KGFX-AM 1060 Pierre SD 1983

Radio station KGFX has a long and fascinating history. Their roots go all the way back to 1912 when Dana McNeil, a career railroad man, was awarded a Class 5 Special Amateur License for a land radio station. The original call letters were 9ZP. Later, 9ZP became 9CLS with “occasional voice transmissions” (9ZP authorized spark gap Morse Code only.) In 1927, this station became KGFX: first on 1180, then 630, and finally, to the familiar 1060Khz dial position which they have occupied since 1967.

KGFX “The Home of the Great American Cowboy” didn’t quite make it to my grandparents’ house in Michigan, North Dakota during the daytime. But at night, they could be heard with moderate strength. Power output is reduced from 10,000 to just 1,000 watts during the nighttime hours. However, the signal becomes directional with it’s main lobe pointing north-northeast. This allowed reception at my location. Unfortunately, this is just a short clip, recorded as I was doing a dial scan. I wish I had more of this heritage station.

Equipment used was a Pioneer AM/FM/cassette stereo unit. Source tape is a TDK D90.

KGFX_AM_July_1983

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *