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BE-A series blues

S

stacker

Any fellow broadcasters here getting slammed by a 2nd or 3rd adjacent AM station running the BE-#A transmitter? BE-5A, 10A, etc. Those models seem to have problems staying within the mask, whether analog or digital. The problem may be related to a very high drive level from the exciter.

A third adjacent station in this market runs a 5A, runs IBOC, and my station is getting listener complaints within our city grade contour from those who are located within a few miles from the IBOC transmitter.

What is your experience?
 
Well, WYSL certainly doesn't run IBOC, but we have a BE 2.5A which we run at night (the daytime rig is a Nautel AMPFET-25 running 21kw into the common point and the lowest power reduction of which it's capable is 5kw.)

Our BE stays comfortably within the mask. In fact we just did our annual bandwidth and harmonics studies about 6 weeks ago. The AM-2.5A is eleven years old and has never had any occupied bandwidth issues.
 
Hold the phone - check that. It's not an 'A' series - just an AM-2.5. Sorry about that.

Are there significant differences between the original series and the "A's" in the exciter drive? Cosmetically the exciters look the same to me.
 
This tweaked my curiosity, and I happen to have a BE regional sales engineer who lives in our city, so I just called him. He advises that the 'A' series requires a simple modification to run HD - a resistor and cap change.
I wonder if the station that's tormenting you didn't bother to perform this modification.

Wouldn't surprise me in this era of "hell, just get the damn HD thing on the air" edicts from "corporate."

Sometimes I can't help but wonder if some engineers are sabotaging the HD. I haven't spoken to any reputable engineer who isn't in the tank for HD (for political or career reasons, certainly not engineering merit) who doesn't absolutely hate it.
 
Part of the licensing agreement from Ibiquity, includes a statement saying you will not say bad things about HD

Can't make that up..
 
Hold the phone - check that. It's not an 'A' series - just an AM-2.5. Sorry about that.
Click to expand...

I have a friend who takes care of a site with a 10 and a 10A. He reports that the 10 is much cleaner than the 10A. I consult a station with a 5A and it sounds great, but tends to produce "bonus" products at times.

Glad to hear you have a Nautel. I can't say enough good things about them. I've bought 4 of them with the most recent being an XR6. Solid rigs, great design and construction and the hardly ever break down.
 
Two words, dude: BLACK MARKET.

You can find just about anything and everything there, you know......
 
pocket-radio said:
Part of the licensing agreement from Ibiquity, includes a statement saying you will not say bad things about HD

Can't make that up..
Click to expand...

I just find it funny when I contacted WPRB 103.3 to complain about interference to WKTU 103.5 because of its IBUZ. Someone at WPRB said that WKTU's HD is " Clear Channel's way to drown out independent radio". Then they told me that an ethnic broadcaster paid for WPRB's HD transmitter, and now they are "even" with WKTU since both have HD and interfere with each other.
 
Nick said:
pocket-radio said:
Part of the licensing agreement from Ibiquity, includes a statement saying you will not say bad things about HD

Can't make that up..
Click to expand...

I just find it funny when I contacted WPRB 103.3 to complain about interference to WKTU 103.5 because of its IBUZ. Someone at WPRB said that WKTU's HD is " Clear Channel's way to drown out independent radio". Then they told me that an ethnic broadcaster paid for WPRB's HD transmitter, and now they are "even" with WKTU since both have HD and interfere with each other.
Click to expand...

China would be a good market for Strubies hash machine. Firedrake is even more annoying than IBOC.
 
Nick said:
I just find it funny when I contacted WPRB 103.3 to complain about interference to WKTU 103.5 because of its IBUZ. Someone at WPRB said that WKTU's HD is " Clear Channel's way to drown out independent radio". Then they told me that an ethnic broadcaster paid for WPRB's HD transmitter, and now they are "even" with WKTU since both have HD and interfere with each other.
Click to expand...

Can you say "Mutually Assured Destruction?"
 
Nick said:
pocket-radio said:
Part of the licensing agreement from Ibiquity, includes a statement saying you will not say bad things about HD

Can't make that up..
Click to expand...

I just find it funny when I contacted WPRB 103.3 to complain about interference to WKTU 103.5 because of its IBUZ. Someone at WPRB said that WKTU's HD is " Clear Channel's way to drown out independent radio". Then they told me that an ethnic broadcaster paid for WPRB's HD transmitter, and now they are "even" with WKTU since both have HD and interfere with each other.
Click to expand...

I appreciate when people are honest enough to tell the truth about HD radio interference.

I wonder what kind of transmitter WBBM AM is using in Chicago? It is spreading trash + and - 2 channels around 780, and nobody does anything about it. The FCC just looks the other way.
 
As far as the Commission is concerned as long as IBOC perpetrators can produce, on demand, a piece of paper purporting to show that their interference-spewing AM HD station "complies with The Mask," you're okey-dokey.

But if your ANALOG falls one peep outside your assigned channel, God help you. You actually have to re-prove this at intervals not to exceed 14 months.

Interference is interference - as long as it's digital. ::)
 
Give me a Nautel AM rig with the CQUAM option, and you have one damn nice sounding AM station (with proper audio processing of course). Forget about HD.

Up in Chatham Ontario, my Chrysler radio gives me great-sounding stereo AM on 630, but not as quite as nice on 92.9 simulcast - yep, the AM actually is better - in my ears' opinion!

Too bad WJR didn't flip their CQUAM back on after they turned the HD off.
 
JohnnyElectron said:
Give me a Nautel AM rig with the CQUAM option, and you have one damn nice sounding AM station (with proper audio processing of course). Forget about HD.

Up in Chatham Ontario, my Chrysler radio gives me great-sounding stereo AM on 630, but not as quite as nice on 92.9 simulcast - yep, the AM actually is better - in my ears' opinion!

Too bad WJR didn't flip their CQUAM back on after they turned the HD off.
Click to expand...

If you're talking about CFCO,they do sound nice in SW Michigan where they are listenable all day and often at night. Even pick them up here in the Chicago area at night occasionally.
 
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