Is there any kind of website that had a listing of stations that have HD subchannels and what format they are? I'd like to get an HD radio but only if there are stations in my area (West TN, Jackson/Dyersburg area). I know that at one tine the only stations with anything HD were in Memphis and unreceivable in my area. Has anything changed with that? Thanks for any info!
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HD radio directory?
- Thread starter anotherguyTN
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hdradio.com has a station finder. radio-locator.com also lists some stations as "transmits in digital". Both sources have some errors, but it's a good start.
In my market, both sources list some stations that have not transmitted in HD in years.
In my market, both sources list some stations that have not transmitted in HD in years.
I get the impression that the HDRadio.com website merely lists every station that bought a license to use the technology, regardless of whether or not it's active or even was ever implemented.
HDRadio.com's directory has been a joke from Day 1. I'm amazed that no one has tried to assemble a database on HD signals and publish it online, even if only on Wikipedia. I mean, you can go to Wikipedia and find out where every exit on every state highway takes you, but you can't find out if there's any HD2 programming available in west Tennessee?
I've found Wikipedia has fairly current info on many HD subchannels, but you have to search for the station by call letters. It seems to matter, though, how often a station's profile is updated. Some in my state have info that's years old.
My own website lists all the HD subchannels that I know about across Alabama, but even I have a hard time keeping up with the changes because I only know a few people in a few cities with HD radios that I can bug and ask what's new.
Thanks again for all the responses. It sounds like there still isn't anything in my area.
There is also WKNO on 91.1 from Memphis. They are definitely HD radio. It's a fringe station for you. You might be able to pick up 670 or 780 AM HD via sky wave at night. I managed to pickup 780 HD on skywave from Vicksburg MS one time:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9tQDfZRj3Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9tQDfZRj3Y
Public radio is definitely not my thing. I had hoped that K-LOVE 90.7 in Dyersburg might have Air 1 on a subchannel like they do in some areas, but apparently not. Most of the stations around here are locally owned or by smaller groups like Forever. So I'm really not surprised at there still being no HD stations.
The HD radios I've experienced pickup analog stations just fine. My own feeling on the matter is that there is no point in buying a radio that can't do HD. It's only a matter of time till broadcasters move to HD. I'd at least buy a HD car radio. That way you can take advantage of HD stations when you are driving out of your local area. I bought one of the Sangean HDR-14's for travel. Half the time, hotel clock radios barely receive stations. It's just not a priority for hotel owners that I've experienced lately.
I don't think there's much customer demand for these devices in hotels any more now that everyone has a smartphone with their own music and alarm capabilities.
The reception is sufficient for my purposes. The primary local station I listen to is about 40 miles away and I'm in the far end of the "local" reception area for the station. I haven't used it in a big city yet, so I can't speak for how well the radio deals with interference when there is a lot of completion for spectrum by powerful broadcasters. Check out Karl Dahlquist's Los Angeles "band scan" video to see how it deals with a big city:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ra2t8i3lVag
As for the audio quality it's a pretty small radio. I think it's surprisingly good for its size, but if you want to take full advantage, wear headphones.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ra2t8i3lVag
As for the audio quality it's a pretty small radio. I think it's surprisingly good for its size, but if you want to take full advantage, wear headphones.
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That was an interesting video, thanks for sharing the link.
Several observations… first and foremost, the number of stations in LA that do HD on FM is staggering. And so many of them don't show the call letters, but some branding like "AMP" or "JACK" instead. So stupid. Also odd to note not a single station in the band scan had an HD4. I think they are not real common but I've come across a few stations here and there using them.
Sound quality varied A LOT on those FM HDs, too. I know it was just a cheap camera mic and an even cheaper little speaker but the difference in encoder quality was quite evident across the band. Same thing happens in my market. Some stations sound really decent, others (lookin' at you, iHeart) sound like warmed over dog turds.
Nice that he also popped over to AM for a second to highlight AM HD decoding on KNX, K-Surf and KFWB.
Several observations… first and foremost, the number of stations in LA that do HD on FM is staggering. And so many of them don't show the call letters, but some branding like "AMP" or "JACK" instead. So stupid. Also odd to note not a single station in the band scan had an HD4. I think they are not real common but I've come across a few stations here and there using them.
Sound quality varied A LOT on those FM HDs, too. I know it was just a cheap camera mic and an even cheaper little speaker but the difference in encoder quality was quite evident across the band. Same thing happens in my market. Some stations sound really decent, others (lookin' at you, iHeart) sound like warmed over dog turds.
Nice that he also popped over to AM for a second to highlight AM HD decoding on KNX, K-Surf and KFWB.
I believe that KKGO has an HD-4. I have not checked, as I have the HD in my car radio turned off to avoid the annoying switching between analog and digital as I drive in and out of the LA area.
As to call letters, most LA stations other than heritage ones like KFI, KNX and even KLOS don't use call letters in marketing*. Listeners know them by name only.
Call letters to most stations are 1) an annoying legal requirement once an hour and 2) the only convenient way to list stations in ratings reports.
* There are, of course, a few stations whose calls (KIIS, KROQ) "spell" their name but the calls are said as a word, not as individual letters.
I understand that, but it was my impression that the HD PAD had a space for the call sign specifically, which is why it's only four characters long; it shouldn't be used for anything else. There are other fields that can support the station's brand identity.
That band scan video only showed 3 HD channels on KKGO in total. So either the radio could not receive the HD4 or it has been turned off. I've noticed that HD3 and HD4 channels cut out a LOT sooner than the HD1/HD2 does. I'm assuming there's some sort of error correction-related reason for that.
I'd guess they don't want to use the call letters at all, as they do noting but confuse the listener who does not understand what they mean.
[/QUOTE]That band scan video only showed 3 HD channels on KKGO in total. So either the radio could not receive the HD4 or it has been turned off. I've noticed that HD3 and HD4 channels cut out a LOT sooner than the HD1/HD2 does. I'm assuming there's some sort of error correction-related reason for that.[/QUOTE]
They should not cut our sooner, as they differ in bandwidth allocation, but not the power of the HD signal.
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