IS THE AM RADIO BAND DOOMED? WHAT DO YOU THINK? I DON'T THINK SO!

[JIBGUY]

WJIB is not for sale. That's the 5-word answer I give to most inquiries. The only way I'd consider selling would be to local people who would keep the format. So 740 will be doing what its doing for a long time.

 

[Eli Polonsky]

John Q. Public takes a much easier route. He goes to a local convenience store or gas station and plunks down $19.95 (plus tax) for an FM modulator. He then is able to plug in the Insignia; just as he does the iPod, CD, satellite and any other audio component his in-dash tunes can't support. Set the modulator to a clear FM frequency and enjoy crystal clear HD stereo music. That is how millions of people enjoy music devices the factory installed equipment cannot play. Not even a screwdriver is needed, just the occasional couple of AA batteries.

What are the AA batteries for? The FM modulators I've seen are powered from the car cigarette lighter, and the Insignia HD portable has an internal non-replaceable rechargeable battery.

 

[raccoonradio]

AAA batteries in the ones I've seen and used

http://www.maxell-usa.com/index.aspx?id=10;13;253;355&a=info&pid=231
(You can see these in places like Walgreen's or indeed conv stores or amazon.com...$19.95, takes 3 AAAs. It's what I've used at work to hear Howie's last hour, or Sox games, when they're bumped to WRKO. In the past Walmart used to carry Belkin models--one that like the Maxell would do 88.1 to 88.7 and one that did the entire FM dial, though that one wasn't too effective
http://www.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?&Product_Id=606060&subid=272764 )

 

[radiorob2.0]

Radio World, August 11th 2010 edition: http://www.rwonline.com/article/hd-radio-shouldn39t-be-this-hard/3684

Yes, he was just about Pope of the Church of ibiquity.

Still is. iBiquity needed a good boot in the ass. Mr. Ray is one of the very few guys capable of administering one hard enough to get iBiquity's attention. He did.

His rant is a legitimate bitch about iBiquity's lack of front line support for HD's proponents. Basically told them that if they don't get their act together and their thumb out of their ass; they are going to relegate HD to oblivion.

He broke down the options, costs and goon work involved in replacing a $1,000 factory installed non-HD with a $500 amalgamation of adaptors and aftermarket radios for Joe Consumer to enjoy HD radio.

John Q. Public takes a much easier route. He goes to a local convenience store or gas station and plunks down $19.95 (plus tax) for an FM modulator. He then is able to plug in the Insignia; just as he does the iPod, CD, satellite and any other audio component his in-dash tunes can't support. Set the modulator to a clear FM frequency and enjoy crystal clear HD stereo music. That is how millions of people enjoy music devices the factory installed equipment cannot play. Not even a screwdriver is needed, just the occasional couple of AA batteries. Inexpensive underdash FM converters that played on AM radio enabled FM to take off in automobiles long before automakers started providing FM across their model lines. Inexpensive, easy install converters will do the exact same thing for HD.

-

.....Two things.....

The HD radios I've used need significant signal voltage to receive HD. A portable unit sitting inside a car won't pick up much HD unless you're within a few miles of the transmitter site. Also, the "crystal clear HD stereo music" won't be heard like that going through a low cost analog FM modulator. This would be the equivalent twenty-five years ago of dubbing a CD to a Certron cassette and then claiming "CD quality" on a Kraco car stereo.

 

[johnster]

Who would use a portable HD Radio in a car???
All the new cars come with them and I can pick up WBZ everhwere in my car in HD? No static at all.... HD

Radio World, August 11th 2010 edition: http://www.rwonline.com/article/hd-radio-shouldn39t-be-this-hard/3684

Yes, he was just about Pope of the Church of ibiquity.

Still is. iBiquity needed a good boot in the ass. Mr. Ray is one of the very few guys capable of administering one hard enough to get iBiquity's attention. He did.

His rant is a legitimate bitch about iBiquity's lack of front line support for HD's proponents. Basically told them that if they don't get their act together and their thumb out of their ass; they are going to relegate HD to oblivion.

He broke down the options, costs and goon work involved in replacing a $1,000 factory installed non-HD with a $500 amalgamation of adaptors and aftermarket radios for Joe Consumer to enjoy HD radio.

