Radio stations along Texas Eagle route

[coalman]

Has anyone ever compiled a list of radio stations along the Texas Eagle route? I imagine there are a lot of areas without WiFi on the route and might be good to tune into to radio while watching the scenery go by. I guess you could just scan the stations and wait for something with good reception

 

[trainman74]

I've tried listening to broadcast radio aboard trains years ago, and it didn't work particularly well -- the metal bodies of the train cars are probably a big part of the issue. (It's good evidence for why automobile antennas are on the outside of the car.)

The best modern solution is probably to make sure you have music downloaded to your smartphone or other device, rather than depending on streaming.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Has anyone ever compiled a list of radio stations along the Texas Eagle route? I imagine there are a lot of areas without WiFi on the route and might be good to tune into to radio while watching the scenery go by. I guess you could just scan the stations and wait for something with good reception

Out in the Wilds of the Panhandle and West Texas, most of the Radio Stations( AM) are small ( there's not a lot of people in these vast spaces)and feature Local News,( especially Farm and Ranch News) Country Music and Religion.

The Big Cities have plenty of Stations, but most have been bought up by Right Wing Outfits like Sinclair and feature canned Shows,News and Music.

The strongest Station in Texaz is WOAI in San Antonio, (1200 AM on your dial) and can be heard, especially @ night, as far North as Canada and to the South in Mexico.

Downloading your Music, as was said, is the way to go so you can listen to your kind of entertainment.

 

[TinCan782]

Problems described above aside...here are listings by state to create your "list"...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_radio_stations_in_the_United_States

 

[coalman]

perfect. you're the man, as usual on this thread.

 

[frequentflyer]

Apple Music, Pandora, and Bose QC20s are your friends.

 

[joelkfla]

Apple Music, Pandora, and Bose QC20s are your friends.

Seriously? $250 for a set of headphones?

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Back in 1996 thousands of regional radio stations were reclassified so they could be absorbed into conglomerates like Clear Channel (now called iHeartMedia) that replaced local programming with nationally syndicated content and synchronized commercial breaks. That was the beginning of the end for my radio listening days. On the plus side you can now download any number of songs, podcasts, and audio books that will play anywhere.

Seriously? $250 for a set of headphones?

In a sea of inescapable noise pollution? Absolutely! My QC35's are worth every penny. If anything it's the cost of modern phones that is excessive IMO.

 

[Willbridge]

In 1977, in an E-series bedroom Montreal to Edmonton, a small battery radio worked fine. Of course, north of Lake Superior we received Chicago stations. A portable AM radio would likely not work as well in mountains. We enjoyed the broadcasts and the Northern Lights.

 

[Sidney]

I always bring a radio with me on my Amtrak trips. News and talk stations are my primary interest. At my age when I want music I go to my Spotify playlists from the 50s 60s and 70s.

As far as news and talk stations on the Eagle route. Chicago WGN 720 WBBM 780 and WLS 890...St Louis KMOX 1120.KTRS 550,Dallas-Fort Worth KLIF 570 WBAP 820 and KRLD 1080 Austin KLBJ 590. San Antonio KTSA 550 and WOAI 1200. Local programming especially in AM and PM drive.

 

[Skyline]

Terrestrial radio isn't dying. It's dead. And since tyrants like Clear Channel or whatever they call themselves now, Infinity, Sinclair, et al destroyed good local radio -- it's just as well.

Stream. So much more content that you can curate. For local news there are apps for that.

 

[BlackDiamond]

Terrestrial radio isn't dying. It's dead. And since tyrants like Clear Channel or whatever they call themselves now, Infinity, Sinclair, et al destroyed good local radio -- it's just as well.

Stream. So much more content that you can curate. For local news there are apps for that.

I wouldn't go that far. Depending on one's political orientation there are options on either wing including the conservative talk shows or local NPR stations. There are also a few local music stations, for example when I travel to Lewiston/Auburn area in Maine there is a station WLAM which plays oldies and is non commercial totally supported by donations. Which reminds me I need to send them some money.

 

[BoulderCO]

You will probably be somewhat frustrated finding many stations that you enjoy.

I like radio listening and always take a small AM/FM portable radio when on the train. Because of the shielding of the train and all the electrical noise it generates, AM reception will be limited. For AM you will need to put your radio right on the window to get all but the very strongest stations. I use a small suction cup on the window to hold the radio there. You will find the most stations (regional) at night.

For local stations in small towns you are passing through, FM is your best bet. It will not be affected as much by the shielding and noise. The downside is that you will only receive each station for a short time (up to an hour or so) when you are close to it.

The bottom line is that it is worthwhile to have a radio with you, but consider it as an experiment/toy rather than as a dependable source of continual entertainment. For that, as others have suggested, internet content (streaming radio, podcasts, etc.) is the way to go.

 

[trainman74]

There are also a few local music stations, for example when I travel to Lewiston/Auburn area in Maine there is a station WLAM which plays oldies and is non commercial totally supported by donations. Which reminds me I need to send them some money.

I collect old radio station jingles, and happen to have some from WLAM from the early 1970s. "WLAM, from Central Maine with love." (Since they're playing oldies, those jingles would probably still fit in well today!)

