Hi, I own WTMP-AM, 1150 IN Tampa. We will be testing while doing tower work on Friday nights after midnight Eastern most February and into March. The station will be testing in analog, hybrid and Ma3 all digital. Feel free to pm me for verification of reception.

Neal Ardman to AM DXING Facebook group (2025-02-05)

A recent survey of AM dials in the AMBA (Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires), carried out in early February 2025, reveals that there are many stations that are not in operation, most likely affected by power cuts. The high temperatures that affect the area of the City of Buenos Aires and its surroundings, implies an increase in the demand for electricity to combat the heat wave, and in particular, the simultaneous use of air conditioners, causes overloads in the electricity system, which leads to the interruption of supply by the companies providing the service, which is sometimes also affected by inclement weather (severe storms and lightning) that cause failures or breakdowns in the medium and/or high voltage network. In recent days, when the ambient temperature has reached 38° Celsius, there have been many power cuts in large areas of the capital and the Buenos Aires conurbation, and many medium wave and FM radio stations have suffered.

According to a check of the AM dial, several radio stations are off the air, among them ECO RADIO (1220 KHz) from Buenos Aires, and RADIO FOLCLORÍSIMO from José León Suárez (1410 KHz), as the most prominent, and which for now are added to the list we published in this Blog on 16/11/2024.

On the other hand, we would like to point out the return to the ether of LRI208 ESTACIÓN 820 / RADIO MARÍA ARGENTINA (820 KHz), the station owned by the Bishopric of Lomas de Zamora and with transmitter plant in the town of Glew, Almirante Brown, which was inactive for a few days, and is now operational again.

We also offer information from our readers that RADIO BELGRANO AM 650 (650 KHz), has plans to sell or rent the signal on this frequency, having moved all its programming to its ‘sister’ station RADIO ARGENTINA (570 KHz), both stations have central studios on the 2nd floor of 569 San Martín Street in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, and a transmitting plant on the grounds of the Ciudad Evita Nature Reserve, La Matanza District, Province of Buenos Aires, and are operated by the same company ‘Prodera S. A.’, which until now has been operating on the same frequency as RADIO ARGENTINA. A.’, the same company that until a few years ago operated Radio Splendid AM 990, currently in charge of Alpha Media S.A. For the moment, RADIO BELGRANO AM 650 broadcasts only tango music and the occasional religious programme in most of its slots. Finally, its website: http://www.belgrano650.com.ar, where it was possible to listen to the station on-line, is currently inactive.
(Translated from Spanish)

Argentina en AM y FM Facebook group (2025-02-04)

CANADIAN RADIO NEWS
A surprisingly busy week of Canadian Radio News.

530 ON Brampton CHLO Despite co-owned CFMB-1280 no longer licensed to test HD, CHLO still prominently displays the HD logo on their web site. Latest information indicates that CHLO is still running Hybrid HD/IBOC full-time.

920 BC Granisle CBKG This 40 watt CBC Radio One LPRT of CBYG-FM Prince George BC has been approved by the CRTC to become CBYG-FM-4 on 105.9 MHz with 106 watts non-directional at 142 feet below average terrain, no later than January 29 2027.

990 YT Carmacks CBQF This 40 watt CBC Radio One LPRT of CFWH-FM Whitehorse YT has been approved by the CRTC to become CBQF FM on 105.1 MHz with a directional 550 watts at 585 feet below average terrain, no later than January 29 2027.

1060 AB Calgary CKMX Big surprise that Bell has found a buyer, Akash Broadcasting Inc of Surrey BC,
for CKMX despite it being off the air for more than 18 months. (Nigel Pimblett) Which means this is likely the last DX Season to catch KYW Philadelphia PA for those previously impacted by CKMX’s strong signal.
CKMX first signed on as CFCN in 1922. Original owner William Walter Westaver Grant began in Halifax with his own radio station in 1919.

1280 QC Montreal CFMB No longer licensed for HD. It has been several years since they announced
their testing of Hybrid HD/IBOC, with no recent updates on their progress. Unless this was a clerical error, this appears to be the end of HD plans for CFMB. (Andy Reid)

1290 MB Winnipeg CFRW Akash negotiated a deal to buy CFRW and CKMX subject to CRTC approval after the upcoming March 27th Hearing to consider the Sale. The CRTC has emphasized to Akash, which owns ethnic stations CJCN-FM Surrey and CKER-FM Edmonton, that CFRW and CKMX have a standard AM license which limits non-English programming to 15% of the Broadcast Week. (Nigel Pimblett) That translates into 18.9 hours per week PLUS midnight-6:00 AM seven days a week. Reading in between the lines of Akash’s response, it appears that once they get CRTC approval, they will apply to change the licenses of both stations to allow full-time Ethnic programming.
CFRW began in 1963 on 1470 as CJQM with a very early IGM stereo automation machine, rumoured to be Serial Number 000005, used mainly on CJQM-FM. When CJOR Vancouver owner Jim Pattison bought the pair of stations in 1970, and changed their call letters to CFRW AM and FM, he had no interest in automation so previous owner CHQM tried to recover their costs by shipping the automation machine to Vancouver and using it for CHQM-FM. Despite immediate failure trying to get the AM announcer to also run the automation machine for FM, one of their Board Operators just could not figure it out, so he was fired and replaced by a UBC Computer Science student. As for the manufacturer, IGM, they were owned by KGMI-790 Bellingham WA, with the “GMI” a rearrangement of the IGM name, which stood for International Good Music, with IGM’s first automation machine used for KGMI-FM.

Jon Pearkins jon@pearkins.com to IRCA DX Monitor Feb 8, published Feb 3 via WOR iog (2025-02-03)