How many HD signals are on the air in Nashville?

[PaulO]

The prices for an HD radio receiver have apparently dropped enough to where I'm starting to considder buying one. I looked at the station list on iBiquity's web site last night. Is it up to date?

Do the radios work well enough to test them out at best buy? Can you get the signals in an electronics store?

 

[Nashsound]

I took a quick look at the list on the Ibiquity site and it appears pretty accurate. Basically Public Radio and the Clear Channel FMs are the only ones running HD2 right now. As far as in store pick reception, it depends. I was in the Electronic Express on White Bridge Road and was able to pick up at least the WNRQ and WRVW HD & HD2 on the JVC KD-HDR-1 radio on their display.

 

[mattthepm]

Also, don't forget 97.1 (The Tower) and 102.9 (The Buzz) are also running HD. I believe at one point WMOT (Jazz 89) was running HD, but it appears to be turned off at present.

I'll vouch for the JVC HDR-1. . it's a relatively decent receiver. Electronic Express has them on sale in the mid $100 range. You can also get an iPod interface to control an iPod through the unit. There is also a line in/AUX in interface available for other digital players or laptops.

AM reception is spotty at best in IBOC mode. For example, WLAC comes in best if you're at least within Nashville's immediate area (20 to 25 miles out). WPLN 1430 is the same way. Still, audio fidelity is not so bad.

I was actually able to get 1040 WHO in IBOC mode out of Des Moines, Iowa the other night whilst stationary in a shopping center parking lot in the 'Boro. Good conditions, I reckon . .

My only gripe with WNRQ's HD channels is the 100 ms or so delay switching between analog and HD mode. This normally occurs when reception becomes spotty. Stations with only one HD channel and AM IBOC channels don't seem to have this issue with the delay.

Check out WNRQ's HD2 'Vinyl Vineyard' channel. Good stuff!

-mattthepm

 

[deltas69]

here's a question for all of those that understand the tech stuff..i travel east on 40 to lebanon, then swing south through watertown, into smithville, over to 40 and cookeville..by the time i get to watertown..roughly 20 miles south/southeast off I 40..WLAC is loaded with static, hardly perceptible..shouldn't 50k get out more than that as the crow flies ?? the signal is barely distinguishable to smithville..out of smithville i can pick up 780 am out of sparta much better..think they are running just a thousand watts...i know back in the day..WLS would fry my radio at night out of chicago..why can't WLAC make it barely 30 miles out of nashville..doesn't matter what vehicle i'm in..so it's not the radio..although i know the old super hetrodyne am recievers of the 60's were much better than the am recievers today......whats the problem ?? ???

 

[SwissVol]

Check out WNRQ's HD2 'Vinyl Vineyard' channel. Good stuff!

-mattthepm

What does "The Vinyl Vineyard sound like these days? When I first heard that channel, I was disappointed. Yes, they were mixing deeper vintage rock album cuts with very mellow sounding music like Gordon Lightfoot and such. Not to bash any particular artists or bands, but I wanted that station to have more edge to their classic rock cuts.

While I was on my afternoon walk today, I heard this on my own programmed ipod:

4:23 PM Paul revere and the Raiders: Hungry

4:26 PM Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention: Hungry freaks

4:29 PM The Allman Brothers Band: Every Hungy Woman

4:33 PM Iron Butterfly: Shady Lady

4:37 PM Iron Butterfly: Unoconscious power

This is how I would program that HD2 staion. The Paul Revere and the Raiders song probably does not fit, but once in while I throw in one of those fun songs that we grew up with

and still enjoy hearing now and then

 

[w9wi]

here's a question for all of those that understand the tech stuff..i travel east on 40 to lebanon, then swing south through watertown, into smithville, over to 40 and cookeville..by the time i get to watertown..roughly 20 miles south/southeast off I 40..WLAC is loaded with static, hardly perceptible..shouldn't 50k get out more than that as the crow flies ?? the signal is barely distinguishable to smithville..out of smithville i can pick up 780 am out of sparta much better..think they are running just a thousand watts...i know back in the day..WLS would fry my radio at night out of chicago..why can't WLAC make it barely 30 miles out of nashville..doesn't matter what vehicle i'm in..so it's not the radio..although i know the old super hetrodyne am recievers of the 60's were much better than the am recievers today......whats the problem ?? ???

