HD Radio continues to "amaze"

[RockTheGlobe]

So after being down for two whole weeks, the HD signal on KLOS is finally back, albeit without any of the side-channels. And now KYSR seems to have dropped its HD side-channel as well, though who knows if it's by mistake or on purpose.

Deespite all of the noise and bluster from the pro-HD crowd, this kind of neglect speaks volumes. If these radio companies were truly serious about supporting this failed technology, the stations would pay better attention to their signals. If a main analog signal goes down, calls are immediately made and people are summoned to fix the issue as soon as possible -- and in L.A., if a transmitter was off for two weeks barring some huge disaster, heads would probably roll. But the fact that this happened seems to indicate that even to stations in Market #2, HD Radio is an afterthought and should be given the funeral it deserves. Time to stop wasting time, effort and money on this failed technology that consumers don't appear to have any interest in.

 

[davideduardo]

So after being down for two whole weeks, the HD signal on KLOS is finally back, albeit without any of the side-channels. And now KYSR seems to have dropped its HD side-channel as well, though who knows if it's by mistake or on purpose.

Deespite all of the noise and bluster from the pro-HD crowd, this kind of neglect speaks volumes. If these radio companies were truly serious about supporting this failed technology, the stations would pay better attention to their signals. If a main analog signal goes down, calls are immediately made and people are summoned to fix the issue as soon as possible -- and in L.A., if a transmitter was off for two weeks barring some huge disaster, heads would probably roll. But the fact that this happened seems to indicate that even to stations in Market #2, HD Radio is an afterthought and should be given the funeral it deserves. Time to stop wasting time, effort and money on this failed technology that consumers don't appear to have any interest in.

Because the HD rules have changed several times, including an increase in power and now asymetrical sideband energy, most stations have not invested in HD for auxiliary transmitters or sites. So if a station is on the Aux rig or has some other kind of trouble, there is no way to "call someone to fix it."

Those stations renting HD channels such as Emmis with its Desi HD channel and the major market stations leasing bandwidth to Garmin likely have more robust systems.

And don't forget that Amp, which in the December weeklies looks likely to be near a tie with KIIS in sales demos, was developed as an HD channel.

 

[calguy]

Could also be something as simple as a lot of ice at the transmitter sites. They'll turn HD off and use an alternate site when the weather on Mt. Wilson does not cooperate.

 

[SimiRadioListener26]

Does HD even sound that much better than FM to justify purchasing a system? I doubt the improved quality is comparable to the difference between FM and AM.

 

[davideduardo]

Could also be something as simple as a lot of ice at the transmitter sites. They'll turn HD off and use an alternate site when the weather on Mt. Wilson does not cooperate.

Most Wilson stations have auxiliary transmitters and antennae on Wilson. If there is any trouble, they go to the auxiliary... few of which have HD exciters.

Only in really severe cases, such as the Station Fire, might a station go to the auxiliary site off of Wilson as they all result in severely impaired coverage.

The bulk of the Wilson stations have heated antenna elements or radomes (which are non-conductive "condoms" over the elements to keep them from icing. Except for the severest conditions, ice does not keep stations from operating normally.

 

[davideduardo]

Could also be something as simple as a lot of ice at the transmitter sites. They'll turn HD off and use an alternate site when the weather on Mt. Wilson does not cooperate.

Most Wilson stations have auxiliary transmitters and antennae on Wilson. If there is any trouble, they go to the auxiliary... few of which have HD exciters.

Only in really severe cases, such as the Station Fire, might a station go to the auxiliary site off of Wilson as they all result in severely impaired coverage.

The bulk of the Wilson stations have heated antenna elements or radomes (which are non-conductive "condoms" over the elements to keep them from icing. Except for the severest conditions, ice does not keep stations from operating normally.

 

[ajc_trw]

Does HD even sound that much better than FM to justify purchasing a system? I doubt the improved quality is comparable to the difference between FM and AM.

FM-HD could sound better than analog if they only run one stream (just HD1) and loose the Optimod.

Unfortunately not only do they want the digital to sound exactly like the analog but they add the HD2.

Oh, forget about AM-HD. Something about what they do on AM brings out the worst in SBR. It's a cheese grater working on my eardrums.

 

[RockTheGlobe]

Because the HD rules have changed several times, including an increase in power and now asymetrical sideband energy, most stations have not invested in HD for auxiliary transmitters or sites. So if a station is on the Aux rig or has some other kind of trouble, there is no way to "call someone to fix it."

Those stations renting HD channels such as Emmis with its Desi HD channel and the major market stations leasing bandwidth to Garmin likely have more robust systems.

