HD radio

[yragha]

I'm thinking about getting a Insignia NS-HDRAD which is a HD tabletop radio. I was curious if many here think HD radio is worthwhile?

I live near Clear Lake and was wondering what can I expect as far as signal? I guess it's similar to Digital TV in that it's an all or nothing affair?

I have visited HDradio.com and viewed what station selections I may have and they seem pretty fair for this date and time. I wish we had Dallas radio as they seem to have alot more variety on their HD dial.

Is HD radio here to stay or kinda a going out of business thing?

I would like your thoughts & comments.

Thanks!
Gary

 

[johndavis]

In Clear Lake you should get all of the Missouri City sticks plus KGLK and KROI in HD without much effort.

If it fades, the main channel falls back to analog and the subchannels cut to silence.

KUHF and its subchannels will probably be the strongest of the bunch.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

I'm thinking about getting a Insignia NS-HDRAD which is a HD tabletop radio. I was curious if many here think HD radio is worthwhile?

I live near Clear Lake and was wondering what can I expect as far as signal? I guess it's similar to Digital TV in that it's an all or nothing affair?

I have visited HDradio.com and viewed what station selections I may have and they seem pretty fair for this date and time. I wish we had Dallas radio as they seem to have alot more variety on their HD dial.

Is HD radio here to stay or kinda a going out of business thing?

I would like your thoughts & comments.

Thanks!
Gary

Welcome to the wonderful world of HD radio. I think you will find Houston's dead radio scene will come alive with creative and unusual formats. Here is my experience from diagonally across the metro area:

Over the air in the one car without satellite or satellite, I can only fill six presets on FM. I six more set to stations in Dallas for my occasional trips up there, and another six for trips to San Antonio and Austin. My Houston presets are:

(1) KUHA 91.7 (Classical)
(2) KCOL 92.5 (Beaumont's oldies station)
(3) KTXN 98.7 (Victoria's Jack-FM)
(4) K258BZ 99.5 (NGEN)
(5) KPBA 103.5 (Yep - Austin's Bob-FM)
(6) KHJK 103.7 (Air-1)

That's it over the air on my presets. Everything else in Houston sucks so bad I don't bother. But - when I'm in my car with HD, the situation changes drastically! Here are my favorites:

KUHF-HD-3 Exponential Radio (they also have classical on HD-2 but over the air KUHA is more reliable)
KSBJ-HD-2 NGEN
KKRW HD-2 Rock
KTBZ HD-2 Rock
KKHH HD-2 Dance
KNMX HD-2 Smooth Jazz
KODA HD-2 Smooth Jazz
KRBE HD-2 Oldies
KHPT HD-2 The Point
KGLK HD-2 Oldies

There are a lot more things on the HD dial that might appeal to people with different musical tastes. Suffice it to say, most of the good stuff in Houston is only available on HD radio. Over the air sucks in Houston and is getting worse as more sports, foreign, and other weird format ideas spread like cancer.

There isn't any HD-AM any more in Houston. I can only fill three AM presets, and one station I desperately want is destroyed by KEYH splatter in the car but I can null the garbage and get KONO 860 at home. AM on my presets is 1220 Madisonville, 1490 Huntsville, and 1590 Radio Disney. Everything else on AM is of no interest to me.

To answer your last question - I expect HD radio to slowly fade away, so enjoy it while you can!

 

[FilioScotia]

I don't disagree that HD's future is cloudy at best in the major markets, but up here in the east Texas outback it fills a serious void. I live in Lufkin and I don't know what I would listen to without the HD I get from the Red River Network out of Shreveport. I don't enjoy listening to NPR, so I'm grateful for the HD2 channel because it carries classical music 24/7.

The RedRiverRadio.com network is based at LSU Shreveport, and it consists of four stations - the main station in Shreveport, another in Alexandria, plus a station in El Dorado Arkansas and one in Lufkin.

The Lufkin station - KLDN - is a repeater that puts out a strong signal on all its channels. There's no local presence or programming, but that's all right with me. I just want the 24/7 classical music it puts on its HD2.

And for yragha, my HD radio is a Jensen tabletop, and it sounds great.

