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Is LPFM mono?

L

LITTLEBOYBLUE

Don't mean to offend anyone with the stupidity of this question (in my defense, on almost any OTHER board it wouldn't be stupid....!!!) ... but is LPFM something that does not support stereo? Noticed as I was in various parts of Seattle today that KCFL is not stereo -- wasn't sure if that's (a) an LPFM restriction; (b) a transmitting equipment issue; (c) a quality-of-signal issue???

Thanks to anyone willing to enlighten an old fart!
 
> Don't mean to offend anyone with the stupidity of this
> question (in my defense, on almost any OTHER board it
> wouldn't be stupid....!!!) ... but is LPFM something that
> does not support stereo? Noticed as I was in various parts
> of Seattle today that KCFL is not stereo -- wasn't sure if
> that's (a) an LPFM restriction; (b) a transmitting equipment
> issue; (c) a quality-of-signal issue???
>
> Thanks to anyone willing to enlighten an old fart!
>

Smart LPFM stations choose to remain mono to improve coverage. Since they only have 100 Watts, they need to use the power wisely.

Stereo introduces a lot of hiss and multipath noise in the fringe listening area of any station. Since most LPFM listening is fringe listening, the signal sounds clean much further if it is mono.

We tested it on several LPFM stations and found a dramatic increase in background noise and multipath noise when the only change is flipping the Stereo switch to ON. A/B tests prove conclusively that the "Stereo Penalty" is very real on LPFM.

- Big Dick Fry
 
> > Don't mean to offend anyone with the stupidity of this
> > question (in my defense, on almost any OTHER board it
> > wouldn't be stupid....!!!) ... but is LPFM something that
> > does not support stereo? Noticed as I was in various
> parts
> > of Seattle today that KCFL is not stereo -- wasn't sure if
>
> > that's (a) an LPFM restriction; (b) a transmitting
> equipment
> > issue; (c) a quality-of-signal issue???
> >
> > Thanks to anyone willing to enlighten an old fart!
> >
>
> Smart LPFM stations choose to remain mono to improve
> coverage. Since they only have 100 Watts, they need to use
> the power wisely.
>
> Stereo introduces a lot of hiss and multipath noise in the
> fringe listening area of any station. Since most LPFM
> listening is fringe listening, the signal sounds clean much
> further if it is mono.
>
> We tested it on several LPFM stations and found a dramatic
> increase in background noise and multipath noise when the
> only change is flipping the Stereo switch to ON. A/B tests
> prove conclusively that the "Stereo Penalty" is very real on
> LPFM.
>
> - Big Dick Fry

The only downside to that is without that little red glowing LED FM STEREO light on their radios, many casual listeners blindly assume there is something wrong with the station if it's not present and tune out.

LPFM has a million Catch 22s. This is one of them....
>
<P ID="signature">______________
"Most rock journalism is people who cannot write interviewing people who cannot talk" - Frank Zappa

[email protected]


</P>
 
> The only downside to that is without that little red glowing
> LED FM STEREO light on their radios, many casual listeners
> blindly assume there is something wrong with the station if
> it's not present and tune out.
>
> LPFM has a million Catch 22s. This is one of them....

I am consulting a LPFM (WLIX-LP/Ridge, NY) that has a company with two translators picking them up and other than some testing, they have been banging alt rock 24/7 in mono since August and NOBODY has said anything about that they aren't in stereo. We thought it would be a bigger issue, but with decent processing - they don't seem to notice. Go figure.

www.radiox.fm

CJ
 
> The only downside to that is without that little red glowing
> LED FM STEREO light on their radios, many casual listeners
> blindly assume there is something wrong with the station if
> it's not present and tune out.
>
> LPFM has a million Catch 22s. This is one of them....
> >
>

Do0d...

Those little red stereo lights went out with free love.

Now there's just a little "ST" on the display. Most people don't notice that anyway, and it goes off on its own when the Stereo signal fades and the blend circuit switches the radio to Mono without benefit of human hands.

