The FMeXtra Aruba Radio - A few thoughts.

[clouseau]

Since I actually have one of these, I wanted to pass along my observations about it. I know I have been branded as an Ibiquity cheerleader. That's not exactly true. The Aruba has some good points and some bad points. Afterwards, I'll offer a few of my conclusions. Here we go....

I ordered my radio from Bext Broadcast. I emailed them my info and Credit Card info and they processed my order promptly. I inadvertanly gave them the wrong security code for my credit card and they actually phoned me back to get it corrected. Great Customer service! I was impressed.

3 or 4 days later, the box arrived. Well packed and inside was a pretty printed box with full color photos printed on it. Glassy and professional all the way. It would have looked great on a shelf in a local Best Buy.

Inside was nice custom foam packing etc..etc.. One odd thing was what appeared to be markings which looked like the Styrofoam may have been hand cut. No matter, it was professional looking enough.


And finally I got to the radio. While not sleek or particularly stylish, my first impression was a good one. It's solid and has a feeling of durability. It actually has some weight. It has that "If it falls off the table and onto the floor it very well might survive" feel to it that many new radios (Including the Accurian HD) do not. It had a wire antenna with it and a dipole IIRC. Along with the radio was a note that said they sent me a wire instead of the whip mecause the manufacturer was out of Whips and it would follow later. As of March 1 there was no sign of it. Still not a problem. While not a complete orfer, the wire worked fine.

The Aruba has a green button labled "band" and 10 other buttons. #2 is labled Mode and #3 is labeled Menu. #1 and #4-10 are unlabled. Being a radio geek, I pressed the green button and Voila, It came to life. I turned up the volume and cranked the big tuning knob and I was listening to the radio. Pretty good sound for a tabletop. The highs in analog are not quite as crisp as the Accurian, but the lows were a little fuller. Pretty good audio design. I attribute the tone difference to the larger speaker in the Aruba. (Looks like a good quality 4 incher.) Hold your sarcastic comments, it sounds GOOD for a table radio. I Plugged in my "5 pair for $89.95" Senheisers and the sound quality was GREAT. Headphone jack was an 1/8" stereo. I don't need that 1/4 to 1/8 adapter to make the phones work anymore. Sheesh I really AM getting old.

Now I figure I'll play with the menu and mode buttons. Time to set the presets. I notice there is a "Country" setting under menu...(Not Garth Brooks. More like Brazil, Japan, USA EU and EEU IIRC). Radio receives different bands based on the country you set it for. I set it on Japan and get FM clear down to 76. Way cool. However after changing my country to US from Brazil, I found that a couple of clicks of the buttons and I was back on Brazil. A little annoying, but I reset the country to USA. Repeat cycle a couple more time and I surrender. I read the manual. After setting the presets for stations this "Brazil" thingy went away. It was pretty complicated, though. I can see Joe Average being a little frustrated. Still it has never returned. Little bit of a learning curve. The presets are a little different, also. The "MODE" button toggles between "Presets" and "Regular tuning". So if you are in the "Preset" mode, if you turn the big "tuning" know you advance thru the preset stations. If your NOT in preset modes, you tune down the dial. All of this is different, but not necessarily bad. I miss button presets, but my living room stereo doesn't operate all that differently. BTW I DON'T use presets on it.

So it's time for the tuning test. I tested it in a high RF environment. (Across the street from a 3 KW FM on top of a building.) Nice rejection overall. This unit performed like a trooper. Rejected all but 2 VERY strong images. As good as any radio in that setting. In fact I would bet that those images are actually there and the radio is perfoming flawlessly. It had no problem pulling a dx FM 4 KHz away. Sensitivity is good. Really a nice radio. I was impressed. There is some "Not so good" news though. Some a wish list, Some just a problem IMHO.

First off let me say that I do not have an FMeXtra station within range of where I did the test. However I have heard the AAC codec in action. And I have seen the sensitivity of the receiver. Assuming the SCA section is not dead, this is a nice radio. I had every intention of taking a weekend plane trip with my Aruba and hearing it in action. However a station using it "ON THE RECORD" was not to be found. I asked Tino at Bext and he didin't get back to me. A rep at Energy Onix told me of a situation where it was being used, but no specific location. His included a story of how FMeXtra was being used as an STL for a far away AM station. I heard this from another person as well. Couldn't get specifics though. Still no matter. My experience is that this radio can hear a Gnat fart at 60 KM. It's a great product.

