S.C. Station Touts Its AM Stereo, Urges Others to Join In

[westlife]

Perhaps 2006 will be the year of AM Stereo's revival... or, at least there's one station which still believes in it:

The AM Stereo Forum by WNMB's engineer:

From: WNMB Radio
Date: Mon Dec 19, 2005 7:53 pm
Subject: AM Stereo is "On" in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

At 3:30 p.m. today Eastern time, we activated our new Delta AM Stereo Exciter at WNMB. Pilot lights on the AM Stereo tuners came on and the channel separation was immediately evident as "All I Want For Christmas" became the first song played in AM Stereo.

Here's the audio chain. Stereo BE console to a Stereo Generator, which is fed into a new Armstrong Composite STL. The STL is received on the companion Armstrong receiver at our transmitter site which is about 5 miles inland from the studios. From the STL to an Optimod 9100A AM Stereo processor and the Delta AM Stereo exciter and, of course, then to the Gates One Transmitter.

We are using a companion Delta AM Stereo Modulation Monitor.

We've got some "tweaking" to do before I will be satisfied with the sound, but I do believe it's already better than what I've heard from IBOC in "aircheck" recordings which friends have sent to me.

The internet broadcasts we are doing at www.wnmb.net have already been in stereo. They come from the stereo console output to an Optimod to the dedicated Streaming computer, which is grabbed by Warpradio and then streamed.

Give me a few days to do my tuning and then we'll be happy to e-mail airchecks on MP3 files to anyone who would request one. We have about half a dozen different kinds of AM Stereo receivers including Sony SRF-A100, Sony SRF-A1, Marantz, Radio Shack TM-152, a Ford Thunderbird with AM Stereo and several others should you have a specific request.

We are also in the process of writing others we know who own AM stations and urging them to do what we've just done.

Bill Norman, WNMB
429 Pine St.
North Myrtle Beach, S.C. 29582
www.wnmb.net
<P ID="signature">______________

"This is the New York Emergency Broadcast System satellite channel. They took the crosstown bus."</P>

 

[Turntable]

Thank the LORD!

As many of you know, I frequently make posts regarding AM-Stereo. I do this not only out of my own enthusiasm for it, but because I also hope others will take an interest in it, and most of all, I want the stations I mention to know there are listeners out there who still own C-QUAM receivers and still CAN and DO enjoy their STEREO broadcasts. I know I do!

Thanks for this notice. AMST is NOT DEAD dammit!

Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays Everyone!!

-A


> Perhaps 2006 will be the year of AM Stereo's revival... or,
> at least there's one station which still believes in it:
>
> http://www.rwonline.com/dailynews/one.php?id=8241
>
> That article is based upon the following announcement, which
> was posted to The AM Stereo Forum by WNMB's engineer:
>
> From: WNMB Radio
> Date: Mon Dec 19, 2005 7:53 pm
> Subject: AM Stereo is "On" in North Myrtle Beach, South
> Carolina
>
> At 3:30 p.m. today Eastern time, we activated our new Delta
> AM Stereo Exciter at WNMB. Pilot lights on the AM Stereo
> tuners came on and the channel separation was immediately
> evident as "All I Want For Christmas" became the first song
> played in AM Stereo.
>
> Here's the audio chain. Stereo BE console to a Stereo
> Generator, which is fed into a new Armstrong Composite STL.
> The STL is received on the companion Armstrong receiver at
> our transmitter site which is about 5 miles inland from the
> studios. From the STL to an Optimod 9100A AM Stereo
> processor and the Delta AM Stereo exciter and, of course,
> then to the Gates One Transmitter.
>
> We are using a companion Delta AM Stereo Modulation Monitor.
>
>
> We've got some "tweaking" to do before I will be satisfied
> with the sound, but I do believe it's already better than
> what I've heard from IBOC in "aircheck" recordings which
> friends have sent to me.
>
> The internet broadcasts we are doing at www.wnmb.net have
> already been in stereo. They come from the stereo console
> output to an Optimod to the dedicated Streaming computer,
> which is grabbed by Warpradio and then streamed.
>
> Give me a few days to do my tuning and then we'll be happy
> to e-mail airchecks on MP3 files to anyone who would request
> one. We have about half a dozen different kinds of AM
> Stereo receivers including Sony SRF-A100, Sony SRF-A1,
> Marantz, Radio Shack TM-152, a Ford Thunderbird with AM
> Stereo and several others should you have a specific
> request.
>
> We are also in the process of writing others we know who own
> AM stations and urging them to do what we've just done.
>
> Bill Norman, WNMB
> 429 Pine St.
> North Myrtle Beach, S.C. 29582
> www.wnmb.net
>
<P ID="signature">______________
"...How can you be deaf, with ears like that??"</P>

