AM Listening choice

[Hybrid tellies]

Many of us have got AM only radios, old and not so old, and I was wondering what selection of stations are still available for everyone on the AM long and medium wave bands. I think we are still doing well here in the UK unlike some European countries where they have totally abandoned the AM bands in favour of FM and/or various digital platforms.
When I say what stations are still available I mean those that are clearly audible both by day and night and strong enough to overcome the ever increasing levels of electrical noise and interference. I am talking about those signals that can be heard at good entertainment levels on portable sets or older valve sets with just a few feet of wire dangling out of the aerial socket.
I don't think things are as good as they were pre early 1990's when you could receive all the BBC national stations and local stations both BBC and commercial but there is still a fair variety to be had both from the BBC and commercial sector with speech based stations and music stations with some stations playing a mix of both. At least this means we are not yet totally dependant on our micro transmitters.
I will kick off first. Here near Bristol we are very fortunate with 7 stations clearly audible day and night; BBC R4 on 198Khz, BBC R5L on 909Khz, BBC R Wales on 882Khz, BBC R Bristol on 1548Khz, Absolute on 1215Khz, Talk Sport on 1089Khz and Gold on 1260Khz.

[AlanBeckett]

Simon,
I think that depends on the radio, aerial and time of day.
In the evening, with my B40 and a decent aerial, I can pick up dozens, although many are duplicates.
Alan

[paulsherwin]

I don't think a communications receiver is a fair test of reception conditions for typical domestic radios.

Here in Oxford we're relatively badly off with only BBC R4 and BBC R5 coming in well. Talksport and Absolute are subject to fading and crosstalk from multiple transmitters even during the day though reception is possible. RTE R1 252kHz is reasonable during the day but poor at night. There is marginal reception of some out-of-area stations during the day (BBC Wales, BBC 3 Counties Radio from Luton, a few commercial 'gold' stations.) Reception of Spectrum Radio from London is just possible during the day for determined listeners with sensitive radios.

We also have relatively limited choice on FM and DAB.

[Hybrid tellies]

Perhaps I have not made myself totally clear. I am not talking about fringe or distant signals but those local level signals from the nearby local stations or higher powered network stations, the signals that are meant to be their and can be received clearly even on deaf or insensitive domestic sets. This is just a sort of health check of the AM bands and see what the state of play is in other areas of the country. I started with 7 stations at my home but where I go on holiday it drops to 2 stations.
Another reason for this opic is that I can remember as far back as the late 1960's when the AM bands were the mainstay of sound broadcasting and am quite amazed that AM is still used today although not as mainstream as it use to be.
Thanks Paul I do mean local reception on domestic sets. I did n't see your comment when I started this reply to Alan.

[crusher19860138]

Absolute has a 'fill-in' transmitter at Beckely on 1197 for Oxford, so you should be able to pick that up ok, unless you are listening to 1215, in which case you are in the 'mush' overlap areas of Droitwich and Brookmans park.

[crusher19860138]

Here in Stourbridge, West Midlands, we have: Five Live on 693khz, Asian Network on 828khz, Gold on 990khz, Talksport on 1053khz, Gold (again) on 1152khz, Absolute on 1215khz, Radio XL on 1296khz, Asian Network (again) on 1458khz.

[BGmidsUK]

My experience with 252KHz is the opposite of Paul's, it's quite poor during the day but good at night.

There are quite a few British (and European) stations with good signal strength on my Roberts R809 portable on Medium and Long Wave.


Brian

[crusher19860138]

RTE Radio 1 on 252LW has a power output of 300kw 0700 to 1900, then 100kw 1900 to 0700. Daytime reception for me is good, but come darkness it starts to fade in and out.

[AlanBeckett]

Yes, but .....
The comment on using my B40 was a bit 'tongue in cheek'. However, I was also thinking of the domestic radios that were meant to be used for more than the local stations, like my 39J/H and PE80 with their rf stage and bandspread. I'm sure that there are others - Murphy, Grundig - which are as good. With a decent aerial I'm pretty sure that they're considerably more sensitive than your Roberts, and hence more stations can be regarded as 'available'.
Alan

[paulsherwin]

Originally Posted by crusher19860138

Absolute has a 'fill-in' transmitter at Beckely on 1197 for Oxford,so you should be able to pick that up ok,unless you are listening to 1215,in which case,you are in the 'mush' overlap areas of Droitwich,Brookmans park.

The 1197 signal is hopeless in most parts of Oxford, and it's normally better to put up with the mush on 1215, at least during the day. The Beckley transmitter is just too far away for the low power used to give good reception, though it's obviously audible.

