[BC] HD Radio -- Folks we have to get it right!

[Michael Bergman]

>>If we expect the auto makers to take us seriously with HD Radio, we 
>>all as in industry have to make sure HD Radio is set up right!!!!  We 
>>can't afford to have the auto industry bail on us because of all the 
>>complaints about something so simple to fix!!!

>The mistiming is a serious problem. Very noticeable. 

I agree this is a serious problem.  Once PDs and GMs are listening to their
own station on digital, the engineers will have the most immediate and
natural feedback mechanism, but it needs to be fixed ASAP before we
permanently lose the car OEMs.  Maybe BMW should get the word out to its
dealer network.  

>The next batch
>of returns will be the constant quality difference switching from 
>digital to analog, especially on AM, especially in the near fringe of a 
>signal.

There's hysteresis in the receiver algorithms that can be increased to
prevent fast switches back and forth (from digital to analog).  The receiver
can be programmed to require a better quality and more stable RF signal
before blending to digital.  I expect this will be more conservatively set
as the car OEMs become sensitized to this.  

I've played with the settings, and in rolling terrain with a weak signal,
which is a good way to get a lot of blends, it can clean up the blend
behavior nicely.  It doesn't cut the total digital signal range by much, but
it does reduce it enough that if you're trying to make the digital coverage
area look bigger, you'd set it the other way.  

Mike Bergman