HD radio in Albany

[tower17]

Today the HD seems to be off then on again for all of Clear Channel's FMs with PYX's HD off the air still. Maybe it's my portable HD radio being weird. I do like the HD2 channels. I wish they'd put WGY and WOFX on an HD3 channel on either 99.5 or 106.5 so I could listen while at the gym.

WPTR puts their AM on the HD2 channel of 96.7 and although it isn't my cup of tea I like concept of simulcasting an AM on an HD sub-channel.

WAMC needs a booster or something in Albany because their HD2 channel is much better than their local programing and the HD signal isn't strong enough to lock in most of the Albany area.

Why Regent bothers to have GNA and Buzz in HD is beyond me. There is nearly no point to HD unless you offer at least one HD2 channel imo. Can't expect too much from Regent though especially since their RDS is usually displaying the morning show title only and never song and title.

ABC hasn't upgraded yet so my hope of getting an HD simulcast of WROW is hopeless for the time being. Maybe they will eventually throw it on one of their FMs so I can hear it at night.

It is also surprising that WMHT hasn't made 89.1 HD. Classical music and all would sound amazing in HD.

Is anyone else listening to HD in Albany?

 

[4dude]

HD radio sucks!

 

[tower17]

I'm quite fond of it actually. Are you one of those opposed to it because you are a DXer? What sane person thinks it isn't selfish to put a hobby ahead of progress. While the system adopted may not have been the best choice, it's here and with a power bump it'll be much better.

 

[Voice Track]

HD radio is on life support at this point. In will eventually be gone for a variety of reasons....

 

[AMonFM]

Is anyone else listening to HD in Albany?

I have it at home and in the car:

I sampled (and liked) WPYX's HD-2 channel Vinyl Vineyard, but that was about the extent of usefulness I found for FM-HD. WAMC's stations do sound excellent in HD, but then again their analog stations have always sounded good enough to my ear so the added fidelity for a mostly talk format seems wasted, and the HD-2 and HD-3 channels offer nothing of personal interest to me.

(a footnote: the audio processing is much more tolerable on WPYX-HD vs. the analog signal)

I also like the AM's being simulcast on FM, but that isn't really being taken advantage of here in Albany.

I very much like WGY being in HD, listening noise free out to about the eastern side of Utica during the day, but the HD signal doesn't penetrate into Greene County all that well, and at night the usable range of WGY-HD is reduced to about 25 miles at most from their stick in Rotterdam (thanks to CKLW skywave). One thing I do notice is the audio processing varies greatly between stations. WGY sounds OK, not spectacular but certainly better than the 4.5khz bandwidth analog product. 1460 WDDY sounds surprisingly good with their music format, but the range of their HD signal is abysmal and the format isn't really my thing anyways. 1540 used to run HD, but I haven't heard it on in awhile. WTRY -- oops, WOFX 980 doesn't sound too bad in HD either. The only thing that confuses me is whether AM-HD is offered in stereo. I don't hear it at home, but in the car the stereo indicator will key when in close proximity to the transmitter (within a few miles for 980 and 1460, 10-15 miles for 810). I don't know if it's something about my particular receiver or if this is part of the whole 'HD experience'.

In general, HD hasn't reached "life support" status yet, but it's growth is certainly stagnant. The stations that invested the $$ will keep running it, for there's no reason to shut it off at this point (apart from technical difficulties). Honestly, I don't see the public clamoring for the slight improvements HD offers FM. I think better programming would be the thing that gets local urban radio back on track versus minor technical things like HD. On AM however, the improvement in quality is dramatic: offering something tangible to the listener. But the reception drawbacks on AM are unfortunately many with HD (and yes, the digital sidebands does more or less wreck nighttime skywave listening, but how many average users still do that with any regularity?)

 

[THE_KNICKMAN]

I think that the way for HD radio to survive is for stations lease out their extra channels they do not plan on programming themselves. Here is a golden opportunity as receivers for this become more popular . WRGB could lease achannel to put their TV audio on to replace the now defunct 87.7/87.9. For that matter, all the TV's in the market could do this. During time when there is not a news broadcast, the time could filled with audio news feeds, feature reporting, or even an format that is not available in any form in the area, including music.

 

[tower17]

I don't think subleasing their HD channels is a way to survive but a way to make money! Your idea is one of many that are great and not being done with HD radio.

I am surprised at how hateful people are when they speak in opposition to HD radio. I'm sure the same people were positive FM would fail and that it sucked, and nobody cared. This is the next natural progression for radio. Eventually cars will all have HD tuners standard and that is the point at which HD becomes a viable and profitable product. I am guessing that Pamal has the foresight (being auto dealers) to not upgrade just yet until HD is standard in cars. On the other hand one of the few things you can give Clear Channel praise for is trying to embrace a new technology and make it work. CC is the only major group in this market that has upgraded all their signals to HD and is offering some decent HD2 programing. If they'd only put their AMs on the HD3 now.

Unless the FCC grants a power upgrade, especially now that the Zune has an HD tuner, many people will *try* to listen and find they can't get a stable signal.