AMband.org

A recent article about the rollout of HD Radio in FMQB by Paul Marszalek points out some of the good things, and some big pitfalls that may be ahead for terrestrial radio in the USA.

Although IBOC radio was not the best choice for terrestrial broadcasters, with its exclusive focus on retaining the entitlement of incumbent broadcasters to the exclusion of all other considerations. Unfortunately, that choice required squeezing of ten pounds of s**It into a five pound bag.

We can look back as much as we want, but we are where we are. There was no concept of how streaming, podcasts, 802.11 radio and cellphone stations would dilute the terrestrial franchise at that time.

We need to understand that IBOC hybrid HD Radio is a TRANSITIONAL technology. In ten years, if we play our cards right, there will be no analog radio, and we can have THREE programs on an FM license and one CD quality stereo or one “FM quality” a number of voice quality programs on an AM license. All this can be achieved with NO adjacent channel interference. (more…)

Late at night, the voice of Sandy Beach at WKBW or Wolfman Jack at XERB would cover the country. You could listen for thousands of miles. It is harder now, but you can still hear radio from across the nation or across the ocean. It takes more skill now that the band is more crowded, but the National Radio Club is ready to help. Check them out!

There are many towers that are 200 ft tall or less that have lights. If your tower is less than 200 feet above ground, check the program on the FCC website called Towair to see if the tower requires notification to the FAA under today’s standards. If not, you can ask to delete the lighting and marking requirements (more…)

The National Association of Broadcasters proposed to the FCC that AM stations be permitted to operate FM translators within the AM 2.0 mV÷m daytime contour or 25 miles of the AM station’s transmitter site. The full text of the document is available here.

I just installed the brand new JVC KD-HDR1 car radio with HD Radio. This is by far the lowest cost HD radio on the market. ($279 after rebate from Crutchfield) It has a lot of features, including multichannel capability, and auxiliary inputs (with adapters) for CD changers, Ipods, XM and Delphi radio.
I give it a 7 out of 10, unfortunately it is the AM section that lowers the rating.

It has a builtin CD/CDR/MP3/WMA player with title text readout too. (more…)

A recent article from the

Detroit Free Press discusses the issues facing Radio Broadcasters from other media, and from the point of view of new opportunities.