Adventures in Retail

[notalent]

FYI, Many (a lot) of the Boston Receptor HD table top radios were given away by radio stations to clients, employees, and listeners. Where I work (one major market cluster, five HD stations) we "got" a few hundred of them! Still have a closet full even!

Its no surprise that some of these would show up in the "aftermarket." Chances are that the people selling them now did not pay $200 for a new radio and then decide to get rid of it.

 

[SUPERCASTER]

FYI, Many (a lot) of the Boston Receptor HD table top radios were given away by radio stations to clients, employees, and listeners. Where I work (one major market cluster, five HD stations) we "got" a few hundred of them! Still have a closet full even!

Its no surprise that some of these would show up in the "aftermarket." Chances are that the people selling them now did not pay $200 for a new radio and then decide to get rid of it.

It has often been claimed by HD supporters that once the public hears HD radio they'll love it. Apparently this is largely untrue, it seems that many listeners can't wait to get rid of their HD radios.
The appearance on e-bay, in second hand stores and elsewhere of large numbers of all models of HD radios proves the public is not impressed.
Your statement that some listeners may have gotten their HD radios for free, and instead of using them for listening has chosen to sell them, just further proves the point that even for free the public does not like or want HD radios. Perhaps with early adopters the initial excitement for HD radio is gone, and so their HD radios are going, too.
Your statment that you

Still have a closet full even!

implies that you can't even give HD radios away. Many, if not most people don't want them.
The BA Receptor you mentioned is now discontinued, and yet you "Still have a closet full even!" So do many retailers, electronics chain stores, and distributors.

 

[notalent]

The Boston Receptor HD was a piece of crap with little to no sensitivity. It is knows to have logic freeze and random motorboating. thats why nobody wants it. Oh and I see six (6) of them currently on Ebay... thats quite a large number!

Nice try though mr. superspinmeister.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

The Boston Receptor HD was a piece of crap with little to no sensitivity. It is knows to have logic freeze and random motorboating. thats why nobody wants it. Oh and I see six (6) of them currently on Ebay... thats quite a large number!

Nice try though mr. superspinmeister.

I just typed in "HD radio" into eBay to see what was going on. Not a lot of bids on a lot of the stuff. I might put in a $10 bid on something and see if I win. One thing is for sure - if HD goes under, there will be fanatics who will pay through the nose to get a radio so they can listen to the few stations that will support it.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

The Boston Receptor HD was a piece of crap with little to no sensitivity. It is knows to have logic freeze and random motorboating. thats why nobody wants it. Oh and I see six (6) of them currently on Ebay... thats quite a large number!

Nice try though mr. superspinmeister.

I just typed in "HD radio" into eBay to see what was going on. Not a lot of bids on a lot of the stuff. I might put in a $10 bid on something and see if I win. One thing is for sure - if HD goes under, there will be fanatics who will pay through the nose to get a radio so they can listen to the few stations that will support it.

 

[SUPERCASTER]

The Boston Receptor HD was a piece of crap with little to no sensitivity. It is knows to have logic freeze and random motorboating. thats why nobody wants it. Oh and I see six (6) of them currently on Ebay... thats quite a large number!

Nice try though mr. superspinmeister.

The spin is all yours.

Only months ago iBiquity, the HD cartel and HD supporters were widely proclaiming that the Boston Acoustics HD Receptor and similar HD radios were the best thing to happen to radio in decades and were the saviors of broadcasting. Now they are "a piece of crap with little to no sensitivity" and "It is knows (known?) to have logic freeze and random motorboating, thats why nobody wants it." What happened?
It seems radio's savior has turned into radio's worst nightmare.

As for the number of HD radios for sale on E-Bay, I just did a quick search and there are 135 listings, not 6.

As I said

The appearance on e-bay, in second hand stores and elsewhere of large numbers of all models of HD radios proves the public is not impressed.

Your spin.

 

[notalent]

you could get a job for ALGORE Superspin!

 

[MasterTheseus]

The BA was a very unfortunate product, and it does happen. It was the best radio at the time, but we have gotten smarter and are making it better.

And I can tell you from my experience, the level of returns we have were high for the table radio we make, but because it too had its deficiencies. Since we were made aware of them we have fixed and have not received a single return (exageration, we received 6 back because they didn't like the color) out of the several thousand we have sold since the change.

I have yet to see the Sangean radios end up on Ebay as a second hand, used item.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

The BA was a very unfortunate product, and it does happen. It was the best radio at the time, but we have gotten smarter and are making it better.

And I can tell you from my experience, the level of returns we have were high for the table radio we make, but because it too had its deficiencies. Since we were made aware of them we have fixed and have not received a single return (exageration, we received 6 back because they didn't like the color) out of the several thousand we have sold since the change.

I have yet to see the Sangean radios end up on Ebay as a second hand, used item.