 

[dbdigital]

> Thank the LORD!
>
> As many of you know, I frequently make posts regarding
> AM-Stereo. I do this not only out of my own enthusiasm for
> it, but because I also hope others will take an interest in
> it, and most of all, I want the stations I mention to know
> there are listeners out there who still own C-QUAM receivers
> and still enjoy the broadcasts. I know I do.
>

Well, far more people own AMS-capable radios than HD radios, a fact that will probably be true for several years.

I know station owners are concerned that broadcasting in C-Quam will result in some loss of coverage but Los Angeles AMS station, KABC 790, blankets L.A. and Orange Counties with its 5 kw signal and it even extends into Riverside and San Diego Counties.

ABC-AM Radio, Inc. should be very happy with KABC's coverage.

db

 

[JasonW]

AM Stereo pocket and boom box receivers are readily available from vendors such as audio cubes www.audiocubes.com . I'm very pleased with the Sony AX15 AM Stereo/FM Stereo pocket radio I bought from them. -- JasonW

> Thank the LORD!
>
> As many of you know, I frequently make posts regarding
> AM-Stereo. I do this not only out of my own enthusiasm for
> it, but because I also hope others will take an interest in
> it, and most of all, I want the stations I mention to know
> there are listeners out there who still own C-QUAM receivers
> and still CAN and DO enjoy their STEREO broadcasts. I know I
> do!
>
> Thanks for this notice. AMST is NOT DEAD dammit!
>
> Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays Everyone!!
>
> -A
>
>
> > Perhaps 2006 will be the year of AM Stereo's revival...
> or,
> > at least there's one station which still believes in it:
> >
> > http://www.rwonline.com/dailynews/one.php?id=8241
> >
> > That article is based upon the following announcement,
> which
> > was posted to The AM Stereo Forum by WNMB's engineer:
> >
> > From: WNMB Radio
> > Date: Mon Dec 19, 2005 7:53 pm
> > Subject: AM Stereo is "On" in North Myrtle Beach, South
> > Carolina
> >
> > At 3:30 p.m. today Eastern time, we activated our new
> Delta
> > AM Stereo Exciter at WNMB. Pilot lights on the AM Stereo
> > tuners came on and the channel separation was immediately
> > evident as "All I Want For Christmas" became the first
> song
> > played in AM Stereo.
> >
> > Here's the audio chain. Stereo BE console to a Stereo
> > Generator, which is fed into a new Armstrong Composite
> STL.
> > The STL is received on the companion Armstrong receiver
> at
> > our transmitter site which is about 5 miles inland from
> the
> > studios. From the STL to an Optimod 9100A AM Stereo
> > processor and the Delta AM Stereo exciter and, of course,
> > then to the Gates One Transmitter.
> >
> > We are using a companion Delta AM Stereo Modulation
> Monitor.
> >
> >
> > We've got some "tweaking" to do before I will be satisfied
>
> > with the sound, but I do believe it's already better than
> > what I've heard from IBOC in "aircheck" recordings which
> > friends have sent to me.
> >
> > The internet broadcasts we are doing at www.wnmb.net have
> > already been in stereo. They come from the stereo console
>
> > output to an Optimod to the dedicated Streaming computer,
> > which is grabbed by Warpradio and then streamed.
> >
> > Give me a few days to do my tuning and then we'll be happy
>
> > to e-mail airchecks on MP3 files to anyone who would
> request
> > one. We have about half a dozen different kinds of AM
> > Stereo receivers including Sony SRF-A100, Sony SRF-A1,
> > Marantz, Radio Shack TM-152, a Ford Thunderbird with AM
> > Stereo and several others should you have a specific
> > request.
> >
> > We are also in the process of writing others we know who
> own
> > AM stations and urging them to do what we've just done.
> >
> > Bill Norman, WNMB
> > 429 Pine St.
> > North Myrtle Beach, S.C. 29582
> > www.wnmb.net
> >
>

