"HD Radio Effort Undermined by Weak Tuners in Expensive Radios"

[PocketRadio]

"HD Radio Effort Undermined by Weak Tuners in Expensive Radios"

http://www.mp3newswire.net/stories/7002/hd-radio2.html

By far, this has to be the best article written on HD radio sensitivity - the author even mentions possible AM-HD nighttime skywave interference. Three HD radios were tested, and all failed miserably - no wonder, HD radios are probably being returned in-droves.

Notable quote:

"As I pointed out earlier, the HD radios all came with simple external antennas, essentially 9’ pieces of wire.The AM band utilized a straight length of copper while the FM band employed a T-shaped stretch. Attaching these radios to a outdoor aerial such as an old TV antenna will make a dramatic improvement in reception. Unfortunately, in the cable TV era not a lot of homes have outdoor aerials anymore. This means additional cost and effort. Most consumers who purchase one of these radios will never bother do that and, to be perfectly frank, they shouldn't have to."

Consumers want portability and plug-and-play, not this nonsense.

 

[Mike Walker]

I get 80+ mile reception on my Accurian...the cheapest HD radio on the market (when it's on sale) with a 30 dollar indoor antenna (Magnum-Dynalab SR100) placed on a shelf so that the antenna elements are at ceiling level.

Here's what it sounds like http://www.theproductionroom.net/hd.wma

 

[radiopilot]

I get 80+ mile reception on my Accurian...the cheapest HD radio on the market (when it's on sale) with a 30 dollar indoor antenna (Magnum-Dynalab SR100) placed on a shelf so that the antenna elements are at ceiling level.

Here's what it sounds like http://www.theproductionroom.net/hd.wma

For now with the digital signal riding on the 50kw carrier... what happens when they reduce that 50kw to 1/10 of the power when they go fully digital the future... will you still get that 80+ mile reception? I doubt it!

 

[R.F. Burns]

I get 80+ mile reception on my Accurian...the cheapest HD radio on the market (when it's on sale) with a 30 dollar indoor antenna (Magnum-Dynalab SR100) placed on a shelf so that the antenna elements are at ceiling level.

Here's what it sounds like http://www.theproductionroom.net/hd.wma

For now with the digital signal riding on the 50kw carrier... what happens when they reduce that 50kw to 1/10 of the power when they go fully digital the future... will you still get that 80+ mile reception? I doubt it!

Reception should improve. The analogue portion has nothitng to do with the digital transmision and when they turn off the analog portion (if that ever happens) the receivers will be much improved and the FCC will license stations to cover the same regions in digital that they currently cover in analog.

 

[radiopilot]

I get 80+ mile reception on my Accurian...the cheapest HD radio on the market (when it's on sale) with a 30 dollar indoor antenna (Magnum-Dynalab SR100) placed on a shelf so that the antenna elements are at ceiling level.

Here's what it sounds like http://www.theproductionroom.net/hd.wma

For now with the digital signal riding on the 50kw carrier... what happens when they reduce that 50kw to 1/10 of the power when they go fully digital the future... will you still get that 80+ mile reception? I doubt it!

Reception should improve. The analogue portion has nothitng to do with the digital transmision and when they turn off the analog portion (if that ever happens) the receivers will be much improved and the FCC will license stations to cover the same regions in digital that they currently cover in analog.

Don't figure how you see that the didgital is 'riding' on the analog signal as sidebands... According to Ibiquity and the FCC along with HD transmitter manufacturers the power for HD will be 1/10th the power of analog transmissions when it goes 'fully digital'... here is a calculator:

http://www.broadcast.harris.com/radio/hdradio/calculator/default.asp


Radiopilot

 

[Mike Walker]

1/10th is more than 1/100th. Coverage would improve (if it changes much) with the elimination of interference from analog information. The reason we're having the problems we're having with digital in the first place is the FCC's mandate that we broadcast analog AND digital in the same spectrum, at the same time, rather than giving us a separate band (as in the UK). My heart sank when I read that decision back in the early 90s, but it actually works far better than I thought possible.

 

[Mike Sheridan]

I get 80+ mile reception on my Accurian...the cheapest HD radio on the market (when it's on sale) with a 30 dollar indoor antenna (Magnum-Dynalab SR100) placed on a shelf so that the antenna elements are at ceiling level.

Here's what it sounds like http://www.theproductionroom.net/hd.wma

Thanks Mike!!! Wow, I must admit it does sound good except for the Lite's HD2.

Now if only local stores would put up a decent display featuring a working radio.

 

[PocketRadio]

I get 80+ mile reception on my Accurian...the cheapest HD radio on the market (when it's on sale) with a 30 dollar indoor antenna (Magnum-Dynalab SR100) placed on a shelf so that the antenna elements are at ceiling level.

Here's what it sounds like http://www.theproductionroom.net/hd.wma

Looks like your friend Mark Ramsey had a few thoughts on this article:

"Are HD radios made with crappy tuners?"

http://www.hear2.com/2007/03/are_hd_radios_m.html#comments

Notable quote:

"Is this true more generally? Or is this just a function of one isolated New Jersey address? Radio, after all, always has reception trouble somewhere, no matter where you live. But a new radio with new technology certainly shouldn't work worse than your old equipment at the same address. Is HD radio being stabbed in the back by the very manufacturers who make the equipment?"

A sure road to failure.

 

[Tom Wells]

I loved the youtube demonstration showing how the 5 tube real radio trounced the HD radios.
The Zenith proably didn't even have TRF on a cheap model like that.

And it's still markedly better than the others, with 60 more years of "experience".
The insistence of manufacturers to use data screens is the reason these new AMs have so much noise.

 

[Mike Walker]

1-I've never met Mark Ramsey. He's not "my friend" (if I'm who you were speaking of, Pocketradio).

2-I live in North Carolina, not New Jersey.

3-MANY OTHERS get more impressive reception than I do, with outdoor antennas. Mine's small, and indoors.

 

[Mike Sheridan]

Mike everyone should hear your HD Radio audio demo. It sounds much better than I expected especially at that distance.

FM wasn't great in the beginning. There was a real bad problem with signal drift. Guess what? It got better. I'm not sure about HD Radio but I'm willing to give it some time and I think it will improve along the way.