And don't forget that Amp, which in the December weeklies looks likely to be near a tie with KIIS in sales demos, was developed as an HD channel.

My point exactly regarding the lack of an aux site for HD -- the technology is not robust enough nor cost-effective enough for stations and companies to even construct an aux site, despite having been around for a decade. Even if a main transmitter goes down for a station, how long does it usually run from the auxiliary before the main is fixed and back up? Aux sites are there for a backup, and stations/companies don't bother with backing up HD. Even the translators and repeaters up in the Santa Clarita area are analog-only.

I didn't forget that Amp was incubated as an HD2 side-channel on Jack-FM's HD, but it was a completely different animal then -- it was basically an automated jukebox when it was HD-only, and the station as it is today bears little resemblance to its KCBS-HD2 ancestor besides the fact that they're both Top 40. The market conditions happened to be favorable for Amp to launch on 97.1, and the station picked up a full complement of air talent along with a big marketing budget when it replaced KLSX. And one HD-to-mainstream migration success the technology doth not make... WRXP/New York was incubated as KMVN-HD2, and look how well that turned out.

 

[davideduardo]

My point exactly regarding the lack of an aux site for HD -- the technology is not robust enough nor cost-effective enough for stations and companies to even construct an aux site, despite having been around for a decade. Even if a main transmitter goes down for a station, how long does it usually run from the auxiliary before the main is fixed and back up? Aux sites are there for a backup, and stations/companies don't bother with backing up HD. Even the translators and repeaters up in the Santa Clarita area are analog-only.

Aux sites are used in dire emergencies... like the Station Fire... and when some construction or rigging prevents generating RF at the main site. Some may not be on the air, other than testing in a dummy load, even once a year.

While a handful of the biggest stations may have auxiliary sites, most FMs do not even have one or they might have a very small transmitter on a building. In fact, the only FMs I have been associated with... and that's hundreds of them... have been perhaps a half dozen stations in the very largest markets.

One thing... and not saying it is the only one... affecting HD has been the collapse of the economy which has virtually eliminated the capital expense budget of stations. So stations are not just putting off replacing main transmitters, they are using older transmitters as same-site auxiliaries and definitely not building auxiliary sites. And they are not putting HD exciters on additional transmitters, since the standard is not yet set as to power, sideband usage, etc.

 

[RockTheGlobe]

Aux sites are used in dire emergencies... like the Station Fire... and when some construction or rigging prevents generating RF at the main site. Some may not be on the air, other than testing in a dummy load, even once a year.

While a handful of the biggest stations may have auxiliary sites, most FMs do not even have one or they might have a very small transmitter on a building. In fact, the only FMs I have been associated with... and that's hundreds of them... have been perhaps a half dozen stations in the very largest markets.

One thing... and not saying it is the only one... affecting HD has been the collapse of the economy which has virtually eliminated the capital expense budget of stations. So stations are not just putting off replacing main transmitters, they are using older transmitters as same-site auxiliaries and definitely not building auxiliary sites. And they are not putting HD exciters on additional transmitters, since the standard is not yet set as to power, sideband usage, etc.

You're kind of missing my point. I'm not dismissing the fact that the bad economy might play into stations' desires not to implement HD gear. I'm saying that when analog signals go down, especially in Los Angeles, there's usually a major reason why, and stations/companies make an effort to get them back online ASAP. For a main signal to be down for 2 weeks, a major disaster probably has to have taken place (or maintenance went horribly awry with no hope of backup or aux transmitter), yet the HD signals for two stations went down for long periods of time with no apparent urgency to get them back up. The HD side-channels for those two stations are still offline, giving consumers the impression that the providers just don't care enough about HD to make the effort to keep it up and running as much as possible. If major radio companies don't care enough to provide a consistently working product, why should consumers bother to buy HD Radios?

 

[davideduardo]

You're kind of missing my point.

Not really... you were talking about auxiliary sites, and those are seldom used.

I'm not dismissing the fact that the bad economy might play into stations' desires not to implement HD gear. I'm saying that when analog signals go down, especially in Los Angeles, there's usually a major reason why, and stations/companies make an effort to get them back online ASAP.

The reason why stations in larger markets have auxiliary transmitters and antennas at the same site as the main transmitter is to be able to instantly switch to the aux transmitter if the main fails or loses modules or such... and to the auxiliary antenna if the main one gets a bad SWR reading or the line loses pressure or something similar.