The high dial position. Stations on lower frequencies "get out" better.

Assume two stations transmitting from the same site, one on 640kHz and the other on 1470. Both run enough power and an efficient enough antenna to deliver 400 millivolts per meter of signal at 1 kilometer (1,000 yards) from the tower. (that figure is pretty much correct for WSM 650.)

If you monitor at a site 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the tower... the station on 640 will deliver a signal of 0.11 millivolts per meter. The station on 1470 will deliver 0.014 millivolts per meter - nearly 10dB less.

FWIW the 780 station is in Cookeville and indeed runs 1000 watts. They're simulcast on another 1,000-watt station in Sparta which is on 860. (so they probably identify for both frequencies & cities)

_________________________________________________

On a completely different subject, I have to concur with "SwissVol" about WNRQ-HD2. A format like that is just begging for a "deep cuts" approach - but that's not what they're delivering.

 

[SwissVol]

Sorry to get too far off the base here, but I wonder who threw that 105.9 HD2 together?

 

[Tibbs4]

Swiss, you're violating the unobvious rule of the great '08 --- you've mentioned (indirectly) WNRQ. That's a 100kw
station. So far in 2008, no one has mentioned a radio station that anyone can actually pick up.

On a slightly different note, when will Magic 1560's HD station fire up and start cranking out the Bee Gees?
HD does stand for happenin' disco, right?

 

[w9wi]

Sorry to get too far off the base here, but I wonder who threw that 105.9 HD2 together?

Aren't the Clear Channel HD2's fed from some centralized source in Dallas or somewhere like that?

 

[romer979fm]

Aren't the Clear Channel HD2's fed from some centralized source in Dallas or somewhere like that?[/quote]

as far as Nashville's physical HD2 servers, they are all in the basement of the Music Row fortress...
among all the other servers:
don't know about other markets

 

[scottwmro]

here's a question for all of those that understand the tech stuff..i travel east on 40 to lebanon, then swing south through watertown, into smithville, over to 40 and cookeville..by the time i get to watertown..roughly 20 miles south/southeast off I 40..WLAC is loaded with static, hardly perceptible..shouldn't 50k get out more than that as the crow flies ?? the signal is barely distinguishable to smithville..out of smithville i can pick up 780 am out of sparta much better..think they are running just a thousand watts...i know back in the day..WLS would fry my radio at night out of chicago..why can't WLAC make it barely 30 miles out of nashville..doesn't matter what vehicle i'm in..so it's not the radio..although i know the old super hetrodyne am recievers of the 60's were much better than the am recievers today......whats the problem ?? ???

The high dial position. Stations on lower frequencies "get out" better.

Assume two stations transmitting from the same site, one on 640kHz and the other on 1470. Both run enough power and an efficient enough antenna to deliver 400 millivolts per meter of signal at 1 kilometer (1,000 yards) from the tower. (that figure is pretty much correct for WSM 650.)

If you monitor at a site 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the tower... the station on 640 will deliver a signal of 0.11 millivolts per meter. The station on 1470 will deliver 0.014 millivolts per meter - nearly 10dB less.

FWIW the 780 station is in Cookeville and indeed runs 1000 watts. They're simulcast on another 1,000-watt station in Sparta which is on 860. (so they probably identify for both frequencies & cities)

_________________________________________________

On a completely different subject, I have to concur with "SwissVol" about WNRQ-HD2. A format like that is just begging for a "deep cuts" approach - but that's not what they're delivering.

Right On Doug!

The higher you go on the MW dial, the worse the station is able get out, in addition to the ground conductivity here in Middle TN. That's why the Smryna station on 710 (with 250 watts) gets out way better than the station in Springfield on 1590 with 1 KW. I would take atleast 10 KW for 1590 to have a better equal signal to 710's 250 watts. I think Pat has forgot that WLAC is directional at night as well, even with thier 109 degree (half wave) radiator, they fade some here in Gallatin at night due to the directional antenna.
My signal on 1560 stinks, daytime. I do to make it to rivergate during the day with a hot signal. I can hear it downtown Nashville during the day, but WHIN does much better with 1 KW than I do.
Oh well that's analog AM, now I'm going to take care of this cold!

