So, there you have it — a compilation of all (I hope) of the really heavy-hitter AM players in this hemisphere. After the dust settled, I thought it might be interesting to poke around a bit in the data available to see if they have a close (or even not-so-close) contender for second place for this title. During the 1950s and ’60s when I was doing my growing up in southwest Arkansas, I suspect it may have operated with more power than this. KPFK is the most powerful of the Pacifica stations and indeed is the most powerful public radio station in the Western United States. KPIH 98.9 Rim Catholic Radio, Payson. The maximum radio power for AM in America is 50,000 watts and several operate with that power. I’m referring to the VOA’s “Radio Martí” in Marathon, Fla. which operates on 1080 kHz. "We needed to limit the transmitted signal occupied bandwidth on the dial," he says. Hybrid radio system is intended to be a global platform, Legislation could play a major role in developing a pipeline of future workers from minority-serving institutions, Top court reverses Third Circuit judgment, Indonesia network includes popular Prambors, Organization celebrates and defends the First Amendment, She now is officially VP and market manager, Commission doesn't want a repeat of 2003 translator window experience, Here are ideas to capitalize on the pending arrival of cicadas. However, it’s not listed in the FCC’s AM database. The station is also known as Radio Mitre. For AM, WLW, WTAM, and WKNR although WTAM doesn't seem to have quite the punch it used to. The article itself was titled: “KDKA: Radio’s New 500 Horsepower Voice.” (Why the writer took the “horsepower” approach to power isn’t really known. My second source of information was the 2018 edition of The World Radio TV Handbook or “WRTH,” again, a source not lending itself to quick searches of “ultra flamethrowers.” In comparing the data retrieved, I did spot variances (in several cases extreme) between the FCC and the WRTH. In October, he will be elevated by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers to its membership grade of Fellow. Before proceeding further, a description off my research is in order. Perhaps it was a “proof of concept” that turned out to be not that successful, or possibly the economic realities of the Great Depression killed the project before it got past the experimental stage. The radio show typically features contemporary music that is geared towards adults. For example, an FM radio station which advertises that it has 100,000 watts of power actually has 100,000 watts ERP, and not a 100,000-watt transmitter. © 2021 Future Publishing Limited, Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. For the record, here’s what the FCC shows: Paraguay sports two stations in the greater-than-50 kW class: Argentina also makes the FCC’s list with at least two “biggies”: Inside the transmitter building at Argentina’s 200 kW LS-4 (“Radio Continental”) operation. Most popular radio stations in Boston 2020 Commercial radio stations ranked by time spent per listener in the UK as of Q1 2020 Country radio audience share in the U.S. 2017 ARIZONA. Transmitting at a power of half million watts, it was the most powerful, legally-operating, radio station in the world. stations.). At night, it covered half the globe. This station gave a 2,500,000 Watt world-wide voice to the Voice of Russia on mediumwave (1116 kHz … ILLINOIS. This is the highest power authorized to any AM station in the United States. I remember while living in Mexico, listening to XEWA 540AM, they used to operate at … According to the article, two were used in the KDKA “big rig.”. It weighted in at 60 pounds, was 72-inches tall and had an eight-inch diameter. Permalink. As one of the first stations to regularly broadcast at this level of power—the same maximum allowed for AM stations today—WLW began calling itself “The Nation’s Station.” The world's most powerful radio transmitter has been put into operation by the U.S. Navy at Jim Creek Valley, Washington, in the heart of the Cascade mountains. TIL the most powerful commercial radio station ever was WLW (700KHz AM), which during certain times in the 1930s broadcasted 500kW radiated power. This tube was known as the AW-220, and was not “vaporware,” as it remained in the tube industry’s registry for some time. Actually, the Radio News article seemed to place more emphasis on the specially designed 200 kW tube engineered by Westinghouse to power the new transmitter: One of the most important innovations is the new tube with a capacity of 200 kilowatts. The VOA station (it sports no call sign) appears to be the only operation in its class in the U.S. and Canada, but it if you cross the border into Mexico, you’ll find “muchas estaciones de radio” that emit lots more than a puny 50,000 “vatios.”