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Clear Channel station "codes"?

R

rwagoner

Guest
On my Sangean HD tuner, before the HD begins to lock, the RDS data shows for a short time. Interestingly, the RDS data seems more complete than any other RDS data display I have ever seen. For example, on Clear Channel LA stations, where the station call letters usually show on other stations, you can read some sort of code.

KDBH shows for KGGI/Riverside (99.1 FM).
KDBI shows for KIIS-FM (102.7)
KDBJ shows for KOST (103.1)
KDBK shows for KBIG (104.3).

Any idea what these codes are? "KRTH shows for KRTH, so I don't think it's the radio.

Richard
 
rwagoner said:
On my Sangean HD tuner, before the HD begins to lock, the RDS data shows for a short time. Interestingly, the RDS data seems more complete than any other RDS data display I have ever seen. For example, on Clear Channel LA stations, where the station call letters usually show on other stations, you can read some sort of code.

KDBH shows for KGGI/Riverside (99.1 FM).
KDBI shows for KIIS-FM (102.7)
KDBJ shows for KOST (103.1)
KDBK shows for KBIG (104.3).

Any idea what these codes are? "KRTH shows for KRTH, so I don't think it's the radio.
Click to expand...

The RDS standard includes a "Program Identification" ("PI") Code field, (a four-digit hexadecimal number) which is supposed to uniquely identify a specific station. For many receiver functions, it would be a Bad Thing for two stations in the same market to have the same PI code. So a mathematical formula was created to map FCC-assigned call letters to PI codes.

The RDS system does not expect the receiver to actually display the call letters based on the PI code. There's a "Program Service" ("PS") Code field that contains the station's "name". ("KBIG", "97X", "Lite103.7", etc.) But the Sangean receiver *does* decode the PI code and display it as the station's call letters. (until, if the station is HD, it decodes the appropriate field of the HD stream)

However, the mathematical formula for assignment of PI codes does not carry the force of law. It's not a FCC regulation. It's legal for a station to use the "wrong" PI code. For some reason, most Clear Channel stations do use the "wrong" code. I've heard rumors it has to do with some kind of GPS enhancement.

These "wrong" codes will map to some other set of call letters.

Station "Right" PI code "Wrong" PI code
KGGI A27C 180D = KDBH
KIIS 2602 180E = KDBI
KBIG 137A 1810 = KDBK
KOST 36DF 180F = KDBJ

Here in Nashville, three of the four Clear Channel FMs are also using "wrong" codes:
WSIX 101D = KABD
WUBT 1F28 = KFTG
WNRQ 1ED0 = KFPW

(WRVW's HD - and RDS - seem to be off the air right now)

Presumably KRTH is using the "correct" PI code. If you ever receive a Canadian or Mexican station via skip, expect it to display a very wrong U.S. callsign!

http://www.w9wi.com/articles/rdsreverse.htm
http://www.w9wi.com/articles/rds.htm
http://www.nab.org/scitech/rbds1998.pdf
http://www.nrscstandards.org/RBDS/rbdsrds.pdf
 
Thank you for the explanation. It is very interesting to me!

Richard
 
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