The following announcement was shared by Loyd Van Horn of DX Central:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
1280 – WNAM DX Test Announcement
Dec 27, 2025
The Courtesy Program Committee (CPC) of the National Radio Club (NRC) and the International Radio Club of America (IRCA) announces a special DX Test for distant listeners for radio station WNAM on 1280 kHz in Neenah-Menasha,WI. The test is scheduled for Tuesday, December 30th and Wednesday, December 31st starting at Midnight local Central Standard Time through 5:05 AM Central Standard Time (This equates to 0600 to 1105 UTC on 30 December and 31 December).
This test is scheduled to run for 2 minutes after ABC News at the top-of-the-hour each hour from Midnight to 5am local Central time. ABC News runs from :00-:03 after the hour. The DX Test will run from :03-:05 after the hour, each hour of the window.
These test transmissions are being broadcast in conjunction with the final days of broadcast of WNAM. WNAM is scheduled to cease broadcast operations at 11:59 PM Central Time on December 31st.
These test transmissions are a way to honor the history of WNAM in its service to the community as well as provide an opportunity for DXers to hear WNAM one last time – or possibly the first time!
The test will consist of an assortment of classic station jingles, sweep tones, voice IDs, morse code and other sounds.
WNAM will be operating at their daytime power/pattern for the duration of the test events.
In addition, listeners/DXers are invited to tune in WNAM’s special 3-hour farewell broadcast on Wednesday, December 31, starting at 9:00 PM Central Standard Time. This will include a “recreation” of the station’s glory years as “Blue 128” complete with airchecks from previous on-air staff.
RECEPTION REPORTS & QSL REQUESTS
All reception reports will be verified through the station directly with a special QSL that was developed for the occasion. Reception reports along with MP3 recordings or .MP4 video recordings of your reception should be emailed to:
[email protected]. Please be sure to use the subject line: “WNAM 1280 DX TEST RECEPTION REPORT.”
The following are recommendations are in effect in order to expedite processing and receive a QSL verifying your report:
-
- Reports via email only – this is required. An MP3 file attachment of your reception (best reception) or an MP4 video clip are preferred. While written descriptions will be considered along with the recording, they may not suffice alone for verification.
- Reports must be submitted within 30 days of the test.
- The report must include your name, location, and return email address, clearly grouped together at the top of the verification request.
- Please also include a description of your receiver, antenna, and any interference noted.
- If you use a remote SDR to receive the test, you must clearly indicate that in your verification request. We will only accept one such report per DX’er. You cannot log the test on multiple remote SDRs and request multiple verifications.
The IRCA/NRC CPC would like to thank the owners and staff of WNAM}, Steve Edwards and CPC member Loyd Van Horn for helping to arrange the test.
Good luck to all DXers!
About the CPC
The Courtesy Program Committee (CPC) is a cross-functional group comprised of members of both the National Radio Club (NRC) and International Radio Club of America (IRCA) for the purpose of coordinating and arranging DX Tests with AM radio stations. These DX tests both allow radio stations to conduct valuable equipment tests on their transmitter and audio chain as well as enable DX hobbyists to receive the testing station from greater distances than would normally be possible. The CPC membership consists of: Chairman Les Rayburn, Paul Walker, George Santulli, Joe Miller and Loyd Van Horn.
For radio stations interested in coordinating a DX test with the CPC, please visit the following Web site for more information:
https://amdxtest.blogspot.com/
For more information on the types of content heard during a DX test, the video “An introduction to DX Tests” is available at DX Central:
As a amateur radio operator (de W1JZR) I was very interested in this event. Tuning up my Kenwood 890s and watching the band scope on 1280 khz was interesting. There were numerous stations to be heard deak on the frequency. I started listening to the WNAM stream to use as a guide line. But, there was a French speaking station along with another Latin music station. At the appointed time (1:03 in the morning) here in the east coast, it was IMPOSSIBLE!
I stayed up ANOTHER HOUR (2:03 am) to see if things had changed, and still the strong stations were there. Even a popular SDR in PA. had the same issues I did locally. Well, I have my digital recorder set to record from 9pm – 1am – here on the east coast directly to the LIVE stream to capture the special 3 hour show. Guess no QSL card for me )O:
This is VERY personal to me. I could see WNAM’s tower lights from my bedroom when I was growing up on Quarry Lane in Neenah from 1959 to 1974. I listened to WNAM on my very first crystal radio. Only three radio stations played in our home in Neenah: WNAM, WGN (my dad was a Cubs fan), or WTMJ (to listen to the Milwaukee Bucks games). When I was growing up I saw two minor fender bender accidents on my way home from school. I phoned them in and got the tip of the week two weeks in a row.
Just this Christmas I was remembering all of the Christmas music we used to listen to on WNAM.
When I was back in Neenah recently due to my mother’s death in September, I drove by WNAM and wondered how long it could stay on the air. I guess I just found out.
BTW: I was first licensed in Neenah as WN9FWK then WB9FWK.
Really nice story Tom! I could say the same about WBZA which carried the Boston station (WBZ) to the towers on the Westinghouse factory building the next block over from my home where we moved to, in 1956. My mom’s Motorola table top radio was ALWAYS tuned in. Those red tower lights were something I looked at every night from the back yard for the 10 years that we lived there.
It was the oddest thing when that huge blackout occurred and those lights were NOT there to be seen!
The towers coming down not that long ago, are captured on youtube, a SAD day for those of us grew up with that station. But I agree, last night in all the excitement of trying to hear WNAM with my Kenny 890s, and not being able to, well, all of a sudden, it turned into a sad moment for me, knowing that a legacy, STAND ALONE AM station (non shared FM broadcast) was going off the air )O: As mentioned in my above post, I will be recording directly from the stream the special 3 hour presentation later tonight. I will check out your QRZ page. (O:
Side note. I now live in metro Boston in Melrose.
HA! I see you have had quite a few call signs. Looks like we are in the same neck of the woods (O:
I decided to look up the box score of the cited Reds/Cubs game in the newspaper ad of May 22, 1947 on their first day of transmission (May 23, 1947) schedule. No box score could be found on the web. I found an original 1947 Cubs Schedule on line and the Cubs and Reds were scheduled for May 23.
I looked up historical weather data for Chicago on the date and it had rained. So, it appears WNAM had to vamp with a Rain Out Theater on their initial day of broadcast.
WOW! Thanks for checking into some WNAM history Dean!