. 92.5 FM Catholic Spirit Radio, Bloomington – Normal. Footnote 1: The wavelengths of AM radio signals vary from a maximum of 555 meters (1821 feet) at 540 kilohertz (kHz), the lowest AM carrier frequency used in the United States for broadcast stations, to a minimum of 176 meters (579 feet) at 1700 kHz, the highest carrier frequency at the upper end of the AM expanded band. Love songs are by far the most commonly heard songs on the station. Most Powerful AM Radio Stations (too old to reply) David Eduardo 2003-07-24 18:47:54 UTC. In the May 9 issue of Radio World, I reported on a recent power upgrade at TWR’s Bonaire AM facility that brought that station close to the half-megawatt level (440 kW), allowing the station to make the claim that it is the most powerful medium-wave (MW) operation in the Western Hemisphere. He says their big AM rig (at least between 1991 and 2010) was a 50 kW Continental. All rights reserved. Just as established by Brinkley, XERF is still located right across the Rio Grande from Del Rio, Texas in Ciudad Acuña. Looking at other high powers in Mexico, the FCC shows another with parity to XERF’s 250 kW — Mexico City’s XEW operating on 900 kHz. Today, "Class D" AM stations are limited to a maximum of 50,000 watts daytime, but only a maximum of 250 watts at night. Up went a beautiful, Blaw-Knox diamond, the strongest and dizziest-looking AM radio tower ever designed, reserved for only the elite of broadcasters. It’s the music of AMERICA! For more stories like this, and to keep up to date with all our market leading news, features and analysis, sign up to our newsletter here. I recall on many occasions as I tried to listen to the latest top 40 hits from New Orleans’ 1060 kHz WNOE (now WLNO) operating with a nighttime power of 5 kW, XEG’s powerful sidebands totally obliterating WNOE. I’ve been saving Brazil for last for special reason. Located across the Rio Grande from McAllen, Texas, the station broadcast with a power of 10 kilowatts that was the most powerful transmitter in Mexico at that time. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. XEW 900 is … Afterwards, Wolfman Jack went south of the border to XERF-AM in 1964, a super-powerful radio station in Mexico that was reaching millions of listeners across North America and filling its air time with U.S.-based preachers selling all sorts of religion. Here’s the rundown for that country: Colombia is supposedly home to some superpowers, but the FCC and WRTH again are at odds: Ecuador is a real “puzzler,” with the FCC showing nine >50 kW operations, but the WRTH showing no stations in that country with more than 50 kW and omits a couple of the FCC-listed stations altogether. According to his information, there are more than a dozen >50 kW stations in that country, with five running at 200 kW: LR5 (910 kHz), LR6 (790 kHz), LRL202 (710 kHz), LS4 (590 kHz) and LV3 (700 kHz). On most nights, during the 1930s, the airwaves over North America were dominated by a single radio station called WLW. Let’s take a look at a few SSB radios for long-range communication. The following is a list of radio stations in the United States that are authorized to run 50 kW (50,000 watts) of power. The most powerful 50,000 watt AM radio stations can be heard within a hundred miles or further in the daytime. For most AM radio stations, which are only licensed to use 5,000 watts of power or less, these radio stations are heard only within a 30 to 50 mile radius. There are many, many medium wavers down there running at all sorts of power levels. AM FM Radio, Battery Operated Radio, Portable Pocket Radio with Best Reception 9.7 9.2 9.8 2: Portable AM FM Radio with Great Reception, Battery Operated Radio AC Grey 9.6 9.1 So who’s got the >50 kW action now (aside from TWR’s Bonaire facility)? Delilah. A friend's station in Bucaramanga, Colombia, was driven off the air by TWR's misguided religious zeal that caused it to