RadioActive wrote:

The question comes after I read this article in Radio World, in which an exec. from the National Association of Broadcasters in the U.S. notes only 20% of American stations have gone the HD Radio route - something he highly recommends. 

But it's this paragraph at the end that caught my eye:

"HD Radio is also truly a North American standard now with the recent authorization of FM-band HD Radio in Canada (with AM currently under consideration) and with the continued rollout of HD Radio in Mexico. It’s fair to say that as the number of HD Radio broadcasters in the U.S. increases, listeners will benefit, and the radio broadcasting industry will benefit as well."

Is that true? I thought CHLO at 530 in Brampton was putting out some kind of digital AM signal. What is the status of this on the other band here? 

I think his information is outdated. He says "the recent authorization of FM-band HD" but it was authorized more than a decade ago.
 

paterson1 wrote:

From 2017...https://www.bellmedia.ca/the-lede/press/bell-media-radios-newstalk-1010-and-tsn-1050-now-available-in-crystal-clear-hd/

Those two AM stations started on FM HD in 2017 but there were other FM stations already on HD before then and I suspect that the AM HD signal  on 530 was authorized before they went on air with it several years ago.
 

paterson1 wrote:

From 2017...https://www.bellmedia.ca/the-lede/press/bell-media-radios-newstalk-1010-and-tsn-1050-now-available-in-crystal-clear-hd/

This is not what he's talking about. In the U.S. many AM stations are HD-only, and cannot be received on analogue receivers. 

from my understanding there is 2 AM HD radio stations in Canada. CHLO for many years, and last year one in Quebec came online!

Fitz wrote:

torontostan wrote:

paterson1 wrote:

From 2017...https://www.bellmedia.ca/the-lede/press/bell-media-radios-newstalk-1010-and-tsn-1050-now-available-in-crystal-clear-hd/

This is not what he's talking about. In the U.S. many AM stations are HD-only, and cannot be received on analogue receivers. 

I don’t believe there are many AM only HD stations In the US.There is one that I am aware of in Frederick Maryland with a wide playlist triple a format. They were approved on an experimental basis a few years ago and I hope they are still on AM HD, even tho I am not a fan of hd but at least they are doing something unique. Maybe more HD only AM stations have gone up after them but I don’t recall reading about that. WSHE AM, the Gamut.

Don’t have time right now to check their web site to confirm the HD only AM feed but I think they are also have a FM HD sub channel.

They're on an FM subchannel, AND an analog FM repeater. The AM's pretty. much a pet project of an engineer.

I had time to go to the Gamut web site and their AM HD is still alive but in addition to that there was only a mention of three different FM HD sub channel feeds on their sister stations. Could not find a ref to a repeater but it may still exist. Wide playlist indeed everything from the Doors to the Associations Pandora's Golden Heebie Geebies. Their stream is unfortunately geo blocked.

I did find some info about them on the AM stereo web site as well as some audio/video samples. Here's some excerpts and clips recorded off a entry level COBY HD radio. We get to hear what music sounds like on AM HD.

WSHE(AM) "THE GAMUT" FREDERICK, MARYLAND IS U.S.A's FIRST MEDIUM WAVE ALL-DIGITAL HD RADIO STATIONOn July 16, 2018, station WSHE(AM), [formerly WWCD] in Frederick, Maryland USA, "The Gamut" made history to become the first AM medium wave broadcast station in the country to transmit a stereo audio music format, testing the HD Radio all-digital MA3 mode full-time, under an experimental license from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).   WSHE(AM) is operating at 4,300-watts (daytime, non-directional pattern); and at 430-watts (night, directional) using the AM "all-digital MA3 xPeri service mode" and boasting a musical playlist of more than 20,000 songs.   At the time of this video, WSHE had also operated 160-watt horizontal polarization monaural analog translator FM station, W232DG, simulcasting the 820kHz AM digital signal, at 94.3MHz, with RBDS scrolling text program information.

amd speaking of engeeneers:
Dave Kolesar, Chief Engineer and Program Director for WSHE, says, "The bit rate for MA3 is about 40kBps, and we've got about 4kBps set aside for album artwork and station logo.   So what you're hearing is about 36 kBps.   In the fringe areas the radio only picks up the core signal and the bit rate reduces to 20kBps parametric stereo.   I'm always listening critically and learning.   The station sounds better than it did six months ago, and it may sound even better a month from now.   How the signal handles lightning depends on how close you are to the transmitter, and how close the lightning is.   If you're within the 2mV contour, most times buffering would handle the dropouts.   Further out, the signal may be interrupted for about a second.   In the deep fringe areas, like analog, the signal probably won't be useful."

I mentioned the Marvelettes yesterday and you will hear them again a bit into this clip:

Clip One

Clip Two

Clip Three

Last edited by Fitz (April 25, 2025 9:28 pm)