102.7 in HD

[iyiyi]

Been hearing WRNI FM in HD lately. Looks like maybe some music on an HD2 also. Great news!

I hope they crank HD back up on the Mighty 1290. They often play music.

-

 

[reelyreal]

How many subchannels are they running?

You might be able to help me! Is there anything on the HD subchannels of 103.7 WVEI-FM?

 

[N1WVQ]

Been hearing WRNI FM in HD lately. Looks like maybe some music on an HD2 also. Great news!

I hope they crank HD back up on the Mighty 1290. They often play music.

-

UGH. No thanks! Too much interference to adjacent frequencies, especially on A.M.! A.M. HD has been a flop & should never be added again!

 

[jlehmann]

How many subchannels are they running?

You might be able to help me! Is there anything on the HD subchannels of 103.7 WVEI-FM?

There are still no sub channels on 103.7's HD.

 

[iyiyi]

How many subchannels are they running?

You might be able to help me! Is there anything on the HD subchannels of 103.7 WVEI-FM?

There are still no sub channels on 103.7's HD.

102.7 RBDS is IDing as WRNI FM HD1 and WRNI FM HD2. I have heard music on the HD2 but today's (brief) HD2 listen was unmodulated. I would guess (hope?) that both HDs will be run when the installation is complete.

-

 

[N1WVQ]

What kind of music? Classical? Jazz? Folk?

 

[iyiyi]

What kind of music? Classical? Jazz? Folk?

Cute.

The HD2 is running MVY Radio. WMVY was an eclectic, AAA part of the Martha's Vineyard scene. WBUR recently purchased the station and immediately blew it up to make room for more NPR programming. MVY Radio (also on W243AI Newport) is the internet remnant of WMVY.

-

 

[Dighton Rockhead]

Been hearing WRNI FM in HD lately. Looks like maybe some music on an HD2 also. Great news!I hope they crank HD back up on the Mighty 1290. They often play music.-

UGH. No thanks! Too much interference to adjacent frequencies, especially on A.M.! A.M. HD has been a flop & should never be added again!

After all the complaining and fussing that RIPR was involved with when Boston's 102.5's HD signal started making hash...(pun intended... ;D)...out of 102.7's signal in the outlying areas, I'm surprised that RIPR is actually running HD at all.

As for the prospect of turning on HD on 1290? Well...even though they're not exactly "adjacent"....I have a hunch 1320-WARL would be less than pleased. Even at 30 Kilohertz away, an HD 1290 could make listening to 1320 difficult in areas close to the 1290 transmitting site.

Gotta keep those Catholic religious programs in afternoon drive coming in loud and clear. ;D ;D

 

[jlehmann]

After all the complaining and fussing that RIPR was involved with when Boston's 102.5's HD signal started making hash...(pun intended... ;D)...out of 102.7's signal in the outlying areas, I'm surprised that RIPR is actually running HD at all.

I guess Aaron Reed is a big promoter of HD radio then, and the previous engineer was not?

 

[N1WVQ]

What kind of music? Classical? Jazz? Folk?

Cute.

The HD2 is running MVY Radio. WMVY was an eclectic, AAA part of the Martha's Vineyard scene. WBUR recently purchased the station and immediately blew it up to make room for more NPR programming. MVY Radio (also on W243AI Newport) is the internet remnant of WMVY.

-

Cute? Are those not probably the 3 biggest musical genres offered on NPR?

 

[iyiyi]

What kind of music? Classical? Jazz? Folk?

Cute.

The HD2 is running MVY Radio. WMVY was an eclectic, AAA part of the Martha's Vineyard scene. WBUR recently purchased the station and immediately blew it up to make room for more NPR programming. MVY Radio (also on W243AI Newport) is the internet remnant of WMVY.

-

Cute? Are those not probably the 3 biggest musical genres offered on NPR?

Ergo the "cute".

What compelling programming from 1270-1310 would you be deprived if the Mighty 1290 re-torched HD?

I don't recall 1320 chirping about 1290's HD when they were running it last time. Also, the Faithful are now being fed by a nice, fat, happy 550 signal.

Meanwhile, 102.7 appears to be running HD at -20dBc. Doesn't really matter. When you are sporting a 69 meter HAAT, you eat at radio's "kiddie table".

