Methownet BB

Can anyone here in the Methow Valley get AM radio reception? I can't get a thing on my receiver. I can get FM stations, but zero AM. I don't think it's my AM antenna. I'm in Winthrop, in town.

I scanned with my usually reliable portable and aside from some machine generated noises I didn't find any. Below is what is listed within 100 miles.

KPQ 560 AM 62.0 mi.Signal Strength 2 Wenatchee, WA News/Talk
KOMW 680 AM 26.6 mi.Signal Strength 4 Omak, WA Nostalgia
CKOR 800 AM 78.7 mi.Signal Strength 2 Penticton, BC Adult Contemporary
KTBI 810 AM 73.8 mi.Signal Strength 2 Ephrata, WA Religious

Thanks! Those are the stations I came up with too, but I couldn't get any on my receiver. So much for nostalgia!

It seems like AM radio along with shortwave is gradually fading away at least in popularity. The sound quality just cannot match FM and Internet radio.

The best AM is heard at night when the sun doesn't interfere. And the best reception is with a dedicated shortwave receiver and a long antenna like say 100 feet. I was able to hear around 50 stations on the AM band this evening from as far as San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Calgary Alberta and thereabouts. Solar storms can also be a limiter but it wasn't bad this evening. The nighttime clarity of a clear-channel station broadcasting at 50,000 watts is fine, not audiophile, but easy to listen and appreciate. Wikipedia has great information on AM radio stations when you know the frequency only. Shortwave radio is also very nice listening especially with the various languages, cultures, and news topics.

Happy listening.

Miller Batson

Just a random thought of misc. analog info. - assuming your receiver is not defective. Look at your antenna setup again . A longer antenna & placement without obstructions can make a difference with reception. If your receiver is older look to see if it has an adjustment to fine tune your antenna. IE- some older car radios & portables used to have a screw adjustment in the side you would use to adjust the reception on a known radio station. Back in the days it was common to break a telescoping metal antenna & your replacement would be a different length . Also some portables allowed for a wire antenna to be used of whatever length you tried homemade or optional as part of the radio pkg..
If your receiver is all digital there’s usually no adjustment unless it’s a specialized receiver. You just need a better unit or better antenna in the open. Higher the better placement. I’m just outside of Winthrop & get AM stations. Good luck on your reception issue.

Thanks for the responses. My receiver is brand new and came with one of those plastic ring antennas. The wire is only 3 feet long, so I think these days, these things are afterthoughts.