[BC] AM Stereo

[Dana Puopolo]

I wouldn't quit caring, Jerry-what I'd do is educate. I'd educate my G.M. that
AM can still be a reasonable fidelity medium-as long as the IBUZ is turned off
(along with it's 5 kHz low pass filter). Ten kHz audio isn't the end of the
world-in fact I'd argue that the typical FM station with aggressive
loudness/high frequency limiting doesn't do that much better. I'd educate them
that with AM, modulation is coverage and power-and optimizing the entire path
from microphone to antenna pays big dividends in both coverage and quality. 

My station broke format today an had some older Philly black DJs playing old
school soul, rock and R&B from the 50's through the 80s. I took my family out
for dinner today, and listened in the car. It blew me away how good music
sounds on my station-and its processing is optimized for talk! In fact, I was
hearing things in the music that I never knew were there when I first listened
to it way back then (as many of you well know, black radio was WAY ahead of
the curve where rock and roll was concerned). I actually felt drawn into the
music-I could hear several different musical lines in the songs. I'm sure the
reason it sounds better is because my BE AM-1 has one tenth the THD and IMD
the old Gates BC5P had at WILD where I first heard this music.

Yes, the frequency response was restricted (I run a 75us pre-emphasis and hard
filter below 40 Hz and above 8.5 kHz, with a 1.5 db hump at 80 Hz), but the
'smoothness' was amazing (probably because of the utter lack of multipath
that's so common to FM when in the car).

I was so impressed that (as I said before) I might just run in Motorola C-QUAM
stereo when we move to the new studios (where unlike here, everything will be
wired for stereo).  I'll bet there still are many thousand cars in Philly that
can pick it up.

-D

From: Jerry Mathis <thebeaver32 at gmail.com>

So what I'm going to accept as de facto from henceforth: AM radio sound will
ALWAYS be crappy, and nothing can or will be done about it.
 
So I'm going to quit caring.

--
Jerry Mathis

On Thu, Nov 25, 2010 at 4:07 PM, Dana Puopolo <dpuopolo at usa.net> wrote:
>Barry is 100% right on this one-as broadcasters CONINUE to shoot their feet
>off to this very day (with AM IBOC, 5 kHz AM audio, hyper FM processing,
etc.
>etc.).

>Apparently, radio will never learn....!!

>*BANG!!*

>-D

>From: Barry Mishkind <barry at oldradio.com>

>       Really, between the industry wars and the timid FCC, it is
>       broadcasters themselves - the same bunch who
>       decided to automate stations to save money - who
>       have really made the mess.