But I do have a few complaints. These are not "It doesn't work". More like "It really ought to do this..."

Here we go...

I'm assuming this is supposed to be a commercially acceptable table radio. In THAT context it has a few problems.

1) It doesn't receive AM analog. Hey folks, in many many markets there is an AM station at the top of the ratings heap. Can you market a table radio without AM???

2) It does NOT appear to receive analog FM stereo. I've played with mine till my heart's content and no dice. It's a mono digital radio.

3) I was surprised to see it is "Deaf" to existing analog SCA. How cool would it be to be able to receive analog SCA? Or at least show it exists. Maybe with a market exclusive flash update that would meet FCC rules. While it might not be true in the future, there's a lot more SCA listeners right now than there are FMeXtra listeners. (At least that's my assumption) Get your future customers selling your radios now... <Editorial mode ="off">

4) The controls are clunky. This might be like the "Windows is intuitive" thing, though.
Still, I thought I knew how to operate a radio. I do have a co-worker with a car radio I can't seem to get the clock set, though. Maybe it's me...

There are a few other cool things. Like updatable firmware. Assuming they don't abandon this and come out with a new model, maybe my FM Stereo is coming. (Could I even dream about AM?)

And there is a "Memory stick" port on the front. That one escapes me. And then it hit me...

This is one of those "Software Defined Radios". It's NOT an FMeXtra radio.... It's a generic SDR with a custom faceplate. This is NOT an ARUBA, but an unknown chassis "ADAPTED" to this use. That would explain the memory stick port. And the 7 unlabled and unused buttons. Don't misread the review. Even in "The Wizard of Oz", the man behind the curtain is the good guy...

So here's a couple of suggestions for the Aruba. Because they're really onto something here...

a) It's gotta get FM stereo analog. C'mon guys, you are asking me to give up stereo for my Bread and Butter? Does my main signal run in MONO? No can do... This is a deal killer. You have the technology... Make it work.

b) Make buttons 4-10 do something. Presets... Display lighting... Tone...ANYTHING... I don't know what the chipset can do. Heck at least label it a,b,c,d,e and put "Future use" in the manual. I feel like when buttons 4-10 don't do anything I didn't get my money's worth. As Spock would say "It is not logical, but it is so".

c) Get them out of broadcast supply houses and into the stores. And get them on your website. You still do not show radios are avalablke now. (If you'd be willing to do a drop ship with online marketing, let me know. You know who I am...)

d) Analog SCA would expand the customer base.


Overall, I was pleased with the unit. Sounds good and receives very well. VERY WELL. The challenge for DRE is to get this unit out of the SCA realm and get it into the public realm. I don't think anyone would argue that the public shops at Circuit City and Best Buy. They don't shop at Bext and Energy Onyx.

A note to DRE. 10 years ago there was GM and bunch of other car companies. The question we should today is... Are you Daihatsu or are you Toyota?

I'm rooting for you.

Clouseau

Comments welcome. If anyone knows of an actual FMEXTRA station OTA let me know. I can still consider a road trip.

C.

 

[PhilJSmith67]

Thanks for your review and comments, Clouseau!

 

[Chuck]

Thanks for your review and comments, Clouseau!

Ditto. These radios were on display at the Armstrong booth at NRB a couple of weeks ago. I'm wondering if the FM stereo question has been solved? I listened to the radio using headphones for a couple of minutes. The FMExtra was definitely stereo, and it sounded quite good. I also listened to analog stations inside the exhibit hall. I must admit I was more amazed by the sensitivity of this radio. Perhaps that distracted me. It picked up a lot of Orlando area stations in a very troublesome environment.

I honestly don't know one way or the other if the analog stuff was stereo or not, but if it was lacking, it did not strike me during the short time I listened. Even so, it seemed to be a "normal" listening experience. That is stereo. Maybe I was imagining things. Or maybe the versions Armstrong had used updated software. I don't know.

The good news is this is a software-defined radio. With new updates, you can make it do pretty much anything you want it to do. I think that is the future of radios in general, regardless of he modulation method chosen.

 

[dbdigital]

Thanks for your review and comments, Clouseau!