Okay, a few good old living room radios still have the stereo light, but they're mostly in the hands of people old enough to know better than to believe what they read.

But the really big benefit of Mono broadcasting is on those crappy little clock radios that too many people use to wake up with. They're mono to start with and that's where you really get the signal to noise benefit of transmitting in mono.

-Big Dick Fry
 
> Now there's just a little "ST" on the display. Most people
> don't notice that anyway, and it goes off on its own when
> the Stereo signal fades and the blend circuit switches the
> radio to Mono without benefit of human hands.
>
> Okay, a few good old living room radios still have the
> stereo light, but they're mostly in the hands of people old
> enough to know better than to believe what they read.
>
> But the really big benefit of Mono broadcasting is on those
> crappy little clock radios that too many people use to wake
> up with. They're mono to start with and that's where you
> really get the signal to noise benefit of transmitting in
> mono.
>
> -Big Dick Fry
>
Down In Madison Park where I work KCFL and KGHO both come in very well, the oldies music on KGHO with the "you" jingles is great, and KCFL with it's blend of local artists and popular music more than make up for the "stereo LED light" on the boombox I listen to at work.

It would be interesting to know what listener feedback they are getting. Dr Sandi? Kacie Sommers?
 
> > The only downside to that is without that little red
> glowing
> > LED FM STEREO light on their radios, many casual listeners
>
> > blindly assume there is something wrong with the station
> if
> > it's not present and tune out.
> >
> > LPFM has a million Catch 22s. This is one of them....
> > >
> >
>
> Do0d...
>
> Those little red stereo lights went out with free love.
>
> Now there's just a little "ST" on the display. Most people
> don't notice that anyway, and it goes off on its own when
> the Stereo signal fades and the blend circuit switches the
> radio to Mono without benefit of human hands.
>
> Okay, a few good old living room radios still have the
> stereo light, but they're mostly in the hands of people old
> enough to know better than to believe what they read.
>
> But the really big benefit of Mono broadcasting is on those
> crappy little clock radios that too many people use to wake
> up with. They're mono to start with and that's where you
> really get the signal to noise benefit of transmitting in
> mono.
>
> -Big Dick Fry

Well, I still got my Sony STR-VX300 reciever (circa 1984, one of the very first recievers designed for home theatre.) as the heart of a massive home entertainment complex. And my FM stereo LED is still red.

However, the ST indicator is on my wife's car stereo. That thing even plays these newfangled things called MP3s! But everyone knows it's all just another fad anyway. The Columbia Graphophone Cylinder is here to stay....
>
<P ID="signature">______________
Unauthorized copyright infringement is the sincerest form of flattery.

[email protected]


</P>
 
> > The only downside to that is without that little red
> glowing
> > LED FM STEREO light on their radios, many casual listeners
>
> > blindly assume there is something wrong with the station
> if
> > it's not present and tune out.
> >
> > LPFM has a million Catch 22s. This is one of them....
>
> I am consulting a LPFM (WLIX-LP/Ridge, NY) that has a
> company with two translators picking them up and other than
> some testing, they have been banging alt rock 24/7 in mono
> since August and NOBODY has said anything about that they
> aren't in stereo. We thought it would be a bigger issue,
> but with decent processing - they don't seem to notice. Go
> figure.
>
> www.radiox.fm

At first glance, it does look like a bigger issue than it actually is now. I stand corrected. I'm just referring to past incidents where I remember people tuning out a mono station because "there's something wrong with it".

Besides, if you're giving the people what they really want-who cares?

BACK TO MONO!!...
>
> CJ
>
<P ID="signature">______________
Unauthorized copyright infringement is the sincerest form of flattery.

[email protected]


</P>
 
... I'm just referring to
> past incidents where I remember people tuning out a mono
> station because "there's something wrong with it".
>
> Besides, if you're giving the people what they really
> want-who cares?
>
> BACK TO MONO!!...

It's that damnable MONO virus. You listen to one of those stations that has it and before you know it, the darned radio doesn't work in stereo anymore.

At least, that's what I heard.


-Big Dick
 
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