 

[rageradio]

Unless something has changed in the last week. KKRWs HD2 signal isn't "The Loop" anymore.. They had been simulcasting 740 there. Recently both hd2 & 3 were carrying KBME

 

[rbrucecarter5]

Unless something has changed in the last week. KKRWs HD2 signal isn't "The Loop" anymore.. They had been simulcasting 740 there. Recently both hd2 & 3 were carrying KBME

Darn! I must admit it has been a few days since I tuned to it, most of the time I enjoy NGEN and the two oldies channels. Another preset bites the dust --- maybe I'll put that one on the weak Beaumont 92.5 instead.

 

[jras20]

It's to bad they can't up juice up the HD power to 10%, being about 84 miles west from the towers I can get 54-59db signal on a normal weather conditions with just a dipole antenna going to the top of my room. I also have a outdoor antenna but that is pointed towards Victoria as well as my TV antenna.

 

[TheSpinMan]

Is the signal transmitted from the HD stations something that a surround sound home audio system can decode into 5.1 channels, like Dolby PII or Dolby TrueHD for example?

 

[sdh483]

I just had a new car stereo with HD radio installed. I'm digging the oldies stations on 104.1 HD2 and 107.5 HD2.

Did anyone noticed 107.5's HD2 disappeared yesterday? I'll have to check and see if it came back on today.

The only station that doesn't appeal to me at all is The Buzz's HD2. It sounds almost similar to the main signal, but with more ******y rock songs. No thanks!

I wish there was more variety though, especially on the rock side, but at least KUHF's HD3 carries a AAA format.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

I just had a new car stereo with HD radio installed. I'm digging the oldies stations on 104.1 HD2 and 107.5 HD2.

Did anyone noticed 107.5's HD2 disappeared yesterday? I'll have to check and see if it came back on today.

The only station that doesn't appeal to me at all is The Buzz's HD2. It sounds almost similar to the main signal, but with more ******y rock songs. No thanks!

I wish there was more variety though, especially on the rock side, but at least KUHF's HD3 carries a AAA format.

I may be the only other person who noticed, but, yeah, I noticed it was off. When practically nobody listens, stations aren't motivated to fix dead air. KSBJ's NGEN was notorious for that a couple of months ago. They got their act together since then. NGEN is pretty good rock, but mixed with hip-hop that is less appealing to me.

I've done 60 mile on 107.5 HD, 50 miles on KSBJ. The other stuff is closer.

 

[willdav713]

I am heading back to Houston for a day this month! I will test out my Insignia HD Radio Walkman (But I don't like those in the inner ear type headphones, I have to use them as with old school headphones the volume is very weak as it only goes up to 15)

 

[Dr. Bob]

Unless something has changed in the last week. KKRWs HD2 signal isn't "The Loop" anymore.. They had been simulcasting 740 there. Recently both hd2 & 3 were carrying KBME

Incorrect. KKRW HD2 is a simulcast of KBME and the HD3 is a simulcast of KTRH.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

Did anyone noticed 107.5's HD2 disappeared yesterday? I'll have to check and see if it came back on today.

Still off as of Monday AM. I wonder what gives ---

 

[rbrucecarter5]

Did anyone noticed 107.5's HD2 disappeared yesterday? I'll have to check and see if it came back on today.

Still off as of Monday AM. I wonder what gives ---

And - back on the air Monday PM, still on Tuesday AM. But KUHF HD was down - no Exponential Radio. If radio stations want HD to catch on, it needs to be reliable. Formats being off the air for days at a time does not do the stations, listeners, or HD radio any good. This is the formative, word of mouth phase. HD radio depends on the word of mouth of early adopters. All I can tell people now is that stations don't care about their HD-2 and up formats, sometimes they are there, sometimes not. Hardly a sales pitch or compelling to people considering purchasing an HD radio. Service windows are Sunday midnight to Monday early AM. That is when HD can legitimately be off for servicing.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

Today's HD hall of shame:

KUHF HD-3 Exponential Radio
KSBJ HD-2 NGEN
KHPT HD-2 The Point

Come on, guys - if you are going to offer different formats on HD sub-channels, make them reliable! You know if you had dead air on your primary signal you would be moving heaven and earth to get it back up!

