WWJ signal problems? (+ WJR audio distortion)

[Deleted User 3751]

WWJ is on reduced power.

[CK-722]

What power are they running?

There are also Daytime Skywave and fading issues, unusually early this year.

[CK-722]

They need to go back to 8 Mile Rd. with 5 kW Nondirectional with a transmitter and antenna system that's not so finicky. As much fun as it's been with the DXing. As Coleman Young said, "hit 8 mile". There was twice the signal out my way. Probably even more times the signal out MW's way.

[bmw]

Today in Oscoda I was flipping through the radio station on the AM dial and heard the Michigan game on both WWJ 950 and WSGW 790. Signal strengths were virtually identical so I was able to make a comparison of audio quality.

HOLY MOLEY DOES WWJ'S AUDIO SOUND LIKE CRAP!. WSGW had a nice, clean sound. Modulation was perfect. No unnecessary compression. Sounded great. WWJ, on the other hand, was extremely compressed (and not mp3-type compression, I'm talking about volume equalization) and borderline overmodulated. I wish I had recordings from both because it was literally a night-and-day difference. And WWJ has that same over-compressed sound all day long. I don't know how people can listen to it....VERY fatiguing on the ears.

[Colonel Flagg]

There's no STA currently on file for WWJ to operate at reduced power. For a site that's only 20 or so years old, there sure do seem to be a lot of recurring issues there.

[Deleted User 3751]

As of yesterday they were at full power. When I posted earlier in this thread, they were on reduced power. With a six tower directional array, there is always the chance of problems compared to a non d station. If a station has an intermittent problem for short period of time I don't believe they have to file an STA. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[innate-in-you]

In the Midland and Bay City area this afternoon, 760 WJR was stronger in my car than both 910 WFDF and 950 WWJ (the latter two were roughly equal in signal strength to each other...910 seemed a tiny bit stronger in the Auburn area).

Also, WFDF and WWJ were only modestly stronger than Ann Arbor's 1050 WTKA.

WWJ and WFDF both have TLs about ten miles further south than WJR's.

[CK-722]

My experience is that WFDF and WWJ are nearly exactly the same strength North of Bay City, when both are operating with full power. WJR is a little stronger by the time you get to West Branch. It's hard to believe WTKA is that strong up there. There have been some unusual skywave conditions in the early afternoon hours, but I have yet to see it affect 1050 or below until December. I was getting WWCK 1570 at about 3:00 PM near Topinabee, clear and alone last week. Conditions gradually moved down the band, and I was able to hear WLCO 1530, WFNT 1470 and WFLT 1420 a little later, with more interference. Later, I heard WGVU 1480 and WION 1430, but WFUR 1570 only came in for a few seconds, probably due to the vertical null of their 230 degree tower. Later still, I heard "I Want To Hold Your Hand" in the background, presumably on WIBD 1470 West Bend, WI, and WHBY 1150 Kimberly, WI. WGBW 1590 is heard more regularly. CHHA 1610 and CHTO 1690 Toronto are not that unusual, but were also heard.

[CK-722]

Maybe someone could paste an audio file of this interference.

Interference does wipe out the digital signal, and lessens the effective service area.

[innate-in-you]

1500 Was also compromised on the East Side.

I briefly changed my listening preferences from T40 to Country in the mid-70s.

WDEE was weak enough, and received enough interference, At night, that WSM almost always had a better signal.

This was in their city of license (East Side of Detroit - Cadieux and I-94).

FWIW, as WLQV circa 1990, their DAY pattern had a really deep null, right around where Lakeshore Drive actually meets Lake St. Clair in GP, the signal became very weak and its carrier would be suppressed by the DA.

Note that the same location is also most-clockwise azimuth the station serves on the US side (today as WLQV).