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Boston's AM HD

"Luck" is what you'd need. AM didn't already have enough problems, apparently, so it took on one more...namely, HD.

When the HD carriers aren't being disrupted by atmospheric noise, fading, LED traffic signals, unfiltered PC power supplies, etc., etc., etc., you might have a shot...a long one.
 
ThatGuyOnTheRadio said:
What is the signal like?

Could one in Southern NH have luck nabbing any of the HD signals?
Click to expand...

There are currently three Boston area AM stations broadcasting in HD. WBZ 1030, WMKI 1260, and WKOX 1430.

I'd guess that if you have a good AM HD receiver with an antenna, and you're in open, unobstructed terrain, not inside a concrete building, and not near any sources of electrical or RF interference, you could have a fair chance of receiving 50kw WBZ in HD in southern NH.

5kw stations WMKI and WKOX (which goes to 1kw directional at night) would not make it to southern NH in HD under any circumstances, and you may not be able to get WMKI at all due to first adjacent 1250 WGAM in Manchester, except perhaps either right along the coast, or well inland toward the Monadnocks in the 1250 null.
 
ThatGuyOnTheRadio said:
What is the signal like?
Could one in Southern NH have luck nabbing any of the HD signals?
Click to expand...

As Eli said, there are only 3 in Boston....and 2 of them have crappy signals to begin with.

WBZ (1030) should come in day and night....and sounds great in HD!
(Sounds like they are in the same room!)

WNNW (800) is 3KW from Andover Mass...and might give you a good idea of what music can sound like on AM HD. (Although it's in Spanish) ;-) Nighttime coverage may depend on exactly where you are in So. NH.)

Depending on what side of So. NH you are....Keene has one AM HD and Portsmouth has a couple of AM HD's.
 
The HDradio.com site has a "find a station" tool that is known to be somewhat flawed but it's a starting place. According to it, in NH there's WZBK 1220 in Keene, WMYF 1380 in Portsmouth, WGIN 930 in Portsmouth, and depending a little on where you live you might be able to get WNNW 800 from Lawrence, MA and WCRN 830 out of Worcester, and possibly even WBUR 1240 out of Cape Cod. (saltwater path to the NH coast - but that's a long shot and only works if you're RIGHT on the water)

Of course, since I'm in upstate NY, I can't vouch for whether or not ANY of these stations are transmitting in HD. Except for WBZ...I can get them in HD out here at night. Doesn't stay locked in digital very well, but it's definitely there.
 
WNNW hasn't been broadcasting in HD for months. That fact was mentioned by me and others earlier on radio-info and the Boston Radio Interest Group. Nobody cares.
 
Laurence Glavin said:
WNNW hasn't been broadcasting in HD for months. That fact was mentioned by me and others earlier on radio-info and the Boston Radio Interest Group. Nobody cares.
Click to expand...

..another of the AM's that have dropped off hd I suppose.
 
Even WBZ's HD signal is a tough catch in the Southern New Hampshire area. During the day it is unreliable and if I do get it, it will be at 2 bars. And after sunset, forget about it.
 
beantownradio25 said:
Even WBZ's HD signal is a tough catch in the Southern New Hampshire area. During the day it is unreliable and if I do get it, it will be at 2 bars. And after sunset, forget about it.
Click to expand...

I get it day AND night in Derry NH....no problem.
 
Possibly my antenna setup is not up to parr after recently moving my radio downstairs because I can't get WJMN in HD after moving the radio.
 
Okay fiddled with the antenna and I had them at a steady two bars but when I began tying this, it began cutting in and out. I'm in Tyngsboro Mass with a Jensen HD Radio.

If I remember I will check tonight after Sunset
 
Don Juannn said:
Laurence Glavin said:
WNNW hasn't been broadcasting in HD for months. That fact was mentioned by me and others earlier on radio-info and the Boston Radio Interest Group. Nobody cares.
Click to expand...

..another of the AM's that have dropped off hd I suppose.
Click to expand...

It was shut off when their AM on FM translator signed on.
 
aaronread said:
The HDradio.com site has a "find a station" tool that is known to be somewhat flawed but it's a starting place. According to it, in NH there's WZBK 1220 in Keene, WMYF 1380 in Portsmouth, WGIN 930 in Portsmouth, and depending a little on where you live you might be able to get WNNW 800 from Lawrence, MA and WCRN 830 out of Worcester, and possibly even WBUR 1240 out of Cape Cod. (saltwater path to the NH coast - but that's a long shot and only works if you're RIGHT on the water)
Click to expand...

I don't think WCRN 830 ever turned HD on at all, even if they may have planned to at some point and gotten listed.
 
JIBGUY said:
Only 3 AM's in the immediate Boston area have fallen for HD. --out of almost 20 stations.
Click to expand...

The rest can't afford it...or don't understand it.
 
WLYNgm said:
Bingo!
Click to expand...

Well, there ya go!

Those who think that HD was supposed to be the "second coming" have somehow mischaracterized it.

It's an added feature that brings some extra functionality to the radio.

Is Salem going to utilize it when they are going bankrupt? Nope!

Is RadioOne going to install it on WILD when they are getting delisted? Nope!

WRCA? WKOX? WROL? WEEI? WRKO? Why would they?

(I will add that WBZ sounds great in HD.)
 
WRCA, WKOX and WUNR would face significant technical hurdles in trying to put HD carriers through a DA that complicated. A lot of DA stations, especially if there's more than three towers, would have problems trying to put HD on. Not all, of course...it's more complicated than just the number of towers; I use that just as a loose benchmark indicating how complicated a given pattern is.

And the licensing fees and engineering costs are not inconsequential, so I find it perfectly understandable why many AM stations never installed it. Especially since the HD Radio system for AM is basically a train wreck once the sun sets. And it's not much better during the day in certain cases...just ask Bob Savage (WYSL) how he feels about WBZ's HD carriers. ::)

WBZ went for it because CBS made a corporate decision to support a technology they had an investment in. And WMKI did it (presumably) because, at the time, Radio Disney thought their strategy of music stations on cheap AM's was about to pay off big time. I don't know, off the top of my head, why WNNW went HD, or really why they stopped. Was it really costing that much extra money to run the digital?
 
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