 

[thebroker]

When I finish my facility upgrade, I'm going to turn on the AMS for a couple of days on one of my signals just to see what it'll do for my range. With 1kW, we can't afford to lose any ground. But, if we can do it without affecting our contours, we might just leave it on. It's pretty funny...quite a few of our jocks still ID the station as "WFXY Stereo 1490". I caught one of them doing it the other day at corrected him...he didn't like that very much and told me "I've been saying it all my career, and I'm not about to stop now".

Being a 'youngun', I've never heard AMS...and I don't think I own a receiver that can pick it up. Where can I get one?

 

[DudeFan]

> When I finish my facility upgrade, I'm going to turn on the
> AMS for a couple of days on one of my signals just to see
> what it'll do for my range. With 1kW, we can't afford to
> lose any ground. But, if we can do it without affecting our
> contours, we might just leave it on. It's pretty
> funny...quite a few of our jocks still ID the station as
> "WFXY Stereo 1490". I caught one of them doing it the other
> day at corrected him...he didn't like that very much and
> told me "I've been saying it all my career, and I'm not
> about to stop now".
>
> Being a 'youngun', I've never heard AMS...and I don't think
> I own a receiver that can pick it up. Where can I get one?
>

If you have a 2001-2003 Ford with the in-unit 6-CD Changer, you already have AM Stereo.

 

[Turntable]

Here's where you get it...

> > Being a 'youngun', I've never heard AMS...and I don't
> think I own a receiver that can pick it up. Where can I get one?

http://www.audiocubes.com/product_reviews/product/Sony_SRF-A300_FM,AM_Radio.html

-or-

http://www.audiocubes.com/category/...duct/Sony_SRF-AX15_TV,FM,AM_Pocket_Radio.html


> > When I finish my facility upgrade, I'm going to turn on
> the
> > AMS for a couple of days on one of my signals just to see
> > what it'll do for my range. With 1kW, we can't afford to
> > lose any ground. But, if we can do it without affecting
> our
> > contours, we might just leave it on. It's pretty
> > funny...quite a few of our jocks still ID the station as
> > "WFXY Stereo 1490". I caught one of them doing it the
> other
> > day at corrected him...he didn't like that very much and
> > told me "I've been saying it all my career, and I'm not
> > about to stop now".
> >
> > Being a 'youngun', I've never heard AMS...and I don't
> think
> > I own a receiver that can pick it up. Where can I get one?
>
> >
>
> If you have a 2001-2003 Ford with the in-unit 6-CD Changer,
> you already have AM Stereo.
> <P ID="signature">______________
"...How can you be deaf, with ears like that??"</P>

 

[thebroker]

So...

If I turned the stereo back on, and coupled it with a promotion where we gave away a couple-hundred receivers here in the market, could it work? Or am I spinning my wheels? Anybody have any advice?

 

[JasonW]

Re: So... (try this)

> If I turned the stereo back on, and coupled it with a
> promotion where we gave away a couple-hundred receivers here
> in the market, could it work? Or am I spinning my wheels?
> Anybody have any advice?

That's just what I was going to suggest! I'd buy a quantity of AM Stereo receivers. To defray the cost, you could have them imprinted with your station sponsors' logos as well as your station's logo (either silk-screened or plastic or paper decals) in exchange for your sponsors purchasing this "ad space" on the radios.

