From Barry McLarnon's website, the latest roll-call of stations that have switched off AM IBOC...
Stations which previously ran IBOC but currently have it turned off completely are shown in green (nearly 50 as of September 2010):
AM IBOC Stations on the Air
Saturday, September 4, 2010
HD Radio Shouldn't Be This Hard
HD Radio Shouldn't Be This Hard
by Thomas R. Ray III, 08.11.2010NEW WINDSOR, N.Y. — Unless we give Joe Consumer a reason to go out and purchase an HD Radio for his car — until he can obtain it easily and at a reasonable cost, and a device that works — I fear that HD Radio is going to go the way of FM quad and AM stereo, relegated to the scrap pile of history.
This statement may surprise you, coming from me. I'm the vice president/corporate director of engineering for Buckley Broadcasting/WOR Radio, New York City. As you may be aware from news reports and my own commentaries, I've been a vocal HD Radio supporter; indeed our station WOR was the one of the first AMs on the air with an HD Radio signal.
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HD Car Radio Investigation
Now the trial lawyers are smelling blood... never a good sign:
HD Car Radio Investigation
The trial lawyers at Keefe Bartels, LLC are currently investigating the marketing and sales of HD car radios by certain car manufacturers. HD radios utilize a technology by which AM and FM radio stations transmit both audio and data signals along with their analog signals. HD radios are frequently touted as cutting edge technology which will dramatically improve sound quality, provide new benefits to the user and enhance the radio listening experience. In recent years HD car radios have been included in various high end automobiles. HD radios are also frequently sold as an add-on feature for such luxury brands as BMW and Jaguar.
(snip)
Despite the increased sales of HD car radios and the growing number of radio stations transmitting digitally, there are continual complaints about the technology and these audio devices. HD car radios are plagued by an inability to receive the digital signals transmitted by FM and AM radio stations and a significantly reduced sound quality when such signals are received. Such problems coupled with the increased costs for HD car radios call into question the utility of this supposed technological innovation. Consumers are being enticed to purchase HD car radios that commonly fail to perform or provide any benefits and features. The additional cost to the consumer is both unwarranted and unnecessary when the HD radios do not work as they are supposed to.
Despite iBiquity’s claims of improved sound quality and transmission, there have been numerous complaints about HD Radio from not only the radio industry but also consumers. These complaints have included:
-Radio receiver bumping station from HD to analog mode;
-Echo sound heard when the radio switches between HD and analog modes;
-Crackling or static sound when HD mode is inactive;
-Insufficient numbers of HD Radio stations;
-Loss of signal while driving in valleys or between high buildings;
-Signal disruption for environmental conditions; and
-Adjacent channel interference.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Now Tom Ray is doubting HD Radio?!
Now Tom Ray is doubting HD Radio?!
The Buckley Broadcasting VP/Director of Engineering, who oversees 50-kW WOR-AM NY, posted an opinion piece in a trade pub this month that holds some real doubts about AM HD Radio’s viability. Now this might not be a big deal to some, but Tom is, and has always been, one of HD Radio’s biggest supporters. The article mentions his attempts to buy a Ford Escape at a local NY State dealership that hopefully included a factory HD Radio. Ford was supposed to be offering it as an option for 2010 models, from what he understood.
No one at the dealership knew anything about HD Radio and all there said he was the first and only person who has ever asked about it.
Ray tells RBR-TVBR: “On the dealer side, it doesn’t surprise me, because if they’re not fed the information from the corporate home in Detroit, they’re not going to know what it is. They are told, ‘Here is your Sirius display,’ which quite frankly, there’s a huge Sirius display right there in the showroom. They’re told, ‘Here’s Sirius radio—push it.’
He adds, “What was very dismaying was the fact that when I talked to people at Ford, there wasn’t one person over there who could help me and most of them also told me I was the very first call they’ve ever had on HD Radio. So at least they knew what it was, but nobody could direct me.”
Tom ended up buying the car anyway and went through hell and high water to buy and install aftermarket HD Radio gear and other devices like XM Satellite Radio to make it work with the car’s Sync system. He finally got it all working, but it wasn’t easy and the car is certainly now a target for petty theft.
The Buckley Broadcasting VP/Director of Engineering, who oversees 50-kW WOR-AM NY, posted an opinion piece in a trade pub this month that holds some real doubts about AM HD Radio’s viability. Now this might not be a big deal to some, but Tom is, and has always been, one of HD Radio’s biggest supporters. The article mentions his attempts to buy a Ford Escape at a local NY State dealership that hopefully included a factory HD Radio. Ford was supposed to be offering it as an option for 2010 models, from what he understood.
