• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Home/tabletop HD radios

I have not listened to HD Radio, and from what I have read, it is not all that impressive. If you have broadband wireless Internet, then CCrane has a Wi-Fi radio, that can pick up stations from all over the world. CCrane also carries the Recepter HD, but I hear it needs a dipole antenna (and they have a note at he bottom of the page that they are working on a new antenna - that should tell you something HD coverage/reception). Both radios are the same price, but the obvious advantage goes to the Wi-Fi radio. Best Buy and, I believe, Radio Shack, also carry the Recepter HD, but the one at Best Buy wasn't even plugged in, nor had the dipole antenna - that should tell you something, also...
 
HD Radio sounds great! Boston Acoustics has their HD receptor radio. Where you live would determine what kind of antenna you need.

If you wait a month or two, Tivoli and Boston Acoustics will be coming out with radios as well.

I can tell you that the quality is MUCH better than any WiFi radio you can get. Much easier to set up as well.
 
You, want to tell me what the bit rates are for both:

HD Radio - 55kb/s is the usual top data rate for ground wave or moderate skywave propagation in a 20kHz-wide channel, which is how one would expect any digital-only system to function in North America.

Wi-Fi - For example, an 802.11b WiFi computer in close proximity to a router will often connect at 11 Mbps as shown on the computer's wireless configuration screens. If the computer is moved further away from the router, the connection speed will automatically reduce from 11 Mbps to 5.5 Mbps, and sometimes lower.

Well, I wonder which one is going to have the superior fidelity !

HD radio may be easier to set up - but does it get thousands of stations, from around the world - no ! I wonder, why it is easier to set up !

Imagine, being able to hear radio stations, in the Middle East, reporting on the crisis in Lebanaon, listening to the local news out West on the fire fighting efforts against the raging fires, listening to local news on any further terrorist attacks or disasters in a particular area, or if taking a trip, being about to check out the local news in that area, the list goes on...
 
This is all well and good and I agree that WiFi offers great promise for the future. That said, what do you do with a Wi-Fi radio if you odn't have a hign speed internet connection and how well do they work in the car, where most radio listening is done?
 
55% of Americans have broadband Internet connections at home and at work - what facts do you have to back up your statement that most listening is done in the car - and that is what satellite radio is for ! Wi-Fi technology capability is already way ahead of HD Radio. Funny thing, the automakers are not interested in HD radio, partly because satellite radio maufacturers are giving them $100 per installed radio - I guess, that shoots your argument !
 
SayNoToIBOC said:
HD radio may be easier to set up - but does it get thousands of stations, from around the world - no ! I wonder, why it is easier to set up !

Imagine, being able to hear radio stations, in the Middle East, reporting on the crisis in Lebanaon, listening to the local news out West on the fire fighting efforts against the raging fires, listening to local news on any further terrorist attacks or disasters in a particular area, or if taking a trip, being about to check out the local news in that area, the list goes on...
Click to expand...

I have been to the Middle East. All the stations were in Hebrew, Farsi or dialects of Arabic. I suppose you can get AFRTS in Iraq, but who wants to a) listen to AFRTS and b) visit Iraq?

Except for a few countries, most locl broadcasting in the world is NOT in English. I would rather find out the temperature in Buenos Aires by looking on Yahoo than to try to get it on some internet stream. And for music, most people would like to listen to a local station that has checked out the local preferences in music, not one a half continent away.
 
David wrote: "Except for a few countries, most locl broadcasting in the world is NOT in English. I would rather find out the temperature in Buenos Aires by looking on Yahoo than to try to get it on some internet stream. And for music, most people would like to listen to a local station that has checked out the local preferences in music, not one a half continent away."

Back that up with facts ! But, Wi-Fi gives people a whole lot more options ! I would really enjoy hearing news from Salt Lake City, but can't DX over the Rockies. You have an agenda, as a Univision excutive, so of course you always come up with some biased PERSONAL opinion.

