Kakahead

For a little over 6 years now, I’ve been a “happy” commuter… 56 miles one way to work. “Happy” is in quotes as a wee bit of sarcasm. Sure, I’m grateful I have a job, and after all there’s light at the end of the tunnel. In March of 2011 my friend Ray will retire from the Muskegon plant and I will take his place. My commute will dwindle from 56 miles down to 15 miles. For “inspiration” (more sarcasm) I’ve added a countdown clock to my Firefox web browser. Only 503 days, 1 hour, 32 minutes, and 8 seconds until March 31, 2011 !!

But who’s counting…

Anyway, often I’ll seize the opportunity to take some quiet time. Meditation if you will. I turn the radio off and reflect on what I’m grateful for; and then ask The Great Committee In The Sky for guidance. Then of course I’ll turn to technology for a diversion. Maybe I’ll play a CD or a cassette tape (my car has both!). Call me a dinosaur if you like… I actually said I listen to cassettes!!!

Oh God Oh God… So yes I’m a dinosaur and I’m not afraid to admit it. So there. I’m one of those weirdos who thinks paying for satellite radio and / or cable TV is a waste of money. There’s lots of stuff still available for free, and yes, we actually use a TV antenna for our viewing pleasure.

When the recorded music is done maybe I’ll tune in something on FM. Much of my FM listening revolves either around NPR or music. NPR is great for staying informed, but when I hear all the reports about war and suffering I get a really heavy heart. So when I’d rather hide on the harsh realities of the world I seek out some good old rock ‘n roll. Unfortunately most commercial radio stations seem to have their music selections stuck on AC/DC, Bob Seeger, and Lynard Skynard. WAY too much repetition. WAY too much repetition. WAY too much… well you get the idea.

On the other hand, you have AM radio. Say what??? Anyone besides me remember AM radio?   May sound like a silly question, but with all this “subscription addiction” (satellite radio, cable TV, etc.) lots and lots of people are amazed to “discover” AM radio.  AM is short for “amplitude modulation,” which is the oldest method of adding audio to a radio signal so it can be broadcast. The technology dates back to 1906, which is why many radio hobbyists refer to it as “ancient modulation.”

AM radio was pretty much all we had available for music when I was a kid. It’s like an old friend; and I’m very thankful that it doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon. We live in an area where Chicago stations come in all day long, and I still find myself clinging to ancient stations with only 3 call letters.  WGN (720 on your AM dial) is one of my favorites… those kids seem to have a great time being on the radio and they make me laugh.

Now that winter is knocking at the door that means I leave the house when it’s dark outside. And of course, it’s pretty much dark again when I get home. Something magic happens to the AM radio band after the daylight goes bye bye: SKIP. Skip is a very old radio term that describes when radio waves are bounced off the earth and into the sky and back down again. Kinda like skipping a stone across water. And it’s especially prevalent on the AM band between dusk and dawn. Sure the AM radio is plagued by noise and fading, but there are many high powered stations that provide reliable listening over a very wide geographical area.

In my professional opinion, this boils down to just plain fun. Even though I really detest the long drive, I do enjoy frolicking about on the AM radio band. For example: I recently tuned to 540 AM on the way to work and was listening to the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) out of Regina, Saskatchewan. A mere 1000 miles away!! Never bothered to check down on that part of the dial before. So my friends I invite you to give this very old medium a whirl. You just might accidentally have some fun! There are lots of listings on the internet for AM radio stations if you care to check out other areas of the country and / or the world.

I leave you with a very short list of stations that are pretty easy to pick up between dusk and dawn, especially if you are here in the Midwest:

650 WSM Nashville, Tennessee (Check out the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday Nights!)

700 WLW Cincinnati, Ohio

720 WGN Chicago, Illinois (Home of the Chicago Cubs! Lots of other entertaining stuff too.)

740 CFZM Toronto, Canada (Wonderful music variety, excellent sound quality.)

750 WSB Atlanta, Georgia

760 WJR Detroit, Michigan

770 WABC New York, New York (This was a big rock ‘n roll station when I was a kid growing up on Long Island, NY. Mostly talk now, ah well)

780 WBBM Chicago, Illinois (All news all the time.)(I use this station for an “alarm clock” when I take a nap in my car at lunch)

830 WCCO Minneapolis, Minnesota

840 WHAS Louisville, Kentucky

880 WCBS New York, New York (News Radio.)

890 WLS Chicago, Illinois

990 CBW Winnipeg, Manitoba (CBC Radio)

1020 KDKA Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (One of the oldest stations on the dial.)

1040 WHO Des Moines, Iowa

1060 KYW Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

1130 WBZ Boston, Massachusetts

1140 WRVA Richmond, Virginia

Take care and Happy Listening!