) and listening very carefully for snippets of IDable audio IN BETWEEN the loud skip stations. I actually ID those too, but I've pretty much milked the FM band for Es-range stations from my Kawarthas DX site and so the only new catches will be either low-powered translators or the usual higher powered ones but on channels where I have a strong semi-local station. Oregon is also unlikely on AM. I've had only one, on 720, and it was absolutely brutal to ID underneath WGN Chicago. Long gone are the days when KEX Oregon would come in on 1190 when WOWO was off on a Monday morning. Anything is of course possible, but an accompanying statement that the DXer "couldn't catch any IDs" on the three states they mentioned leaves me rather doubtful.

My own farthest catches. I have Europe and Africa (Algeria is a good bet on 531 and others) on the east wires I've laid out in years past. But I'm most pleased with Peru on 1090 this past October during a pretty intense aurora. Took me a few days to ID this, but my first clue came when the Spanish preacher shouting seemingly endless hallelujahs matched what other DXers heard. On FM, it's the aforementioned Colombians. I never ever thought in my wildest dreams I'd hear South America on FM. I haven't even heard the west coast of North America on FM (or TV, for that matter)!
 

tvguy wrote:

Saul, back in the good-old days when toronto had 5 or 6 fm stations - and at a time before the CN Tower, WMBI 90.1 Chicago was a pretty good bet year round, in Toronto.  The station came in frequently during meteorite bursts, for a couple of seconds.  The more intense the meteor shower - like Persids or Leonids, the better its signal, but it was also caught anytime there was a tropospheric change, in weather.  Not the longest, but a good FM catch.  On E-skip, S. Florida was frequent, in the spring and into December.  Lots of FM's well into Texas, Colorado the US midwest and beyond on single hop Es.  I haven't had a real Es FM catch in toronto in decades - too close to the CN tower.  I also regret disposing of my Heathkit AJ-15 Tuner it was fantastic for skip, meteors and tropo.

I remember listening to WMBI on a small radio with rabbit ears in North Kawartha 30-40 years ago, for literally a couple of days. Sure wish I'd had the smarts back then to head for higher ground and really work and record the band. The episode I recall was strange in that it persisted through a couple of days of light rain...usually that kills tropo reception.

The Source is now defunct. Their stores have become Best Buy Express, a jr version of Best buy where they try to upsell yout Bell Mobile and TV services.