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Bob Struble's New Column

Carmine5 said:
I was just reading on Bob's "Stop IBOC" site about the various AM station groups that installed HD Radio only to shut it down because of interference.

It got me wondering if there is some way to simulate or model potential IBOC interference in a specific region before a station or station group invests in HD Radio.

I know I would be livid if I had to shut down a system I had just paid six figures for (not counting any preparation costs before installing it) because of interference issues.

C5
Click to expand...

It's not really rocket science. For example, about a year ago (a month before nighttime AM IBOC debuted), I posted a note on one of the broadcast-related mailing lists, predicting that Citadel/ABC was about to have some major interference problems between WJR-760 and WABC-770. See http://www.broadcast.net/pipermail/radio-tech/2007-August/181673.html. It's hard to believe that they hadn't done a similar simple analysis themselves, but I guess they had to learn it the hard way. It took only a couple of weeks of night operation for it to sink in, and then they shut it off on all their stations.

I did a piece for Radio World last December that briefly explained the interference prediction methodology. They unfortunately chose not to publish it online, but you can still find it in the digital edition of the mag (see p. 5):
http://mag1.olivesoftware.com/activemagazine/welcome/RWM/RWM_Dec05-2007.asp

Some further info can be found at http://topazdesigns.com/iboc/Interference-Calc.html.
 
ve3jf said:
Carmine5 said:
I was just reading on Bob's "Stop IBOC" site about the various AM station groups that installed HD Radio only to shut it down because of interference.

It got me wondering if there is some way to simulate or model potential IBOC interference in a specific region before a station or station group invests in HD Radio.

I know I would be livid if I had to shut down a system I had just paid six figures for (not counting any preparation costs before installing it) because of interference issues.

C5
Click to expand...

It's not really rocket science. For example, about a year ago (a month before nighttime AM IBOC debuted), I posted a note on one of the broadcast-related mailing lists, predicting that Citadel/ABC was about to have some major interference problems between WJR-760 and WABC-770. See http://www.broadcast.net/pipermail/radio-tech/2007-August/181673.html. It's hard to believe that they hadn't done a similar simple analysis themselves, but I guess they had to learn it the hard way. It took only a couple of weeks of night operation for it to sink in, and then they shut it off on all their stations.

I did a piece for Radio World last December that briefly explained the interference prediction methodology. They unfortunately chose not to publish it online, but you can still find it in the digital edition of the mag (see p. 5):
http://mag1.olivesoftware.com/activemagazine/welcome/RWM/RWM_Dec05-2007.asp

Some further info can be found at http://topazdesigns.com/iboc/Interference-Calc.html.
Click to expand...

Excellent research, Mr. McLarnon.

My idea was to create an app, even a web-based app, that would calculate the results for any station in No. America similar to what you published for the Canadian stations.

A station would type in the tower coordinates, signal pattern in degrees, ERP (day and/or night for AM) and the results would show what, if any, station(s)running (or potentially running) HD Radio would be causing interference to any other station's protected contour.

It could be used in determining if HD Radio is feasible for a particular station or could be used to prove interference by a station filing a complaint.

Anyway, it was just a thought.

C5
 
Carmine5 said:
Excellent research, Mr. McLarnon.

My idea was to create an app, even a web-based app, that would calculate the results for any station in No. America similar to what you published for the Canadian stations.

A station would type in the tower coordinates, signal pattern in degrees, ERP (day and/or night for AM) and the results would show what, if any, station(s)running (or potentially running) HD Radio would be causing interference to any other station's protected contour.

It could be used in determining if HD Radio is feasible for a particular station or could be used to prove interference by a station filing a complaint.

Anyway, it was just a thought.

C5
Click to expand...

