FM X-Band 76-87.7 Mhz

[olmjax]

I see that XM Radio would carry all the local radio stations across the country free of charge through a must carry provision. All you would need is a XM radio. For the Premium users, the regular XM subscription would apply. All your AMs along with the Low Power FMs and the non profit stations would all be on FM. AM would be used for broadband. I forsee this 15-20 years from now, give or take. How many television channels can Direct TV or Dish Network handle? Thousands?

That is an excellent idea!!!

 

[KTN Corp]

The FCC is more likely to approve longwave broadcasting.

 

[MickeyD]

Here's the official word from the FCC on radio band expansion:

"Expansion of the AM or FM radio bands is unlikely to occur in the near future."

http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/howtoapply.html

So while it doesn't close the door on expansion, the FCC does warn that it won't happen soon. I'm thinking not until the issue of TV band repacking is settled which will take at least a couple of years. Personally, I would love to see radio take channels 5 & 6 and give the rest of lower VHF to public safety while moving them off of UHF.

How long can you operate a station that no one can hear before you go broke? Radio isn't what it once was and if the sales of HD radios are any indication of the public's interest in radio, it would not be a good idea. Radio stations that are already in the regular FM bands are having financial problems. I recall during the HDTV transition when in order to renew your analog license you had to have a digital transmitter on-the-air or close to it. All the digital stations back then was to heat the air and that is precisely what an expanded FM would do for at least a decade. Sure you can buy a radio today that can receive the expanded band but who will go out to purchase one just to explore?

 

[LibertyNT]

Id say a radio with X-Band FM wouldn't cost near as much as an HD radio, it would be far easier to implement as well since there are no licenses needed to make a radio tune down to 76 mhz. (not to mention these radios are already being made and used in Europe and Japan)

 

[MarioMania]

While the FM band is getting full with new stations, The FCC isn't doing anything to expand down to 76 Mhz...

Sure, No one will listen at first

 

[Darth_vader]

"I recall during the HDTV transition"

When did that happen? I'm still seeing a LOT of SD video streams from the ATSC channels in my area!

 

[MarioMania]

or just make 87.70 a FM Frequency

 

[Bongwater]

or just make 87.70 a FM Frequency

To some degree 87.9 is. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KSFH

But everybody wants a slice of the FM pie. Canada is moving all it's AMs to FM, so is Mexico and South America. We're talking about the entire Western Hemisphere. And the UK is already trying to deal with it's own FM crunch. Even though they want to move everything to digital, I don't see that happening. Like in the US, there are too many terrestrial obstacles that make digital very hard to receive in many areas. The rest of the world has the same problems.

There are some areas where AM has a distinct advantage over FM (deepest Alaska, very rural and SEVERE terrain challenged areas.) So in those places at least, I wouldn't write off AM just yet.

But the expansion down to 76 MHz DOES make a lot of sense. And I also support an expansion UP to 128 MHz (I know 108-128 MHz is reserved for aircraft, but I have RARELY heard ANY activity on these channels.) Because EVERYBODY wants to have a place on the FM band....A 76-128 MHz Super FM band should have room enough (and then some) for everybody.

As for LW, well it too has it's place. And there's not much you can do with it but have fun. Make it AM Stereo and should we colonize underwater, it should have a ready audience......

 

[Chuck]

There is a lot of activity in the aircraft frequencies. They are AM. not FM. The transmissions are usually quite brief, which may explain why you don't hear anything. Asking for spectrum above 108 MHz isn't going to happen.

 

[MarioMania]

I really think the FCC is dumb...

Seems like the FM band is getting crowded and the FCC is not doing anything just give Ch 5 and 6 for Radio

 

[edarmsttrong]

Here's the official word from the FCC on radio band expansion:

"Expansion of the AM or FM radio bands is unlikely to occur in the near future."

http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/howtoapply.html

So while it doesn't close the door on expansion, the FCC does warn that it won't happen soon. I'm thinking not until the issue of TV band repacking is settled which will take at least a couple of years. Personally, I would love to see radio take channels 5 & 6 and give the rest of lower VHF to public safety while moving them off of UHF.

How long can you operate a station that no one can hear before you go broke? Radio isn't what it once was and if the sales of HD radios are any indication of the public's interest in radio, it would not be a good idea. Radio stations that are already in the regular FM bands are having financial problems. I recall during the HDTV transition when in order to renew your analog license you had to have a digital transmitter on-the-air or close to it. All the digital stations back then was to heat the air and that is precisely what an expanded FM would do for at least a decade. Sure you can buy a radio today that can receive the expanded band but who will go out to purchase one just to explore?

When the AM band was expanded to 1700 kHz, station were given the option by the FCC to use an expanded band frequency, and their original frequency simultaneously. At the end of 5 years, they had a choice to turn one back in. This gave manufacturers the chance to get receivers on the market, and consumers to buy them.

In addition, the FCC forced AM stations wishing to migrate to the expanded band, to operate at higher technical standards by making C-Quam mandatory.

 

[Carmine5]

"I recall during the HDTV transition"

When did that happen? I'm still seeing a LOT of SD video streams from the ATSC channels in my area!

It's only referred to as the DTV transition. The FCC does not require any station that has converted to digital, full or low power, to broadcast in HD.

 

[Carmine5]

I really think the FCC is dumb...

Seems like the FM band is getting crowded and the FCC is not doing anything just give Ch 5 and 6 for Radio

I really believe the Commission thought that HD Radio would solve the overcrowding problem since you can get multiple streams on one carrier, similar to their idea of imposing channel sharing for OTA TV during the repacking process. But to make that happen, the FCC would need to impose all digital FM (DFM) thereby forcing consumers to buy new radios much as they did with broadcast television. Same holds true for AM (DAM). Perhaps in the future, the Commission may do just that.