Ditto. These radios were on display at the Armstrong booth at NRB a couple of weeks ago. I'm wondering if the FM stereo question has been solved? I listened to the radio using headphones for a couple of minutes. The FMExtra was definitely stereo, and it sounded quite good. I also listened to analog stations inside the exhibit hall. I must admit I was more amazed by the sensitivity of this radio. Perhaps that distracted me. It picked up a lot of Orlando area stations in a very troublesome environment.

I honestly don't know one way or the other if the analog stuff was stereo or not, but if it was lacking, it did not strike me during the short time I listened. Even so, it seemed to be a "normal" listening experience. That is stereo. Maybe I was imagining things. Or maybe the versions Armstrong had used updated software. I don't know.

The good news is this is a software-defined radio. With new updates, you can make it do pretty much anything you want it to do. I think that is the future of radios in general, regardless of he modulation method chosen.

Right. Getting loose of iBiquity's headlock on digital radio will be a boone to small market broadcasters and LPFM. At 10K a pop, it might be a struggle for many LPFMs to purchase an FMeXtra encoder but it is doable whereas with HD-R it would have been impossible for them.

Plus as the smoke clears and a truly viable digital scheme for AM emerges, a software-defined radio will be ready for that as well.

db

 

[semoochie]

According to Wikipedia, the following stations are broadcasting FMExtra: WHBQ 107.5 Germantown TN, WBUZ 102.9 La Vergne TN, KNXR 97.5 & KRPR 89.9, both in Rochester MN and Radio 1 Oslow Norway. The DRE website is http://www.dreinc.com

 

[Chuck]

Right. Getting loose of iBiquity's headlock on digital radio will be a boone to small market broadcasters and LPFM. At 10K a pop, it might be a struggle for many LPFMs to purchase an FMeXtra encoder but it is doable whereas with HD-R it would have been impossible for them.

That's true for most small broadcasters. Our community recently lost its classical music PRI/BBC station. Although I don't have a lot of interest in switching our station's format, I also recognize that there is interest in a classical music format in the area. IBOC is out of the financial picture, but FMExtra is affordable. Further, at our low power, I doubt that HD will work very well, since our 64 dbu contour just isn't that far away. FMExtra seems quite a bit more robust if you can believe early reports. (I do, since I know at least one engineer that was involved in the testing process - and I respect his competence).

The problem for now, just like HD, is "whose going to listen?" We might sell 100 radios to early adopters, but then we'd be faced with figuring out how to pay for programming. We are non-profit, but even not for profit ventures have to be operated in a business like manner. Still, it is an interesting proposition.

 

[clouseau]

It seems to me that "AT THE MOMENT" FMeXtra is much more oriented towards "Enhanced SCA" than general broadcast use.

It should also be noted that FMeXtra is IMHO, barely sliding into beta testing. That is, while radios are available, they are no where near WIDELY available. DRE doesn't even seem to feature them on it's website. They SERIOUSLY should consider an info page and link to where to buy them online. Either DRE or Bext or Energy Onix need to get these things in a retail shopping site on the net. Of course the number of stations using the system is currently a problem. It will be interesting to see how it shakes out. Compatability with HD will be it's saving grace. It's kind of funny actually. Because they are compatable, we actually have the free market solution the FCC was looking for with AM stereo.

Clouseau

 

[SUPERCASTER]

The FMeXtra radios could be sold over the air by directing people to a website, just as public radio does for HD Radio.
FMeXtra already has full FCC approval under the existing SCA rules and can immediately start running commercials as well as have subscribers (even on non-commercial FMs and LPFMs), something HD Radio can not do.
Right now there is no revenue to be made from HD radio's HD2, HD3, etc. channels. They are experimental and prevented from having revenue. HD1 channels must just be a copy of the main channel.
No revenue for HD Radio. Immediate revenue with FMeXtra. Isn't that just the ticket for "general broadcast use"?
Here are pictures (again) thanks to Chuck:
http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/kzqx/fmextra.htm
FMeXtra does not need that much "beta testing". SCA signals and technology are nothing new, they have been around for over 50 years. Just changing the SCA from analog to digital, with the same proven AACPLUS codec that is being adopted by most of the digital broadcast world, does not seem to leave much for "beta testing." 90% of FMeXtra has already been proven.
There is no need to jam the airwaves by taking up 3 channels, and jamming your neighbors, as is necessary with HD Radio. FMeXtra uses the existing bandwidth and already has final FCC approval. HD Radio does not.

