KYW Newsradio 1060, how clear is it for you?

[ilvny]

I got the idea to post this from this thread https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=10828.0

I'm not sure if this should be in Off Topic or Northeast.

For those of you living in southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, or Delaware, how well do you receive KYW Newsradio 1060 (AM)?  In my house, there's static but I can hear it.  On the road, it depends on where I am.  In some parts of lower Bucks County it has static and in other areas it's clearer.  It's never 100 percent static-free. 

If I drive through an underpass, I can't hear anything but static.  Ironically, when my family and I went to Daytona Beach years ago, we were able to receive KYW clearer there than in Northeast Philadelphia.  It wasn't perfectly clear but we could hear it.  I believe it helped that we were staying near the ocean.

When I'm driving, KYW comes in clearer on my 2007 Kia Sportage than my 1997 Ford Explorer, both of which have the original manufacturer's radios.  I heard nothing but static on my 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee (the AM was horrible, and this is with a new aftermarket radio and the original radio).

[cpzilliacus]

I got the idea to post this from this thread https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=10828.0

I'm not sure if this should be in Off Topic or Northeast.

For those of you living in southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, or Delaware, how well do you receive KYW Newsradio 1060 (AM)?  In my house, there's static but I can hear it.  On the road, it depends on where I am.  In some parts of lower Bucks County it has static and in other areas it's clearer.  It's never 100 percent static-free. 

If I drive through an underpass, I can't hear anything but static.  Ironically, when my family and I went to Daytona Beach years ago, we were able to receive KYW clearer there than in Northeast Philadelphia.  It wasn't perfectly clear but we could hear it.  I believe it helped that we were staying near the ocean.

When I'm driving, KYW comes in clearer on my 2007 Kia Sportage than my 1997 Ford Explorer, both of which have the original manufacturer's radios.  I heard nothing but static on my 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee (the AM was horrible, and this is with a new aftermarket radio and the original radio).

I have not tried KYW at night, but WCBS (880 kHz) from New York City comes in fine most of the time after sunset in Maryland and Virginia. 

Baltimore's WBAL (1090 kHz) is clear channel, but its signal is strongly direction to the north after dark, and does not come in at all more than a few miles south of Baltimore City. 

Chicago's WBBM (780 kHz) comes in pretty decently at night in Maryland. 

Of course, so many stations stream online now (including Washington's WTOP, formerly 1500 kHZ, now on three FM frequencies instead), so it's less of an issue.

[briantroutman]

That you would have the weakest reception to the north and east would make sense if you look at the station's field strength plot: (http://transition.fcc.gov/ftp/Bureaus/MB/Databases/AM_DA_patterns/1455707-116583.pdf).

You can see that the signal strength is as much as eight times greater to the southeast and northwest as it is to the northeast (and to a lesser extent, the southwest). Presumably, this was intentional to avoid any potential conflict with another station on 1060 AM in Boston.

For most clear-channel stations like KYW that broadcast at 50kW day and night, you'll get better reception at night, particularly at a distance. At night, I can pick up a very clear KYW signal through most of PA–almost all along I-80 in the state. Daytime, KYW is almost unlistenable until you get as close as about Reading or Allentown (to the north and west). For my time spent in Delaware, Chester, and Montgomery counties, it was pretty clear day and night.

Modern car radios have notoriously cheap AM receivers and poor shielding from interference, so you could likely have gotten a much better signal in the same place with a better radio.

[jemacedo9]

I'm in Rochester NY (moved here 7 years ago after born & raised in the Philly suburbs)...and I can get KYW pretty clearly at night.  BTW...traffic reports in Philly vs traffic reports in Rochester?  Night and day...

[vtk]

Columbus at 4am: KYW fades in and out, ranging from marginally understandable to almost static-free. I also hear some other station playing Black Velvet. 

[SteveG1988]

I picked it up once on the ohio/indiana border in my ford focus with the factory radio, it was around sunset in september

[PHLBOS]

When I'm driving, KYW comes in clearer on my 2007 Kia Sportage than my 1997 Ford Explorer, both of which have the original manufacturer's radios.  I heard nothing but static on my 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee (the AM was horrible, and this is with a new aftermarket radio and the original radio).

That issue sounds more like the age of the car radios (& even the antennas for the after-market hook-ups) rather than the station itself.

You can see that the signal strength is as much as eight times greater to the southeast and northwest as it is to the northeast (and to a lesser extent, the southwest). Presumably, this was intentional to avoid any potential conflict with another station on 1060 AM in Boston.