stomp on the coverage and signals of over a dozen radio stations on 790, 800 and 810 in the NE South American zone. According to the FCC, there are two >50 kW ops there: (The WRTH reports only a solitary AM—an 860 kHz station running 10 kW.). I’m referring the Pittsburgh’s KDKA, which made the cover story of the April 1931 Radio News magazine. Chuck Blore used the name on the AM, 1150: KIIS=K115. However you will probably need serious wire and a communications receiver to hear the station. You’ll hear the biggest hits from well-known artists such as George Strait, Merle Haggard, Alan Jackson, Conway Twitty, Garth Brooks, Buck Owens, Clint Black, Loretta Lynn, the Judds and many more. The FCC felt one station that could reach every radio in the country was advisable. I was able to get some first-hand information about Argentina’s superstations from a friend living there, Valentin Trainotti. Surprisingly, there is one U.S. AM station that has the necessary paperwork and equipment to operate at 100 kW full-time. WFMU is a listener-supported, independent community radio station headquartered inJersey City, New Jersey, United States, broadcasting at 91.1 (at 90.1 as WMFU, and at 91.9 as W219DQ) MHz FM, presenting a freeform radio format. While WLW’s superpower operation turned out to be more of a reality than KDKA’s, a stroke of the pen in 1939 relegated the Mason, Ohio big rig to collecting dust and taking up floor space. Update my browser now, More broadcasters than you might realize are helping keep the ionosphere warm (and the power companies happy), By James E. O'Neal Digging further into high-power stations south of the border, things get a bit interesting and potentially dicey. Powel Crosley Jr.’s WLW 500,000 kW 1930s “experimental” operation is one very well-known example, as it received a lot of publicity during the five years or so during it operated before being powered down. In the USA, AM daytime-only stations are "Class D". The new station has been operating experimentally between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. For normal operations, however, the power will be held at 50,000 watts as required by the Federal Radio Commission. Under FCC regulations, FM broadcast stations in "Zone I" (most of the northeastern U.S., as far west as Barneveld, Wisconsin, and south roughly to the Ohio River and southern borders of Virginia and West Virginia) and "Zone IA" (California south of Red Bluff) are limited to a maximum power of 50,000 watts at a maximum antenna height of 150 meters. XEROK – Ciudad Juárez – 800 kHz – 150 kW D/N (50 kW), XEWA – (San Luis Potosi – 540 kHz – 150 kW D/N, XEQ – Mexico City – 940 kHz – 150/50 kW (50 kW), XEB – Mexico City – 1220 kHz – 100 kW D/N, XETQ – Orizaba – 850 kHz – 100/50 kW (absent in WRTH), XEEP – Mexico City – 1060 kHz – 100/20 kW kW, XETRA – Tijuana – 690 kHz – 77/50 kW (absent in WRTH; likely now XEWW below), XEWW – Rosarito Beach – 690 kHz – 77/50 kW (78/50 kW), CMCA – San Antonio de las Vegas – 590 kHz – 150 kW, YVLX – Villa de Cura – 570 kHz – 100/50 kW (, LS11 – Buenos Aires – 1270 kHz – 100 kW (, No call sign – Conaree – 820 kHz – 100 kW, No call sign – Conaree – 1260 kHz – 100/50 kW, ZYK-275 – Porto Alegre – 600 kHz – 100 kW (the WRTH gives the call as ZYK-278), ZYK-276 – Porto Alegre – 720 KHz – 100 kW, ZYH-705 – Brasília – 800 kHz – 50 kW day/600 kW night (not a typo) (WRTH, however, says 10/1), ZYJ-457 – Rio de Janeiro – 800 kHz – 100 kW, ZYK-687 – São Paulo – 840 kHz – 100/50 kW, ZYJ-459 – Rio de Janeiro – 860 kHz – 100 kW, ZYL-275 – Belo Horizonte – 880 kHz – 100 kW, ZYJ-453 – Rio de Janeiro – 940 kHz – 100 kW, ZYH-707 – Brasília – 980 kHz – 50/600 kW (not a typo either; but WRTH says 50/300 kW), ZYJ-460 – Rio de Janeiro – 990 kHz – 100/10 kW (WRTH call it ZYJ-461), ZYJ-467 – Rio de Janeiro – 1030 kHz – 100/5 kW (FCC says it’s 50/5), ZYK-537 – São Paulo – 1040 kHz – 200/100 kW, ZYK-694 – São Paulo – 1100 kHz – 150 kW (WRTH says it’s 50/50), ZYJ-461 – Rio de Janeiro – 1130 kHz – 100/50 kW (WRTH gives the call as ZYJ-460), ZYJ-458 – Rio de Janeiro – 1220 kHz – 150 kW, ZYK-688 – São Paulo – 1260 kHz – 100/50 kW (100/40), ZYJ-455 – Rio de Janeiro – 1280 kHz – 100 kW, ZYK-766 – São Paulo – 1370 kHz – 100/20 kW (not in FCC database). : a partial view of LS-4 ’ s KDKA, which made the cover story the! 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