This is yet another reason why HD radio is not succeeding. A consumer would interpret this as a HD radio not working, and returning the radio as defective. Consumers are used to radio stations keeping their signal on the air. Oh - and I don't think I have experienced any satellite outages - ever.

 

[purpledevil]

Today's HD hall of shame:

KUHF HD-3 Exponential Radio
KSBJ HD-2 NGEN
KHPT HD-2 The Point

Come on, guys - if you are going to offer different formats on HD sub-channels, make them reliable! You know if you had dead air on your primary signal you would be moving heaven and earth to get it back up!

This is yet another reason why HD radio is not succeeding. A consumer would interpret this as a HD radio not working, and returning the radio as defective. Consumers are used to radio stations keeping their signal on the air. Oh - and I don't think I have experienced any satellite outages - ever.

Drive under a bridge, or a tunnel, or through a heavily wooded area. No satellite outages means you have no satellite period.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

Today's HD hall of shame:

KUHF HD-3 Exponential Radio
KSBJ HD-2 NGEN
KHPT HD-2 The Point

Come on, guys - if you are going to offer different formats on HD sub-channels, make them reliable! You know if you had dead air on your primary signal you would be moving heaven and earth to get it back up!

This is yet another reason why HD radio is not succeeding. A consumer would interpret this as a HD radio not working, and returning the radio as defective. Consumers are used to radio stations keeping their signal on the air. Oh - and I don't think I have experienced any satellite outages - ever.

Drive under a bridge, or a tunnel, or through a heavily wooded area. No satellite outages means you have no satellite period.

I don't count those because you have the same sort of thing driving into parking garages or tunnels with over the air FM, or by power lines on AM. No transmission system is perfect, but if you eliminate the obvious sources of dropouts that are to be expected given the nature of the band - satellite is as reliable as over the air. HD-X outages are different. They last hours, or days, and are the result of negligence on the part of the broadcaster. Apathy that HD radio can ill afford in its infancy. I think there is still the attitude at most stations that if the HD-2 isn't available, somehow the listener will want to listen to the regular analog format / HD-1 because it is the "better" format. Listeners will "understand" the "inconvenience" and gladly change their taste to accommodate an extended outage. The reality is - the listener is GONE and it may be a long time before they are back. And - another black eye for HD radio.

 

[radiobop]

Is there a HD channel out there that has generated any revenue? Most potential HD listeners in America aren't even aware HD exists. Go to Target, Walmart, Best Buy or Radio Shack and try to buy an HD radio--you won't find them on the shelf. HD radio will NEVER succeed.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

Is there a HD channel out there that has generated any revenue? Most potential HD listeners in America aren't even aware HD exists. Go to Target, Walmart, Best Buy or Radio Shack and try to buy an HD radio--you won't find them on the shelf. HD radio will NEVER succeed.

Actually - some HD-2's make money. Those are the ones that also have an over the air outlet, or substantial streaming audience, or both.

The stores listed above sell what makes money. Shelf space is at a premium, they can't afford to stock items most people don't buy. If HD radio gets popular, they will sell them. The problem is - in its current form, HD radio has too many technical problems to be reliable. So even if a consumer is aware of it and buys a radio, they are soon frustrated and give up on HD radio. Bad engineering - defective system.

 

[dfwrunner]

Is there a HD channel out there that has generated any revenue? Most potential HD listeners in America aren't even aware HD exists. Go to Target, Walmart, Best Buy or Radio Shack and try to buy an HD radio--you won't find them on the shelf. HD radio will NEVER succeed.

Every HD radio i've been able to buy (primarily best buy) was of poor quality...independent of any problems with HD broadcast technology, many of the available receivers have been just plain low end crap...things like software getting confused and scanning down when pressing the scan up button (stutter it to correct the direction, and no it wasnt unique to one unit), coupling with tinny poor quality speakers, poor equalization and no equalizer/tone control available, and inability to lock on to signal for reasons of receiver difficiency, not that a clean signal wasnt available, only antenna consists of the headphone cord.