AM sledgehammer: 10X Power Increase Nationwide

[rrsounds]

Things like WiMax and Wifi are interesting fun toys for geeks and hobbyists but they will never, in our lifetimes, become a mass communication media such as radio and TV have been. I will never ever buy an I-pod though I do use portable pocket sized equipment, especially AM-FM and weather radio receivers. I use the internet extensively at home and rarely on my laptop away from home. I never text or tweet and I got a cell phone only because there are no public pay phones like there used to be. I hated way back when that I had to have a pager, anyone remember those?, because I felt tied to the world and there are times when I need to shut it out.

I suggest you print this out and put it in a place where you can read it ten years from now, to see how much society agreed (or not) with your assessment of media use.

Kind Regards,
David

 

[bossbill]

When I was working at KOL in Seattle years ago I made the rather bold statement that FM would never take hold in Seattle because of the terrain. Oops!

A few years earlier, I was working in Pasco, and there was a spot on the vinyl floor which was where the "FM" had been. Yup, they had turned off the FM and turned in the license.

Wireless broadband is not a flash in the pan. Older technology is not dead, but the options for the consumer keep increasing. I share the view of many that internet radios in the car will eventualy become the norm. The trick for terrestrial broadcasters is to figure out how to remain a player.

 

[kenglish]

Somehow, while reading this thread, the following flashed in to my mind:

"Today's Broadband is tomorrow's antiquated technology!'

So, why are we SELLING something as valuable as the SPECTRUM to them? Will that keep THEM in business beyond their natural lifespan? Maybe broadcasters should have BOUGHT their spectrum, and squatted on it forever? Is it too late ;D ?

 

[davideduardo]

Things like WiMax and Wifi are interesting fun toys for geeks and hobbyists but they will never, in our lifetimes, become a mass communication media such as radio and TV have been.

When Pandora has something like 40 million subscribers. Something close to half the adult population listens to streaming audio in some form. As more and more portable devices can receive streaming reliably, the less they will listen to AM and FM. If radio stations realize they have to provide content via all possible distribution channels, they will have a chance.

I will never ever buy an I-pod though I do use portable pocket sized equipment, especially AM-FM and weather radio receivers.

The iPod and other less frequently mentioned players are near-ubiquitous and the delivery of music by iTunes and such has caused nearly all retail record stores save a few collectors haunts and small departments at WalMart to disappear.

I use the internet extensively at home and rarely on my laptop away from home. I never text or tweet and I got a cell phone only because there are no public pay phones like there used to be.

25% of Americans are cell-phone only now. I have a landline for an alarm, but have been CPO for nearly a decade... and in cell phone ownership I am like the vast majority who have them. The convenience of texting is enormous... it is not invasive like a phone call and perfect for short messages.

All this stuff makes things better... I can sit at the gate at the airport and watch a show from my home digital recorder if I want, and I am not tied to schedules... one example of how this stuff makes life easier.

I hated way back when that I had to have a pager, anyone remember those?, because I felt tied to the world and there are times when I need to shut it out.

When I used to do transmitter maintenance after midnight, and would need something and had to wait till dawn to drive an hour back down the hill, I would have given anything for a cell phone. And when, every 10 minutes, in every movie or concert or show, I had to turn on my transistor radio and check 4 AM frequecies and 6 FM ones (and leave if one was off) I would have given a used transmitter for a pager.
[/quote]

 

[nmoore6676]

Things like WiMax and Wifi are interesting fun toys for geeks and hobbyists but they will never, in our lifetimes, become a mass communication media such as radio and TV have been.

When Pandora has something like 40 million subscribers. Something close to half the adult population listens to streaming audio in some form. As more and more portable devices can receive streaming reliably, the less they will listen to AM and FM. If radio stations realize they have to provide content via all possible distribution channels, they will have a chance.

I have said that I do listen to streaming, and I am considering an internet radio. However when I am out and in a car or walking I want to tune to a LOCAL station, especially if there are severe weather conditions which happen here in Iowa. A streaming station from Cleveland would be useless, so lets not kill off broadcast radio for all the new super peachy keen whiz bang gadgets.

Radio broadcasters, especially those with distinct programming will benefit from streaming, however hundreds of stations streaming Rush Limbaugh or George Noory is not distinct nor very special.

Quote
I will never ever buy an I-pod though I do use portable pocket sized equipment, especially AM-FM and weather radio receivers.

The iPod and other less frequently mentioned players are near-ubiquitous and the delivery of music by iTunes and such has caused nearly all retail record stores save a few collectors haunts and small departments at WalMart to disappear.

I buy music on CDs and copy them to portable devices but I prefer to own the original and to be able to restore my music which I paid for to my portable player if it fails, is lost or stolen.

Quote
I use the internet extensively at home and rarely on my laptop away from home. I never text or tweet and I got a cell phone only because there are no public pay phones like there used to be.