Also, this AM Stereo web site http://users.eastlink.ca/~amstereo/ has a wealth of information on available AM Stereo receivers, as well as an eye-catching "spectrum" AM Stereo logo that would look very nice on the radios. If you offered to provide acknowledgement to its creator ("AM Stereo logo courtesy ______ _______"), I'll bet they'd gladly let you use it. -- JasonW

 

[thebroker]

Re: So... (try this)

Believe it or not, we still have a local electronics store here. They have been a client of the radio station since it signed on in 1969. My thought was to do a promo in conjunction with them, where we give away a certain number at remotes and appearances, then promoted that receivers could be bought at the store for folks who didn't win them. I LOVE the idea of screen-printing an advertiser's logo on the radios!

 

[JasonW]

Re: So... (try this)

> Believe it or not, we still have a local electronics store
> here. They have been a client of the radio station since it
> signed on in 1969. My thought was to do a promo in
> conjunction with them, where we give away a certain number
> at remotes and appearances, then promoted that receivers
> could be bought at the store for folks who didn't win them.
> I LOVE the idea of screen-printing an advertiser's logo on
> the radios!

Excellent! Your idea is better than mine. This would be a win-win all around--you wouldn't have to buy a large quantity of AM Stereo receivers up front, the electronics store would get more business, and your listeners would become aware of AM Stereo and have a convenient local source for receivers. And yes, silk-screened promotional items look very professional.

I must say, having listened to AM Stereo I prefer it over FM Stereo, even for music. To me, FM has a dry, sterile, "over-crisp" sound that I can't comfortably listen to for long periods. AM has a warm, rich, natural sound that I can listen to for hours. Make it stereo and you have the perfect medium, plus it is compatible with ordinary mono AM receivers and doesn't drown out adjacent stations like that monstrosity known as IBOC. -- JasonW

 

[thebroker]

Re: So... (try this) *RANT ALERT*

As I mentioned earlier, I've never personally heard AM Stereo. But, I hear great things about it. Just in the three weeks I've owned these particular stations, I get two questions most often. First, when are we going to buy another fox mascot costume (long story!), and second, why don't we broadcast in stereo anymore. It amazes me that people remember this and want to hear it again.

I'm in a unique position, because my station runs a format that's very non-AM. Believe it or not, we still run CHR VERY successfully on our little 1kW AM. It actually out-bills our FM! I think a stereo signal could do a whole lot for it, given the station's history.

I'm still not hot for IBOC. As a small-market owner, I honestly can't justify the cost, because I really don't see a return on investment. Sure, I can have a great-sounding signal, supposedly, after I spend $40k. But, nobody can hear it. I'm willing to bet that you couldn't buy an HD Radio receiver within an hour and a half's drive of my town. Most of my advertisers have never even heard of IBOC. They only care that we their cash registers ringing, and we do that exceptionally well without a High-Definition signal.

I've also been bothered by IBiquity's sales tactics this year. They have been giving the "act now before the price of licensing skyrockets" pitch. This annoys me to no end, and makes me severely less likely to act now.

Frankly, I'm tired of IBOC being labeled as the savior of radio. If radio is sick as an industry (and, it's NOT for many of us in small markets), it isn't because we aren't broadcasting in HD. It's because what we broadcast, whether in High-Def or not, is not what our audience wants to hear. I've long said that when we choose to be in the entertainment business, rather than the business of distributing information, we open ourselves up to competition that we can't match. Many stations now (i.e. Jack/Bob/Simon) are little more than jukeboxes with liners. How on earth can we be so shortsighted as to think this will compete with an iPod where the user totally dictates the playlist? BUT, let's see an iPod give the weather forecast or tell a motorist why he's in endless traffic on the highway.

Radio still reaches 93% of the American population on a weekly basis. Why? Because it's an institution in the minds of Americans. It became an institution because of its ability to engage listeners with information and local content. Radio, in many instances, has lost it's identity. And this loss of identity has nothing to do with the quality of our signals, but instead with our inability to realize that we are in the business of informing listeners. Radio didn't become an institution because it played four-hundred songs in a row every hour. Listeners tune into my stations to hear their favorite music, sure. BUT, they keep the dial where it is because I give them the information they can't get anywhere else. And I don't need a cute IBOC exciter in my rack to do that.

I'm sorry that my post about an AM Stereo promotion turned into a rant. However, I needed to get that off my chest. Incidentally, for those of you who care, and those who take the magazine, I made very similar comments to a reporter from Billboard Radio Monitor, and they were printed in the December 9th edition in a story about Less Is More.

Do any of you agree with my thoughts, or am I totally off base when it comes to IBOC?

 

[BrokeEngineer]

good points except...

The "HD" in HD Radio does not stand for high def. The HD stands for nothing. Great idea by Ibiquity, tout radio as broadcasting with HD Technology where the HD stands for nothing. Or maybe is stands for highly distorted....hmmmmm

 

[dbdigital]

Re: So... (try this) *RANT ALERT*

> As I mentioned earlier, I've never personally heard AM
> Stereo. But, I hear great things about it. Just in the three
> weeks I've owned these particular stations, I get two
> questions most often. First, when are we going to buy
> another fox mascot costume (long story!), and second, why
> don't we broadcast in stereo anymore. It amazes me that
> people remember this and want to hear it again.
>
> I'm in a unique position, because my station runs a format
> that's very non-AM. Believe it or not, we still run CHR VERY
> successfully on our little 1kW AM. It actually out-bills our
> FM! I think a stereo signal could do a whole lot for it,
> given the station's history.
>
> I'm still not hot for IBOC. As a small-market owner, I
> honestly can't justify the cost, because I really don't see
> a return on investment. Sure, I can have a great-sounding
> signal, supposedly, after I spend $40k. But, nobody can hear
> it. I'm willing to bet that you couldn't buy an HD Radio
> receiver within an hour and a half's drive of my town. Most
> of my advertisers have never even heard of IBOC. They only
> care that we their cash registers ringing, and we do that
> exceptionally well without a High-Definition signal.
>
> I've also been bothered by IBiquity's sales tactics this
> year. They have been giving the "act now before the price of
> licensing skyrockets" pitch. This annoys me to no end, and
> makes me severely less likely to act now.
>
> Frankly, I'm tired of IBOC being labeled as the savior of
> radio. If radio is sick as an industry (and, it's NOT for
> many of us in small markets), it isn't because we aren't
> broadcasting in HD. It's because what we broadcast, whether
> in High-Def or not, is not what our audience wants to hear.
> I've long said that when we choose to be in the
> entertainment business, rather than the business of
> distributing information, we open ourselves up to
> competition that we can't match. Many stations now (i.e.
> Jack/Bob/Simon) are little more than jukeboxes with liners.
> How on earth can we be so shortsighted as to think this will
> compete with an iPod where the user totally dictates the
> playlist? BUT, let's see an iPod give the weather forecast
> or tell a motorist why he's in endless traffic on the
> highway.
>
> Radio still reaches 93% of the American population on a
> weekly basis. Why? Because it's an institution in the minds
> of Americans. It became an institution because of its
> ability to engage listeners with information and local
> content. Radio, in many instances, has lost it's identity.
> And this loss of identity has nothing to do with the quality
> of our signals, but instead with our inability to realize
> that we are in the business of informing listeners. Radio
> didn't become an institution because it played four-hundred
> songs in a row every hour. Listeners tune into my stations
> to hear their favorite music, sure. BUT, they keep the dial
> where it is because I give them the information they can't
> get anywhere else. And I don't need a cute IBOC exciter in
> my rack to do that.
>
> I'm sorry that my post about an AM Stereo promotion turned
> into a rant. However, I needed to get that off my chest.
> Incidentally, for those of you who care, and those who take
> the magazine, I made very similar comments to a reporter
> from Billboard Radio Monitor, and they were printed in the
> December 9th edition in a story about Less Is More.
>
> Do any of you agree with my thoughts, or am I totally off
> base when it comes to IBOC?
>

Say it out, brother! The best rant against IBOC and iBiquity I've read in ages.

db

 

[joshleblanc]

Re: good points except...

