Spring/Summer 2020 Tropos

[ChrisWL1980]

Last night was perhaps the first big FM opening of the season for me (I missed the previous E-skip openings). Better late than never, I suppose. South Bend/Michana area was in like a ton of bricks here in the Ann Arbor area. Nothing really new, but it was nice to see the dial pop again.

Some highlights:
92.5 WZUU Mattawan/K'zoo in with RDS; no sign of WVKS or other common tropo-season presences (WJSZ, WBGV etc.)
92.9 U93 South Bend
94.3 WZOC Plymouth-South Bend
94.5 WKLQ Holland/GR mixing with WCEN
94.7 WCVM Bronson in WCSX null
95.1 Majic 95 Fort Wayne
95.9 WLKM Three Rivers
96.1 WMAX Holland/GR mixing with WHNN
96.5 Jack FM K'zoo with RDS
97.3 WMEE Ft. Wayne flashing in HD
99.3 WBET Sturgis very strong
99.9 Live 99.9 Benton Harbor/Ft. Wayne
100.7 B100 Elkhart-South Bend flashing in HD, blowing WITL off the dial
101.5 Sunny 101.5 South Bend with RDS, in WRVF null
101.7 WLDE Ft. Wayne clashing with WHZZ
102.3 Alt 102-3 Auburn/Ft. Wayne clashing with WPOS; no sign of usual CINA Windsor
102.5 WBZV Hudson completely taking out WIOG
102.7 Froggy (WLEG) Ligonier/Elkhart with RDS, clashing with WDKL

[k8jd]

Some nice catches from AA area.
I have kind of given up on FM since there are so many repeaters of full power local stations and Smile FM and othr low power outlets clogging every channel in the Detroit Metro !

[WOHO]

I wish you could send us a "bat signal" in the clouds, or a text on the phone, or a call over the ham rig, to alert us to the Tropos. Did it extend up into the 2 meter band, or just the FM band?

[ftballfan]

I had a lot of central UP stations in yesterday, including the following:
88.3 WKPK
88.9 WCRR
89.3 WSHN
90.1 WNMU
90.9 WUPJ
92.7 WRPP
93.1 WIMK
94.1 WUPK
95.7 WHWL
97.1 WGLQ
97.5 W248BU
97.7 WOLV
98.3 WRUP
98.7 WGLI
98.9 W255CB
99.1 WIKB
99.5 WNGE
99.9 W260AG
100.3 WUPT
100.7 WOBE
101.9 WKQS
102.5 WCMM
103.3 WFXD
104.3 WVCN
104.7 WYKX
105.5 WGKL
106.1 W291CJ
106.3 WGMV
107.3 WUPF

[Deleted User 15342]

I wish there were no translators in the Detroit Area it would be cool getting DX from other distant markets. Every available frequency in southeast Michigan is filled up by Jesus Radio, I guess there’s truth God is everywhere

[k8jd]

I got my first FM radio in 1961, was a three tube Granco tuner that i listened to with a pair of Brush xtal earphones i salvaged fromm the school language lab trash can, and repaired. Then there were about a half dozen Detroit statons and WUOM in AA. Lots of vacant space across the dial for DX to come thru on . I often heard Cleveland, Dayton, London, Ft wayne and now and then Chicago's WMBI. Seems like Cleveland and Chicago had the same channel allocations from 92 to 108, with few exceptions.
Back in the 60's FM DXing was pretty easy.
In Detroit, WMUZ was the religeous station, WLDM and WMZK played "elevator music'" the rest were simulcasting the AM MotherShips.

[CK-722]

We got our first FM Radio in late 1962. For the first two years, I used just a 10 foot wire in the basement that doubled as a curtain rod. It worked better than the built in FM antenna in the Magnavox Stereo Theater. Here are the stations I remember hearing from Central Genesee County.

WKAR-FM 90.5
WUOM 91.7
WFBE 95.1
WBCM-FM 96.1
WWJ-FM 97.1
WJIM-FM 97.5
WSWM 99.1
WXYZ-FM 101.1
WNEM-FM 102.5
WOMC 104.3
WGMZ 107.9

The Lansing East Lansing Area stations came in better because they had a better terrain path than the Detroit Ann Arbor stations. WFBE was only on during School Days, and was completely off the air in the Summer.