John Q. Public takes a much easier route. He goes to a local convenience store or gas station and plunks down $19.95 (plus tax) for an FM modulator. He then is able to plug in the Insignia; just as he does the iPod, CD, satellite and any other audio component his in-dash tunes can't support. Set the modulator to a clear FM frequency and enjoy crystal clear HD stereo music. That is how millions of people enjoy music devices the factory installed equipment cannot play. Not even a screwdriver is needed, just the occasional couple of AA batteries. Inexpensive underdash FM converters that played on AM radio enabled FM to take off in automobiles long before automakers started providing FM across their model lines. Inexpensive, easy install converters will do the exact same thing for HD.

-

.....Two things.....

The HD radios I've used need significant signal voltage to receive HD. A portable unit sitting inside a car won't pick up much HD unless you're within a few miles of the transmitter site. Also, the "crystal clear HD stereo music" won't be heard like that going through a low cost analog FM modulator. This would be the equivalent twenty-five years ago of dubbing a CD to a Certron cassette and then claiming "CD quality" on a Kraco car stereo.

 

[radiorob2.0]

Who would use a portable HD Radio in a car???
All the new cars come with them and I can pick up WBZ everhwere in my car in HD? No static at all.... HD

Radio World, August 11th 2010 edition: http://www.rwonline.com/article/hd-radio-shouldn39t-be-this-hard/3684

Yes, he was just about Pope of the Church of ibiquity.

Still is. iBiquity needed a good boot in the ass. Mr. Ray is one of the very few guys capable of administering one hard enough to get iBiquity's attention. He did.

His rant is a legitimate bitch about iBiquity's lack of front line support for HD's proponents. Basically told them that if they don't get their act together and their thumb out of their ass; they are going to relegate HD to oblivion.

He broke down the options, costs and goon work involved in replacing a $1,000 factory installed non-HD with a $500 amalgamation of adaptors and aftermarket radios for Joe Consumer to enjoy HD radio.

John Q. Public takes a much easier route. He goes to a local convenience store or gas station and plunks down $19.95 (plus tax) for an FM modulator. He then is able to plug in the Insignia; just as he does the iPod, CD, satellite and any other audio component his in-dash tunes can't support. Set the modulator to a clear FM frequency and enjoy crystal clear HD stereo music. That is how millions of people enjoy music devices the factory installed equipment cannot play. Not even a screwdriver is needed, just the occasional couple of AA batteries. Inexpensive underdash FM converters that played on AM radio enabled FM to take off in automobiles long before automakers started providing FM across their model lines. Inexpensive, easy install converters will do the exact same thing for HD.

-

.....Two things.....

The HD radios I've used need significant signal voltage to receive HD. A portable unit sitting inside a car won't pick up much HD unless you're within a few miles of the transmitter site. Also, the "crystal clear HD stereo music" won't be heard like that going through a low cost analog FM modulator. This would be the equivalent twenty-five years ago of dubbing a CD to a Certron cassette and then claiming "CD quality" on a Kraco car stereo.

He was talking about using a Insignia portable radio in his car via an FM modulator. Your "all new cars come with HD radio" comment needs a citation because I don't think that is exactly the situation.

If WBZ was to shut down their IBOC you and a handful of radio/techno geeks would notice. If WBZ's digital exciter dies tomorrow it is likely it won't be replaced as there would be no return on the investment. If they just turn it off now would save money on electricity and they would no longer be required to pay graft....I mean a small tribute to iBiquity for the use of a service that maybe a dozen or at most 100 people utilize.

On a sidenote, WBZ's skywave signal no longer exist since KDKA and WHO wipe out WBZ over most of the country.

 

[dumber than a box of hair]

All the new cars come with them...

Uh, no. A tiny fraction of the available new cars in the US come with them, and only four brands have made them standard: BMW, Mini, Scion and Volvo. According to my sources in the new-car business, lots of them are the subject of warranty complaints, as in: "They keep cutting out" or "there's some missing audio" or "they get muddy suddenly" or "this #$%^&* radio can't pick up the signals" or "my HD2 programs keep dropping out" or etc., etc., etc.,etc... Particularly on high-end vehicles like BMW's, owners who have shelled out $40,000+ for a car do not tolerate equipment that doesn't work right the first time.

http://www.hdradio.com/buyers-guide/new-car

 

[radiorob2.0]

All the new cars come with them...