Most stations began with HD just before the recession. The early adopters were likely less than enchanted by the glitches in the early models from the different manufacturers and wanted the market and technology to mature before spending on the exciters for the backup rigs. By then, we were in the recession and even main transmitters that were getting long in the tooth did not get replaced. I know of a number of operations where "when the economy gets better, we'll put the old exciter on the backup and increase power on the main..." is the thought.

In the meantime, stations that have a main transmitter issue may run on the aux for some time... stocking of spare parts and modules is also an area where budget cuts have had an impact. So if the main does not get back on instantly, there is no HD. You can't just switch the HD exciter to a different transmitter with the ease of having the aux analog just snap on when the main fails.

For a main signal to be down for 2 weeks, a major disaster probably has to have taken place (or maintenance went horribly awry with no hope of backup or aux transmitter),

If the "main" transmitter (an arbitrary distinction, to be sure) fails at most LA stations the auxiliary at the same site kicks in with the same power and usually the same antenna and same ERP. The main may just have hiccuped, or it might have arced internally, gotten the effects of a lightening strike, been burnt by a power surge, or any of a thousand other things down to a rat getting in and shorting something while becoming a crispy critter.

But the auxiliary and the main are, as far as the listener is concerned, the same thing. No degradation of the analog signal, etc. If parts for the main are not on hand, and perhaps have a significant shipping delay, then the station will stay on the aux for some time, with the auxiliary site (if it has one) being the backup to the auxiliary at the main site.

Remember again, while some of the the significant LA FMs have auxiliary sites, not even all of the LA stations do have them (KROQ's site is the auxiliary site for CBS FMs, but KROQ, I believe has no second site itself. Same for KYSR. The SBS stations have no aux sites, nor do the LBI stations... to name a couple)

If major radio companies don't care enough to provide a consistently working product, why should consumers bother to buy HD Radios?

I think this is an issue of the economy, mostly.

 

[AM FM listener]

FWIW, I have a Sony HD radio and really like it. The sound is noticeably better (both, the AM and FM) and I like some of the HD2 stations. That said, I have noticed, from time-to-time, that the HD does not work, more often than I would expect from professional broadcasters. The commitment to HD is a chicken-vs-the-egg thing. HD radios, as a percentage of all radios sold, is probably very low. If more people had HD radios, broadcasters would make it a higher priority. On the other hand, if broadcasters made HD a higher priority, maybe more people would buy an HD radio.

 

[RockTheGlobe]

If major radio companies don't care enough to provide a consistently working product, why should consumers bother to buy HD Radios?

I think this is an issue of the economy, mostly.

I disagree. Even a good economy doesn't compel consumers to buy a product that hasn't convinced them they need it or that it's worth buying. HD Radio is like the Laserdisc of the radio industry. Even in a bad economy, people still find ways to buy products and services that they've been convinced they need and/or are worth buying, which is why Apple continues to rack up huge sales numbers.

 

[nmoore6676]

I have heard many stories of people who bought HD radios and having reception issues. So I never got one and now I'm in S.E. Iowa where there is no HD radio and not likely to ever be, at least in my lifetime. So I passed on it and I'm glad I did. But an integrated AM/FM radio with Wi-Fi is on my wish list. I think that will be where it is at and HD will quietly fade away like quadrophonic sound.

 

[ercjncpr]

My "early-adopted" HD receiver from 2007 is now gathering dust on a shelf...I have not powered it on in months. I was mainly interested in the secondary channels for added programming choices and with the relatively poor reception of many HD channels in southern Orange County, I can do far better with online listening (including iOS and Android "radio apps") then I can with the radio. I think that the HD Radio Alliance should just shut things down and admit that it was about as good an idea as AM Stereo and 500,000 watts.

 

[davideduardo]

I disagree. Even a good economy doesn't compel consumers to buy a product that hasn't convinced them they need it or that it's worth buying. HD Radio is like the Laserdisc of the radio industry. Even in a bad economy, people still find ways to buy products and services that they've been convinced they need and/or are worth buying, which is why Apple continues to rack up huge sales numbers.

In any other economic situation, stations would have expanded HD programming, added air talent or mixers or specialty shows, increased power once it was authorized, added HD exciters to auxiliary transmitters, and done marketing. But with the depression, even night jocks and overnight and weekend talent has been slashed, and the hiring of outside mixers and feature show talent pretty much stopped.

The window of opportunity for HD has likely come and gone, even with little plus items like the Garmin deal and brokered HD progrmamming for certain ethnic groups. At fault is not the technology, but the economy.

 

[davideduardo]

I think that the HD Radio Alliance should just shut things down and admit that it was about as good an idea as AM Stereo and 500,000 watts.

