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HD Radio in northern Michigan
Re: HD Radio in northern Michigan
Do you believe Northern Michigan is finally ready for HDRadio?
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Re: HD Radio in northern Michigan
Wouldn't expect it. HD Radio is a twitching corpse and has been so for some time, with its primary purpose seeming to be to feed translators. See the thread in New Age Radio about GM pulling the plug on HD in its newest models due to chip shortage.
Although I did enjoy the smooth jazz on WLDR-HD2 while it existed...
Although I did enjoy the smooth jazz on WLDR-HD2 while it existed...
Re: HD Radio in northern Michigan
The northern MI broadcasters abhor the concept of HD radio, much in the same way they only grudgingly accepted RDS....and many still don't have that. You can't even talk to them about it.....they have all sorts of misconceptions about it.
That said, Ibiquity bobbled HD, and continues to do so. There is very little understanding on the part of the listening public about what it really is....if you ask Joe or Mary Sixpack, they will scratch their heads and think you are talking about XM. There was never good listener education, nor was there any get-it-only-on-HD programming that would have driven people to it.
Broadcasters have to deal with the licensing fees, and the simple fact that by providing an HD program stream, they are creating a competitor to their main channel.
Don't get me wrong....I scout around listen whenever I get to an area that has it, but it's presence is lackluster at best. If what someone here said about GM dumping it on car radios is really true, that will be the end of the ride for HD. It will end up on the same scrap heap as AM Stereo and FMX....interestingly enough both good ideas that screwed the pooch in the marketing/implementation stage.
That said, Ibiquity bobbled HD, and continues to do so. There is very little understanding on the part of the listening public about what it really is....if you ask Joe or Mary Sixpack, they will scratch their heads and think you are talking about XM. There was never good listener education, nor was there any get-it-only-on-HD programming that would have driven people to it.
Broadcasters have to deal with the licensing fees, and the simple fact that by providing an HD program stream, they are creating a competitor to their main channel.
Don't get me wrong....I scout around listen whenever I get to an area that has it, but it's presence is lackluster at best. If what someone here said about GM dumping it on car radios is really true, that will be the end of the ride for HD. It will end up on the same scrap heap as AM Stereo and FMX....interestingly enough both good ideas that screwed the pooch in the marketing/implementation stage.
The box that many broadcasters won’t look outside of was made in 1969 and hasn’t changed significantly since.
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Re: HD Radio in northern Michigan
About the only good purpose HD has on AM is the ID call letter feature.
Since they have mainly given up on good unique FM HD-2+ formats, with the possible exception of AM simulcasts in electrically noisy areas, and feeding translators, they might as well license translators as another class of station, and to use call letters also assigned to co-owned AM or FM stations, with the suffix -LT to lessen the call letter shortage. The translators would not count toward the current maximum monopoly restriction numbers, but would be distributed amongst owners in the market, no monopolies of low power translators allowed.
Since they have mainly given up on good unique FM HD-2+ formats, with the possible exception of AM simulcasts in electrically noisy areas, and feeding translators, they might as well license translators as another class of station, and to use call letters also assigned to co-owned AM or FM stations, with the suffix -LT to lessen the call letter shortage. The translators would not count toward the current maximum monopoly restriction numbers, but would be distributed amongst owners in the market, no monopolies of low power translators allowed.
Kennelly Heaviside. The best Technical Consultant no money can buy.
Re: HD Radio in northern Michigan
AM Stereo I enjoyed. I miss it.
I only have HD Radio in my Jeep, and have only experienced FM HD reception from CMU-operated PBS stations in the northern half of the lower peninsula.
That stated, although I have truly enjoyed the option of their all-news HD channel, HD just does not enjoy the stability of their primary signal, and many times will just drop out whilst buffering. Those drop-outs mean GAPS in the story I'm listening to... and I'm done with pulling over and stopping to make it work so I can at least feel like I've got completion on the time invested listening.
It ain't all 'marketing' - or lack thereof - that killed HD Radio. It has some technical deficiencies in a moving vehicle, and I don't care whose fault it is.
Sure, I'll still use it occasionally, but will certainly not make any purchase decisions of a vehicle based whether it's included or not.
I only have HD Radio in my Jeep, and have only experienced FM HD reception from CMU-operated PBS stations in the northern half of the lower peninsula.
That stated, although I have truly enjoyed the option of their all-news HD channel, HD just does not enjoy the stability of their primary signal, and many times will just drop out whilst buffering. Those drop-outs mean GAPS in the story I'm listening to... and I'm done with pulling over and stopping to make it work so I can at least feel like I've got completion on the time invested listening.
It ain't all 'marketing' - or lack thereof - that killed HD Radio. It has some technical deficiencies in a moving vehicle, and I don't care whose fault it is.
Sure, I'll still use it occasionally, but will certainly not make any purchase decisions of a vehicle based whether it's included or not.
"The problem with communication is the illusion that it has occurred."
Re: HD Radio in northern Michigan
My 2014 Sierra has HD radio and I’ve taken it to Detroit more than a couple of times. Yes there are a lot of HD signals down there but I’ve had the same issue there you have also - signal fade and drops. Not worth it. I can see why GM didn’t include it in my 2017 Impala Premier as it’s not worth itkager wrote: ↑Thu Sep 23, 2021 7:32 amAM Stereo I enjoyed. I miss it.
I only have HD Radio in my Jeep, and have only experienced FM HD reception from CMU-operated PBS stations in the northern half of the lower peninsula.
That stated, although I have truly enjoyed the option of their all-news HD channel, HD just does not enjoy the stability of their primary signal, and many times will just drop out whilst buffering. Those drop-outs mean GAPS in the story I'm listening to... and I'm done with pulling over and stopping to make it work so I can at least feel like I've got completion on the time invested listening.
It ain't all 'marketing' - or lack thereof - that killed HD Radio. It has some technical deficiencies in a moving vehicle, and I don't care whose fault it is.
Sure, I'll still use it occasionally, but will certainly not make any purchase decisions of a vehicle based whether it's included or not.
Re: HD Radio in northern Michigan
HD has it's technical coverage limitations, but at -14dBc or -10, the signal just was not designed to cover the 50 dBu area the analog main covers decently. It's not a DX sort of service.....it's rock solid in SE Michigan within 20 or 25 miles of most TX sites.
My experimentation with a 2019 Yukon with the crummy side window mounted FM antenna is that HD is listenable to about 70-75% of the coverage area of the main channel terrain notwithstanding before blending or noticeable whip flutter. That's pretty damn impressive for 2kw ERP.
My experimentation with a 2019 Yukon with the crummy side window mounted FM antenna is that HD is listenable to about 70-75% of the coverage area of the main channel terrain notwithstanding before blending or noticeable whip flutter. That's pretty damn impressive for 2kw ERP.
The box that many broadcasters won’t look outside of was made in 1969 and hasn’t changed significantly since.
Re: HD Radio in northern Michigan
From my experience, most of the Detroit area HD feeds are rock solid to around Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti, with the HD feeds occasionally reaching as far west as Chelsea.Plate Cap wrote: ↑Sat Sep 25, 2021 9:19 pmHD has it's technical coverage limitations, but at -14dBc or -10, the signal just was not designed to cover the 50 dBu area the analog main covers decently. It's not a DX sort of service.....it's rock solid in SE Michigan within 20 or 25 miles of most TX sites.
My experimentation with a 2019 Yukon with the crummy side window mounted FM antenna is that HD is listenable to about 70-75% of the coverage area of the main channel terrain notwithstanding before blending or noticeable whip flutter. That's pretty damn impressive for 2kw ERP.