Uh, no. A tiny fraction of the available new cars in the US come with them, and only four brands have made them standard: BMW, Mini, Scion and Volvo. According to my sources in the new-car business, lots of them are the subject of warranty complaints, as in: "They keep cutting out" or "there's some missing audio" or "they get muddy suddenly" or "this #$%^&* radio can't pick up the signals" or "my HD2 programs keep dropping out" or etc., etc., etc.,etc... Particularly on high-end vehicles like BMW's, owners who have shelled out $40,000+ for a car do not tolerate equipment that doesn't work right the first time.

http://www.hdradio.com/buyers-guide/new-car

There is a theme in those complaints. The signal strength must be above average for reception. I have a desktop Sony purchased five years ago on close out. The analog sensitivity and selectivity on the analog AM and FM section is spectacular but it is only the strongest signals that activates digital. I've only heard AM digital once. It was via skywave in the dead of winter with a Select-A-Tenna and received WSCR for about ten seconds. It sounded like old school Real Audio. As far as FM HD, what is the big deal? Though the noise is gone it's doesn't necessarily sound better, especially if the audio source is inferior (read:mp3 ignorance).

The HD complaints resemble those of when wideband AM and AM stereo were added to receivers. Many radios were returned on the grounds of a "noisy AM". The manufactures reduced the bandwidth and radios returned for a "noisy AM" problem reduced dramatically.

 

[Eli Polonsky]

Who would use a portable HD Radio in a car???
All the new cars come with them and I can pick up WBZ everhwere in my car in HD? No static at all.... HD

Also, believe it or not, not everyone can afford to buy, or even finance, a brand new car.

I use an HD portable through an FM transponder in my car because I enjoy the programming on some of the HD subchannels, and at my income level, I will not be purchasing any new cars in the foreseeable future and probably never will, however, I may get an aftermarket in-dash HD car stereo installed because the reception would be far superior to using the portable in the car.

 

[Ai4i]

Agreed: aftermarket indash is the way to do it.

 

[ssetta]

Time for me to dig in.

There is actually one format that is usually on AM that nobody seems to have brought up yet. Radio Disney. Now there's a format that should definitely be on FM instead of AM. I bet it would gain a lot more listeners if that were to happen, and I know that a few years ago they silenced a lot of stations in smaller markets, such as WDDZ-550 in Pawtucket, and the one in Hartford. I guess maybe they figured it would be okay on AM because (no offense) most of the music they play on there doesn't need to be in HD, but most kids today don't even know that radio exists, let alone AM radio. I think that most people who listen nowadays are listening online, or on their iPhone.

 

[klutch00]

Doomed as we know it, but not doomed. The AM band will be all (1) ethnic, (2) religious, (3) adult-standards (4) for English-speaking people who want to do their thing on radio for little money [little money compared to what is being charged by the hour, now], kind of like college stations, (5) a mixture of other specialized English-speaking music formats such as folk, pure album rock and local bands.

The latter.... especially with album- and local rock.... might catch on quite well. The fidenlity of AM radio may be a welcome sound after years of wearing ear-buds! If WFNX went to the AM band right now, it would survive.

I've heard of a few AM stations that have a free form or progressive/alternative rock format. A good example of this is WBZH Pottstwon PA 1370 http://www.wbzh.net/
Other examples of such stations include KVOD Denver CO 1340 http://www.openaircpr.org/ and KKSN Vancouver WA (Portland OR) 910 http://www.947.fm/ Go to right side of page to click on "94/7 too".

I for one would like to see the smaller stations adopt more unusual and underground formats. In addition to progressive, underground and free-form formats; other options could include R&B classics, traditional country, folk, traditional and/or contemporary jazz and Americana; just to name a few. For medium-sized stations maybe bringing back a MOR format geared for today's listening needs might be another option. Whatever happens, be sure you're offering something FM stations won't touch with a 10' pole!

But news and sports (in English) will be off the AM band in most markets. 1030 may be one of the few exceptions nationwide.

But all of this will give radio air-time to more people. The question is... will the decreased income for each AM station be able to pay for the large expenses of maintaining a tower site?

