AM HD TURNOFF PACE ACCELERATES

[davideduardo]

With DSP chips on AM, they could decode all AM stereo formats, provide noise-blanking, eliminate platform motion, and have variable bandwidth based on signal quality! I'm all for it. We just need a "Mr. Kirby" sitting at his Texas Instruments lab on a holiday working on encoding the chip!

With all the dialog on this subject, it's interesting that nobody has mentioned that stand-alone radios are not a particularly hot selling item. Radios are part of something else now... a smartphone dock, some MP3 player, cars, etc.

It would take decades to replace the existing radios in the US. For example, the average age of a car is nearly 9 years, meaning it would take nearly a decade to replace just half the car radios out there.

But beyond that is the fact that in 10 or 20 years it's unlikely that terrestrial broadcasting will depend on AM or FM signals much. And with the average Top 100 market having less than 2 viable full coverage signals, the incentive to look for a radio with "better" AM reception is not there... the window of opportunity for AM stereo closed in 1980 or thereabouts.

 

[L. DeForest]

Radio Will always be around - at least during yours and my lifetime. It'll never have the market share it once had...... but so what? People still use it. When you tune the dial anywhere in the U.S. it's full of stations. That's just a fact. And they all run on money that somehow keeps coming in. The excuse that radio needs a new transmission method to make it successful is perpetuated by those who push the technology or geeky dudes that would move on anyway when they got bored. And that pertains to about 80% of the public. Cell phone companies prey on that type. I don't care about them and you shouldn't either.

 

[L. DeForest]

And another thing while I'm on a roll. IBiquity digital is a 2nd rate, predatory technology and there never was any significant demand. After eight years or so there's still no following as we clearly and painfully see (even when people know and understand what it is - the heavy advertising isn't working). It's forced ---- and that will eventually kill it. At least in its present form and haphazard implementation. The only thing that will save it is legislation (a legal mandate) and that doesn't appear to be happening, thank God. Trends show just the opposite. Word events are showing that things like analog radio fill in a real need. Digitized things are too easily infiltrated by governments and other malevolent forces. Giving up analog radio to slime-ball entities like iBiquity is foolish. The best thing any one of us can do (those of us that know what's happening and care) is keep the opposition up.

 

[badjef]

With DSP chips on AM, they could decode all AM stereo formats, provide noise-blanking, eliminate platform motion, and have variable bandwidth based on signal quality! I'm all for it. We just need a "Mr. Kirby" sitting at his Texas Instruments lab on a holiday working on encoding the chip!

With all the dialog on this subject, it's interesting that nobody has mentioned that stand-alone radios are not a particularly hot selling item. Radios are part of something else now... a smartphone dock, some MP3 player, cars, etc.

It would take decades to replace the existing radios in the US. For example, the average age of a car is nearly 9 years, meaning it would take nearly a decade to replace just half the car radios out there.

But beyond that is the fact that in 10 or 20 years it's unlikely that terrestrial broadcasting will depend on AM or FM signals much. And with the average Top 100 market having less than 2 viable full coverage signals, the incentive to look for a radio with "better" AM reception is not there... the window of opportunity for AM stereo closed in 1980 or thereabouts.

It's all in the marketing with a technology that works and easy to use at the consumer level.

"What is old is new again to a generation unaware of history." - me.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!

 

[Tom Wells]

With DSP chips on AM, they could decode all AM stereo formats, provide noise-blanking, eliminate platform motion, and have variable bandwidth based on signal quality! I'm all for it. We just need a "Mr. Kirby" sitting at his Texas Instruments lab on a holiday working on encoding the chip!

Give ME this job, somebody! I will work tirelessly (sp?) and immediately for ANYONE who will pay for this advancement!

I have a great 60 hz hum cancelling active notch filer to show off first, a 1981 "school project" that is prety darn
jaw dropping, to this day. Imagine a button that says "Kill 60 hz Hum but keep all Bass".



sidelight:
Just got home from the final show of a "digging deep in the 45s " Sat/Sun mornings show I have been listening to for about a year and
a half. Finally stopped in and met a brother in music and radio. 3 weeks later his great show of now 16 yrs is over, becaue the new
manager is under the gun to monetize every last hour of the ethnic day. The audiio was great until tuesday of this last week, until
the new GM got his digits into the processing. Now there's clicking mild glitching triggered by low bass. First it sounded like a funky ethinc feed, but NO, it's on everything, even studio mike, in normal word space dead air. Good job, new guy. He can't even hear the signal where he lives so he can't even possibly know how bad it sounds for the past 3-4 days. But how could he not hear it in the parking lot in front of station itself? ???

AM 670 is back to *issing all over their 4 nearest neighbors, no more studio ambience with Eddie Stubbs. :-[

 

[Carmine5]

And another thing while I'm on a roll. IBiquity digital is a 2nd rate, predatory technology and there never was any significant demand. After eight years or so there's still no following as we clearly and painfully see (even when people know and understand what it is - the heavy advertising isn't working). It's forced ---- and that will eventually kill it. At least in its present form and haphazard implementation. The only thing that will save it is legislation (a legal mandate) and that doesn't appear to be happening, thank God.

One of the most odious aspect of HD Radio is Ibiquity's license scheme for broadcasters which has turned into a kind of parasitic annuity for the company. A station first needs to pony up 25K just for the "privilege" of broadcasting HDR, equipment extra (although Ibiquity is currently offering a fire sale of 11-13K for stations that either pay cash or pay up quickly). Thereafter there is a maintenance fee for upgrades and fees on revenue generated from side-channels (3% or $1000.00 whichever is higher). No wonder more stations stay away from HDR then convert to it.

