[BC] AM and FM HD Radio

[Rich Wood]

------ At 07:49 AM 1/18/2006, Kent Winrich, K9EZ wrote: -------

>I think the disconnect here is that I am mainly talking about FM HD, 
>and you are talking about AM HD.  Yes there are issues with AM.  FM 
>on the other hand seems to be working better (and you have said that 
>you have not heard any issues with FM).  If we dont try the 
>technology and try to improve it we stand still.

It terms of technology, yes. My main concern is AM. In my opinion 
it's a slow death sentence. For FM, I'm simply not in an area where 
it's an improvement on analog, especially if the programming is 
second rate on the secondaries.

For the HD Dominion, we're worlds apart. Stifling competition has 
never benefitted anyone but the bully in the neighborhood. Jabba the 
HD gives me a vivid mental picture of what, I believe it represents. 
it also represents how quickly a large organization can move.

>One of the bad areas to look for FM HD interference is the corridor 
>from Milwaukee to Chicago (no doubt NY/Philly would be one too) 
>where there are plenty of FM HD stations.  I have not experienced 
>one problem with interference due to HD.  So why are so many up in arms?

The objection, as I see it, is that never in radio's history has a 
system been approved that harmed its neighbors. We can argue till 
doomsday about FM stereo systems. A bad one hurts only the user. It's 
his or her choice. This technology allows someone else to determine my fate.

>The problem as I see it is that the HD signal does not carry as far 
>as I thought it would.  Is that an issue with the receivers?  Or is 
>it an issue with the low power of HD signal?  Audio wise I am 
>impressed with the HD signal even when stations run HD2.

As I understand it digital power levels affect the level of 
interference. During my two months with a receiver it seemed to me 
that levels were all over the place.. Some digital signals equaled 
the analog. Most didn't. That caused additional, annoying problems of 
mode switching on top of multipath. My problem here isn't multipath. 
It's the occasional disappearance of the signal. Digital isn't fixing that.

As far as audio quality, it's adequate entertainment quality. I find 
the artifacts fatiguing in the same way I find low rate MP3 
fatiguing. I just don't listen as long before I shut it off. As good 
as the Kenwood tuner is, I felt a sense of relief when I switched to 
CD and heard all that was missing. The same is true for satellite. CD 
is a relief.

I'm not your ordinary listener. I've spent too much time in recording 
studios and in live music situations. I worked for the San Diego 
Opera in their efforts to broadcast the performances. I have friends 
who love opera and would listen on an old transistor radio and enjoy 
it. I can't, no matter how good the performer. An important part of 
the performance is the absolute beauty of the instruments, voice 
ranking right at the top. I've had the pleasure of hearing Pavarotti, 
Sutherland, Sills and many more up close and personal. They'd make 
even a bald man's hair stand on end.

At WGBH, Boston, we did lots of live music, including the Boston 
Symphony. At TM we hired Dallas Symphony players for our jingles.

I can take restricted response, but when you strip away the 
subtleties of an instrument It leaves me cold. Those subtleties are 
what cause players to pay millions for a special instrument. At WGBH 
we would compete with the likes of WFMT, Chicago, WQXR and WNCN, New 
York, for the High Fidelity Magazine awards for best FM. I haven't 
heard that quality on digital FM, even thought the analog is 
restricted by the pilot. I'm fortunate to have a superb sounding NPR 
station in my market. I won't embarrass the engineer by naming him 
but he's called Chuck. The station is WFCR at the University of 
Massachusetts in Amherst, MA.

I'm resigned to the fact that radio will never again be considered an 
audiophile medium. It doesn't have to be. it just has to be 
non-fatiguing if we expect people to stay for long periods. Whether 
some of us like it or not, radio is a linear medium that depends on 
Arbiton reports for it's livelihood. TSL is very important when you sell AQH.

It probably won't matter for all those secret new technologies, 
except those that bill by the byte. TSL (or whatever we'll call it) 
will be even more important because it'll convert directly to cash.

I propose that we dump that tired old "think out of the box" and 
replace it with "think out of your bandwidth."

Rich

Rich Wood
Rich Wood Multimedia
Phone: 413-303-9084
FAX: 413-480-0010