5 years from now.... AM will have 15% of the audience.

I for one think it's important for AM to retain the service the clear channel stations offer. Hate to break this to ya, but while I admire you as a broadcaster, for those (class II-C and II-S [class D]) stations on clear channels which have weak signals, I'd strongly suggest getting a low-power FM translator that can cover the primary nighttime service area of a given station and then to shut off nighttime AM operations altogether.

On your second point here, I agree; and if the operation implemented a directional transmission pattern, it might behoove operators to move the transmitter to an area where a directional array is not needed, should that be an issue.

Now as far as income is concerned, I suggest a hybrid revenue model in which the station survives on promotions and donations as well as advertisement. The promotions could include concerts, car shows, motorcycle shows, dances and festivals. You could also have an offer for a certain item for a donation of a certain size or larger. I'd also suggest alternative sources for advertisement that many mainstream broadcasters might not consider. In doing so, the appropriateness of your messages will matter a great deal.

One odd source of advertisement I could AM broadcasters should consider is from companies offering high-quality AM radios and antennas. Here are some sources:
http://www.ccrane.com/
http://www.ccrane.com/antennas/am-antennas/
http://www.amazon.com/Terk-Indoor-AM-Antenna-ADVANTAGE/dp/B000069EUW
http://www.amazon.com/Kaito-200-Tunable-Passive-Antenna/dp/B001PNNXGO/ref=pd_cp_e_1
http://www.amazon.com/Sangean-WR-2-Digital-Tabletop-Black/product-reviews/B0009ZAA42/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
http://www.amazon.com/SANGEAN-WR-11-Table-Top-Radio/product-reviews/B001BGGD8A/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

One last thing here; I strongly urge AM broadcasters to resist any effort to go to HD! I think many of AM's problems can be cleared up with a high-quality analog transmission standard as well as utilizing AM stereo!

 

[iyiyi]

I figured a way to A/B analog and HD; both MW and FM. My car has a "reasonable" radio. By "reasonable" I mean that it's behavior is sufficient to give me a ballpark idea of an AM or FM station's signal and audio quality.

Picked up a "transportable" HD AM/FM radio. These puppies have accessories that allow it to work in a car or home. The radio has home and auto docking stations enabling the radio to easily play in either place. It has a 3.5mm stereo jack to hack direct audio into the car aux jack or home theater. There is also an internal FM xmtr that can be set to any clear FM channel for HD audio. This is the method I use both in the house and car. It can be a bitch to install the antenna adaptor, but it's a hell of a lot easier than installing a new radio!

My personal feelings are that I now have a reasonable ability to make general comparison of analog/IBOC for AM and FM.

WBZ 1030 HD. I live over 50 miles from their xmtr so HD reception is in and out - mostly out. When driving along listening in HD: Wow! When the HD drops out the analog reception is horrible. Switch the standard radio on and it's the same horrible signal! HD hides a great deal of AM QRM within it's areas of solid lock!

WBZ-FM 98.5 HD. (NOTE: I'm using WBZ AM-FM because they have excellent transmission equipment!) Again I live over 50 miles from WBZ-FM so HD reception is in and out - mostly out. Main thing I've discovered is both AM and FM HD is a great indicator of signal quality. When HD is giving you a real difficult time: I believe a little checking of the analog signal first will provide a clue as to why. Big picket fencing on FM and low signal/static on AM.

-

 

[Eli Polonsky]

There is actually one format that is usually on AM that nobody seems to have brought up yet. Radio Disney. Now there's a format that should definitely be on FM instead of AM...
I guess maybe they figured it would be okay on AM because (no offense) most of the music they play on there doesn't need to be in HD, but most kids today don't even know that radio exists, let alone AM radio.

Radio Disney is in HD in Boston on WMKI, one of the three Boston area AM stations currently broadcasting in HD, the other two being WBZ and WKOX.

 

[NHRadio]

WBZ 1030 HD. I live over 50 miles from their xmtr so HD reception is in and out - mostly out.

Interesting. My JVC in dash unit gets WBZ in HD in Tilton NH...roughly 90 miles away. An occasional switch to analog but I'd say 90% of the time the lock is solid.
Even weirder, 50kw WEVO-FM in Concord (18 miles away) can't hold a decent HD lock.

