[BC] Insignia Digital Portable

[Rich Wood]

------ At 10:17 PM 7/16/2009, Bob Young wrote: -------

>  I live in Central-Eastern MA and HD reception is terrible here. I 
> have a Sony XDR-F1HD with stock antennas and can get no AM HD's and 
> usually one or two FM HD's including one in Worcester which is less 
> that 10 miles away.

The Sony tuner has incredible analog. It's digital is about the same 
as most other receivers. When I drive to Cape Cod I pass Worcester on 
the Turnpike. By the time I get to the first Worcester exit I begin 
to receive WSRS in digital which is strange since I get it in digital 
in Easthampton, about 50 miles away. By that time I've had a solid 
WBZ-AM digital beginning just before Ludlow (not far from 
Springfield). I've received WTAG in digital for a short distance. 
With the car parked in the driveway I can receive it in digital. I 
live about 20 miles from the 50Kw WTIC site and the same is true. 
Driveway. No movement of the car.

>When I'm lucky I can get more Boston FM HD's, I think my banner day 
>was 4 Boston HD's, all FM. I cannot count on the same stations being 
>there the next day either even the Worcester stations. The odd thing 
>is that I can get almost ALL the Boston analog FM's with little or 
>no trouble on my 30 year old Marantz with the same antenna.

I also find that propagation varies. One day a signal will be solid. 
The next it's hardly there. This is with the Sony tuner. Analog is solid.

>  Yes, I hate HD and feel it will just hasten to migration to online 
> listening especially if the power increase is granted, but I 
> digress, so you can use that to discredit what I've posted if you want.

I don't hate it. I hate the deception that surrounds it. This is the 
Internet, so calling someone's baby ugly, even if it isn't their 
baby, will get you tromped on. I've been called all sorts of names. 
Remember, many people here were forced to install the system and are 
very disappointed in it's operation. They can't admit it on the list 
for fear of losing their jobs. Many contact me directly with moral 
support. I appreciate that. Even worse than it's technical failings 
are the puff releases praising the dozens of stations with unique 
formats on HD-2. They're unique because they make some kind of noise, 
not because they're well-programmed formats.

Anyone with a background in marketing knows this is death. A listener 
will try it and find it's untrue. You've lost a customer for the 
radio and for the station. Realize that a cheerleader, even those in 
exalted positions, have to justify their decisions. There's another 
list loaded with grand high poobah General Managers who expect 
unearned respect. I've been fortunate to work for very very grand 
poobahs with whom I've had very animated disagreements. I was able to 
change their minds and they didn't fire me. Others continued to argue 
and disagree but didn't fire me. I did what they directed. They knew 
I'd do that. You owe no one here, except Barry, any obedience or 
reverence. To keep it child friendly, everyone has one of those things.

You'll find this to be much like politics where discrediting someone 
is easier than proving them wrong. Think of it as Obama, the 
individual, vs. the Republicans. Ignore the personal slams and plow 
forward. Your opinion has as much value as anyone else.

>  I have also compared the Worcester HD FM station with the Sony 
> tuner going through the auxiliary input of my Marantz 2385 with 
> double large Advents, and the HD station SOUNDS better in analog 
> using the analog tuner in the Marantz, it has more highs, deeper 
> bass and more articulate midrange, it sounds good in analog but 
> lackluster in HD. When I get WGBH it sounds good in HD but then 
> again it also sounds very good in analog so all in all, I would say 
> that HD's obvious negatives far outweigh it's two dubious positives.

I worked for WGBH in their super sounding days. I still think the 
analog sounds great as I drive within range. The digital is spotty. 
I'm sure that's a surprise. I don't know the current engineering 
staff. However, if they're following in Bill Busiek's footsteps it'll 
sound great.

Don't worry about what anyone may call you. They don't matter. Begin 
to worry when you meet in public and they rearrange your face. Or, 
you rearrange theirs.

Rich