 

[Darth_vader]

"There is a lot of activity in the aircraft frequencies. They are AM, not FM. The transmissions are usually quite brief, which may explain why you don't hear anything. Asking for spectrum above 108 MHz isn't going to happen."

And I think the 108-137 MHz spectrum is probably also bound by some international treaty or other (ICAO?) to be used specifically as the standard "universal" aircraft communication band, regardless of local activity. (w9wi'd probably know.) Basically, you'd stand a better chance of meeting John Lennon at the local shopping mall tomorrow afternoon than you would seeing this spectrum be turned into a commercial band.

"It's only referred to as the DTV transition. The FCC does not require any station that has converted to digital, full or low power, to broadcast in HD."

That's right, but when you say the abbreviation "DTV" to certain types of people, they'll misinterpret it as "HDTV" without the letter "H" at the beginning. They then take to misusing the term "HDTV" as a blanket term for digital television, regardless of whether or not it actually is. That's why I just call it the "ATSC cutover" or the "Great American NTSC Killoff", because both of those things are basically what it was. "ATSC cutover" is just less confusing.

 

[Bongwater]

Here's the official word from the FCC on radio band expansion:

"Expansion of the AM or FM radio bands is unlikely to occur in the near future."

http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/howtoapply.html

So while it doesn't close the door on expansion, the FCC does warn that it won't happen soon. I'm thinking not until the issue of TV band repacking is settled which will take at least a couple of years. Personally, I would love to see radio take channels 5 & 6 and give the rest of lower VHF to public safety while moving them off of UHF.

How long can you operate a station that no one can hear before you go broke? Radio isn't what it once was and if the sales of HD radios are any indication of the public's interest in radio, it would not be a good idea. Radio stations that are already in the regular FM bands are having financial problems. I recall during the HDTV transition when in order to renew your analog license you had to have a digital transmitter on-the-air or close to it. All the digital stations back then was to heat the air and that is precisely what an expanded FM would do for at least a decade. Sure you can buy a radio today that can receive the expanded band but who will go out to purchase one just to explore?

When the AM band was expanded to 1700 kHz, station were given the option by the FCC to use an expanded band frequency, and their original frequency simultaneously. At the end of 5 years, they had a choice to turn one back in. This gave manufacturers the chance to get receivers on the market, and consumers to buy them.

In addition, the FCC forced AM stations wishing to migrate to the expanded band, to operate at higher technical standards by making C-Quam mandatory.

And what happened? Most stations are STILL running on both their original frequencies AND their X-Band "replacements" WELL past that deadline (some nearly 20 years!) And very few are in AM Stereo (while many are equipped for it, almost nobody actually USES it.) Somewhere along the way since then, the FCC simply gave up on enforcing the original X-Band rules

 

[kenglish]

Maybe the FCC should start allowing a domestic shortwave service. Let AM stations put both an analog, and a DRM simulcast on the air, someplace up in the higher parts of the HF spectrum. Proper transmit antenna design could minimize the sky wave, and still cover a large local area. If DRM takes off, then they could kill the analog in a few years. If not, give stations the option to phase out the digital.
There are plenty of shortwave-capable analog radios out there right now.
Having plenty of programming, maybe on a region-wide basis (like the old 10 KW AM's used to be), might be the gimmick that gets people to buy. And, the option of DRM would help with noise and fading.

 

[KeithE4]

Maybe the FCC should start allowing a domestic shortwave service. Let AM stations put both an analog, and a DRM simulcast on the air, someplace up in the higher parts of the HF spectrum. Proper transmit antenna design could minimize the sky wave, and still cover a large local area. If DRM takes off, then they could kill the analog in a few years. If not, give stations the option to phase out the digital.

There has never been a domestic SW service in the US, but the FCC has set a precedent with religious broadcasters now occupying the tropical (never legally authorized for broadcasting in the US) and parts of the Fixed Service bands. But there's just no need for it today, just like in the '30s. "Officially," the stations that are using these bands are beaming their signals away from the US.

There's been some talk about using 11 meters (25.7-26.1 MHz) for domestic broadcasting with special sky-wave-cancelling antennas, and IIRC, some studio-transmitter links are in that band, but I don't know its current status as a broadcast band. In any case, sky wave propagation can be reduced, but not eliminated. The ionosphere is what it is.

There are plenty of shortwave-capable analog radios out there right now.

What you call "plenty" is a very small percentage of all radios in the US. Outside of hams, CBers, and other hobbyists, there is almost no use of, or need for shortwave by the general public in the United States anymore. The Cold War is over, and the major broadcasters are gone for the most part.

Having plenty of programming, maybe on a region-wide basis (like the old 10 KW AM's used to be), might be the gimmick that gets people to buy. And, the option of DRM would help with noise and fading.

My guess is that DRM isn't doing all that well since it hasn't exactly taken over the shortwave spectrum. And what programming would make people listen?

 

[kenglish]

There was some interest in DRM in the Americas, until RCI and RNW pulled their respective plugs. I hear from ex-RCI folks, that there is some real interest in saving the transmitters at Sackville, maybe for that purpose. Most of the towers are down, but there's been a hold put on the indoor stuff.

 

[Darth_vader]

Hmmm...experimental mediumwave or "super-mediumwave" DRM simulcasting, perhaps?

 

[Jimmy128]

On other discussion boards there's discussion of the AM band dying a slow death. And music stations going to news, abandoning AM.

If this happens, what do you do with AM? And why not start the FM band from 54 mHz (former channels 2 -4). The FCC should think big.