The HD Alliance has no power to shut anything down. It's just a loose association of the larger broadcasters to create promotions at retail and spots for on-air use promoting HD radio. Since it is, like RAB or NAB, a trade association, the restrictions on monopolistic practices, collusion, etc., prevent it from telling any member what to do or what not to do... even the Alliance's suggestion early on that HD channels should run commercial free was just that... a non-binding suggestion and nobody was prevented from running spots, ever.

 

[LKellerIII]

I think that the HD Radio Alliance should just shut things down and admit that it was about as good an idea as AM Stereo and 500,000 watts.

The HD Alliance has no power to shut anything down. It's just a loose association of the larger broadcasters to create promotions at retail and spots for on-air use promoting HD radio. Since it is, like RAB or NAB, a trade association, the restrictions on monopolistic practices, collusion, etc., prevent it from telling any member what to do or what not to do... even the Alliance's suggestion early on that HD channels should run commercial free was just that... a non-binding suggestion and nobody was prevented from running spots, ever.

I've defended HD radio before, so I'll do it again. About 4 years ago, I had to replace the AM/FM/CD player in my old, but otherwise trusty Mazda. The HD unit was only $20 more than the comparable unit without HD. Well worth it. I really enjoyed the greater variety from the HD2 channels, including classic country (which I liked more than I would have thought), real jazz, disco, etc.

Fast forward 3 years - my son now drives that car, and lives in the Mission District, where the HD radio was stolen. He replaced it with a non-HD unit which runs his MP3 player. I currently drive a newer car (2007 model, which I bought used) with Satellite Radio capability (which I have not decided to subscribe to), but no HD. It doesn't matter - I just plug in my Ipod. I don't miss HD.

IMO, the challenge for HD going forward - is to convince people that HD has value, beyond what can be provided by their MP3 players and satellite radio, for those who subscribe. With so many choices these days, this may be a hard argument to make.

 

[robnokshus06]

In any other economic situation, stations would have expanded HD programming, added air talent or mixers or specialty shows, increased power once it was authorized, added HD exciters to auxiliary transmitters, and done marketing.

That's funny. During the best of times broadcasters cut their core assets, firing inumerable Programmers, Air Talent, Production people, Managers, etc... To think that there was ever going to be a sizeable investment in HD is delusional. If they won't invest where they get the greatest ROI, why would anyone think that they would invest where there is none?

The HD Alliance... It's just a loose association of the larger broadcasters to create promotions at retail and spots for on-air use promoting HD radio.

Yes, and just a year ago or so it was the Number One advertiser on radio! Bigger than Geico. Bigger than Toyota. Yet HD took off like a Lead Dirigible.

HD was born of a bunch of tired old suits vastly out of touch with listeners. And it sounds like crap too.

 

[LKellerIII]

In any other economic situation, stations would have expanded HD programming, added air talent or mixers or specialty shows, increased power once it was authorized, added HD exciters to auxiliary transmitters, and done marketing.

That's funny. During the best of times broadcasters cut their core assets, firing inumerable Programmers, Air Talent, Production people, Managers, etc... To think that there was ever going to be a sizeable investment in HD is delusional. If they won't invest where they get the greatest ROI, why would anyone think that they would invest where there is none?

The HD Alliance... It's just a loose association of the larger broadcasters to create promotions at retail and spots for on-air use promoting HD radio.

Yes, and just a year ago or so it was the Number One advertiser on radio! Bigger than Geico. Bigger than Toyota. Yet HD took off like a Lead Dirigible.

HD was born of a bunch of tired old suits vastly out of touch with listeners. And it sounds like crap too.

I'm sure others will correct me if they think I'm off base - but I can see the analogy between HD radio today, and FM in the 50s and early 60s. In those days, FM was used to either simulcast a station's AM programming, or to run separate programming for which there was very little revenue - few commercials because nobody was listening. Most consumers had no FM receivers, and it took a decade or more for people to be willing to shell out the extra money necessary to pick up FM programming.

In my case, my father was a classical music addict, so he was willing to pay to get FM reception by the early 60s - my parents had a huge old "Hi-Fi" and they listened primarily to KFAC-FM (simulcast) at home in the living room...no stereo yet, just one big speaker, and lots of vacuum tubes. But FM in those days was basically under-utilized. Most consumers had no FM radio, and weren't anxious to shell out extra money just to listen to the FM programming. It took more than a decade for FM equipped radios to appear in any significant numbers -either at home or in car radios. My first new car (1976) had an AM only radio, but the second (1979) had AM/FM.

The difference today is - there are so many competing services these days - satellite radio, MP3s, internet radio, etc. So HD providers will have to convince listeners that their service is worthwhile.