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autopaint-1
Guest
8. What can be done about the interference that HD radio causes to adjacent AM channels?
There are four classifications of potential interference: ground wave to ground wave, ground wave to sky wave, sky wave to ground wave, and sky wave to sky wave. A sampling of voiced concerns about potential interference (i.e. letters to Radio World, NAB sessions on the subject, and Internet list servers) shows that many are concerned with maintaining the ability to hear stations at a location other than the primary service area. It is likely (but by no means guaranteed) that the FCC will be most concerned with the potential for interference in the station's PRIMARY (ground wave) service area, and less so with new interference in the secondary and intermittent service areas.
In this regard, existing protection ratios required for first and second adjacent ground wave signal should afford adequate protection in the primary service area. That would leave only sky wave to ground wave as an issue requiring some in- depth examination. Hopefully when the iBiquity study is released, it will shed some light on all four of these interference scenarios. Ultimately, the broadcasters will need to decide whether the benefits offered by IBOC do or do not outweigh the occasional loss of service in their secondary and intermittent service areas.
9. How would you recommend that an LPFM station incorporate IBOC inexpensively?
As with any potential investment, the LPFM operator needs to monitor the technology's benefits over the next several years within the context of his business plan and revenue potential. As the technology and the applications mature, lower-cost, integrated solutions engineered for low power applications will become available.
When more AM stations with HD come on the air and first adjacent stations to them receive interference in their fringe listening areas and then complain to the FCC, how likely is it that the FCC will "force" the HD station to cut back on their digital carrier levels or even completely shut off HD?
It's likely that the FCC is primarily going to be concerned with protecting the station's PRIMARY service area, as opposed to it's secondary or intermittent service area (what you refer to as "fringe"). Stations impacted in the PRIMARY service area are those likely to be afforded protection by FCC requirements that interferers reduce their digital carrier levels. Depending on the class of service, this is at the 2 mV contour, less for Class A stations. If broadcasters as a group believe that secondary and intermittent service areas cannot be compromised, then they are essentially saying that they do not believe the benefits offered by IBOC operation outweigh the loss of service in those areas. Broadcasters need to provide some hard data to the standard setting group (NRSC) as to the percentage of listeners or revenue in their PRIMARY vs. secondary or intermittent service areas. Then they need to weigh that against future growth potential with a digital signal
There are four classifications of potential interference: ground wave to ground wave, ground wave to sky wave, sky wave to ground wave, and sky wave to sky wave. A sampling of voiced concerns about potential interference (i.e. letters to Radio World, NAB sessions on the subject, and Internet list servers) shows that many are concerned with maintaining the ability to hear stations at a location other than the primary service area. It is likely (but by no means guaranteed) that the FCC will be most concerned with the potential for interference in the station's PRIMARY (ground wave) service area, and less so with new interference in the secondary and intermittent service areas.
In this regard, existing protection ratios required for first and second adjacent ground wave signal should afford adequate protection in the primary service area. That would leave only sky wave to ground wave as an issue requiring some in- depth examination. Hopefully when the iBiquity study is released, it will shed some light on all four of these interference scenarios. Ultimately, the broadcasters will need to decide whether the benefits offered by IBOC do or do not outweigh the occasional loss of service in their secondary and intermittent service areas.
9. How would you recommend that an LPFM station incorporate IBOC inexpensively?
As with any potential investment, the LPFM operator needs to monitor the technology's benefits over the next several years within the context of his business plan and revenue potential. As the technology and the applications mature, lower-cost, integrated solutions engineered for low power applications will become available.
When more AM stations with HD come on the air and first adjacent stations to them receive interference in their fringe listening areas and then complain to the FCC, how likely is it that the FCC will "force" the HD station to cut back on their digital carrier levels or even completely shut off HD?
It's likely that the FCC is primarily going to be concerned with protecting the station's PRIMARY service area, as opposed to it's secondary or intermittent service area (what you refer to as "fringe"). Stations impacted in the PRIMARY service area are those likely to be afforded protection by FCC requirements that interferers reduce their digital carrier levels. Depending on the class of service, this is at the 2 mV contour, less for Class A stations. If broadcasters as a group believe that secondary and intermittent service areas cannot be compromised, then they are essentially saying that they do not believe the benefits offered by IBOC operation outweigh the loss of service in those areas. Broadcasters need to provide some hard data to the standard setting group (NRSC) as to the percentage of listeners or revenue in their PRIMARY vs. secondary or intermittent service areas. Then they need to weigh that against future growth potential with a digital signal