HD in the mountains NC

[fmradionuts]

I have been conducting tests in the car with the new JVC radio-not bad! I went way back in the sticks of western NC and was surprised to see it work so well! I was enjoying and HD-2 channel from a 19Kw transmitter 50 Miles away without many drop-outs and when it did, the analog signal was horrible! The station was WMYI Greenville SC with the TX site on Pinnicle Mtn. I was 30 minutes north of Asheville NC and into TN on I-26. I know someone reading the post in WY may not know what I'm talking about BUT- to some it up, the HD signal is more resiliant than I was lead to beleive by seeing the posts. Major Misinfo on HD. To be fair, It is the way the station has is setup also- If it's not right at the TX site, It ain't gonna be right at your radio!! So far, I love the radio and a few stations have great HD-2 programming. As for the main programming, well it is CC/Entercom/Saga cookie cutter stuff! The technology is fine and I like it-The programming, well same old poop!!

 

[Mike Walker]

I live in Wilkes County...a good distance from Asheville. Nontheless, WMIT's analog signal booms in here...with full quieting. But I've never been able to get their HD signal (not that it's a real loss...I'm not a big fan of religious programming. They have a monster signal, however!) How does their hd signal sound to you?

Also, can you get any of the Charlotte HD signals? A friend works at WNCW Spindale, and says the Charlotte HD signals all come in well on the Receptor HD on his desk...with a T antenna.

 

[Len14043]

I purchased my JVC HDR1 radio and was very pleased with the performance. I live in the Cincinnati area and receive the signals with few dropouts. I was pleasantly surprised when the Dayton HD's could also be received. When I posted this information back then, it was met mainly with disparagement, discouragement and sarcasm. Most of the people here do not want to hear anything positive because anything pertaining to HD radio is anathama to them. They don't want it to succeed - pure and simple. I like to read the posts here for comic relief and if you look hard enough, you will find some fair minded posters here. FMRADIONUTS, welcome to this board and continue to enjoy your JVC radio.

 

[audiophile.]

WMYI has a VERY good line of site up into that area of Tennesse, in fact my software shows 65+ dBu in the area you described! It sounds like lost you line of site and both the HD and Analog went bye-bye about the same time.

You also made no mention of the if there was a band opening or the weather conditions and time of your observation.

For fun next you get to Asheville take a "90" go toward Anton or Marion and see how far you get

 

[durdy_souf]

The next time you hit the highway, check out the stations in Atlanta. Initially, I thought that HD radio would work well in the larger cities and suffer for a few years in the more rural areas. But the travel from Atlanta to Miami was nice. I couldn't keep my hands off of the radio!! ;D

 

[RadioDze]

I'm in the Piedmont area of North Carolina (Durham) and just got an Accurian HD Radio for Christmas. I love it and can't wait for more HD2 options. One thing I've had some problems with is reception. I've only used the two antennae which came with the radio. The black wire seems to work better than the dipole, though I've still not received an HD signal from local HD broadcasters WNNL 103.9 (licensed to Fuquay-Varina) and WSHA 88.9 (SHaw Univ.'s station in Raleigh). WVTF 89.1 in Blacksburg, VA broadcasts three HD channels, but I haven't been able to receive any of them (and WVTF, with its mountaintop transmitter, frequently comes in very clear in Durham). Two of the stations in the neighboring Greensboro market occassionally are received in HD, 99.5 WMAG and 100.3 WVBZ.

WHat are some ways other users here have found to receive more programming in HD? Is the solution as simple as a roof antenna or does it get more complicated? Also, I sometimes receive an HD station's call letters on the unit's display, but not the HD signal.

 

[audiophile.]

Ya, FM antenna on the roof with a rotor is the solution.

If have an attic you could try and antenna up there first...

 

[Mike Walker]

Audiophile is right that the best option is a roof antenna with rotor. That's true of analog fm, as well. But in the meantime, you'll probably be surprised at the improved reception you get with (for about ten bucks) a set of unamplified rabbit ears, or (for 30 bucks) the Magnum Dynalab SR100...which pulls in lots of rock-solid HD signals for me from up to 80 miles away.

I hope to get a roof antenna back up for FM and tv one of these days. Until I do, the Magnum Dynalab is HOT http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=MDSR100

I've still never experimented with the PASSIVE "wabbit ears" with phasing control. Perhaps these would make the occasional repositioning of the antenna for signals from different directions unnecessary? I have found a compromise position for my SR100, which allows it to get signals from Davidson, Charlotte, and Winston Salem/Greensboro without repositioning. But to get something from, say, due west (Asheville or Spindale), I'm sure I'd need to reposition it.

 

[700WLW]

Audiophile is right that the best option is a roof antenna with rotor. That's true of analog fm, as well. But in the meantime, you'll probably be surprised at the improved reception you get with (for about ten bucks) a set of unamplified rabbit ears, or (for 30 bucks) the Magnum Dynalab SR100...which pulls in lots of rock-solid HD signals for me from up to 80 miles away.

I hope to get a roof antenna back up for FM and tv one of these days. Until I do, the Magnum Dynalab is HOT http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=MDSR100

I've still never experimented with the PASSIVE "wabbit ears" with phasing control. Perhaps these would make the occasional repositioning of the antenna for signals from different directions unnecessary? I have found a compromise position for my SR100, which allows it to get signals from Davidson, Charlotte, and Winston Salem/Greensboro without repositioning. But to get something from, say, due west (Asheville or Spindale), I'm sure I'd need to reposition it.