25% of Americans are cell-phone only now. I have a landline for an alarm, but have been CPO for nearly a decade... and in cell phone ownership I am like the vast majority who have them. The convenience of texting is enormous... it is not invasive like a phone call and perfect for short messages.

All this stuff makes things better... I can sit at the gate at the airport and watch a show from my home digital recorder if I want, and I am not tied to schedules... one example of how this stuff makes life easier.

I can say it faster than I can type it. I am now Cell Phone Only because I don't need a landline. My cell phone works perfectly here which id did not in LA. Out there my cell phone when I was at my home was just a paper weight, getting no signal or at best an unreliable signal. I never said I didn't like my cell phone I just use it how it makes sense to me. And it does work better than being paged then having to find a phone so we are mostly on the same page here and we'll both use our cell phones however it works best for us.

Nothing that pops into my mind is so important that I feel compelled to tweet it to all of my contacts though.


My main point where we seem to disagree is that we, the collective we not the royal one, should not kill off terrestrial conventional broadcasting in favor of new gadgets which like my old pager will likely be obsolete in a year or two. Radios have been around for almost a hundred years now and they should survive for another hundred if the industry manages themselves prudently.

 

[Carmine5]

Looks as if the FCC has denied Mr. Arsenault's request for rulemaking on an AM station power increase.

In essence the Commish is saying that they've done all they could do to improve the fortunes of the band and a power increase would only make things worse for AM stations.

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-10-973A1.pdf

C5

 

[Tom Wells]

Here is the vital untruth in the FCC's denial.

We adopted revised AM technical standards, which were designed,
over time, to reduce interference in a station’s primary coverage area, and we allowed migration of many of
the highest AM interferers to an expanded AM band, which reduced existing interference and station
congestion.

Adoptng standards that ONLY apply (or are enforced) upon the RADIO industry does NOTHING.
With authority to regulate unintentional raditing devices via part 15 laws, they have not regulated any of them.
I remain in awe of their abrogation of duty and lack concern for their own published laws.
The silence of the NAB on this matter is also very hard to understand.

 

[boiseengineer]

The FCC has already allowed greater than 10X power increases. All those former "regional" stations that are now "Class B" and have gone up to 50 KW. Great for the 50 KW but hell for the co-channel 5 KW or less that gets hammered around sunrise and sunset.

 

[kd8hho]

Ahh, yes, one of the major reasons I drive cars from 1965 to 1972.
I can be sitting at a light, and cars in the next lane over are making enough noise to get into my AM radio.
At one time, it was only motorcycles and hot rods with solid metal core wires that made such interference.
If I can't hear AM next to such a vehicle, how could there be a chance in that vehicle?

Just another example of the FCC dropping the ball. None of the modern automotive control systems comply with part 15 regulations.

thats it right there. so much "junk" that just dose not comply. i remember long ago on my HF rig, i had little to no noise, now its S6+ noise 24/7 AM band forget about it, might catch a occasional strong AM station but hell stations i could pick up years ago are gone in the noise today

 

[kenglish]

I got home from work last Monday and turned on the radio. Nothing but a huge "buzz-saw" of hash from about 800 KHz to up above 6 MHz, with similar islands of buzzing throughout the whole shortwave band. On a hunch, I went out to the dumpster and found an (almost) empty box from an Insignia 42-inch Plasma TV.

Looks like/sounds like one of my neighbors has a new set, and now my radio reception is toast. I've checked the radio numerous times since then, and the noise is there 24/7, so it's not just the screen...unless they just keep it turned on all the time.

I said "(almost) empty box" because all that was left inside was the instruction manual (unopened), the child-safety straps (unopened), and the ferrite that goes on the power cord to help alleviate RFI (also, unopened).

Maybe the FCC could (at least) require that any accessories like the ferrite core, that are needed to make the product meet Part 15 standards, should be PERMANENTLY attached...not some mysterious doo-hickie in a separate plastic bag.

Of course, if the people in that apartment ever DID listen to AM radio, they probably stopped listening last Monday, and are oblivious to the fact that THEIR TV made it unusable for everybody in the building. That's where a little "education" might help.

 

[HadYourPhil]

That FCC response quoted above is astonishing. Most of the stations the expanded band "migration" was supposed to help are still on the air. So much for the five-year rule. And the total lack of Part 15 enforcement is also astonishing.
Wonder under what rock the person who wrote that lives?

 

[Play Freebird]

Oh, the FCC does enforce Part 15, but only the rule governing ground lead length on 100 mW transmitters operated by hobbyists. Meanwhile, the electric utilities with noisy lines get a free pass to radiate hash all over the band.

 

[HadYourPhil]

Yep. Selective enforcement.

 

[OKCRadioGuy]

Yup. It's all about the haves and the have-nots... If you're a utility or especially a cell carrier, you walk on water and can do no wrong. If you're a nasty 'ol broadcaster, you cannot do anything right. If you're a "pirate" part 15 or whatever, then we all should be happy to be able to produce enough signal to almost make it across the room. Logical? Hell no. Welcome to today's FCC, where NOOO sense makes sense (to them).