How is this possible? RDS issues

[AMRocks]

I'm NOT an engineer, but I thought someone here might be able to explain what's happening to me.

I'm in Greenville SC and was listening to a LP station here on 101.5 a few weeks ago. It's 100 watts and marginally comes in, depending where I am. The RDS on my car radio was showing WKHX, the 101.5 station from Atlanta some 140 miles away! I was hearing the local LP but the readout was showing Atlanta. ???

One better for you. I was listening to the local NPR station, WEPR, here in Greenville. It's a full power station with zero signal issues for me. The RDS yesterday was reading WXVS, a radio station in Waycross GA -- that's in South Georgia and nearly 300 miles away!!!!

How is this possible? TIA

 

[HGR1290]

If you have HD radio, you may be decoding HD PAD data, even though you hear the analog signal from your local signal.

 

[CTListener]

If you have HD radio, you may be decoding HD PAD data, even though you hear the analog signal from your local signal.

How could the HD data from a distant station override the audio from a local station if the effective power of the HD signal is so much less? Does it happen if the local station is one of those dinosaurs that doesn't transmit RDS info?

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

How could the HD data from a distant station override the audio from a local station if the effective power of the HD signal is so much less? Does it happen if the local station is one of those dinosaurs that doesn't transmit RDS info?

I used to live 1 1/2 miles from a 250 Watt/700 ft analog translator on 94.5

I had KTBZ Houston's HD2 and 3 lock over the analog translator.. not KTBZ Analog, just the HD. The HD is off to the sides, to the left and right a bit of the main station.. my radio saw/heard the data and locked.

Its called tropo and eskip. it happens in the summner

 

[CTListener]

I used to live 1 1/2 miles from a 250 Watt/700 ft analog translator on 94.5

I had KTBZ Houston's HD2 and 3 lock over the analog translator.. not KTBZ Analog, just the HD. The HD is off to the sides, to the left and right a bit of the main station.. my radio saw/heard the data and locked.

Its called tropo and eskip. it happens in the summner

I'm familiar with both. But why isn't the OP hearing the distant station instead of the local when the RDS data indicates that the distant station is dominant? Should both data and audio be present?

 

[HGR1290]

I have often seen HD radios "hear" the HD signal, but not fully lock. Without a solid lock, you will see the PAD data, but never decode the audio. A bit of tropo will make these distant HD signals show up...but not decode.

Case in point. In Atlanta we have a 96.1 full market signal. In Chattanooga there is a translator. 90 to 100 miles up the road. You can be listening to the Analog translator near Chattanooga, while the radio will see the HD signal from Atlanta, displaying the data that is associated with the Atlanta signal.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

I'm familiar with both. But why isn't the OP hearing the distant station instead of the local when the RDS data indicates that the distant station is dominant? Should both data and audio be present?

Nope..... "data".. wether its HD Pad info or RDS is not quite right centered on, say 94.5.... you can get data from one signal and hear another

 

[frankberry]

Nope..... "data".. wether its HD Pad info or RDS is not quite right centered on, say 94.5.... you can get data from one signal and hear another

The data is located in the FM sidebands. If the station that you are listening to has no sidebands above the audio (53kHz), it's possible to receive sideband data (57kHz) from another station which operates on the same carrier frequency.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

The data is located in the FM sidebands. If the station that you are listening to has no sidebands above the audio (53kHz), it's possible to receive sideband data (57kHz) from another station which operates on the same carrier frequency.

Here's an example.

This is KTBZ 94.5 HD1 Houston rock/alternative vs W233BS 94.5 running Americas Best Music. I was 1 1/2 miles away from W233Bs.. check out the fairly seamless swapping back and forth from the two

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fUqIlqSlJRdnX2Z1ZyQqi6H0c0ZZOTq_/view?usp=sharing

 

[alleo]

The RDS will go a long ways.it will still log on a tuner with analog audio from any other station closer.Analog station 60 db contour is less than that of an RDS.Dig fm station can extend on clear on down to 40 dbi

 

[dc2bluelight]

May not be a reception problem at all

My car radio has RDS and HD. However, if I listen to a station with at least RDS up in one location then move out of the signal area where I can get a different station on the same frequency, but without RDS or HD, the radio hangs on to the last valid RDS data and displays it even though reception of the previous station is impossible, and I'm clearly into full quieting on the new one. If the new station had RDS, it would update the radio, otherwise it just uses whatever it had on that channel last. May not happen with all radios, but sure does with mine. Kind of annoying, frankly.