I saw a couple - I think both were the component tuner. I'd have posted a bid, but no way I'd win the auction and get a bargain. Better to buy one new, hopefully they still have C-Quam decode on AM because we still have one in the DFW market. And I would be buying the 1-x for its ANALOG performance and adaptive IF, not for HD. I'll experiment with HD reception, but other reports from this market tell me I'd need a 10 element deep fringe yagi aimed directly at the towers, and even then chances are low I'd get HD reception. Of course, an antenna aimed in that direction will get every Waco, Austin, and San Antonio station not covered up by locals or IBOC hash. Interesting how easy it would be to get analog FM from 280 miles away vs. HD FM from 40 miles away.

 

[Len14043]

I'd need a 10 element deep fringe yagi aimed directly at the towers, and even then chances are low I'd get HD reception.

I own the Radiosophy Hd-100 and can receive every FM HD signal in my market (Cincinnati) without extending the whip antenna. With the whip extended, I can receive a few stations from Dayton. I can't see the DFW market as being significantly different.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

I'd need a 10 element deep fringe yagi aimed directly at the towers, and even then chances are low I'd get HD reception.

I own the Radiosophy Hd-100 and can receive every FM HD signal in my market (Cincinnati) without extending the whip antenna. With the whip extended, I can receive a few stations from Dayton. I can't see the DFW market as being significantly different.

My comments about DFW reception are based on two actual reports from HD radio owners on this board. They are having trouble as little as 12 miles from the towers. Big class C stations over flat terrain, too.

 

[Len14043]

I'd need a 10 element deep fringe yagi aimed directly at the towers, and even then chances are low I'd get HD reception.

I own the Radiosophy Hd-100 and can receive every FM HD signal in my market (Cincinnati) without extending the whip antenna. With the whip extended, I can receive a few stations from Dayton. I can't see the DFW market as being significantly different.

My comments about DFW reception are based on two actual reports from HD radio owners on this board. They are having trouble as little as 12 miles from the towers. Big class C stations over flat terrain, too.

I am curious about the brand of their radios. For HD to work, the radio must have good sensitivity and selectivity. Like another poster said, the FCC gave us lemons and the radio manufacturers must make lemonade. If the radio performs well in the analog mode, it should also do well in the digital mode. My HD-100 is al least as sensitive as my GE Super Radio and the selectivity is better. Perhaps a side benefit to HD radio is that better receivers will be built. If HD fails, my HD-100 will still be a great analog receiver.

 

[Boulder Engineer]

I've got a Kenwood EZ-500 receiver with their HR-100 HD adapter.

In analog mode, it's easily the best performing AM car radio that I've used, on par with the best of the old Delco car radios, something that absolutely amazed me. Great IF filters and a sensitive but overload-resistant front end. I can be parked almost under the tower of a local 10 KW station and there's no birdies, desense or intermod as I listen to other stations on the dial.

It doesn't have any problem receiving analog stations 2nd adjacent (20 KHz) to our local IBOC broadcasters, even fairly weak ones.

It's been a superb receiver for night time out-of-town reception.

I've been greatly disappointed with the AM car receivers of the last 10 years, the OEM receivers have been overall terrible and the replacements even worse, this Kenwood is fantastic.

 

[SUPERCASTER]

The BA was a very unfortunate product, and it does happen. It was the best radio at the time, but we have gotten smarter and are making it better.

And I can tell you from my experience, the level of returns we have were high for the table radio we make, but because it too had its deficiencies. Since we were made aware of them we have fixed and have not received a single return (exageration, we received 6 back because they didn't like the color) out of the several thousand we have sold since the change.

I have yet to see the Sangean radios end up on Ebay as a second hand, used item.

False and misleading. I expected more honesty from you, Master. Perhaps you just did not look or care to bother.
A broadcast engineering associate and close friend recently bought a Sangean HD table radio used from the e-bay site, for testing. It came from a dissatisfied California owner. Unfortunately my associate prefers to remain anonymous.

Many Sangean HD radios are available on eBay, new and used, they come and go as usual on e-Bay:
http://search.ebay.com/HD-radio-sangean_W0QQ_trksidZm37QQfromZR40

 

[SUPERCASTER]

An e-Bay listing from a dissatisfied Sangean HD owner:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Sangean-Model-HDR-1-Tabletop-HD-Radio_W0QQitemZ110159262926QQihZ001QQcategoryZ94902QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

He also said:

my local Radio Shack dealer told me they don't bother with HD radio here because the reception is not good

I note that Sangean is promoting their radios by claiming:

CD quality FM and FM quality AM and leads into an undiscovered world of hidden stations providing trend setting programming such as live concerts, in-depth interviews and new, undiscovered bands.

You're kidding, right?

 

[R.F. Burns]

An e-Bay listing from a dissatisfied Sangean HD owner:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Sangean-Model-HDR-1-Tabletop-HD-Radio_W0QQitemZ110159262926QQihZ001QQcategoryZ94902QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

He also said:

my local Radio Shack dealer told me they don't bother with HD radio here because the reception is not good

I note that Sangean is promoting their radios by claiming:

CD quality FM and FM quality AM and leads into an undiscovered world of hidden stations providing trend setting programming such as live concerts, in-depth interviews and new, undiscovered bands.