IIRC, that AM 1060 station in Boston is a relatively-recent station (within the last 20 years).  During some of my earlier vacation visits to Massachusetts in the early and even mid 1990s; I actually picked up KYW's signal during the late-night hours while in Marblehead, MA. 

Conversely, one co-worker of mine in South Jersey (Glassboro) was able to pick up the Boston affiliate of KYW, WBZ AM 1030, from his own home.  I forgot to ask if it was from his home or car radio.

[jeffandnicole]

I can easily pick up 1060 from where I live (SE of Philly).  About a mile south of I-195 is where the static tends to begin.

On road trips, especially on my return trip, I'll tune to 1060 when I'm several states away (MD, VA, etc) to hear the news or traffic and be prepared for when I return to the area.

I have XM/Sirius radio as well, which I could use to get those traffic reports.  But since they combined it to 3 cities now (Philly, Pittsburgh, Boston), the info is generally limited, and the reporter isn't from the area so you don't get that benefit as well.

[PHLBOS]

I can easily pick up 1060 from where I live (SE of Philly).  About a mile south of I-195 is where the static tends to begin.

I should have clarified for those that don't know me that I live in Delaware County and get KYW 1060 without any problems through the various car radios I've had over the years as well as my home radios.

During many of my return-trips from MA, I concur that I was able to get KYW at/around I-195 without any serious static.

On road trips, especially on my return trip, I'll tune to 1060 when I'm several states away (MD, VA, etc) to hear the news or traffic and be prepared for when I return to the area.

Since my trips are typically north of the Delaware Valley (KYW's core listening area); I usually don't tune it in until I get near I-195 in NJ.  Prior to that point, I'm typically checking NJ 101.5 (WKXW FM) for traffic reports/conditions for roads in NJ approaching the Delaware Valley.

I have XM/Sirius radio as well, which I could use to get those traffic reports.  But since they combined it to 3 cities now (Philly, Pittsburgh, Boston), the info is generally limited, and the reporter isn't from the area so you don't get that benefit as well.

Since late 2007, one of my cars has Sirius/XM radio and I check out Channel 132 quite often since I got it when travelling.  Back when it was still just a Philly-Boston traffic & weather station; the reporters on there weren't from either region as well.

[jeffandnicole]

Since late 2007, one of my cars has Sirius/XM radio and I check out Channel 132 quite often since I got it when travelling.  Back when it was still just a Philly-Boston traffic & weather station; the reporters on there weren't from either region as well.

I remember when XM Radio had Philly on its own channel - traffic reports were pretty detailed.

[PHLBOS]

I remember when XM Radio had Philly on its own channel - traffic reports were pretty detailed.

Outside of using such on a couple of AirTran flights (I was searching for music stations not trraffic nor weather); I never really used XM pre-merger.  When I bought my 2007 Mustang, the only satelite radio subscription Ford offered was through Sirius and Channel 132 already featured Philly & Boston info. at the time.

[Alex]

I picked up KYW in Greenville, SC in February 1999 at sunrise while stopped on I-85 during a traffic back-up due to light snow. We didn't move for three hours and playing with the radio dial was one of the few things there was to do at the time.

[StogieGuy7]

I can pick up KYW from the Chicago area and pretty much anywhere else in the midwest almost every night (unless there are really poor atmospheric conditions upsetting the ionosphere).  Sometimes, it's even quite strong.  Of course, by daylight it's gone.

From my experience, KYW's daytime range gets west to about central PA (Altoona), northeast only as far as New Brunswick, NJ (because it's directionally nulled away from the NE to protect WEPN in NY) and southwest into Maryland.  Oh yes, and straight south all the way to the north shore of Norfolk and Virginia Beach, VA! 

Why so uneven?  Ground conductivity, which is great along the coast but horrible in places like the Baltimore and Washington areas.   

[KEVIN_224]

That you would have the weakest reception to the north and east would make sense if you look at the station's field strength plot: (http://transition.fcc.gov/ftp/Bureaus/MB/Databases/AM_DA_patterns/1455707-116583.pdf).

You can see that the signal strength is as much as eight times greater to the southeast and northwest as it is to the northeast (and to a lesser extent, the southwest). Presumably, this was intentional to avoid any potential conflict with another station on 1060 AM in Boston.

The northeast null is due to adjacent 1050 AM from New York City. I almost never get KYW-AM here in central Connecticut at night due to WTIC-AM 1080 of Hartford. Only a good AM tuner gets them in here at night.