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HD Radio is still irrelevant here

R

RockTheGlobe

The HD2 channel on Amp 97.1 has been a dead carrier for over a week. The same thing happened to Jack's HD2 yesterday, and the programming hasn't come back yet there either. KOST-HD2 appears to have disappeared completely over the past couple of days, since KOST's main HD1 channel is still online but it's the only HD channel on that frequency.

At what point do the people running this failed HD Radio experiment realize that, despite their flowery press releases, no one is paying attention to this technology? HD Radio has underwhelmed pretty much everyone to the point where even the people providing it don't care to tend to its basic needs anymore. Hell, two of those three HD2 channels aren't even local programming, they're refeeds that just need a human to tune in every now and then to see if they're still broadcasting correctly.
 
I could have sworn the KOST HD-2 channel (KOST Classics aka iHeart Radio) was there when I was listening yesterday about noon.

But then I typically listen to KKGO HD-2 (Classical) or KRTH HD-2 (50's oldies).

BTW, KUSC HD is down probably because they are about to make a major studio move later this week.
 
I had some time to scan the dial. It looks like all the HD signals were up and running and back to the normal programming with the exception of KUSC which is in the middle of a studio move.
 
K6JHU said:
I had some time to scan the dial. It looks like all the HD signals were up and running and back to the normal programming with the exception of KUSC which is in the middle of a studio move.
Click to expand...

Yes, they got everything back online today. Wonder if someone from CBS Radio is reading these boards and finally noticed they were down.
 
RockTheGlobe said:
K6JHU said:
I had some time to scan the dial. It looks like all the HD signals were up and running and back to the normal programming with the exception of KUSC which is in the middle of a studio move.
Click to expand...

Yes, they got everything back online today. Wonder if someone from CBS Radio is reading these boards and finally noticed they were down.
Click to expand...

This is excellent news for the seven people who actually own and listen to HD radio in SoCal. Let's get the word to them as soon as possible.
 
RockTheGlobe said:
K6JHU said:
I had some time to scan the dial. It looks like all the HD signals were up and running and back to the normal programming with the exception of KUSC which is in the middle of a studio move.
Click to expand...

Yes, they got everything back online today. Wonder if someone from CBS Radio is reading these boards and finally noticed they were down.
Click to expand...

Haha I would hope that they would monitor to know when their stations are down, but I guess you can't put anything past them.
 
I've not listened to HD radio and can't really see the point. So a station can suddenly have 3 feeds? (On air, HD-1, HD-2) Since the on air stations suck out loud, why would I go out and buy a new radio to listen to other stations that will suck out loud as well. I could understand if they were doing something totally different but they're not from what I've heard. It's just more of the same.
 
Most of them are doing more of the same. Whether you agree with the programming or not, note that KPCC-HD2 is serving up the BBC Spanish news and information. KPCC-HD3 is serving up "The Current" from Minnesota Public radio (an alternative when KCRW is doing NPR). KRTH-HD2 has 50's-60's hits (their old prgramming) not available elsewhere in LA. KKGO-HD3 has the Retro 1260 signal (programming not available in LA unless you live in the valley). Mormon channel on KSWD-HD3. And while I am not a steady listener there, I believe that the 104.3 HD signal is doing dance.

That is not counting second programs of classical and country.

An additional advantage of the HD signal (even when it is close to existing programming) is that (for the moment) there are NO six minute stop sets. It's all program, all the time.

Problem with 97.1-HD2 is probably that they are trying to run it off of an Internet feed.
 
I expect that fathers and grandfathers of the folks who are complaining about HD radio today were grousing, in their day, about the introduction of color TV or the migration of different formats to FM.

Any uniform standard of technology which delivers a greater selection of content to listeners is fine by me. As K6JHU is pointing out, the HD signals are carrying worthwhile programming that is unavailable elsewhere.

On other boards, I’ve been posting updates about progress in digital radio in the UK, where the government is officially targeting 2015 for the full shutdown of analog FM/AM services. It may be viewed as a ‘gimmick’ by some listeners now, however soon it will become the only game in town.
 
K6JHU said:
A gimmick except that of my 6 presets in the car, four of them are HD-2. And yes, I do use them.
Click to expand...

You can actually listen to them without constant signal drops? I'm impressed. 3 of my top 6 presets are also HD-2s, but (when they're actually running programming and not dead air) I am constantly plagued with dropouts, and it takes several seconds to pick the signal back up.
 
The HD signal is certainly not as robust as I would like. They should have taken a cue from satellite radio in that regard. But considering that the digital is a couple of hundred watts, it is not all that bad. I am hoping that the power increase may help.

Biggest issue I have with droputs is in RF rich environments (Orange Crush for example). But that may be my car radio. My home radio works fine.

My suggestion on 'dead carrier' is to let the station know as soon as you experience a problem. They need to know that somebody is out there listening.

Even for signals with an HD-1 signal only, I have noticed that absence of picket fencing, multipath, and other artifacts when the HD signal has locked. And there is no 'blend' function on HD-1. Full stereo all the time.
 
I agree, I just got an HD radio and really like it, it sounds good and has great new stations.The only problem is that I live in the Eastern Bay Area,where most of the SF stations have to use boosters to get good analog coverage here.Needless to say,I get very little HD out here and I'm hoping the power increase will help.Its great to listen to when I'm in San Francisco or Oakland though.
 
>>My suggestion on 'dead carrier' is to let the station know as soon as you experience a problem. They need to know that somebody is out there listening. <<

That statement pretty much says it all.
 
I recently bought a Sony HD Radio for the home and really like it. However, I am not listening to the HD-2 and HD-3 stations as much as I did at first. I used to a lot because I was curious and discovered some niche formats, which aren't available on commercial FM anymore. After awhile though, I grew bored of the on-air presentation. The margin for error is very high when few people are listening so the presentation gets a little lazy or sloppy. I have this problem with most non-comm stations, too. I prefer the whole radio "package" -- music, personality, production, etc. -- which results from high stakes competition.

What I like the most about my HD Radio is the sound quality of the stations that broadcast in HD. They sound great, even the AM ones! One thing though, be sure to attach the T-shaped FM antenna and hang it high up in the room. That way the station doesn't vacillate between analog and digital.
 
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