# What far-off radio signals have you picked up? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 12, 2007, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-far-off-radio-signals-have-you-picked-up/418845 "2007-09-12T00:19:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2007, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-far-off-radio-signals-have-you-picked-up/418845/41 "2007-09-19T03:50:17Z")
This was a hobby of mine when I was in high school. I would listen to the AM dial at night and log which stations I could receive at a certain frequency. I know I had a station from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico on there. I also had New York City, Denver, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Chicago, and various stations in Canada, some in French (I don’t speak French, so they’re tough to identify.) What I like to do now is take a small radio with me on vacation and see if I can find Minneapolis stations. I can almost always find WCCO (830)–it’s often as clear as local stations. Sometimes, I can also hear KSTP (1500) but it’s not as interesting…they play Coast-to-Coast AM, while 'CCO plays local programming/talk even overnight. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2007, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-far-off-radio-signals-have-you-picked-up/418845/42 "2007-09-19T04:09:29Z")
[QUOTE=Captain Socks] What’s the farthest radio signal you’ve picked up? [/QUOTE] Just in case you didn’t know, the frequency of the signal is a major factor in how far you can receive. This is why shortwave travels easily around the world, but AM radio is typically only a few hundred miles in daytime. So my receiving Switzerland in Missouri is no big deal at shortwave frequencies, but getting Denver on AM is. Radio signals will bounce between the ground and layers of the atmostphere, but only some frequency ranges. Higher than 30Mhz or 10 Meters, this skip is rare. The bounce can be multiple times, although the signal quality degrades. And day or night makes a difference, too, as the atmospheric layers are at different heights above the earth. Another factor is due to station licensing, at least in the US. Some AM radio frequencies have been traditionally reserved for “clear channel” stations, and either they have no other stations on the same frequency, or if they do during the day, they go off at night. This extends the effective range of these major stations. Power is also a factor. Some countries limit the maximum power, which cuts the range. I don’t know if this is still the case, but when I was in radio, the max US power was 50,000 watts for AM, but Mexican stations like XERB just across the border could transmit at 250,000 watts and carry a lot farther. – EX OM K0YBB ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_Bowe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@Doug\_Bowe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_Bowe)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2007, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-far-off-radio-signals-have-you-picked-up/418845/43 "2007-09-19T05:25:03Z")
[QUOTE=Tamex] This was a hobby of mine when I was in high school. I would listen to the AM dial at night and log which stations I could receive at a certain frequency. I know I had a station from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico on there… [/QUOTE] That was probably the old XELO, renamed in the '70’s as XEROK. At one point they were slinging out 150,000 watts. ---
**Author:** ![Scribble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scribble/32/3317_2.png) [@Scribble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scribble)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2007, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-far-off-radio-signals-have-you-picked-up/418845/44 "2007-09-19T10:38:17Z")
I grew up (well, spent the first 15 years of my life, at any rate) in central New Jersey. I was very into trying to get broadcasts from radio stations from as far away as possible. (What can I say? I was a weird kid.) I used to mess with “enhancing” my radio’s antenna with wire and metal pipes. One day, during a really bad thunderstorm, I managed to get a radio station from Monreal. I thought that was pretty cool! ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2007, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-far-off-radio-signals-have-you-picked-up/418845/45 "2007-09-19T22:26:57Z")
[QUOTE=Doug Bowe] That was probably the old XELO, renamed in the '70’s as XEROK. At one point they were slinging out 150,000 watts. [/QUOTE] XEROK sounds familiar. I think that was it! ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2007, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-far-off-radio-signals-have-you-picked-up/418845/46 "2007-09-19T23:27:05Z")
[QUOTE=butler1850] I tuned into WRKO Boston 680AM in Augusta GA once while on a business trip. [/QUOTE] I keep hearing that San Francisco’s KNBR 680AM (the Giants’ flagship station) is some kind of ridiculous supercharged station, but I can’t even get it in Santa Cruz. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2007, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-far-off-radio-signals-have-you-picked-up/418845/47 "2007-09-19T23:48:33Z")
[QUOTE=Angua] Personally? From about z=0.1 or 920 Mpc away. 😉 Though again, I suspect that’s not quite what you’re after… Possibly too long a wavelength… 😉 [/QUOTE] That is really unfair! 😛 I suppose though anyone with a TV or a radio can hear some really old shit. ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2007, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-far-off-radio-signals-have-you-picked-up/418845/48 "2007-09-20T12:37:57Z")