 

[Charles785]

As mentioned above AM reception can be spotty, however if you're looking for news or other 'spoken word' programming such as weather and sports reports or community announcements, AM radio would probably have more of that type of programming than FM which is primarily music with shorter range signals (although strong FM signals can sometimes probably penetrate train cars better and are less susceptible to noise).

But for information programming the higher-powered 50,000 watt AM stations would provide the best listenable signals on the train, plus they are wide coverage stations, especially at night, enabling you to stay with a station longer without constant retuning. Also stations lower on the dial often have very good coverage even if they're lower power.

Some of the high power stations along the Texas Eagle and Sunset Limited would include AM 670, 720, 780, and 890 in Chicago, AM 1120 and 550 St. Louis, AM 1090 Little Rock, AM 1080 Dallas, AM 820 Forth Worth, AM 1200 San Antonio, AM 600, AM 620 Phoenix, and AM 640 and 1070 in Los Angeles.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

There is something about listening to a small town high school football or even basketball game while driving on a Friday night, and I can imagine nesting in your Sleeper listening to a game or 2.

 

[BlackDiamond]

I station I remember in the Southwest was KOMA Oklahoma City 1520 AM which I listened to when stationed in New Mexico 1972 - 1975. At that time it was a Top 40 Rock station with a 50KW signal you could hear all over the country. Sadly it went the way of many stations, going to news/talk and then new call letters to distinguish it from the oldies format that continued on FM. I don't know if it is still 50KW since its antennas were damaged in a tornado in 2015.

 

[Ryan]

Depending on one's political orientation there are options on either wing including the conservative talk shows or local NPR stations.

Yeah, that's not "either wing".

 

[Skyline]

Yeah, that's not "either wing".

True. The right-wing demagoguery on the AM (and sometimes FM) dial definitely dominates.

 

[Ziv]

I drove from Miami to San Diego using I-10 back in 1989 in a 1981 Toyota Tercel, which had a rather poor antenna on a rather poor radio. I spent hours praying for a radio station because I didn't have a cassette deck. I got so bored I spent over an hour seeing how far I could drive without touching the steering wheel. I steered the car by leaning left and right. The car weighed next to nothing so I just had to lean left (into the crown of the road) to keep it on the road most of the time.
After 2 hours of radio silence I nearly wet myself when the radio started blasting out a country song from a radio station in Fort Stockton.
Yeah, too much info...

 

[Saddleshoes]

I always travel with small radio. Public Radio is my default listening. I travel the Chicago to St. Louis route often. Here is a listing of FM Public Radio along the Illinois portion of the Texas Eagle (south bound)...

Chicago WBEZ 91.5
Bloomington/Normal WGLT 89.1
Springfield WUIS 91.9
Edwardsville (STL) WSIU 88.7

With a good radio you can have Public radio the whole length of the Illinois portion of the route. (A not so good radio you will have blank spots between Chicago - Bloominton/Normal and Springfield - Edwardsville.)

 

[tgstubbs1]

If you're moving along you may have to retune frequently. It is good to have one along. If you're stuck in one place for a while it might be your best friend.

 

[BlackDiamond]

True. The right-wing demagoguery on the AM (and sometimes FM) dial definitely dominates.

I suppose if one is more sympathetic to a more Liberal viewpoint (as I suspect most on AU are) then conservative talk radio might appear more demagogue-ish (if that is even a word ). But I know this is getting away from the subject of this thread so maybe we should drop it.

 

[Northwestern]

A number of years ago, while on the Coast Starlight and in a roomette, I pulled in a number of AM stations using a little Sangean AM-FM-shortwave radio. I had to place the radio right next to the window, and used an earphone to not disturb passengers in a nearby roomette.

I think I may have pickup up one shortwave station (I think it was Gene Scott if anyone remembers that controversial but entertaining individual). On the AM band, several radio stations heard but usually only when the train got near the town, city, or tower of the radio station.

I'm an amateur radio (ham radio) operator, so I like to encourage people to join the ham radio fraternity. You can get an amateur technician license by taking a 35 question test (no morse code proficiency required). The 35 question samples are available, so you could probably memorize the answers (but it is fun to learn some radio theory, regardless). With a technician license, you can get new or used hand-held 2 meter rigs that are reasonable in cost. You also can get a booklet to tell you the location of 2 meter ham repeaters along the train route. A lot of fun. I even accessed a repeater in Chemult, Oregon, north of Klamath Falls.

Richard

 

[Charles785]

Even though the thread was about the Texas Eagle route I thought it would be interesting to list some of the radio stations along another western route - the Southwest Chief.

Of course beginning in Chicago with the high-powered AM's of 670, 720, 780, and 890, that would be identical to the Texas Chief. Even though the SW Chief doesn't go through St. Louis a passenger might be able to pick up AM 1120 as they pass through NW Missouri. Going across northern Missouri it's possible a good signal from AM 1040 Des Moines, Iowa, could be heard. Probably the best signal from Kansas City would be AM 610, followed westbound by AM 580 Topeka.

Going across SW Colorado it's possible AM 850 out of Denver could be listened to, and in New Mexico AM 770 from Albuquerque. There would be no high powered stations in Arizona, but AM 1160 Salt Lake City probably puts a grade A signal into northern Arizona. And at the end of the line in Los Angeles the two strongest signals would be AM 640 and AM 1070.

These stations all have a variety of talk programming including popular syndicated talk show hosts and interesting local hosts, along with news, sports, and weather reports.