Indeed, I think it would be relatively easy to add this capability to one of the commercial software packages used for doing AM studies. The market leader in this area is probably V-Soft, with their AM-Pro package... I just had a quick look at their web pages, but saw no mention of IBOC or HD. Perhaps they decided it wasn't worth the effort, since AM IBOC has been a notable failure thus far. Besides which, if a U.S. AM broadcaster wants to run it, they can go ahead and do so without any regard to the amount of interference they may cause, since any interference complaints will fall on deaf ears. Causing interference to co-owned stations, of course, is an interesting special case!
 
Here's Bob's latest column:

http://www.ibiquity.com/about_us/message

A couple of highlights:

"We must be realistic here. The thought that online broadcasting could replace broadcasters’ over the air business is a pipe dream...Technically, these point-to-point networks won’t have the streaming capacity to support anything close to what point-to-multipoint AM/FM does. Commuters listening to audio streams in any major market would literally shut the networks down."

He's right--for now. But we all know that Wi-Fi (and similar) technology is a moving target. What's true this year or this month, won't be the next.

However he does hint at some possible future uses for HD Radio that will be much more expanded:

"..mobile commerce are all launching or being worked on. With addressable radios, we can over time pursue one-to-one ad models, boosting CPM. And like cable, there will be new services we haven’t even thought of yet."

Sounds like another generation of HD Radio is in the works. "It's (almost) time to upgrade."

C5
 
Why not? The first generation didn't work. And just think about the giant untapped market of millions of underutilized HD Radios out there. ::) They're waiting for the next successful iteration of HD!

WHAT are they smoking?? It must be far better than anything us 60s kids ever experienced.
 
Sounds like oxygen deprivation to me, they must be huffing, not smoking.
 
Savage said:
Why not? The first generation didn't work. And just think about the giant untapped market of millions of underutilized HD Radios out there. ::) They're waiting for the next successful iteration of HD!

WHAT are they smoking?? It must be far better than anything us 60s kids ever experienced.
Click to expand...

"I just bought this !@#$% radio and now you're telling I gotta buy another one?!" Maybe these new services will retroactively work with existing HD Radios. That hasn't happened so far (think HD2/3 and conditional access).

It would be nice if, instead of dreaming up new things for HD Radio to do, they would just fix its current problems.

C5
 
It's an end-game desperation move. Look at how receiver sales have all but stopped, station installations have all but stopped, a frantic push to increase FM digital power tenfold is stalling at the FCC, and just about anyone in radio whose IQ exceeds that of a stalk of celery is sagely concluding: "H-D means Wait And See."

Even HD's most ardently myopic supporters have all but abandoned even this formerly HD-friendly venue.

Strew-Bull better have a Plan B for when lenders and investors demand, what are you doing about how your system is stiffing in the marketplace? It's iBiquity's version of Vietnam-era "let's declare victory and go home." Broadcast HD is a massive flop? "Not to worry, folks, we've got mobile-addressable-data distributing....and.....uhhhh.....yeah, THINGS WE HAVEN'T EVEN THOUGHT OF YET!!"

(Like skid-loading thousands of Accurians and Receptors in big blocks to be used as ballast in cargo ships, or maybe using them for fill in concrete dams, causeways, etc. THOSE would be appropriate future uses for HD Radio.)
 
Savage said:
It's an end-game desperation move.
Click to expand...

What's your point? None of what you say solves your problem or gets you back any money. When I read these posts, I wonder who sounds more desperate: You or them. You both sound about the same, each wishing for the other to die. And then you lash out at any casual observer who points out the fruitlessness of the situation.
 
TheBigA said:
Savage said:
It's an end-game desperation move.
Click to expand...

What's your point? None of what you say solves your problem or gets you back any money. When I read these posts, I wonder who sounds more desperate: You or them. You both sound about the same, each wishing for the other to die. And then you lash out at any casual observer who points out the fruitlessness of the situation.
Click to expand...

BigA Did you flunk debating class in school? This is not a good place to practice.
 
KB1OKL said:
BigA Did you flunk debating class in school? This is not a good place to practice.
Click to expand...

I'm not debating. I'm commenting, which is what these boards are for.

As for flunking, you're in no position to criticize.
 
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