[QUOTE=Struan] That is really unfair! 😛 I suppose though anyone with a TV or a radio can hear some really old shit. [/QUOTE] Yeah, its old and cool too. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![BJMoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@BJMoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BJMoose)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2007, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-far-off-radio-signals-have-you-picked-up/418845/49 "2007-09-20T14:35:42Z")
[QUOTE=samclem] We had a tv in 1947. I remember it well. In the early 50’s, right in the middle of a show, some mutha would get on his CB and broadcast. Our TV was taken over at that point. Unwatchable. " K0-GME, this is XX-AQV(Able Queen Victoria)." I can’t remember his first two letters/digits. I think it was the asshole on the next street. But, hey, I was nine years old. What could I do. Later I learned about a “California Kilowatt.” Asshole. [/QUOTE] Uh, Sam, anyone with a call sign like that was a ham operating shortwave, not Citizens Band (though during the 70s CB craze not a few folks ran their rigs through power amps and blasted the feathers off of chickens within a several mile radius). I’m in Wichita. KSL or whatever it was in Salt Lake City is the station furthest west I’ve heard. I know I’ve picked up KDKA Pittsburgh, and maybe WCBS New York. Probably heard about all of the clear channels between the mountains that weren’t subject to local adjacent channel interference (Chicago, Des Moines, Cincinnati, Memphis, Atlanta, New Orleans, St. Louis, Denver, Dallas/Ft. Worth, etc.). WLS Chicago was reliable enough most evenings that a few folks I knew listened regularly. I’ve encountered some FM/TV E-band skip, but nothing memorable. (Also listened to the local public radio station on TV channel 6 [the frequencies are adjacent], but so what?) One evening I listened to an American ham chat up folks in the Soviet Union. _Viva detente_. [QUOTE=Troy McClure SF] I keep hearing that San Francisco’s KNBR 680AM (the Giants’ flagship station) is some kind of ridiculous supercharged station, but I can’t even get it in Santa Cruz. [/QUOTE] Sounds like hype. I don’t think any American AM has been licensed for more than 50,000 watts since Imus was a baby. KANU-FM Lawrence (University of Kansas) used to operate at more than 100,000 watts effective radiated power (the FM maximum) through some sort of “experimental” license. I don’t know if they still do or not. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2007, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-far-off-radio-signals-have-you-picked-up/418845/50 "2007-09-20T14:45:54Z")
[QUOTE=Martini Enfield] I can also get Radio New Zealand without too much trouble, but that isn’t really that exciting. 😃 [/QUOTE] It’s possible to pick up New Zealand radio in Sydney late at night sometimes _on the AM band_. I wouldn’t call it an audiophile’s dream, but you can hear it. Kinda. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2007, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-far-off-radio-signals-have-you-picked-up/418845/51 "2007-09-20T15:27:57Z")
[QUOTE=BJMoose] Sounds like hype. I don’t think any American AM has been licensed for more than 50,000 watts since Imus was a baby. [/QUOTE] From Wikipedia (note there’s no cites) > [@](#): > > KNBR is one of two class A 50,000 watt clear channel stations in the Bay Area, and the only one in the area to use a non-directional transmitter (the other, KGO-AM, directs its signal mainly to the north and south in order to have a stronger signal on the more populated west coast and to protect WGY in Schenectady, NY). At night, KNBR can be heard throughout much of the western United States and in the Hawaiian Islands. Because of its extensive range, it is sometimes called by the nicknames “The 50,000 Watt Flamethrower,” “The Blowtorch” and “The Mighty 680.” I’m not challenging your cite at all; I have no idea really what 50,000 watts means in this context. Just bringing more info. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2007, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-far-off-radio-signals-have-you-picked-up/418845/52 "2007-09-20T15:36:23Z")
While driving across central Yucatan (Mexico) one overcast evening, I once picked up a low-on-the-dial FM station out of somewhere in Louisiana, loud and clear, for at least an hour. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2007, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-far-off-radio-signals-have-you-picked-up/418845/53 "2007-09-20T20:03:11Z")
On shortwave, I’ve gotten Radio Havana from Cuba and Radio Hanoi through a repeater somewhere in Eastern Canada. I’m also reasonably sure I got Kol Yisroel from Israel, but that was during the day when the signal was lousy. When I lived in suburban Los Angeles, I’d get XTRA, an AM border blaster out of (IIRC) Tijuana. When I lived in the city side of the Hollywood Hills, I got an FM rock station out of San Diego whose studio was in Kearny Mesa. Surprisingly, I got that one fairly regularly, probably because of the fact that I was on top of a mountain. Robin ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2007, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-far-off-radio-signals-have-you-picked-up/418845/54 "2007-09-20T20:14:28Z")
When I was living in Salt Lake City, I once picked up an LA radio station on my ordinary, not-very-great AM radio in my car. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-far-off-radio-signals-have-you-picked-up/418845/55 "2007-09-21T00:22:40Z")
