• 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

Magic/1160 audio

G

gordon

Guest
Can someone please offer an explanation on this new digital concept that Magic/1160 is using? Their audio on my radio sounds really bad: almost as if it were coming through a phone line. You can tell that it's not, but I'm referring to the highs and lows in most songs. When I go next door to 1190, it sounds completely different. Are we all going to have to purchase radios equipped for this digital signal? I know that they have F.M receivers, but I haven't heard of A.M receivers yet. If any of you have one, how much different is the sound quality?
 
> Can someone please offer an explanation on this new digital
> concept that Magic/1160 is using? Their audio on my radio
> sounds really bad: almost as if it were coming through a
> phone line. You can tell that it's not, but I'm referring to
> the highs and lows in most songs. When I go next door to
> 1190, it sounds completely different. Are we all going to
> have to purchase radios equipped for this digital signal? I
> know that they have F.M receivers, but I haven't heard of
> A.M receivers yet. If any of you have one, how much
> different is the sound quality?

Few if any people have an IBOC (or HD radio as it is "called" but thats a joke) receiver...for either FM OR AM! :)
IBOC on AM requires the analog audio be cut off at 5 kHz....thus the "phone line" sound on the station....the ODFM carriers that carry the digital signal occupy the AM bandwidth either side of the analog audio from 5 kHz to 10 kHz.`This is one reason why AM stereo and IBOC cannot be used at the same time on the station...They better not be running the digital 24hrs though! It is not approved for nighttime operation...(even though Ibiquity wants to get the FCC to allow that)

IBOC AM is not HD (Hi Def) as the audio sounds about the same as listening to a poor Windows Media stream on the net...maybe be somewhat better than AM analog but most AM stereo analog stations I have heard sound CLEANER to me than IBOC does...IBOC FM uses a different coding method and has a higher bit rate so it does sound cleaner....but AM IBOC uses a low bit rate to squeeze onto the channel and thus the audio is NOT CD quality....they claim it sounds as good as FM analog now...but I dont think so...analog FM does not have the watery sound IBOC AM has...(try taping a streaming station on cassette tape and then play it back...thats about what IBOC AM will sound like...OUCH!)
 
> You can download Mp3 samples of the IBOC sound at
> http://www.ibiquity.com/hdradio/hdradio_experience.htm
> Download the "Oldies" Mp3 and listen closely what it does to
> the Temptations.
>
> BTW how good does IBOC reject the usual AM noises like
> powerline-TV-appliance whine, static lightning crashes, and
> signal fade while driving under overpasses?
>
Digital is not affected by normal static or most lightning crashes (may cause some drop out of the audio if the strike is close...this due to ionization of the local air and there is nothing you can do about that) but driving under an overpass or a REAL noisy powerline may cause some dropout; even with a buffer...RF is RF...if you cannot pickup the signal, you cannot decode it ;)
 
> BTW how good does IBOC reject the usual AM noises like
> powerline-TV-appliance whine, static lightning crashes, and
> signal fade while driving under overpasses?

Can't answer that one since this luddite only has analog AM.

As I recall, you're in East Texas? If that is the case, how
well does the daytime signal of 1160 get into your area? Is
it comparable to 1190 (which evidently gets into the eastern
parts well based upon its pattern).
 
> As I recall, you're in East Texas? If that is the case, how
> well does the daytime signal of 1160 get into your area? Is
> it comparable to 1190 (which evidently gets into the eastern
> parts well based upon its pattern).

Last month I checked out 1160 going east on I-20 from DFW on my Jeep Grand Cherokee's (Infinity sound) stereo. 1160 is strong until I go past the US 69 (Mineola-Tyler) exit (where a LOT of DFW AM/FM stations die due to a huge hill), then it starts running out of juice. It's disapointing KMGS doesnt come in better here since it has a huge lobe heading directly east and its more powerful than KSKY which is a monster during the day. Nightime is a surprise, that little 1K can hop and skip in nicely over here.

KMKI used to come in OK here, but since ABC "upgraded" to IBOC it's a whisper now. IBOC destroys your signal in fringe areas where the digital noise overtakes the analog signal, reducing it to static.

KFCD 990's has been the biggest surprise here signal-wise. I can even pick it up when its running 920w at night.

1190 has always been a powerhouse during the day and now that First has pumped up the audio its even stronger. Good in the higher parts of Longview (north loop) but great in Tyler. I hope they leave the daytime site alone and dont IBOC it! It's strange KFXR's night pattern has a lobe to the southeast and I can barely get a skip here.
 
> KMGS was coming in like a local over KSL in norhtern Orange
> County from around 1:30 to 7:00 this morning.

Had to check your bio for your location. Orange TX, eh? At first I thought you were in Southern Cal! Duh...
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom