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October 29, 2019 10:06 pm  #1


U.S. Toys With HD Radio - On AM

I'm still not entirely sure I understood everything in the linked article, but it appears that the FCC in the U.S. is considering opening the field to any AM station that wants to go all digital. Yes, you read that right - AM radio on the AM band in HD. 

There currently is only one station experimenting with this right now - WWFD in Frederick, Maryland. I have no idea exactly how you would get this signal or any future ones since it sounds like you might need a new radio to do it -- and it seems unlikely consumers would want to go out and buy one of those just to receive AM in digital quality, especially with so many already being shunted over to the FM HD digital channels. 

Or maybe I'm just reading this wrong. Check it out for yourself and let me know what you think this means - and whether you believe this is too little too late for AM radio. 

All-Digital AM Radio: A Voluntary Option Up For Thought  

 

October 30, 2019 7:36 am  #2


Re: U.S. Toys With HD Radio - On AM

Scott Fybush reported on this test recently in his Northeast Radio Report newsletter as well as his "Top of the Tower" interview podcast.  I believe that during the podcast he mentioned that cars currently equipped for HD reception (which is millions of them in the US) can receive an all digital AM signal.  The fellow being interviewed said that with a small market AM station, which has signal impairment, there could be a business case made that reaching a high percentage of vehicles with a listenable signal in HD, was a lot better than reaching very few with a horrible (noisy) signal.

 

October 30, 2019 9:26 am  #3


Re: U.S. Toys With HD Radio - On AM

There's already a number of AM HD stations in the US. They can be picked up on any HD radio and I have listened to a few at night but since they are all distant signals the signal usually does not last for long. What's different about WWFD is that their AM signal is digital only with no analog.

Last edited by Fitz (October 30, 2019 9:28 am)


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October 30, 2019 4:08 pm  #4


Re: U.S. Toys With HD Radio - On AM

I just had a look at the WWDF playlist. Looks really good. Hope this copy and paste will work:RECENTLY PLAYED:
[list=1]
[*]4:03 pmRemember ThenThe Earls 1  
[*]3:59 pmSurf's UpBrian Wilson Like  
[*]3:55 pmOur Fair CityEddie From Ohio 1  
[*]3:52 pmTop of the world (live)The Sugarcubes 7  
[*]3:49 pmWhat's It Like NowMikky Ekko Like  
[*]3:44 pmEverybody Have Fun TonightWang Chung 1  
[*]3:41 pmThe Long RunEagles 5  
[*]3:38 pmShe's A WomanThe Beatles 3  
[*]3:34 pmRock and Roll All Nite (live)KISS 2  
[*]3:31 pmBlessed Not LuckyThe Evens 2  
[*]3:27 pmDownLit 2  
[*]3:23 pmBad Boy Good ManTape Five Henrik Wager 2  
[*]3:19 pmseoritaShawn Mendes Camila Cabello Like  
[*]3:17 pmJust like everyone elseBen Taylor Band 1  
[*]3:13 pmI Didn't Mean to Turn You OnRobert Palmer 4  
[*]3:11 pmDaybreak In DixieThe Stanley Brothers Like  
[*]3:09 pmI'm BlueThe Ikettes 2  
[*]3:06 pmKnockin' on Heaven's DoorBob Dylan 1  
[*]3:02 pmBallad Of St. Anne's ReelBlack Velvet Band 1  
[*]2:55 pmPlay That SongTrain 1  
[*]2:52 pmTurning JapaneseNo Use for a Name 5  
[*]2:48 pmGo All The WayRaspberries 2  
[*]2:46 pmThe TwistChubby Checker 3  
[*]2:39 pmJust Like The RestI Walk the Line Like  
[*]2:36 pmBulls on ParadeRage Against the Machine 2  
[*]2:27 pmCareful With That Axe, EugenePink Floyd Like  
[/list]
[list=1]
[/list]
LOAD MORE


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October 31, 2019 10:31 am  #5


Re: U.S. Toys With HD Radio - On AM

You can hear an extensive discussion of the WWFD experiment on this podcast episode from March, It's important to understand that (a) there's a huge difference between the "MA-1" hybrid system, where the digital rides on fragile carriers at the outer edges of the analog spectrum, and the "MA-3" system under discussion, where analog goes away and its bandwidth is occupied by a full digital signal, (b) that about 30% of all cars on the road in the US right now can receive MA-3 broadcasts without needing to buy anything new, and (c) that nobody's treating this as the salvation of anything, just an opportunity to try something different with existing infrastructure that is otherwise effectively dead these days. 


https://www.fybush.com/podcast-035/


 

 

October 31, 2019 3:43 pm  #6


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