KCVR 1570 from Lodi

[Toomas Losin]

Turning my attention inland tonight towards that pesky North America continent that keeps getting in the way of my DXing, I heard Spanish dominating 1570 over CKMW from Manitoba. This confused me as I thought it was a new pest until I realized that must be KCVR in Lodi. That's how good it was. It began fading after a few minutes but it's still good as I type. Tonight may be unusual for domestic DX.

[Dan Sys]

Another Spanish station on 1570 that has been known to make an appearance up here at times is KTGE in Salinas, CA (Radio Tigre). As with KCVR it operates with 5,000 watts (days) and 500 watts (nights). I have heard 2 Spanish stations at the same time on 1570, but don't know if it was a KCVR/KTGE mix or a KCVR/XERF mix. Hard to get ID's out of them.

[Toomas Losin]

It gets more interesting. I just listened to my recording and the Spanish station on 1570 was broadcasting ESPN Deportes Radio. Some research suggests this might be KZLI 1570 Catoosa, Oklahoma, except that the FCC lists it as a daytimer with 1 kW.

ESPN English has a single window of a few seconds at the top of the hour for the legal ID. The Spanish version may be as bad so, of course, it faded out for the one TOH on my recording.

[Dan Sys]

Well, that's a real mystery Toomas. Neither the KCVR or KTGR websites say anything about ESPN Deportes programming. KCVR runs a Spanish Adult Hits format simulcasting KCVR 98.9 (Maria FM) and KTGE (Radio Tigre) runs a Regional Mexican format. The other California station on 1570 KPRO in Riverside is English Religion.

While digging around on Google I found this from Glenn Hausers DX digest. Scroll about half way down and you'll see that someone else was trying to figure out what station is running ESPN Deportes on 1570 this past September:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/primetime ... ssage/4069
If it turns out to be Oklahoma Toomas.....what an incredible catch!

[Toomas Losin]

Thanks Dan, it was that thread that had pointed me at KZLI.

About 45 minutes ago I heard Spanish before twilight but I don't speak enough to understand if they were talking deportes or not, and then it faded out, possibly switching to night power. Manitoba faded in for a "Country 1570 CKMW" ID twenty minutes later.

I have my doubts about yesterday's catch being Oklahoma because the signal was too strong and lasted too long, unless conditions were very unusual.

[Toomas Losin]

Sigh. The ionosphere finally cooperated at 23:00 PST by letting me hear the ESPN Deportes station at the top of the hour but the station refused to play along because it aired ten seconds of dead air where the ID should have been. How annoying!

If the station pulled the trick of very quietly saying the call in English then I might have missed it but all I could hear during the silence was noise and faint country music from CKMW.

[Eldon-Mr.CFAY]

Hi Everyone,
Toomas hope you can ID that 1570 station with Spanish programming. I have heard KCVR 1570 Lodi a few times up in Langley over the past few years. I also have heard XERF although not as often as in the past! Keep at it and I hope you can ID. it. Sounds like a mystery station alright. I am wondering if it might be XERF from Ciudad Acuna as from what Dan says it does not sound like either of the two California stations on 1570. It could be Oklahoma too but as you said signal was too strong and that one seems to be a daytimer unless they have recently boosted power and gone nights, hard to say! Sometimes FCC info. isn't as updated as it should be. In Ontario I am getting a fairly strong signal from 1550 AM from Maryland and that station is supposed to be only 1000 watts but sure sounds a lot stronger than that! Its licensed to Elkton, Maryland and used to be called WSER but has changed calls and carrys Reach FM Network Contemporary Christian format now! When I last heard them as WSER in 2001 they were weaker here in Ontario and more less local format under different independant ownership I believe!!! So some stations may be using higher power with or without FCC approval, ha!!!!!

Well anyway hope you can ID that one, what a shame no ID. near top of the hour, that is indeed frustating while dxing!!!

73s, Take care, best of dx in 2013!!! Eldon

[Toomas Losin]

Last night's overnight recording was a disappointment as there weren't any top of the hour fade ups but the signal did seem to disappear around the same time of morning as CKMW's did, suggesting it's not from the West Coast. Tonight, using my G8 to null it gives an azimuth of 135° (plus or minus) which passes from mid-Washington through Texas. Oklahoma is close to that line.

I've previously heard KCVR and XERF. The direction is wrong for KCVR and if it were XERF I would expect everyone would know it. The web site for KZLI has not been updated; that seems consistent with sloppiness about running the top of the hour ID.

Once this evening there was another mostly-clear top of the hour with ten seconds of dead air.

[Eldon-Mr.CFAY]

Greetings!
Toomas I suspect it is probably Oklahoma from your latest comments. With some of the sloppiness in programming etc. I am wondering if they are operating at night with higher power! Possibly without FCC approval too!!! Could be, maybe they put an application in and just are doing a bit of ahead of time approval testing, ha!!! You just never know. On 1570 here in the Cobourg, Ontario area I think I have gotten XERF once or twice with other lower powered USA stations. I might try for this spanish one from Oklahoma too based on your comments. Will post anything that might be similar to what you have heard from B.C. recently if I get it!!! Take care and best of luck in further identification of that station Toomas!
73s Eldon

[radiofan]

I was awake around 3:45 this morning so I fired up the CC Radio checked out 1570 and there was ESPN Deportes Radio. I listened until about 4:05 and no legal ID. Like Toomas reported, there was a
ten second spot of dead air where a local/legal ID should be inserted and there was nothing. There was a faint CKMW in the background, but ESPN Desportes was dominant.

[Dan Sys]

Well gang, I hate to dash everyones hopes about hearing an obscure 1KW station from Oklahoma, but it turns out that our mystery station is actually KCVR. I ran it by a friend in Central California this morning who confirmed that KCVR is now running ESPN Deportes programming. I guess they just haven't gotten around to updating their website yet.

[Toomas Losin]

Thanks Dan, it's good to know the answer.

Now I have a more personal mystery: I'd like to know why my G8 was nulling to the southeast instead of due south. I remember KGO nulled to the south but KFBK wouldn't null at all. Maybe I'm too close to something inside or maybe the Pennant is influencing reception by inductive coupling to nearby radios. I need to do some testing on this since I sometimes use the G8 for a quick direction hint.