Observation of Anomalous Propagation of Radio Waves in the MW Band

Observation of Anomalous Propagation of Radio Waves in the MW Band

By: Igor Grigorov, VA3ZNW

In this short article I want to tell about my observations of the anomalous propagation on MW Band. These observations were done during 2019-2021 in Niagara Falls, Ontario and Buffalo, NY.

It is because I live in Niagara Falls, Ontario and I work in Buffalo, NY.

As it is known, the frequency for a MW radio station is allocated so that the radio station does not interfere with other broadcasting radio in the nearby area. But my observation a little bit disproves this statement.

So, every morning (beside weekend and holidays), at 6.0 am, in the kitchen, in breakfast time, I turn on my old AM radio. This is an old analog CANDLE AM radio made in 1981, so it is 40 years old in 2021. But this radio still works well and has great sound on the AM band.

The answer, why do I turn on the radio in the morning, is simple. I listen to the NIAGARA news. At 610 kHz, CKTB Radio (Radio Niagara) gives me a lot of useful information. This is information about the weather, the current traffic on the highway on which I drive to work, local and international news. When I drive to work in Buffalo, I also listen to this radio in my car. My commute to work is 50 km and near 40- minutes and all the way I listen to CKTB Radio.

When I drive back to home from my work, after 4 pm, I again turn on the CKTB Radio. So I am an operator who twice a day observes the propagation of radio waves at a frequency of 610 kHz on the path of 50 km, for 40-60 minutes, depending on traffic.

It seems to me that nothing can interfere with the local radio station, because in my area at the 610 kHz I should receive only the CKTB Radio. Picture 2 shows a screen shot from www.radio-locator.com - what is heard in Buffalo and of course in Niagara Falls at 610-680 kHz. It should be received only three radio stations there.

Picture 1 CANDLE AM Radio

VA3ZNW Car

www.antentop.org

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