By contrast, for DTV there are no ATSC license fees to broadcasters nor are there fees for revenue generated from sub-channels. Instead, equipment manufacturers become members of the ATSC and pay to license certain parts of the ATSC standard which are then passed on to stations when exciters, encoders and other equipment are sold. No messy contracts and no one demands to see your books.

 

[Link]

But I suspect the original broadcast investors in ibuiquity may not pay those licensing fees. So the biggest hash generators just keep on going. Except every so often they have to get a new license code, so the hash stops for a few days. Then starts again.

 

[KB1OKL]

But I suspect the original broadcast investors in ibuiquity may not pay those licensing fees. So the biggest hash generators just keep on going. Except every so often they have to get a new license code, so the hash stops for a few days. Then starts again.

And for nothing.

 

[JohnnyElectron]

Let me guess, KDKA, WFAN, WOR, WLW, KMOX and WBZ are probably paying NOTHING for HD in the way of royalty fees, which would explain their unabided alleigiance to the BuzzBombs known has AM-HD. It would appear that ABC radio (and successors) didn't get a 'free ride' from iBiquity, which would explain why they've shut their HD noisebuckets off on their clear channel stations for the most part.

 

[Casey]

600 WMT has turned off HD Radio entirely for the last several days. No idea if it is permanent. The station previously had broadcast in HD both day and night. This was the only Clear Channel Communications station broadcasting in HD in the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City market.

 

[RadioFixerCLE]

WNYC-AM 82 in New York City seems to have turned off their IBOC signal (it wasn't on when I checked today). As it was, they were only broadcasting IBOC during the day (at 10,000 watts). When the station shifted to night (1,000 watts), the HD would also go off.

It may be temporary. We'll see what happens next week.

 

[badjef]

With a software defined radio, I suppose it can be anything we want. It would certainly help stations out that wanted to put in other systems, but since the FCC finally said C-QUAM was official I don't think the others could be put back on.

Anybody know if there is a way to add these features to a "software defined radio"?

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!

 

[satech]

WNYC-AM 82 in New York City seems to have turned off their IBOC signal (it wasn't on when I checked today). As it was, they were only broadcasting IBOC during the day (at 10,000 watts). When the station shifted to night (1,000 watts), the HD would also go off.

It may be temporary. We'll see what happens next week.

820 WNYC's IBOC has been off for a few months now. I think they've increased their audio back to full NRSC bandwidth too, but they are still WAY over-boosting the midrange, giving their audio a very tiring, overbearing sound.

 

[Savage]

Barry McLarnon's site has WNYC off 24-7 effective November 2010.

I think it's safe to say: if the HD exciter isn't already relegated to the "elephant's graveyard" of parts-donor equipment amidst the retired cart machines, outdated computers and rotary-dial phones, it will be as soon as the contract with iBiquity expires.

http:/topazdesigns.com/iboc/station-list.html

 

[RadioFixerCLE]

WNYC-FM, however, still has their HD on. HD-1 is WNYC-FM. HD-2 is // 105,9 FM. HD-3 is // WNYC-AM -- which nowadays // WNYC FM most of the day and all night.

What a waste of a station.... They were so much better before Sept. 2001 (FM was mostly music and AM was talk -- with a few hours of simulcast in morning and drivetimes for news blocks). :

 

[tomservo]

With a software defined radio, I suppose it can be anything we want. It would certainly help stations out that wanted to put in other systems, but since the FCC finally said C-QUAM was official I don't think the others could be put back on.

Anybody know if there is a way to add these features to a "software defined radio"?

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!

I can only go on what I was told specifically about VW OEM radios from m/y 2000 and up with the LCD screens (not color LED nav), and that is the C-QUAM stereo function is supposedly allegedly reportedly encoded already, just turned off by software switch. I've never heard of anyone getting it turned on or of the manufacturer acknowledging the existence of such a feature, though.

 

[badjef]

With a software defined radio, I suppose it can be anything we want. It would certainly help stations out that wanted to put in other systems, but since the FCC finally said C-QUAM was official I don't think the others could be put back on.

Anybody know if there is a way to add these features to a "software defined radio"?

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!

I can only go on what I was told specifically about VW OEM radios from m/y 2000 and up with the LCD screens (not color LED nav), and that is the C-QUAM stereo function is supposedly allegedly reportedly encoded already, just turned off by software switch. I've never heard of anyone getting it turned on or of the manufacturer acknowledging the existence of such a feature, though.

I have a 2010 Chrysler T&C with the media center. It appears as though it can be modified since it is a software based receiver. I would think it can be programmed to decode anything just by being told what to look for. Whether that be iBoc, c-Quam, Kahn, or anything else we use for the transmission of information.

The days of single adopted mode receivers is over.

With all the other forms of entertainment available, debating which system is better is akin to fighting in a burning building.

Throw it all out there from the transmitter and offer a download to the radio so it knows what to look for and the arguments are over.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!

 

[Savage]

"And then....it was 232." McLarnon now reports WTAM Cleveland, 50kw news-talker, is IBOC-free 24-7.

www.topazdesigns.com/iboc/station-list.html

 

[Tom Wells]

Meanwhile in Chicago, Disney AM 1300 has dropped the hash for a while, at least.

 

[badjef]

With a software defined radio, I suppose it can be anything we want. It would certainly help stations out that wanted to put in other systems, but since the FCC finally said C-QUAM was official I don't think the others could be put back on.

Anybody know if there is a way to add these features to a "software defined radio"?

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!

I can only go on what I was told specifically about VW OEM radios from m/y 2000 and up with the LCD screens (not color LED nav), and that is the C-QUAM stereo function is supposedly allegedly reportedly encoded already, just turned off by software switch. I've never heard of anyone getting it turned on or of the manufacturer acknowledging the existence of such a feature, though.

How would I go about turning it on and add the additional features?

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!