['LIVEWIRE?']

Here in Chipping Norton, Oxon, I can normally receive very strong signlas from 5LIVE(693 &
909kHz) Talksport(1053kHz), Absolute(1215kHz)R. Gloucestershire(1413kHz*), Radio4(198kHz), plus RTE1(252), RTL(234),Europe#1(183), & France 1(162kHz), and quite strong signals from BBC 3Counties(630kHz), and R. Wales(882kHz).
(*This 500watt transmitter is the nearest AM 'local' station, less than 10 miles from here)

[Station X]

A number of posters have listed RTE on 252 KHz LW. Do other foreign stations count or it it just British Isles stations we're considering. I note the constraint that a domestic radio, not a Comms receiver, must be used, but is a decent outdoor aerial allowed?

[paulsherwin]

I think Simon was thinking of strong stable signals which can be received on typical domestic radios like 4 valve superhets or portable transistor radios without RF stages. I restricted my list to English language stations - there are obviously several strong French language stations on LW, and many continental stations can be received on MW after dark, particularly on the east coast and in the south east.

[Sammyboy]

BigL on 1395Khz is just about listenable here in Staffordshire on my various Hackers or Sony ICF-7600D though it does fade quite a lot and very poor in the day.

Also listen to Absolute, 5live, can also just about pick up Radio Wales, Radio Scotland and local BBC stations like Derby.

[Sideband]

You would think the London area would be quite godd...wrong! I can get Gold on 1548 reasonably well, in fact at the weekend it was exceptionally good. Most times there is a mush and other noises and at night it suffers from multipath and a strange echo effect that I think is caused by Gold transmitters on the same frequency for other areas. There is a poor 'Absolute' signal on 1215 which is very bad at night. 5Live and talk Sport are reasonable signals but of little interest to me and then there is the Asian Network which oddly is very strong but of no interest.

Lots of foreign stations after dark


SB

[ianj]

Lucky here in Cheltenham with 6 or 7 on top of "Gold" on AM in fine quality--lots of choice, including BBC local radio ( only worth l;istening to in the evenings--some great old music shows), plus the less strong distant ones-for some reason, 828 Scotland comes roaring in here!(??)

[Boom]

Here in Wiltshire Absolute Radio fades in and out during the daytime instead of as I would expect it to do during the evening. Gold is fine.

[BGmidsUK]

Originally Posted by AlanBeckett

With a decent aerial I'm pretty sure that they're considerably more sensitive than your Roberts, and hence more stations can be regarded as 'available'.
Alan

I have yet to try an external aerial with my R809 but it does have a socket for one, I would assume it should be quite sensitive as it is intended for DX reception would be interesting to do a comparison! It does pick up well even on the ground floor with good reception on all wavebands using its own aerial.


Brian

[HMV 1120]

In Cambridgeshire using the single valve 'crystal' set I can get all Brookmans Park services during the day and the 500w BBC R. Cambridgeshire site nine miles away. Occasionally reception of the BBC World Service from Orfordness is possible. At night anywhere between 10-15 stations along with anything in the 49mb (not a very selective set!). All on an earth and four meters of hook up wire. So even in this day and age there is plenty out there for a crystal set to work.

In Cornwall now:

R. Cornwall 630khz, R.5 693khz, R.4 LW (via Redruth infill) 755 khz, R.Devon 801 khz (weak), R.5 909khz, T. Sport 1088khz, Absolute/Virgin 1215khz (also via Redruth iirc, no fading(!)). Also BBC Radio Scotland on 810khz most nights, although the fading can be severe at times. No sign of R.wales from Washford at the moment.

All on a modern £7.99 "world band" receiver branded 'Design GO'. Lots of continental stations, particularly spanish, coming through now dark has fallen.

Robs, Falmouth.

[murphyv310]

Hi.
I am lucky here with a varied choice of stations on AM.
My collection of radios are fed from either a Sony AN1 or Wellbrook loop, I also have a long wire but I don't use it very often.
I can receive the following stations from the British Isles with ease.
1368 Manx Radio
1341 BBC Ultster
1215 Absolute
1152 Clyde 2
1089 Talk sport
1035 West Sound
1000 My pantry transmitter !!
981 Donegal (pirate?)
909 Radio 5 Live
882 BBC Wales
810 Radio Scotland
720 Radio 4 Relay
585 Radio Scotland Relay

252 RTE 1
198 Radio 4

A good selection that is easy to receive, with the B40 though many more UK locals can be heard.