[Deleted User 15342]

I got my first FM radio in 1961, was a three tube Granco tuner that i listened to with a pair of Brush xtal earphones i salvaged fromm the school language lab trash can, and repaired. Then there were about a half dozen Detroit statons and WUOM in AA. Lots of vacant space across the dial for DX to come thru on . I often heard Cleveland, Dayton, London, Ft wayne and now and then Chicago's WMBI. Seems like Cleveland and Chicago had the same channel allocations from 92 to 108, with few exceptions.
Back in the 60's FM DXing was pretty easy.
In Detroit, WMUZ was the religeous station, WLDM and WMZK played "elevator music'" the rest were simulcasting the AM MotherShips.

Didn’t WBFG 98.7 began broadcasting in 1961 and WDTM 106.7 in 1961 as well? I know a lot of stations started broadcasting in 1961 in the Detroit Area.

[CK-722]

There was a fire across the street from the Historic Studios of WGMZ, circa 1963, shared with co owned WAMM, at 740 S. Saginaw St., and originally the WTAC Big 600 Studios. The building across the street was in danger of collapsing, and WGMZ went off the air. WFBE offered to let them use their studios. WAMM was able to broadcast from the Historic trailer on Averill Ave., where Casey Kasem broadcast his first Top 40 DJ gig. A year or so later, the WAMM tower with the WGMZ antenna collapsed. WAMM was able to stay on with a nondirectional STA from the other DA tower. By that time, we had a tower with an FM turnstile antenna at close to 30 feet. While WGMZ was off the air, I heard my first real DX. It was 70000 watt WNOB 107.9 Cleveland.

[k8jd]

I got my first FM radio in 1961, was a three tube Granco tuner that i listened to with a pair of Brush xtal earphones i salvaged fromm the school language lab trash can, and repaired. Then there were about a half dozen Detroit statons and WUOM in AA. Lots of vacant space across the dial for DX to come thru on . I often heard Cleveland, Dayton, London, Ft wayne and now and then Chicago's WMBI. Seems like Cleveland and Chicago had the same channel allocations from 92 to 108, with few exceptions.
Back in the 60's FM DXing was pretty easy.
In Detroit, WMUZ was the religeous station, WLDM and WMZK played "elevator music'" the rest were simulcasting the AM MotherShips.

Didn’t WBFG 98.7 began broadcasting in 1961 and WDTM 106.7 in 1961 as well? I know a lot of stations started broadcasting in 1961 in the Detroit Area.

I am pretty sure that WBFG came on a few years later, they were a rival to WMUZ in religeous programming (We Broadcast For God) but did not last too long. I think the building and tower are still on Lyndon St, near Livernois. Transmitting "the Breeze" programming now.

[k8jd]

There was a fire across the street from the Historic Studios of WGMZ, circa 1963, shared with co owned WAMM, at 740 S. Saginaw St., and originally the WTAC Big 600 Studios. The building across the street was in danger of collapsing, and WGMZ went off the air. WFBE offered to let them use their studios. WAMM was able to broadcast from the Historic trailer on Averill Ave., where Casey Kasem broadcast his first Top 40 DJ gig. A year or so later, the WAMM tower with the WGMZ antenna collapsed. WAMM was able to stay on with a nondirectional STA from the other DA tower. By that time, we had a tower with an FM turnstile antenna at close to 30 feet. While WGMZ was off the air, I heard my first real DX. It was 70000 watt WNOB 107.9 Cleveland.

I heard some DX when WHFI 94.7 was reworking the tower in Birmingham (Troy actually). Heard a grand Rapids station every day they were off the air.
Also recall heaing WNOB in Cleveland now and then when the tropo was right.
When I was a Kid, I actually sent reception reports to stations in Dayton, Grand rapids, Wooster OH, and Cleveland, ETC... and got nice cards and letters back from many. {remember I just had a three tube tuner}




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