> The "HD" in HD Radio does not stand for high def. The HD
> stands for nothing. Great idea by Ibiquity, tout radio as
> broadcasting with HD Technology where the HD stands for
> nothing. Or maybe is stands for highly distorted....hmmmmm
>



I always thought it stood for "HYBRID DIGITAL" because of the way it works????

 

[CW]

> When I finish my facility upgrade, I'm going to turn on the
> AMS for a couple of days on one of my signals just to see
> what it'll do for my range. With 1kW, we can't afford to
> lose any ground. But, if we can do it without affecting our
> contours, we might just leave it on.

You wont see any loss of coverage....C QUAM doesnot cause any issues on the mono side....Only on the stereo side is there issues....like platform motion during skywave reception...but that wont affect you in your service contour.

It's pretty
> funny...quite a few of our jocks still ID the station as
> "WFXY Stereo 1490". I caught one of them doing it the other
> day at corrected him...he didn't like that very much and
> told me "I've been saying it all my career, and I'm not
> about to stop now".
>
> Being a 'youngun', I've never heard AMS...and I don't think
> I own a receiver that can pick it up. Where can I get one?

Look on EBay........make SURE it is AM Stereo...
I have a multimode Sony as well as another multimode rcvr that outputs to a FM signal
AMS can sound BETTER than FM stereo...but with the max AM audio high end being 10 kHz, that is not true anymore...when I used to listen to WLS or other AMS music stations in the 80s, it was GREAT!

 

[rwagoner]

Re: good points except...

> > The "HD" in HD Radio does not stand for high def. The HD
> > stands for nothing. Great idea by Ibiquity, tout radio as
> > broadcasting with HD Technology where the HD stands for
> > nothing. Or maybe is stands for highly distorted....hmmmmm
>
> >
>
>
>
> I always thought it stood for "HYBRID DIGITAL" because of
> the way it works????
>

Nope. It officially stands for nothing. They wanted people to THINK high definition (as in television), but for whatever reason, they chose not to call it that. Personally, I think that decision says a lot.

 

[Russty]

where you get it...& then some

More sources for New AMS Tuners/Radios

http://www.fanfare.com/prod-list.html

http://meduci.com/amx2000.html


Also keep an eye on ebay. You can get all kinds of AMS gear from there. The most common and cost effective radios are the Sony SRF-A1 walkman and the Sony SRF-42 walkman.

Also on eBay you'll find often enough one of Chris Cuff's New modified radios. He just had an auction end for a nice New Radio by Sharper Image that he modified to play AM stereo along with the factory designed FM stereo. The radio was also capable of Shortwave and TV audio, as well as NOAA weather band. The one thing this radio doesn't do apparently is SCA audio. Looks like an awesome unit, and from Chris's comment he leads me to believe ha has a few of these things that he is going to be modifying. He modified an old Ford radio for me a while back and it worked Perfectly! Unfortunately he doesn't do custom work anymore, but since you are a station owner looking to put the AMS back on, I think he may be willing to make an exception.

AM Stereo like RDS is quite abundant in Europe and Asia. It is really big in Japan. Its funny how no one cared about RDS for the longest time around here and then suddenly one day it was everywhere. AM Stereo is no different. ITs out there, it works, it should be put to use. OK,sure, digital will be around in a few years, but it ain't here yet. AMS is here, lets use it, at least for now anyway.