 

[wcozBoston]

Should the FCC consider the 76 to 88MHz band for extended FM? They could hire smart individuals to really plan every market out and even have a portion of it set aside exclusively for low power FM stations. Some of the AM stations could move to the new extended band allowing for more clear channel AM to exist. The question will be how long it takes for it to get any kind of market penetration. Is there anything to lose by giving this band a try?

 

[JIBGUY]

Is there anything to lose by giving this band a try?

Yes, there is..... spectrum auction fees paid to the government. Money rules!

 

[reelyreal]

Should the FCC consider the 76 to 88MHz band for extended FM? They could hire smart individuals to really plan every market out and even have a portion of it set aside exclusively for low power FM stations. Some of the AM stations could move to the new extended band allowing for more clear channel AM to exist. The question will be how long it takes for it to get any kind of market penetration. Is there anything to lose by giving this band a try?

It's just not going to happen, the FCC has other plans for available spectrum, and the needs of radio are pretty far from the top of their list.

 

[w9wi]

Should the FCC consider the 76 to 88MHz band for extended FM? They could hire smart individuals to really plan every market out and even have a portion of it set aside exclusively for low power FM stations. Some of the AM stations could move to the new extended band allowing for more clear channel AM to exist. The question will be how long it takes for it to get any kind of market penetration. Is there anything to lose by giving this band a try?

Won't work if limited to only 76-88MHz, as much of that spectrum will be off-limits in too many places. For example, it would all be off-limits in the southern half or so of New Jersey. (and at least 82-88 off-limits in the entire state) No 76-82 in southern Wisconsin, northern Illinois, northern Indiana, southern Michigan, or northwest Ohio. (including MIlwaukee, Chicago, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Lansing, and Toledo)

(reason being: there are still TV stations in that spectrum, and there is nowhere else for them to go.)

What might work is if you allowed for the entire 54-88MHz band. There is no place where the entire 54-88 band is full of TV signals. You might have trouble finding enough room to handle *every* AM station -- you are, after all, still finding a large chunk of it off-limits in the congested locations where it's needed most. (66-72MHz would also be off-limits in all of NJ due to another TV station) But you might be able to make a dent in the interference.

_________________________________________________

JIBGUY, I don't think the FCC has any interest in auctioning 76-88.

TV spectrum in the 470-698 band is a LOT more valuable. (less susceptible to noise, works well with smaller antennas) They would like to clear as many TV stations from 470-698 as possible. That will be more difficult to do if they're kicking TV stations out of 76-88 and *into* 470-698. They'd far rather those stations stay in 76-88.

 

[klutch00]

Should the FCC consider the 76 to 88MHz band for extended FM? They could hire smart individuals to really plan every market out and even have a portion of it set aside exclusively for low power FM stations. Some of the AM stations could move to the new extended band allowing for more clear channel AM to exist. The question will be how long it takes for it to get any kind of market penetration. Is there anything to lose by giving this band a try?

I like PART of this idea. If it was up to me, I'd allow an additional 60 channels for FM broadcast. It could either cover the 82-88 MHz or the 108-114 MHz spectrum. With this, you could move many AM stations to this new expanded band, thereby clearing up much of the mayhem that exists on the current AM band. If it was up to me, I'd allow those stations which had the most compromised service patterns to move there. I would also allow for certain frequencies (probably up to ten channels) to allow for stations to broadcast up to 100,000 watts nationwide.

After this, I'd suggest revamping the AM band in this fashion:

A possible re-allocation of the AM band from 10kHz intervals to 9kHz intervals.

Restructuring of the band in the following manner:
540 kHz remains Canadian clear
550-630 (549-630) remains regional
640-1220 (639-1224) and 1500-1580 (1503-1584); all clear channels. If any regional channels exist in this spectrum, no more than one such channel per 100 kHz. Clear channel rules which prevailed before 1980 to be re-instated.
1230-1490 (1233-1494) and 1590-1600 (1593-1602); all Local channels. Again, If any regional channels exist in this spectrum, no more than one such channel per 100 kHz. In certain cases, allow up to 2,500 watts day and 1,000 watts at night, particularly in the Rocky Mountains; but no station within 120 miles of such a facility.