Scott

 

[Tibbs4]

Guaranteed overnight results, Scott:

1.5 to 2 oz. Jack Daniels
juice of a fresh lemon
shot of sugar

You will sweat it out. Never been sick more than 12 hours after taking that. Not kidding.

1/2 bottle of Arbor Mist for good measure and attitude adjustment.

Why don't you call Magic --- 1560 The Mist?

Hope you feel better soon

 

[SwissVol]

I figured their programming on the 105.9 HD2 channel side of things came in from somewhere.

How can I pharse this without making crummy remarks, but sometimes I think the people that program these vintage album rock stations have never heard how that format should sound.

I know that sounds bad, but I have this idea (misguided or not) how that kind of radio should sound.

 

[SwissVol]

Swiss, you're violating the unobvious rule of the great '08 --- you've mentioned (indirectly) WNRQ. That's a 100kw
station. So far in 2008, no one has mentioned a radio station that anyone can actually pick up.

On a slightly different note, when will Magic 1560's HD station fire up and start cranking out the Bee Gees?
HD does stand for happenin' disco, right?

Tibbs, no doubt, but I posted at great length on the listening range of Magic 1560.

Anyway, I can not exactly hear WNRQ HD2 channel since i have not bought one of these radios yet. I thought the idea of HD2 radio was to counter satellite radio. In order do do that, stations have to provide some music formats and other programs that the listening audience can not get as of this time.

Anyway, I spend way too much time listening to old Tom Donahue airchecks.

 

[Nashsound]

You can go to the 1059 website and listen to the HD2 stream. Most of the CC stations have streams for their HD2 formats.

 

[Tibbs4]

Swiss, you're violating the unobvious rule of the great '08 --- you've mentioned (indirectly) WNRQ. That's a 100kw
station. So far in 2008, no one has mentioned a radio station that anyone can actually pick up.

On a slightly different note, when will Magic 1560's HD station fire up and start cranking out the Bee Gees?
HD does stand for happenin' disco, right?

Tibbs, no doubt, but I posted at great length on the listening range of Magic 1560.

Anyway, I can not exactly hear WNRQ HD2 channel since i have not bought one of these radios yet. I thought the idea of HD2 radio was to counter satellite radio. In order do do that, stations have to provide some music formats and other programs that the listening audience can not get as of this time.

Anyway, I spend way too much time listening to old Tom Donahue airchecks.

Swiss --- I'm just buggin' ya. Forgive me for I honestly have not embraced HD to much. I know I am sentimental,
but I like the kind of radio with just one station. You're a VIP.

 

[deltas69]

Pat has forgot that WLAC is directional at night ...i'm not listening at night..midays 11 til 2..barely audible past alexzandria, pure static going into smithville..as the crow files,surely not over 45-50 miles if that..a 50,000 watt am blowtorch ought to get farther than that even if it is up high on the dial..but as often pointed out..what do i know..LOL ???

 

[w9wi]

Pat has forgot that WLAC is directional at night ...i'm not listening at night..midays 11 til 2..barely audible past alexzandria, pure static going into smithville..as the crow files,surely not over 45-50 miles if that..a 50,000 watt am blowtorch ought to get farther than that even if it is up high on the dial..but as often pointed out..what do i know..LOL ???

Yeah, I did think about WLAC being DA at night. But the nulls protect Boston & Spokane, so "deltas69"'s travels don't seem to go far enough north to get into the weak spots.

They certainly do put a hole in the WLAC signal further north. Where I live (in Pleasant View) I've heard Spokane - while WLAC was on the air. I'm about 20 miles from the WLAC transmitter. Scott's location in Gallatin is probably in the Boston null.

 

[SwissVol]

Tibbs, hopefully I can make some pertinent remarks about local radio now and then.

I was not joking when I said I listen to old Tom and Rachel Donahue air checks from KMPX and KSAN FM. LOL

I guess I just remember the vast potential of creative radio and see what has happened to radio since the so called glory days. Well sir, it just makes me kind of sad.

Anyway, you guys can make it better by plugging away at those big ole corporations.