 

[clouseau]

FMeXtra does not need that much "beta testing". SCA signals and technology are nothing new, they have been around for over 50 years. Just changing the SCA from analog to digital, with the same proven AACPLUS codec that is being adopted by most of the digital broadcast world, does not seem to leave much for "beta testing." 90% of FMeXtra has already been proven.
There is no need to jam the airwaves by taking up 3 channels, and jamming your neighbors, as is necessary with HD Radio. FMeXtra uses the existing bandwidth and already has final FCC approval. HD Radio does not.

Hey Soup, I think you misunderstood what I was trying to say. After rereading my post I can see why. I was TRYING to say that currently, as a product, FMeXtra has a lot of the same "charactaristics" as a product in Beta Test. Not that SCA needed Beta Testing.

Let me clarify

Receivers are not widely available on a retail level. No argument they are available, but I think you'd agree, getting directed to your regional sales rep when you call a broadcasting supply distributor to buy a radio has a "Beta-Test Like" feel to it. AFAIK you can NOT go out this afternoon and get one at the store. Other BETA TEST LIKE issues include items like the encoder don't look like the literature. At least they didn't last month. The receivers cound good and look nice, but they don't have a real intuitive feel to them. There is also exactly one model available that I have heard of.

Now don't go off on me here. None of these things are deal killers. I just seems to me that FMeXtra is a couple of years behind HD, rolloutwise. Some of the HD stuff is actually pretty intuitive and slick looking. Since the systems are compatible, we may get to have an "AM Stereo" like competition to see who wins out - long term. ANd the FCC won't need to declare a winner Actually that may annoy a few people, to campare this to AM stereo. How about an FMstereo vs SCA war when stereo was rolled out in the early 60''s instead. Maybe that will go down a little easier...


The trick here will be to see if there are a reasonable number of stations who are willing to adopt FMX. Especially if HD get the "Cold Fish" treatment from consumers. You can say what you want about Ibiquity, but clearly they have their "Marketing to stations" ducks fairly well in a row. And I'm sure their "1/2 Billion dollar ad campaign" sounds a lot better in a brochure than DRE's "AAC sounds better". (Truth in advertising aside.)

Maybe the DRE folks need to get some selected stations in major markets on the air RIGHT NOW. I would suspect they could do that IF IT WERE FREE TO A STATION. BTW, this is NOT an attempt to schmmoze free stuff. My operation is too small and not in a big enough market However 10-20 Class C or B single "Multicast" transmitting stations around the country in big markets along with a free ad campaign on the primary might at least start the race. 20 FMX installs would cost DRE $200,000 retail. 1 Freebie to a market with the possibility of getting other stations in a cluster or across town to sign up at retail might not be a bad idea. It's GOT to be a war to sell a $10K unit when there might literally be Zero radios out there in your market. I'd bet money I've got the only one in my city. Maybe a little pump priming?

Clouseau

 

[studionote]

This is my first post and I'm trying to reply to the low power station requesting subcarrier classical music programming... (at the suggestion of a list member).
I'm programming terrestrial (New England area) and internet stations with a quiet background classical music service as well as a classical concert service with commentary by a former WFLN-Philadelphia announcer. Although both services are in the top 20 in their catagory (streaming at LIVE365) the background service is the runaway winner with over 15,000 tune-ins per month. I can offer smaller operations a very good deal on mp3 audio file programming which can be transferred to computer automation and used over and over. If you need such a service check out my webpages at http://www.studionote.com where you can click my demo links. I also have a popstandards music and newage music service. Please contact me through my webpages for additional information... from this University broadcast retiree who can't give up on the classics.

 

[SUPERCASTER]

clouseau said:

Receivers are not widely available on a retail level.

The exclusivity of FMeXtra can be a good thing. Competing at the Wall Mart level leaves you in a profitless price (and marketing/floorspace) war with a multitude of cheap analog radios, subsidized sat. radios, and a flood of other new, ever cheaper, media devices. All these have one thing in common, cut throat competition.
Internet purchases are exploding, while store purchases are dropping. Stores are expensive to maintain, staff, and operate, and therefore margins are high, and profits low.
Cut out the middlemen, sell exclusivity, and go direct. The NPR store does, and seems successful.

Software radios and convergence are already here. One device, many possibilities. One radio can be programmed to do it all, satellite, WiMax internet, HD Radio, FMeXtra, and almost anything else. It is mostly the same digital circuitry, just add software.

