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Lpfm & hd
- Thread starter BigJimmy
- Start date
They wouldn't have enough HD power to go more than a few blocks.
Your question boggles the mind.
Do you understand what is the typical budget and revenue of an LPFM station? It takes a miracle worker and a collection of volunteers to keep an LPFM on the air with one traditional main channel of programming. There are exceptions but if you download the study put together about LPFM station for the FCC, you will find that a typical LPFM is built by spending maybe 6 to 12 thousand dollars, and probably has an annual budget of less than $18,000.
What is the cost to turn an FM station into a HD station in licenses and royalties and hardware?
For operating costs, once you have your main channel running HD, what is the operating cost for programming a sedond channel and then progreamming a third channel and then programming a 4th channel.
I suspect there are a lot of folks with commercial FM stations that have gross revenues anywhere from $250,000 to $2-million per year who look at the cost of going HD, the cost of programming one, two or three HD channels and they say: Me? Why? And it would do WHAT for me? and it would do WHAT for my community that currently receives anywhere from 20 to 50 channels of broadcast material?
So a notg-for-profit organization that may hold bake sales and beg-a-thons to come up with $12 to $18-thousand in funds for their LPFM is going to add HD-2, HD-3 and HD-4?
Not on THIS planet.
but I thought-------in theory---- HD2, HD3, HD4 signals are supposed to travel as far as the HD--1 signal .
D
diymedia
Guest
According to the FCC, there's one LPFM station who's notified them of its intent to adopt HD.
I can see that happening on a very limited basis. Some LPFMs are the 'play toy' of a financially substantial individual (using a not-for-profit corporation as the vehicle) and the ultimate play toy would be something exotic like HD.
There are also a number LPFMs which are the play toy of someone who has limited financial strength, but a large number of LPFMs appear to actually be examples of what the FCC and the promoters of LPFM had in mind: A civic club, a community based organization of volunteers who want to see a communication channel for civic enterprises and activist groups who get no traction from commercial broadcasters.
Volunteer activist groups are often long on the volunteer spirit, short on dollars.
If the intent and purpose of LPFM is to serve the needs of activist and volunteer groups... what does HD actually do for the cause? If you have trouble rounding up enough volunteers to create meaningful programming for 8 or 10 hours a day (and fill the rest with bland, no-purpose music) what would you fill up the hours on the HD channels with if someone gave the necessary equipment to the station(s)?
Are you thinking LPFM or Part 15? The main signal of an LPFM should go 3.5 miles with some reliability. Are you saying that the associated HD channel would only go a few blocks?
A part 15 FM is very limited... if you keep it legal. Probably less than a block for a main signal.
HD does not have the coverage of the main analog signal. With 100 watts of power and an antenna height of 100' (or any combination of power and antenna height that produces the same coverage), the HD signal would not go more than a few blocks. It would be a complete waste of time and money to add HD to an LPFM signal.
They should. I think his point is that in hybrid mode, *none* of the HD signals would have much useful coverage. At least the HD-1, if you don't have enough signal to make it work in digital, it fails back to analog. The HD2/HD3/HD4 don't have an analog to fall back to.
Which station ? ..
But, what if the LPFM is angling to obtain a translator for the HD2? Would that be possible? Stranger things have happened.
All of these "blue sky' proposals and questions are way outside the scope of what Congress and the FCC intended for LPFM.
An LPFM has to be NON-COMMERCIAL. It would be a really unique market and set of circumstances where there would be enough donors and community support to provide donation income for the HD-2 (or HD-3 or HD-4).
And what kind of market would it be where a second channel (HD whatever) would generate audience for the translator.
The only way any operator is going to attempt anything of the type being described in the what-if scenarios in this thread would be some kind of effort to "end-run-around" the NON-COMMERCIAL restrictions. And it would be a very, very unique market where in-market or near-by COMMERCIALLY licensed stations didn't come out of the woodwork with complaints and protests to the FCC.
The FCC will not allow the licensee of an LPFM to also have a second station of any kind... in the market or in a distant market. Why would the FCC ever allow a second channel for an LPFM licensee via the HD-2 to Translator route? When pigs fly????
An LPFM has to be NON-COMMERCIAL. It would be a really unique market and set of circumstances where there would be enough donors and community support to provide donation income for the HD-2 (or HD-3 or HD-4).
And what kind of market would it be where a second channel (HD whatever) would generate audience for the translator.
The only way any operator is going to attempt anything of the type being described in the what-if scenarios in this thread would be some kind of effort to "end-run-around" the NON-COMMERCIAL restrictions. And it would be a very, very unique market where in-market or near-by COMMERCIALLY licensed stations didn't come out of the woodwork with complaints and protests to the FCC.
The FCC will not allow the licensee of an LPFM to also have a second station of any kind... in the market or in a distant market. Why would the FCC ever allow a second channel for an LPFM licensee via the HD-2 to Translator route? When pigs fly????
P
Pat3
Guest
The only use for HD on a LPFM or any FM for that matter is to use it as a feeder to another station. Like a studio to transmitter link. Or use it for some sort of muzak or reading service for the blind. Hardly anyone knows HD exist, much less listen to it.
The translator contour could not exceed the main LPFM contour. So what's the point?
As I read the regs, that's not true -- the translator contour may exceed the main contour if the primary station is non-commercial (which all LPFMs are) and its signal is received over the air.
D
diymedia
Guest
I know a church that owns a LPFM with 100 watts that can be heard about 20 miles away &
likely about 75,000 people reside in the coverage area. They may want to air separate
programmming on HD2, HD3. They have the $$$ to do it. My main question was----
should the HD2, HD3 signals travel as far as the HD1 signal.
likely about 75,000 people reside in the coverage area. They may want to air separate
programmming on HD2, HD3. They have the $$$ to do it. My main question was----
should the HD2, HD3 signals travel as far as the HD1 signal.
Yes.
However.. all three of the HD signals will not travel as far as the analog. With the HD1, if you travel outside the HD coverage your radio will fall back on the analog signal. There is no analog for the HD2/HD3, so when you leave the HD coverage area you lose those signals altogether.
I wonder if the FCC would grant a LPFM a waiver to operate in all-digital mode, with no analog signal at all? Tests on AM suggest the all-digital coverage is, as designed, similar to the analog coverage. I haven't seen test results for all-digital "FM". (of course, there is the issue of the very small number of HD radios out there - you'd have a pretty small potential audience)
Alternatively... might the LPFM acquire a translator and use it to relay the HD2 in analog mode? I forget, may a LPFM own more than one translator? (in which case the HD3 could be converted to analog as well)
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