-

 

[N1WVQ]

When I lived around there, at night, WJFK/1300 used to come blasting in! Now in Middleborough the only Providence station I can get at night is 790. Everything else is Boston or skywave. AM HD does damage listening to adjacents: I like to listen to WGN or WBAL driving in to work in East Providence. Unfortunately I get IBOC hash from WOR & WTIC/WTAM (don't remember if they're running it). So, 500 watts of IBOC is trashing adjacents many miles away.

I have an HD radio. When my mother was living & in E.P., I kept it there. 920 & 550 were running IBOC. 550 wouldn't decode (nor did nor does WBZ currently even though it can tell there's an HD signal there) and I could get the radio to drop out of lock of 920's HD being about 2-3 miles from the transmitter. AM HD is such a fragile, delicate signal yet it creates interference to adjacent frequencies that how is it justified? It costs in licensing fees and if you want good fidelity, A.M. Stereo is still around with, what seems, more receivers laying around than HD has (were there ever 100 HD radios sold in the Providence area? ???). It's an afterthought technology. Plus, for a long time an AM HD signal had to limit its analog signal to 5kc.. I'm not sure if that's still the case although I have heard you do still have to reduce bandwidth.

I'm not too keen on HD FM as it too is like the AM signal in that it's weak but can interfere. I used to get problems receiving WCIB in East Providence once WWBB turned on its HD. I get it now on WERS with WJMF pretty much from around exit 2 in Swansea.

What *should* have happened is that digital broadcasting be given its own spectrum like in other countries. The reasons that I've heard why it wasn't are 2-fold: 1. the UHF L-band spectrum that Canada uses is a military radar band. 2. The NAB fought it because it would give parity to all signals & owners. No more weak 1kW graveyarders not being to fight it out with 100kW class C F.M.s. Instead we have this hodge-podge system which is trying to be both digital & analog and failing at being either. Part of it is the power given to digital broadcasts. I'd like to see what they could do running full-tilt.

Here in Middleborough to receive FM HD I have rabbit ears connected. If I put the antenna in the window I can pick up Providence. All I get from Providence now is smooth jazz on a sidechannel. WWBB isn't running it anymore & last week WHJY wasn't running it either. WJMF is too weak here to receive. I do get WGBH's sidechannels. If I'm outside and hold the antenna as high as I can, I can get some of the other Boston sidechannels. I am genuinely curious to see how these sidechannels will eventually fare, BUT, as AM cannot do that, I don't see any use for AM HD except to jam other stations.

Finally, as for 1290's HD interfering with 1320, I don't remember if it did or not but if it does, I can imagine R.I. listeners not being too happy when trying to hear the Armenian Radio Hour or Guido & the Doowoppers.

I'm going to go check to see if I can get WHJY's sidechannels.

 

[jeffryan]

Does anyone know any non-radio people who own an HD radio? It's flawed technology that never caught on and at this point, never will. Ever wonder why analog radio was never sunset like analog TV? Because the industry knows that nobody would buy the radios and it would be complete suicide for the business.

Another example of radio management accelerating radio's demise. Such a shame.

 

[Skynet74]

HD radio is a joke. Pay $100 for a whole different receiver just so you can pick up about 5 extra stations. I could understand the value in it if you could receive some incredible programming that you can't get anywhere else. However that's just not the case. HD radio never made it out of the novelty stage.

 

[iyiyi]

HD radio is a joke. Pay $100 for a whole different receiver just so you can pick up about 5 extra stations. I could understand the value in it if you could receive some incredible programming that you can't get anywhere else. However that's just not the case. HD radio never made it out of the novelty stage.

HD Radio forum on this site is a paradise for many individuals that share your sense of HD humor. They have a thread with a running count-down tally of HD shutoffs... There is another one dedicated to choosing the proper beverage to toast HD's final demise with... Hurry!!! You're missing all the fun!!!

Otherwise... If RIPR decides to reconsider their options and exploit modern technology by leasing out an HD2 to MVR Radio; they kill three birds with one stone. #1 RIPR income is enhanced from the HD2 lease. #2 WRNI-FM now provides their primary audience digital quality audio on the HD1. #3 A goodly number of disenfranchised WMVY listeners now have an on-air access to MVY Radio.

I can't see any reason for jokes here. Applause? Yes! Giggles? NAH...

-

 

[Jacko]

It seems to me that the only reason they're doing this is so that MVY can stay at 96.5 as a translator. A translator can not be on the air on it's own unless there is a "main channel" on at least a class A station in the area--hence 102.7 HD-2. I like MVY and am not against the move, but these may be the logistics.

Jacko

 

[mgpt6]

If RIPR is getting lease money for its HD2 ,good for them. If BUR was smart they could put MVY on its HD2 on both 90.9 in Boston and 92.7 on the vineyard. Where AM HD is a FLOP and disaster , FM HD could work with -14 db power levels and Ibquity having more reasonable fees.

 

[pariho2013]

Little fun fact......

Any "Family Guy" fans? Last Night's show included Peter playing an NPR 'jock' on WRNI! Wicked Funny...

 

[aaronread]

So y'all probably noticed my conspicuous silence on this front. ;D That's because there was indeed a deal in works and as of today it can be officially announced. Press release is below, but in a nutshell MVYradio is leasing the HD2 on our 102.7FM signal in order to feed the W243AI 96.5FM translator in Newport. The obvious benefit here is the 96.5FM signal, but yes you can hear MVYradio on the HD2 as well. Sounds pretty decent, actually - we're running 48/48kbps for HD1/HD2 and using an Orban PC1101 card and pre-processing software for the HD2.

Cheers!
- Aaron

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Rhode Island Public Radio and Friends of mvyradio work together to keep a popular community resource on the air in Newport on 96.5 FM

Newport, RI, February 14, 2013 — For nearly a decade, FM radio listeners in and around Newport have been able to hear mvyradio on 96.5 FM. mvyradio is a revered Martha's Vineyard institution with a quirky local, island-flavored music and information service that is well suited to listeners in the Newport and Narragansett Bay area.

The recent purchase of mvyradio’s broadcast outlet on 92.7 FM in Martha's Vineyard, left mvyradio to rely on its internet presence. Now, thanks to a successful fundraising campaign of over $600,000, the programming from WMVY will live on as an internet broadcast station. In an exciting new development – an agreement between Friends of mvyradio and Rhode Island Public Radio – residents and visitors in the greater Newport, RI area will continue to be able to hear mvyradio on 96.5 FM as well as on the internet.

This mildly complex arrangement keeps radio program diversity available in Narragansett Bay. First, Rhode Island Public Radio will continue to broadcast its regular local public radio programming from its Narragansett station on 102.7 FM. Second, with the miracle of digital HD Radio technology, Rhode Island Public Radio will add a second channel carrying mvyradio's programming from Martha’s Vineyard. Third, by acting as a relay, Rhode Island Public Radio enables the Newport station on 96.5 to continue to broadcast mvyradio to regular FM radios. Narragansett Bay listeners who don’t have a digital HD Radio receiver can continue to listen to mvyradio on the Newport 96.5 FM signal.

"Rhode Island Public Radio is delighted to assist mvyradio to keep its unique and quality music programming on-the-air on Aquidneck Island," says Joe O'Connor, GM of Rhode Island Public Radio.
"The passion and concern of our Newport listeners during the Save mvyradio campaign was very evident," said PJ Finn, mvyradio Program Director. “In just a few short years on 96.5, we have made a strong connection to Aquidneck Island, and are thrilled that this connection will remain strong."

David Maxson, the owner of the 96.5 station in Newport, said, "It has been an honor and a pleasure to offer mvyradio’s unparalleled programming to Aquidneck Island and Narragansett Bay area listeners for many years. I am thrilled to be part of the cooperative effort of Rhode Island Public Radio and mvyradio to maintain this public service that is cherished by many."

Rhode Island Public Radio is the NPR member station for Rhode Island. With studios & offices in Providence, RIPR transmits on 3 frequencies: WELH 88.1 FM for greater Providence, WRNI 102.7 FM for South County and Aquidneck Island, and WCVY 91.5 FM in Coventry. In addition to the best programs from NPR and other sources, Rhode Island Public Radio has a substantial news organization dedicated to covering important Rhode Island issues, including education, health care, arts, environment and local politics.

mvyradio is a pioneer of radio streaming making its programming available online starting in 1998. Streams are available in multiple formats, including WMA, MP3, and RealAudio, and it is a featured station on Apple's iTunes radio tuner service.

Contact:
PJ Finn, Program Director, mvyradio
[email protected]
508-693-5000

Joe O’Connor General Manager, Rhode Island Public Radio
[email protected]
401-351-6142

 

[stevensonair]

Sounds like a win for all involved. Glad MVY is staying on terrestrial radio, it's a great format and a great team.