The HD Radio retail campaign can not be called a success, by any measure. iBiquity did a good job of selling to major conglomerates telling them anything they wanted to hear, but consumers are not buying the HD hype.

Yes the FMeXtra radios probably need refinement. So do HD Radios. Apparently Sangean is paying attention. Sales of short wave radios are down. I don't know if it is true, but I have read, some HD Radios can have software added for FMeXtra reception, and the FMeXtra radio you have, is also an HD Radio.

 

[clouseau]

clouseau said:

Receivers are not widely available on a retail level.

The exclusivity of FMeXtra can be a good thing. Competing at the Wall Mart level leaves you in a profitless price (and marketing/floorspace) war with a multitude of cheap analog radios, subsidized sat. radios, and a flood of other new, ever cheaper, media devices. All these have one thing in common, cut throat competition.
Internet purchases are exploding, while store purchases are dropping. Stores are expensive to maintain, staff, and operate, and therefore margins are high, and profits low.
Cut out the middlemen, sell exclusivity, and go direct. The NPR store does, and seems successful.

OK, Now I understand what you are saying, but you are just WRONG. There are at least two threads proclaiming how HD in Wal-Mart is a good thing. And if you are an Ibiquity stockholder, it is. Don't oversell your position. There is no way "Available only on the Internet" is a good thing. I know you are passionate against Ibiquity. I get it. "Screw them" is NOT an intelligent position. Don't bother to respond, but do you think it is a good thing that FMeXtra is NOT in Wal-Mart? Me either...
You wanna run that by DRE??? They will think you're as nuts as I do...

C'mon don't be silly...

Software radios and convergence are already here. One device, many possibilities. One radio can be programmed to do it all, satellite, WiMax internet, HD Radio, FMeXtra, and almost anything else. It is mostly the same digital circuitry, just add software.

This is getting more true every day. The ultimate SDR is what I'm typing on now. My Computer. It gets Real Audio, Windows Media, Truevoice, Wav and Radio Destiny. Show me a Radio that does that portably and we can talk. (Lose the $50/month susscription fee, though.)

I have an Accurian here. Do you HONESTLY think it will ever get FMeXtra. Do you think my Aruba will get HD?

More to the point, do you think my Aruba will ever receive even FM Stereo???

It could. Do you honestly think it ever will?

The HD Radio retail campaign can not be called a success, by any measure.

On an intellectual level I totally disagree. They got 1200 stations to sign up. Almost all of the major groups. Again, I get it that you don't like the system. "I" don't like the system, but to claim that "The HD Radio retail campaign can not be called a success, by any measure." is just an out an out falsehood. There's 1200 plus stations running this stuff. That's TWICE the number of Rush Limbaugh affiliates and well over 1000 more stations that FMeXtra.

You might not like it, but the campaign to market HD to stations is off to a roaring sucess. (At least to stations)

iBiquity did a good job of selling to major conglomerates telling them anything they wanted to hear, but consumers are not buying the HD hype.

Always the one sided verbiage like "Hype". Is this akin to you friends who use... "Iniquity", "Farse", "IBUZZ" & "joke"? I know you want to hate ibiquity, but they DID do something right.

Yes the FMeXtra radios probably need refinement.

So I stated. Give them the same 2-3 years as HD and they will be comparable for the same age...

So do HD Radios. Apparently Sangean is paying attention. Sales of short wave radios are down. I don't know if it is true, but I have read, some HD Radios can have software added for FMeXtra reception, and the FMeXtra radio you have, is also an HD Radio.

Woulda, Shouda, Coulda...

FMeXtra may very well be the best system. It's still going need to to win a place in the war... You claim is that it "Can receive HD" and you know what? It might have the SDR capability to receive an HD station, BUT from where I sit - IT DOESN'T GET ANY STATIONS... And it doesn't receive any FMeXtra stations either. My buddy bought an Accurian last week. It gets an HD station. How about his Aruba???

Hey folks believe me... I like FMeXtra...

Now I ask you. If someone you don't know asks you "Hey I want to hear this whole digial radio thing. What's the best way to hear a digital station?" Can you honestly direct them to DRE??? I love the system, but I can NOT operate in denial...

Over time, my answer could change

Clouseau

BTW...

Not that you'd ever want it, Soup, but you and Cal feel free to enter the contest tomorrow. It was wrong of me to exclude you two. I am sending a private message to you both indicating same. Your exclusion was my mistake... Sorry.

Clouseau.