[BC] IBOC "secrets" and my opinions.

[Dave Dunsmoor]

 > > Right. But, Frank, you gotta have sugar to make lemonade, and so far
 > > I don't see any in the kitchen.
 > >
 > > Remember what I asked you (offline) about a year back? Can it be done?
 > >
 > > Dave Dunsmoor


 > Now you've got my curiosity up. What did you ask Frank? I take it the
 > question must have something to do with this? If it's something that must
 > remain private I understand.
 >
 > Steve (looking for sugar) Walker


No secrets, really. I was pondering the effects of digital noise vs 
analog noise as seen by a receiver (on channel, off channel, 
whatever), and wondered if someone might be able to design a method 
to remove the digital hash from a receiver using some "magical algorithm.

I have no idea whether it could be done, how it could be done, 
whether it would work, and if so, whether the lawyers would muck up 
the stream (no pun intended) and prevent it from being implemented, and so on.

Truthfully, I think digital is a good idea, but everyone who's 
pushing for it to be located on the AM broadcast band has been 
smoking crack, in my humble opinion. Starting with Ibiquity, & the 
FCC. I think this would have FLOWN out the door, and made big money 
fast (for everyone) had they done it right.

But they didn't, and even though I don't do much for DXing as a 
hobby, I do like to be able to hear what's going on in the next burg, 
especially when I'm out driving around the country. Summer or winter, 
it's nice to have some idea of what's going on ahead of you. (I also 
like listening to the Canadian public stations to see what their take 
is on current events, and compare that to what our folks are 
reporting. Stay informed, good idea, I think).

Try getting FM in central or western Montana. AM barely covers, but 
there are a few there, and hearing the weather announcements every so 
often is nice. No more if/when AM IBOC is fired up everywhere (not 
likely anytime soon, but you know what I'm getting at).

Cowboy's (and others) comments (I'm paraphrasing here) about not 
being concerned with the logic or politics of it all, just going to 
do the best he can to make it work as well as is possible is correct. 
And several here have stated that even if IBOC falls flat the 
upgrading and repair of many stations as a result of implementing 
IBOC is a good fallout, Yeah, I'll buy that.

And as it happens, I like a particular program that airs at night, 
but isn't on any of the 9 or dozen local stations, so I have to set 
the clock radio so I can't see the clock (aiming the ferrite antenna) 
in order to hear the one station 110 miles distant that carries it. 
Again, that'll disappear if/when IBOC comes online up here in
the great brown north.

And just for you folks who think I have no business complaining about 
a distant station disappearing into the noise, I do shop in this 
town, and occasionally get hints about what/where from this station.

But if my radio goes away, there are other things I can do, shortwave 
might be an option, but like Cornelius' wife, mine wouldn't take to 
that well either, so it might have to be "the oldies" and Elvis on 
CD....... got a ham rig in the car, could always put in another, or a 
CB.... naw, IBUZ might be better. She's been wanting to put a DVD 
player in the car anyway (I wouldn't watch of course, but I could listen).

The point here is, IBOC might come to my little town, may not. But I 
do drive to "the big cities" often, and that's when it'll affect me. 
Either now as adjacent noise, or later when it's all digital (at that 
point it'll be off). I have no interest in replacing any of my 
current car radios with an expensive computer that goes from good to
bad to good to bad, etc. as HD comes and goes for whatever reason 
(signal fading, lightning, whatever). At this point, off is better. 
And there go the $$$.  Follow 'em.

And that's my view of it all. So now have at it, I can take it.

Dave