Oh, this RWOnline article address DX listening:

http://rwonline.com/reference-room/iboc/03_rwrf_feb_16_part_2.shtml

I certainly trust articles from RWOnline, before comments from someone with a Univision agenda.
 
Quick David show him your airline tickets. The fact that he earns his living in the industry is no competition for someone such as yourself who does what again? Did you say DX? How well does it pay? Can you support a family on a DXers pay?
 
autopaint-1 wrote:"Quick David show him your airline tickets. The fact that he earns his living in the industry is no competition for someone such as yourself who does what again? Did you say DX? How well does it pay? Can you support a family on a DXers pay?"

You are doing exactly what you were complaining about in the other thread - is that the best response you have, just personal insults ! David's posts are biased, by default. Remember, iBiquity is in financial mayhem ! :D

Why don't you, try staying on subject.
 
Why don't you, try staying on subject.

Why don't you, try staying on subject.
 
"Why don't you, try staying on subject."

OK, the subject is the new generation of IBOC radio. I am looking forward to the release of the new Tivoli HD radio soon. I want to see how well the second generation IBOC chip works.
 
Doesn't Internet Radio kind of make DX'ing a little obsolete? Why try to pick up a problematic and low fidelity signal, when you can just listen to station's Internet stream with reasonable clarity and fidelity?

I know that to some folks, it's the challenge, but I'm fairly sure they are very much a minority.
 
Actually, I grew up on shortwave, building a Night Kit Star Roamer with my Dad, and ran a long-wire antenna along the attic - DXing was really exciting. But now, SWL is on the decline, as SW stations are abandoning broadcasting, for the Internet. To me, listening over the Internet is just not the same, maybe because I grew up on SW. Actualy, if you look under rec.radio.shortwave, there are quite a few SW listeners. I think analog terrestrial broadcasting will be around, for many years, but HD Radio would, and is, making a total mess of the broadcast bands (but, as you have seen here, I am no expert). All you need to do, is look a the posts on rec.radio.shortwave, and see al the problems people are having with HD/IBOC. Wi-Fi radio looks really neat - it would be unbelievable, to be able to listen to stations, from around the world. Do you mainly listen over the Internet, and have you tried Wi-Fi radio ? I understand, that communities are putting in, or planning to put in, wireless Internet access - just wait, until car manufactures install Internet !

Thanks, for a civilized post.
 
SayNoToIBOC said:
All you need to do, is look a the posts on rec.radio.shortwave, and see al the problems people are having with HD/IBOC.
Click to expand...

Actually, looks like the same few people posting over and over there. How many people on that site are average radio listeners? Hint: None.

I haven't heard of many "listener" complaints. Heck, you would think that if IBOC were so evil, there would be miilions of complaints from listeners in New York City alone.

There aren't, however.
 
SayNoToIBOC said:
Actually, I grew up on shortwave,
<SNIP>
Wi-Fi radio looks really neat - it would be unbelievable, to be able to listen to stations, from around the world. Do you mainly listen over the Internet, and have you tried Wi-Fi radio ? I understand, that communities are putting in, or planning to put in, wireless Internet access - just wait, until car manufactures install Internet !

Thanks, for a civilized post.
Click to expand...

I grew up with Shortwave too. My Grandfather had a huge Brunswick AM-SW console in his living room. At about age ten or so, my uncle gave me a very ancient National NC-2 radio, which I still have. You could really shock the sh*t out of yourself on that radio, but it was cool to listen to far off places. I graduated to a General Coverage radio from Lafayette, and eventually to a Hallicrafters shortwave set. It was fun, but I haven't done it in years. I do know that people still enjoy DXing. I'm sure a part of it is simply the challenge of doing it, but more and more, it is just plain easier to dial up a web site and listen. That's a dynamic we probably can't change, and to be honest, I'm not sure I'd want to. I think streaming has a bright future, unless RIAA and others choose to put road blocks in its progress.