With all of our analog AM/FM boom-boxes and portable radios, we do not even need to extend the whip antennas to get analog FM, but for HD Radio, dipoles are an absolute necesssity.

 

[Mike Walker]

I've now got a really good reply to that, 700WLW, about how good analog reception is...so good HD is unnecessary.

You're right. And you're wrong, depending upon where you live. I was in Charlotte yesterday, with my Sony SRF-35 and some earphones in my pocket. Since I'm legally blind, I don't get to Charlotte very much. So I spend most of my time in the very hilly, and multipath-prone foothills of Northwest North Carolina (Wilkes County). EVERY fm station's analog signal is somewhat compromised by multipath, even the local "blowtorch" 100kw station that's licensed to North Wilkesboro, with tower on Brushy Mountain.

EVERY fm station's analog audio sounded better in Charlotte, including the one here in Wilkes County (WKBC-FM, the aformentioned "blow torch"). Charlotte's terrain is much flatter, and fm reception much better since all the towers are local...and aimed at serving the city with a great signal. Through my earphones I heard the kind of clarity and stereo image that I"ve come to appreciate with HD back in Wilkes County. In fact, I'm not sure I could have told the difference between analog and digital in this environment with most stations.

Hence my point: it's all in the CONTEXT. HD may be completely unnecessary if you live in an urban area, and (most important) the kind of programming you enjoy is already available. But in multipath-rich areas, miles away from most towers, HD offers something only "city-folk" can get otherwise...HIGH QUALITY STEREO AUDIO! Yes this would also be available with a very expensive component tuner/roof antenna/rotor combo. But it's available far more cheaply with HD. It's all context. It's simply not possible where I live to get analog FM that sounds remotely like HD sounds. This isn't some wild claim. I can easily prove it with clips of analog vs digital reception where I live.

Interestingly enough, I tried HARD to hear interference from the HD stations in Charlotte on my little Sony. On adjacent channels I heard NOTHING but that lovely interstation hiss we all know and love so well. But then the Sony is MUCH better than most radios of this type, hence not as prone to problems induced by the HD signal (increased background noise on the analog channel, interference on adjacent channels). At this point there are two things I have yet to hear: interference caused by FM HD, or an AM HD station "in the flesh" (as opposed to a clip someone has posted).

An editorial in the new Radio World hypothesizes that the real reason the NAB is suddenly in favor of the liberal use of FM repeaters for AM stations is that it would solve the problem of AM HD at night. If thousands of AM stations are allowed to operate FM repeaters, why would they need to run HD on the AM band? Good point! (Of course it doesn't take into account the interference caused by all the damn new repeaters!)

 

[Len14043]

I've now got a really good reply to that, 700WLW, about how good analog reception is...so good HD is unnecessary.

You're right. And you're wrong, depending upon where you live. I was in Charlotte yesterday, with my Sony SRF-35 and some earphones in my pocket. Since I'm legally blind, I don't get to Charlotte very much. So I spend most of my time in the very hilly, and multipath-prone foothills of Northwest North Carolina (Wilkes County). EVERY fm station's analog signal is somewhat compromised by multipath, even the local "blowtorch" 100kw station that's licensed to North Wilkesboro, with tower on Brushy Mountain.

EVERY fm station's analog audio sounded better in Charlotte, including the one here in Wilkes County (WKBC-FM, the aformentioned "blow torch"). Charlotte's terrain is much flatter, and fm reception much better since all the towers are local...and aimed at serving the city with a great signal. Through my earphones I heard the kind of clarity and stereo image that I"ve come to appreciate with HD back in Wilkes County. In fact, I'm not sure I could have told the difference between analog and digital in this environment with most stations.

Hence my point: it's all in the CONTEXT. HD may be completely unnecessary if you live in an urban area, and (most important) the kind of programming you enjoy is already available. But in multipath-rich areas, miles away from most towers, HD offers something only "city-folk" can get otherwise...HIGH QUALITY STEREO AUDIO! Yes this would also be available with a very expensive component tuner/roof antenna/rotor combo. But it's available far more cheaply with HD. It's all context. It's simply not possible where I live to get analog FM that sounds remotely like HD sounds. This isn't some wild claim. I can easily prove it with clips of analog vs digital reception where I live.

Interestingly enough, I tried HARD to hear interference from the HD stations in Charlotte on my little Sony. On adjacent channels I heard NOTHING but that lovely interstation hiss we all know and love so well. But then the Sony is MUCH better than most radios of this type, hence not as prone to problems induced by the HD signal (increased background noise on the analog channel, interference on adjacent channels). At this point there are two things I have yet to hear: interference caused by FM HD, or an AM HD station "in the flesh" (as opposed to a clip someone has posted).

An editorial in the new Radio World hypothesizes that the real reason the NAB is suddenly in favor of the liberal use of FM repeaters for AM stations is that it would solve the problem of AM HD at night. If thousands of AM stations are allowed to operate FM repeaters, why would they need to run HD on the AM band? Good point! (Of course it doesn't take into account the interference caused by all the damn new repeaters!)

Mike, I can identify with what you are saying with respect to multipath. I live in an urban area and the analog signal is usually sharp. However, Cincinnati is a hilly city, and there are areas within the city when FM signals are plauged by multipath distortion. HD definately improves the audio in those areas.