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WPR Pulls Plug on HD Radio

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WPR Pulls Plug on HD Radio

Post by audiophile » Wed Oct 21, 2020 11:00 am

https://www.wpr.org/wpr-announces-hd-radio-reduction

This usually increase transmitter efficiency from 50% to 78%, plus less A/C load.


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Re: WPR Pulls Plug on HD Radio

Post by MWmetalhead » Wed Oct 21, 2020 6:59 pm

Smart move!



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Re: WPR Pulls Plug on HD Radio

Post by bmw » Wed Oct 21, 2020 10:36 pm

HD Radio has been around now for 18 years. What percentage of cumulative OTA listening time of every single person who listens to terrestrial radio is on digital? Is it even 5 percent? When is everybody else going to pull the plug? I can't believe this technology hasn't yet died a total death.



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Re: WPR Pulls Plug on HD Radio

Post by CK-722 » Thu Oct 22, 2020 2:18 am

AM Stereo and even FM SCA subchannels resulted in far less problems by comparison. AM Stereo sounded better, regardless of system.

I think the FCC has been bowing to executives and investors on this for way too long. Stockholders at GM, Chrysler, Kmart/Sears, JCPenney, etc. suffered much greater losses in much larger numbers.


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Re: WPR Pulls Plug on HD Radio

Post by ftballfan » Thu Oct 22, 2020 9:19 am

Most of the WPR stations that will retain HD Radio use HD subchannels to feed translators.

As long as they're making some changes, WPR should turn in the license to WLBL-FM, a share-time FM carrying the Ideas Network in Wausau (and allow its partner WXPW to go full-time). A couple of years ago, they added an Ideas Network translator in Wausau (which I think is fed by WHRM-HD3) that covers much more area than WLBL-FM.

WLBL-FM and WXPW are 54 watts with a HAAT of 255 meters.
W267BB (the aforementioned Ideas Network translator) is 250 watts with a HAAT of 322 meters at the same site as WLBL/WXPW. I've heard W267BB a few times in Manistee, and I would imagine W267BB gets out 40-50 miles on a good day due to the lack of 101.3s in Wisconsin



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Re: WPR Pulls Plug on HD Radio

Post by kager » Fri Oct 23, 2020 7:35 am

"This change will only affect listeners who are using an HD Radio to listen to our All Classical network on those stations.” According to Bechtol, the ECB estimates that fewer than 500 listeners will be affected."

Hardly a complete abandonment (as the subject line would suggest). Yet.

I have an HD receiver only in my Jeep, and I do enjoy the all-talk subchannel of CMU''s PR HD2 broadcast availed by it when I'm on the road.

Is it perfect?

No. Lots of buffering, and subsequent interruptions, because of it.

Would I be willing to pay extra to have it?

Probably not. It's a 'nice to have', but not a 'must have'. Yet, I'll continue to use it as long as it is offered.
AM Stereo sounded better, regardless of system.
Agreed.

I miss the days of that being an option...


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Re: WPR Pulls Plug on HD Radio

Post by cckadlec » Sat Oct 31, 2020 6:15 pm

ftballfan wrote:
Thu Oct 22, 2020 9:19 am
A couple of years ago, they added an Ideas Network translator in Wausau (which I think is fed by WHRM-HD3) that covers much more area than WLBL-FM.

WLBL-FM and WXPW are 54 watts with a HAAT of 255 meters.
W267BB (the aforementioned Ideas Network translator) is 250 watts with a HAAT of 322 meters at the same site as WLBL/WXPW. I've heard W267BB a few times in Manistee, and I would imagine W267BB gets out 40-50 miles on a good day due to the lack of 101.3s in Wisconsin
Indeed, 101.3 is 90.9's HD-3 and like you said, can be heard on the lakeshore here quite regularly, perhaps as regularly as West Bend. Grand Rapids, Lafayette, Wausau, West Bend, and Quad Cities is the norm from Ludington to the south and Grand Rapids, Wausau, and Minneapolis is the norm north of there. It's an easy catch at about 170-190 miles in many areas. That's obviously not too bad for a translator! I mean, short of that, it was always just a rather reliable KUUL in these parts, but these translators are muddying up the open frequency.

Here's what W267BB typically sounds like in the shoreline areas with its TOH ID recently.


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Re: WPR Pulls Plug on HD Radio

Post by n8fnr » Thu Mar 25, 2021 12:15 am

I have been listening to WWJ. WUOM and WKAR on HD Radio for several years. Love the HD Radio audio.



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