No one at the dealership knew anything about HD Radio and all there said he was the first and only person who has ever asked about it.
Ray tells RBR-TVBR: “On the dealer side, it doesn’t surprise me, because if they’re not fed the information from the corporate home in Detroit, they’re not going to know what it is. They are told, ‘Here is your Sirius display,’ which quite frankly, there’s a huge Sirius display right there in the showroom. They’re told, ‘Here’s Sirius radio—push it.’
He adds, “What was very dismaying was the fact that when I talked to people at Ford, there wasn’t one person over there who could help me and most of them also told me I was the very first call they’ve ever had on HD Radio. So at least they knew what it was, but nobody could direct me.”
Tom ended up buying the car anyway and went through hell and high water to buy and install aftermarket HD Radio gear and other devices like XM Satellite Radio to make it work with the car’s Sync system. He finally got it all working, but it wasn’t easy and the car is certainly now a target for petty theft.
Among AM HD Users, Opinions Vary
Among AM HD Users, Opinions Vary
by Randy J. Stine, 09.02.2010
The experiences of broadcast engineers managing AM HD Radio signals appear to vary greatly.
(snip)
Noncommercial WKAR(AM) in East Lansing, Mich., launched HD Radio in 2005 but turned off the digital carrier in 2009, according to Harold Beer, chief engineer for WKAR, which is licensed to Michigan State University.
“After years of encouraging listeners to get better quality wideband AM radios, we ended up degrading their listening experience with a 5 kHz bandwidth, –35 dB SNR analog signal once we turned on the IBOC digital,” Beer said.
“We also collected a number of negative comments due to the digital carrier, including complaints about the buzz that was always present, especially if a listener had an analog tuned radio that was slightly off-channel.” WKAR is a daytime directional AM operating on 870 kHz with 10 kW.
by Randy J. Stine, 09.02.2010
The experiences of broadcast engineers managing AM HD Radio signals appear to vary greatly.
(snip)
Noncommercial WKAR(AM) in East Lansing, Mich., launched HD Radio in 2005 but turned off the digital carrier in 2009, according to Harold Beer, chief engineer for WKAR, which is licensed to Michigan State University.
“After years of encouraging listeners to get better quality wideband AM radios, we ended up degrading their listening experience with a 5 kHz bandwidth, –35 dB SNR analog signal once we turned on the IBOC digital,” Beer said.
“We also collected a number of negative comments due to the digital carrier, including complaints about the buzz that was always present, especially if a listener had an analog tuned radio that was slightly off-channel.” WKAR is a daytime directional AM operating on 870 kHz with 10 kW.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
The future for AM HD Radio doesn't feel nearly as secure (according to iBiquity!)
This, direct from iBiquity's own website...
The future for AM HD Radio doesn't feel nearly as secure. Ibiquity seems to have made a concession to the reality of staying alive here and now on the medium-wave band by offering a compromise mode of AM IBOC that trades down digital bandwidth for acceptable analog audio quality. Among AM license holders, interest these days seems to have shifted from a digital solution to AM's woes to what's available in the next FM translator filing window. To be sure, AM IBOC still has a few champions, but looking at receivers, it's clear their passion isn't moving anyone at the retail level. Long wavelengths remain a huge handicap in an era of tiny, processor-driven devices.
The future for AM HD Radio doesn't feel nearly as secure. Ibiquity seems to have made a concession to the reality of staying alive here and now on the medium-wave band by offering a compromise mode of AM IBOC that trades down digital bandwidth for acceptable analog audio quality. Among AM license holders, interest these days seems to have shifted from a digital solution to AM's woes to what's available in the next FM translator filing window. To be sure, AM IBOC still has a few champions, but looking at receivers, it's clear their passion isn't moving anyone at the retail level. Long wavelengths remain a huge handicap in an era of tiny, processor-driven devices.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Oh Well, On With The Experiment
Oh Well, On With The Experiment
by Barry McLarnon
Radio World
April 21 2010
Page 5
"The saga continues... on the AM side, the saga seems pretty much concluded: the ship has sprung a leak and is badly listing. The number of AM IBOC stations plateaued several years ago and now seems to be slowly declining. The system was torpedoed by poor nighttime performance, interference problems, and the lack of any real selling point, like new audio services And now we have the specter of an FM IBOC power increase."
by Barry McLarnon
Radio World
April 21 2010
Page 5
"The saga continues... on the AM side, the saga seems pretty much concluded: the ship has sprung a leak and is badly listing. The number of AM IBOC stations plateaued several years ago and now seems to be slowly declining. The system was torpedoed by poor nighttime performance, interference problems, and the lack of any real selling point, like new audio services And now we have the specter of an FM IBOC power increase."
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