[QUOTE=BJMoose] KANU-FM Lawrence (University of Kansas) used to operate at more than 100,000 watts effective radiated power (the FM maximum) through some sort of “experimental” license. I don’t know if they still do or not. [/QUOTE] You are confusing two different kinds of power measurement. The FCC specified plate input power for its maximum of 50K (AM radio). Obviously, “plate” was a tube designation and I don’t know how they describe it nowadays, but if you have a very efficient antenna and feed system, you can increase the effective radiated power by a large factor. You can’t compare oranges to apples, however. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-far-off-radio-signals-have-you-picked-up/418845/56 "2007-09-21T00:31:27Z")
[QUOTE=MsRobyn] On shortwave, I’ve gotten Radio Havana from Cuba and Radio Hanoi through a repeater somewhere in Eastern Canada. I’m also reasonably sure I got Kol Yisroel from Israel, but that was during the day when the signal was lousy. When I lived in suburban Los Angeles, I’d get XTRA, an AM border blaster out of (IIRC) Tijuana. When I lived in the city side of the Hollywood Hills, I got an FM rock station out of San Diego whose studio was in Kearny Mesa. Surprisingly, I got that one fairly regularly, probably because of the fact that I was on top of a mountain. Robin [/QUOTE] You do realize (see a previous post of mine) that getting Cuba or Isreal on shortwave is no big deal, but getting San Diego from LA on AM is probably a greater feat? Shortwave = distance, like around the world with ease. AM radio = a few hundred miles typical, 1000 miles sometimes. So if someone says, “I got radio Katanga (Africa) last night from St. Louis!” I’d ask what frequency they were listening on before getting excited about the distance. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-far-off-radio-signals-have-you-picked-up/418845/57 "2007-09-21T00:42:15Z")
[QUOTE=JKellyMap] While driving across central Yucatan (Mexico) one overcast evening, I once picked up a low-on-the-dial FM station out of somewhere in Louisiana, loud and clear, for at least an hour. [/QUOTE] Probably WWL in New Orleans. [Here’s a list of high-power US stations that carry far at night.](http://www.ac6v.com/clearam.htm#USA) > [@](#): > > Clear channel stations used to be “clear” but beginning in the early 1980s, additional stations were authorized to operate on clear channel frequencies at night, often with greatly reduced power and directional antennas Clear channel stations can use 50,000 watts of power and many use non-directional antennas. In the early days of radio, no other stations could operate on a clear channel station’s frequency between sunset and sunrise. Clear channel stations could be heard over much of the country at night. While the “breaking up” of clear channels may have been economically necessary for daytime-only stations, it did result in many clear channel frequencies sounding much like regional channels at night. Now a days some of the big 50KW night stations have directional antennas and this results in a null in certain directions so as not to interfere with other biggies. Some AMs are non-directional daytime and go directional at night to protect other stations via skywave, but there are variations on this theme. Some stations even increase power at night! ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-far-off-radio-signals-have-you-picked-up/418845/58 "2007-09-21T02:41:27Z")
I’m in the Youngstown, Ohio area, and at night, I can get an all French station (around 860 AM, I think.) I know It’s Canadian, but I’m not sure where it originates. I can also hear 770 AM out of New York quite well. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-far-off-radio-signals-have-you-picked-up/418845/59 "2007-09-21T03:15:13Z")
[QUOTE=Musicat] You do realize (see a previous post of mine) that getting Cuba or Isreal on shortwave is no big deal, but getting San Diego from LA on AM is probably a greater feat? Shortwave = distance, like around the world with ease. AM radio = a few hundred miles typical, 1000 miles sometimes. So if someone says, “I got radio Katanga (Africa) last night from St. Louis!” I’d ask what frequency they were listening on before getting excited about the distance. [/QUOTE] I know they’re not a big deal. I’d be surprised if I _couldn’t_ get Radio Havana. And I got San Diego from LA on FM, not AM. I’m sure the location of my house had a lot to do with it; it was on top of the mountain, so nothing was blocking the signal. I wonder if radio waves bounce off of smog? The AM station was no big deal, either. XTRA is a border-blaster station on the Mexican side of the border. It broadcasts at 77,500 watts during the day and 50,000 at night. But the question was simply “What far-off radio signals have you picked up?” And I answered. 🙂 Robin ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-far-off-radio-signals-have-you-picked-up/418845/60 "2007-09-21T03:21:29Z")
[QUOTE=MsRobyn] The AM station was no big deal, either. XTRA is a border-blaster station on the Mexican side of the border. It broadcasts at 77,500 watts during the day and 50,000 at night. [/QUOTE] [Hijack] Living in a country with no land borders, I know little of such things, but is “Border blasting” common on the US/Mexican border? How about in Europe and elsewhere? Thanks. [/Hijack] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-far-off-radio-signals-have-you-picked-up/418845.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-far-off-radio-signals-have-you-picked-up/418845.md?page=4)