You're kidding, right?

Huh? WHat are you babbling about now? He never said the radio was lousy. He said that HD signals are weak at his location. Do you have any idea where Athol, Mass. is located? It's in what we in the big city call, the middle of nowhere. It's 35 - 40 miles from the closest HD facility (That is if they are running IBOC) and that is WTAG, at 5 KW in Worcester. Boston, where there are some HD station running is nearly 70 miles away. Here's what he actually said;

"(Sellers Notes: I purchased this product wholesale for my own use but found limited HD radio availability in my area (my local Radio Shack dealer told me they don't bother with HD radio here because the reception is not good) so I decided to give someone (preferably, a resident in a major city where there are plenty of HD stations) an opportunity to save some bucks."

That's hardly a condemnation of the entire technology. If we are going to base success on the quantity of an item put up for sale on E-Bay, we might as well call it a day. The entire planet is doomed. Hey, 26 days until the end arrives.

Sure glad I don't work at a small radio station. The end is near.

 

[clouseau]

An e-Bay listing from a dissatisfied Sangean HD owner:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Sangean-Model-HDR-1-Tabletop-HD-Radio_W0QQitemZ110159262926QQihZ001QQcategoryZ94902QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

He also said:

my local Radio Shack dealer told me they don't bother with HD radio here because the reception is not good

I note that Sangean is promoting their radios by claiming:

CD quality FM and FM quality AM and leads into an undiscovered world of hidden stations providing trend setting programming such as live concerts, in-depth interviews and new, undiscovered bands.

You're kidding, right?

Huh? WHat are you babbling about now? He never said the radio was lousy. He said that HD signals are weak at his location. Do you have any idea where Athol, Mass. is located? It's in what we in the big city call, the middle of nowhere. It's 35 - 40 miles from the closest HD facility (That is if they are running IBOC) and that is WTAG, at 5 KW in Worcester. Boston, where there are some HD station running is nearly 70 miles away. Here's what he actually said;

"(Sellers Notes: I purchased this product wholesale for my own use but found limited HD radio availability in my area (my local Radio Shack dealer told me they don't bother with HD radio here because the reception is not good) so I decided to give someone (preferably, a resident in a major city where there are plenty of HD stations) an opportunity to save some bucks."

That's hardly a condemnation of the entire technology. If we are going to base success on the quantity of an item put up for sale on E-Bay, we might as well call it a day. The entire planet is doomed. Hey, 26 days until the end arrives.

Sure glad I don't work at a small radio station. The end is near.

Well that's ok. You are picking on Soup. There are still 8 other HD radios for sale on Ebay by Sangean as of the time of this post. ALL OF THEM but this one ARE "New in box" by professional sellers with EBAY stores, though. Still, RF, you're going to need to cut ole' Soup here some slack. Accuracy is obviously not a priority and he's trying to make a point.

I notice on Ebay there are 3061 listings for "Clue". Maybe Soup ought to get one.

Clouseau

 

[SUPERCASTER]

So both of you are blaming the poor coverage HD radio has vs. analog as the problem, and that has nothing to do with faulty HD radio technology?

 

[clouseau]

So both of you are blaming the poor coverage HD radio has vs. analog as the problem, and that has nothing to do with faulty HD radio technology?

How can one sentence be so completely full of excrement?

1) I do not believe HD "HAS" poor coverage per se. It's my experience that HD travels to the edge of the licensed service area. If you have powerline buzz then you have signal problems. This exists now.

2) No this has nothing to do with "Faulty" HD radio technology because the technology is not faulty. It does what it was designed to do. Tin foil hat, cuckoo bird theories aside, it was developed by broadcasters, submitted to the regulating body and after fairly extensive testing was allowed as an experiment. After a lengthy experimental period , during which many of you folks proclaimed it was dead due to lack of mass adaptation, it is about to actually beocme the "Law of the land".

3) The guy on ebay lives where there are exactly 8 FM and 5 AM stations with service areas that cover Athol. I didn't see any of them listed on the "Find A Station" page at Ibiquity. That's not "Faulty Technology". That's "Faulty Availability".

As for WNYC-FM, Taking a Class "A" fm, putting it really high on a big building in the middle of a bunch of other big buildings, extending it's protection to 54 DB and calling it a "B" is goign to give you multipath issues. I would suspect this is a regualr occurance with a lot of the NYC FM's in Manhatten. Can anyone else confirm this?


Clouseau

 

[wkbam1690]

1) I do not believe HD "HAS" poor coverage per se. It's my experience that HD travels to the edge of the licensed service area.

You're saying that HD will be received ok (barring power line noise) to the 0.5 mv/m contour? That is the protected contour of the vast majority of AM stations (during the day, at least), which I would take to be the "licensed service area".