> > > Being a 'youngun', I've never heard AMS...and I don't
> > think I own a receiver that can pick it up. Where can I
> get one?
>
http://www.audiocube> s.com/product_reviews/product/Sony_SRF-A300_FM,AM_Radio.html
>
>
> -or-
>
http://www.audiocubes.com/category/Portable+Audio_Radio,+Casse> tte+Players/product/Sony_SRF-AX15_TV,FM,AM_Pocket_Radio.html
>
>
>
> > > When I finish my facility upgrade, I'm going to turn on
> > the
> > > AMS for a couple of days on one of my signals just to
> see
> > > what it'll do for my range. With 1kW, we can't afford to
>
> > > lose any ground. But, if we can do it without affecting
> > our
> > > contours, we might just leave it on. It's pretty
> > > funny...quite a few of our jocks still ID the station as
>
> > > "WFXY Stereo 1490". I caught one of them doing it the
> > other
> > > day at corrected him...he didn't like that very much and
>
> > > told me "I've been saying it all my career, and I'm not
> > > about to stop now".
> > >
> > > Being a 'youngun', I've never heard AMS...and I don't
> > think
> > > I own a receiver that can pick it up. Where can I get
> one?
> >
> > >
> >
> > If you have a 2001-2003 Ford with the in-unit 6-CD
> Changer,
> > you already have AM Stereo.
> >
>

 

[JasonW]

The IBOC rant is joined!

> Do any of you agree with my thoughts, or am I totally off
> base when it comes to IBOC?

Yes, I fully agree with you about IBOC, for several reasons:

IBOC is a solution running around in search of a problem that doesn't exist. I have yet to hear anyone say, "I don't listen to radio anymore because AM (or FM) sounds horrible," but I *have* heard people say that they abandoned radio because of lousy programming. If stations that play stale voice-tracked playlists or schlock infomercials think they can magically expand their audience shares by broadcasting such program content in IBOC, I have some prime Martian real estate for them at a very reasonable price... It's ironic that IBOC's backers are pushing it primarily for car receivers, because with the ambient vehicle noise the supposedly better audio quality wouldn't be apparent anyway.

The AM IBOC night-time skywave problem and IBOC's problem of drowning out weaker adjacent stations with "digital hash" are reason enough for it to be prohibited for AM band use.

When television was black-and-white, color television was an obvious and anticipated improvement. The North American NTSC color television system may not be quite as good as PAL or SECAM (especially on the early color sets which were fidgety about color adjustment), but it was backward-compatible with existing black-and-white television sets. IBOC would require roughly one billion radio receivers (many of them expensive, high-end home and vehicle tuners) to be junked because it isn't backward-compatible with them. I'm an audiophile, and analog AM audio on a high-quality AM receiver sounds perfectly clear, crisp, warm, and rich to my ears. Mostly likewise for FM, although FM sounds dry, sterile, and "over-crisp" to me (probably because of the upper/lower audio wave peak clipping due to the frequency modulation).

IBOC is touted as providing Compact Disc (CD) quality sound, but the CD is an inferior standard for radio audio quality. A late friend of mine, a fellow audiophile, once dramatically demonstrated this to me. He had two large Leslie tone cabinets (used with the Hammond X66 electric organ) that were fed by a kit-built Lafayette tube amplifier that he kept in peak operating condition. He had an Empire turntable, a Revox 1/2" reel-to-reel tape recorder/player, and a high-end Sony CD player, all of which could be played through the amplifier and tone cabinets. Doing direct A<->B<->C comparisons using the same vocal and instrumental pieces (by Frank Sinatra, Perez Prado, Tony Bennett, Herb Alpert, etc.), the Empire turntable sounded best of all, with the Revox tape deck a very close second. The CD player sounded like a cheap 70s-era kid's phonograph by comparison. Neil Young once commented that when he first heard a CD re-release of one of their old albums, the sound "washed over me like a wave of ice cubes." He said that the warm, rich sound of the original vinyl LP record just wasn't there.