As you point out, even small towns are installing public Wi-Fi coverage. They are in my area. Wi-Max is coming soon. I think that is going to be a big deal. Right now, I manage a small locally oriented radio station. It's certainly no flame thrower, but it has a loyal following. We also stream on the Internet. That too has a very loyal following. We haven't figured out how to make money out of streaming, but to be truthful, we haven't tried. Even so, people do mail us a check or make a donation through Pay Pal every now and then. It's nice to be appreciated.

I travel a lot. I am amazed at how many places there are where I can easily check in to see of the station is running OK. Lots of times, it is free. Given the fact that there are only so many people who are interested in listening to anything regardless of delivery mode, then these new technologies are going to dilute current listenership for traditional radio. The funny thing is HD radio makes the same promise of diluting the audience. I know the flag waivers say that additional channels make for new sales opportunities. Probably so, but at what point do you diminish the audience into such small numbers that it isn't worth bothering with? I think that is a very real concern, especially in medium and small markets.

I'm neither a flag waiver nor a detractor to HD. In fact, I think that digital broadcasting is the future. I do have serious concerns about the current technology, but it may turn out to be something we just have to live with. I'd like to be able to make informed and intelligent decisions that relate to my station. That's my only reason for spending an inordinate amount of time on this board. I'd prefer to make sure that time is not wasted, so keeping things civil seems to me like the only way to go.
 
Just a point of reference.

That's not a "RWonline article". ("RWonline", by the way, is the online arm of the Radio World print trade magazine.)

That's a commentary by Ralph Carlson of Carlson Communications in Salt Lake City. Carlson uses the competing "cam-D" system (Leonard Kahn's baby) on one of his SLC AM stations.

I'm not trying to poke holes in the piece at all...just noting that it is the view of one broadcaster, just like Dr. Bob Conrad's piece is the view of another broadcaster.
 
SayNoToIBOC said:
David wrote: "Except for a few countries, most locl broadcasting in the world is NOT in English. I would rather find out the temperature in Buenos Aires by looking on Yahoo than to try to get it on some internet stream. And for music, most people would like to listen to a local station that has checked out the local preferences in music, not one a half continent away."

Back that up with facts ! But, Wi-Fi gives people a whole lot more options ! I would really enjoy hearing news from Salt Lake City, but can't DX over the Rockies. You have an agenda, as a Univision excutive, so of course you always come up with some biased PERSONAL opinion.

Oh, this RWOnline article address DX listening:

I certainly trust articles from RWOnline, before comments from someone with a Univision agenda.
Click to expand...

Were people to want to listen to out of market stations, this listening would show up in Arbitron diaries. Arbitron tabulates every single mention of a station in each survedy, and the subscribers can see this. There is little if any out of market use of web streams or, in general, out of market stations. In fact, only a couple of hundred stations in the US show up in markets other than their own, and that is from listening within the station's local contours, whether Am or FM, not from the web or skywave.

Further, Arbitron subscribers can view every single diary for thier mmarketes every time a book is released. If there were out of market listening, we would notice it.

Additionally, every major station or group does its own inside listener research to see what people listen to and what the dynamics of change, satisfaction, needs, dissatisfaction, etc., are. We see no mentions of out of market stations, ever. Some of us... most of the big companies and many of the small... spend more on proprietary research than we do for Arbitron. We sell with Arbitron. We develop the product with internal, private research.

Thyat is all the proof any of us need to make business decisions.

Being with any of the big companies today, and many of the medium onesw... means a commitment to HD. From a corporate perspective, we see AM dying. We see challenges from other digital sources. We need our own digital system, and we have it. There is nothing biased by being in favor of what could save AM and what will make the industry better... as several thousand stations have done.
 
A Univision executive's personal repetitive, biased diatribe...

OhioMediaWatch wrote: "That's not a "RWonline article". ("RWonline", by the way, is the online arm of the Radio World print trade magazine.)"

You are starting to nit-pick, just like autopaint-1 - yes, I saw, who it was written by, thank you ! You need a better response than that ! I guess, I need to watch my sematics a bit more carefully, since you all have no concrete facts, to counter my posts.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom