2007 HD Radio Breakthrough year & power increase?

[johneb2johneb2]

Was 2007 really a breakthrough year? I think the FM level increase though would definitely help some reception issues, but some stations had better start addressing the programming aspect. Jukebox type programming can only go so far. I, for one, am glad that I now have the availability of a country music format on an HD-2 station, but after almost a year of jukebox type format of listening, it is starting to grow thin. I do not know if the jukebox type programming is the standard among most secondary HD stations across the country or not, or it is just the situation in my area in Long Island, NY

http://news.****************/cgi-bin/$rol.exe/headline_id=b10567


Johneb2, Johneb2

 

[Mike Walker]

It was certainly a breakthrough year for what I listen to mostly, public radio. Classical music returned to my area (Greensboro market) on an HD2. And there were several other interesting offerings from the Charlotte area (again, public station WFAE offering some very interesting programming on their HD2). WBT (AM) went HD. Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

I've started seeing HD radios in ALL the big national stores, and even gotten a couple to work properly on the showroom floor at Best Buy in Hickory NC. A local 3 kilowatter in a tiny town near here asked my opinion about going HD. The owner is rich, so "cost is no object". There's LOTS of movement, and I live in a rural area!

 

[wgliradio]

It seems the only people properly using multicasting channels are non coms. Good ideas for presenting alternative programming, rather than the ho-hum jukeboxes that the commercial outfits are offering.

 

[KB1OKL]

It was certainly a breakthrough year for what I listen to mostly, public radio. Classical music returned to my area (Greensboro market) on an HD2. And there were several other interesting offerings from the Charlotte area (again, public station WFAE offering some very interesting programming on their HD2). WBT (AM) went HD. Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

I've started seeing HD radios in ALL the big national stores, and even gotten a couple to work properly on the showroom floor at Best Buy in Hickory NC. A local 3 kilowatter in a tiny town near here asked my opinion about going HD. The owner is rich, so "cost is no object". There's LOTS of movement, and I live in a rural area!

Bib breakthrough year? We are still the only people that have heard of it although most of the blogs are having a great time trashing it, I think the blogs are the only ones who are profiting from IBOC. I have yet to see an HD receiver in any of my "big national stores" and I live about 10 minutes away from the second largest city in New England which has multiples of all the big chains like Circuit City and Rat Shack.

Incidentally: Friends don't recommend friends install HD. At least not if they want to keep them as friends, rich or not rich. What's he going to do when he's out $100,000 and he realizes you are the only person who listens to it and then starts to get complaints? (that is if you can receive it.)

And you certainly got that buzzzzz right with WBT going IBOC, that's why it's called IBUZ in certain circles.

 

[R.F. Burns]

Then you must live in an alternate universe. I see them all over the place and I live 30 minutes from the largest city in the country. Maybe that's the answer. Could it be that HD just hasn't made it to your area yet? I know there are places in the country where indoor plumbing has yet to arrive too. I saw the Sony HD radio in our local Best Buy. I was connected to an indoor antenna, and pluged into the wall and was able to easily decode al of our local HD stations.

 

[JohnnyElectron]

I rigged-up both antennae for the Sony HD tabletop now at our BestBuy, but I could only receive ONE of the EIGHT FM-HD stations in the store using the dipole, and 3 of those are 50KW in the COL! Tried in vain to orient the AM loop, but ZERO for THREE in the AM-HD department, so in-store isn't going to sell these tablestops very well.
I was able to get two of the FM-HDs in their auto stereo dept on their JVC and Dual models, but again, no AM.
At Radio Shack Accurian was Zero for Eleven.
At ABC Warehouse I was able to get 3 FM-HD to show-up on the JVC display - BUT - they had no audio to hear!!
CircuitCity auto stereo had the JVC only, and had audio, but no antenna, so they said, so no HD indications.

HD vs SatRad:
SatRad display at BestBuy was sabotaged (by NAB?) as audio connectors were destroyed, preventing audio amplification!
SatRAd display at Circuit City had most units working both reception-wise, and audio-wise. ABC Warehouse was mute too.
Target has removed SatRad.

That's my observations of the conditions in Northern Ohio.

 

[gumbyandpokie999]

Sirius and xm was sabotaged???? Hd radio was sabotaged from day one,for me to get to hear one I had to buy one on ebay.I like my sirius,but I couldnt get one darn store to show me a working HD radio.Jeez.

 

[staticradio]

Some stations are broadcasting their digital signals at 1% of their stated analog power. Some at 10%. So a 1000 watt signal may or may not come into a structure that is mainly metal and concrete.

My local Best Buy still has both working XM & Sirius displays.

More with HD Radio: With the Sony XDR-S3HD @ Best Buy I got one of 3 HD AM stations with the supplied loop, and 8 of the 13 FM stations broadcasting in HD.

 

[SUPERCASTER]

Some stations are broadcasting their digital signals at 1% of their stated analog power. Some at 10%. So a 1000 watt signal may or may not come into a structure that is mainly metal and concrete.

My local Best Buy still has both working XM & Sirius displays.

More with HD Radio: With the Sony XDR-S3HD @ Best Buy I got one of 3 HD AM stations with the supplied loop, and 8 of the 13 FM stations broadcasting in HD.

Please list which HD stations are broadcasting HD radio at 10% of their licensed analog power.

 

[Play Freebird]

Please list which HD stations are broadcasting HD radio at 10% of their licensed analog power.

Yes, I would like to see this "hearsay" story verified as well. Legally, a variance of that degree should be on the public record, authorized under either an FCC STA or experimental license.

 

[R.F. Burns]

Some stations are broadcasting their digital signals at 1% of their stated analog power. Some at 10%. So a 1000 watt signal may or may not come into a structure that is mainly metal and concrete.

My local Best Buy still has both working XM & Sirius displays.

More with HD Radio: With the Sony XDR-S3HD @ Best Buy I got one of 3 HD AM stations with the supplied loop, and 8 of the 13 FM stations broadcasting in HD.

Please list which HD stations are broadcasting HD radio at 10% of their licensed analog power.

Why don't you call the FCC and or Ibiquity. If you're that interested I'll bet a little effort on your end and I'm sure you'll get the answer your looking for.

 

[JohnnyElectron]

I read that the NAB is going to request a 10% power increase for FM-HD, but I don't think any stations have been permitted to use it other than an STA?
Obviously somebody DID try it somewhere as it is reported that there is a 'secret' NAB report that they're not publishing on the +10%FM-HD topic. Anybody know any more about this?

 

[SUPERCASTER]

Some stations are broadcasting their digital signals at 1% of their stated analog power. Some at 10%. So a 1000 watt signal may or may not come into a structure that is mainly metal and concrete.

My local Best Buy still has both working XM & Sirius displays.

More with HD Radio: With the Sony XDR-S3HD @ Best Buy I got one of 3 HD AM stations with the supplied loop, and 8 of the 13 FM stations broadcasting in HD.

Please list which HD stations are broadcasting HD radio at 10% of their licensed analog power.

Why don't you call the FCC and or Ibiquity. If you're that interested I'll bet a little effort on your end and I'm sure you'll get the answer your looking for.

The FCC and iBiquity seem to be mute on the topic of stations broadcasting HD radio with 10% of their authorized analog power. We'll see what they have to say about it.

 

[Chuck]

I read that the NAB is going to request a 10% power increase for FM-HD, but I don't think any stations have been permitted to use it other than an STA?
Obviously somebody DID try it somewhere as it is reported that there is a 'secret' NAB report that they're not publishing on the +10%FM-HD topic. Anybody know any more about this?

I can't help but wonder how this will go over with station management. It wasn’t that long ago they shelled out a lot of money to rebuild their plants to install HD. Of course the promise was “CD Quality” and multicasting opportunities. Now they are discovering that it doesn’t work as well as promised. Let’s be honest, if it really did work as advertised, nobody would be asking for a 10 db power increase.

The problem is, I doubt that very many of the existing HD transmitter installations have enough headroom to support a 10 db increase in digital power. If this is so, it means purchasing new equipment to replace what was recently changed out. From a tax point of view, the lower power digital equipment will not be fully depreciated by the time you'd need to replace it. That should go over well with the bean counters.

I'm sure big major market stations can afford to just throw stuff out, but most midsize and small broadcasters will be a lot more reluctant to do so. I'd hate to be the engineer who is faced with walking into the GM's office to tell him that a lot of that stuff they brought last year needs replacing or upgrading. They’ll probably take it out on the engineer. That’s the way it usually works, but thee old adage "Don't shoot the messenger," comes to mind.

 

[RichWood]

Was 2007 really a breakthrough year? I think the FM level increase though would definitely help some reception issues, but some stations had better start addressing the programming aspect. Jukebox type programming can only go so far.

Get used to it. Sales of receivers are very slow. Only a few stations are foolish enough to program with live people to 8 listeners. With the largest companies firing battalions of people don't expect them to hire a staff for a secondary channel.

Rich