The generally mediocre quality of AM audio today is due to inferior receivers, not inherent flaws of AM. Older AM receivers (particularly older car receivers) have excellent audio quality. Also, currently available AM receivers such as those made by Sangean and Lennox are as good or better than the older radios, even in the pocket receivers. I have a Sangean DT-200V and a Lennox "Sports Radio" (both pocket AM/FM radios), and they have superb AM audio quality. Also, some AM stations don't bother to optimize their audio chains because "AM is for talk radio anyway, so who cares about high fidelity if we're not broadcasting music?" Back when AM *was* primarily broadcasting music, AM stations did take the time to optimize their audio chains. (In the 1950s, WLW 700 AM proved that high fidelity AM could sound better than FM.)

HD might as well stand for "Hyped Digital." "Digital" is one of those marketing hype buzzwords (as "Turbo" was and is) that are used to try to 'wow' the public. "You've got digital clocks and digital computers, why not bring your radio into the digital age?" To which I reply: "I already have a digital radio. I push a button to tune in a station, and then I see the station's frequency on a liquid crystal digital display." -- JasonW

 

[JasonW]

Re: where you get it...& then some

Thank you for posting those AM Stereo receiver sources.

In Japan, they call RDS "Visible Radio." I was once describing it to a friend when it first came out, and he broke in and said: "But I thought they've had TV in Japan for a long time!" -- JasonW

> More sources for New AMS Tuners/Radios
>
> http://www.fanfare.com/prod-list.html
>
> http://meduci.com/amx2000.html
>
>
> Also keep an eye on ebay. You can get all kinds of AMS gear
> from there. The most common and cost effective radios are
> the Sony SRF-A1 walkman and the Sony SRF-42 walkman.
>
> Also on eBay you'll find often enough one of Chris Cuff's
> New modified radios. He just had an auction end for a nice
> New Radio by Sharper Image that he modified to play AM
> stereo along with the factory designed FM stereo. The radio
> was also capable of Shortwave and TV audio, as well as NOAA
> weather band. The one thing this radio doesn't do
> apparently is SCA audio. Looks like an awesome unit, and
> from Chris's comment he leads me to believe ha has a few of
> these things that he is going to be modifying. He modified
> an old Ford radio for me a while back and it worked
> Perfectly! Unfortunately he doesn't do custom work anymore,
> but since you are a station owner looking to put the AMS
> back on, I think he may be willing to make an exception.
>
> AM Stereo like RDS is quite abundant in Europe and Asia. It
> is really big in Japan. Its funny how no one cared about
> RDS for the longest time around here and then suddenly one
> day it was everywhere. AM Stereo is no different. ITs out
> there, it works, it should be put to use. OK,sure, digital
> will be around in a few years, but it ain't here yet. AMS is
> here, lets use it, at least for now anyway.
>
>
> > > > Being a 'youngun', I've never heard AMS...and I don't
> > > think I own a receiver that can pick it up. Where can I
> > get one?
> >
> http://www.audiocube>
> s.com/product_reviews/product/Sony_SRF-A300_FM,AM_Radio.html
>
> >
> >
> > -or-
> >
htt> p://www.audiocubes.com/category/Portable+Audio_Radio,+Casse>
> tte+Players/product/Sony_SRF-AX15_TV,FM,AM_Pocket_Radio.html
>
> >
> >
> >
> > > > When I finish my facility upgrade, I'm going to turn
> on
> > > the
> > > > AMS for a couple of days on one of my signals just to
> > see
> > > > what it'll do for my range. With 1kW, we can't afford
> to
> >
> > > > lose any ground. But, if we can do it without
> affecting
> > > our
> > > > contours, we might just leave it on. It's pretty
> > > > funny...quite a few of our jocks still ID the station
> as
> >
> > > > "WFXY Stereo 1490". I caught one of them doing it the
> > > other
> > > > day at corrected him...he didn't like that very much
> and
> >
> > > > told me "I've been saying it all my career, and I'm
> not
> > > > about to stop now".
> > > >
> > > > Being a 'youngun', I've never heard AMS...and I don't
> > > think
> > > > I own a receiver that can pick it up. Where can I get
> > one?
> > >
> > > >
> > >
> > > If you have a 2001-2003 Ford with the in-unit 6-CD
> > Changer,
> > > you already have AM Stereo.
> > >
> >
>