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The FCC Will Vote This Month on All-Digital AM

The technical side of broadcasting. Think IBOC is a sham? Talk about it here! How about HDTV? Post DX reports here as well.
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WOHO
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Location: 2965 Pickle Rd.

Re: The FCC Will Vote This Month on All-Digital AM

Post by WOHO » Sat Oct 17, 2020 3:29 pm

Locally WION and CFCO have some really nice sounding AM stereo. I have a recording of WJR in AM Stereo, and it will blow you away- WJR's 2001 recording sounds better than most FM's do today! Seriously good audio from WJR in the 80's and 90's and early millennia until they put the Harris HD junk in and brickwalled the analog audio. Just 50 miles away from their tower it would fade in and out from analog to HD and from HD mono to stereo and drop to analog on every thunderstorm static crash. I say give the clear's 500KW and 15KHz audio response and keep it analog as part of our EAS, if for no other reason. A portable AM radio will run for a long time on batteries when you have no AC mains and celltowers are wiped out. AM (and the ham radio operators) will be the last thing on the RF airwaves when all hell breaks loose (like a solar flare "Carrington event" that would destroy most satellites, GPS, cell network, car touchscreens and the national power grid).



SolidGoldDancers
Posts: 187
Joined: Mon Dec 26, 2005 9:03 pm

Re: The FCC Will Vote This Month on All-Digital AM

Post by SolidGoldDancers » Wed Oct 28, 2020 1:11 pm

Why don't they adopt the European DAB standard and move all the AM stations there? I get that AM has some great nostalgia, and getting rid of it would render the few antique AM radios I keep as cultural oddities, but this plan is just silly.



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Turkeytop
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Re: The FCC Will Vote This Month on All-Digital AM

Post by Turkeytop » Wed Oct 28, 2020 4:47 pm

Turkeytop wrote:
Sat Oct 10, 2020 10:53 pm
Do they mean digital AM, or digital radio on the MW band?

Is that what they call IBOC? I thought that had been pretty much abandoned already.
I posted that question a while back. Can someone help me understand it?


I started out with nothing and I still have most of it.

n8fnr
Posts: 87
Joined: Sat Jan 26, 2019 11:38 am

Re: The FCC Will Vote This Month on All-Digital AM

Post by n8fnr » Thu Oct 29, 2020 12:10 am

Everyone here is a serious radio enthusiast. Now let me ask how many here will replace their car radio with a HD radio? I will not spend money on this for a vehicle. How many average listeners will replace their car or home radios? Most people who listen to AM do that in their cars during their drive time. If their favourite news station were to go all digital I bet that most would say the hell with that and just listen on their phones. It would be cheaper to stream rather than buy new radios.



Deleted User 14896

Re: The FCC Will Vote This Month on All-Digital AM

Post by Deleted User 14896 » Thu Oct 29, 2020 5:27 am

Looks like the FCC has voted to allow an AM station to broadcast digital if they choose to.

https://www.radioworld.com/tech-and-gea ... ion-for-am



k8jd
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Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 3:35 pm
Location: Commerce, MI

Re: The FCC Will Vote This Month on All-Digital AM

Post by k8jd » Thu Oct 29, 2020 1:29 pm

Since nearly all AM broadcasts are talk, news and sports the Stereo effect is Gremaine.
I heard HD AM and it does sound better on some stations, depends on the skill of engineering used.
I currently have a JVC stereo auto radio connected on the desk , right next to me , and sometimes sweep the AM band to see who is using HD. (not as many as before) and have HD radio in my P/U truck to listen to AM HD on the streets .



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RingtailedFox
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Location: Windsor, Ontario
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Re: The FCC Will Vote This Month on All-Digital AM

Post by RingtailedFox » Thu Oct 29, 2020 9:11 pm

SolidGoldDancers wrote:
Wed Oct 28, 2020 1:11 pm
Why don't they adopt the European DAB standard and move all the AM stations there? I get that AM has some great nostalgia, and getting rid of it would render the few antique AM radios I keep as cultural oddities, but this plan is just silly.
The European model of DAB/DAB+ is a non-starter because their Digital Audio Broadcasting Band is where our TV channels 7-13 are (they long ago abandoned the VHF band for television, opting to be exclusively UHF)... DAB and DAB+ are able to be used on the FM band though...

DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale) was designed for shortwave and AM use, but could theoretically also be used on the FM band as well... that might be a better fit anyway.


~ The Legendary Raccoon-Fox has spoken!

n8fnr
Posts: 87
Joined: Sat Jan 26, 2019 11:38 am

Re: The FCC Will Vote This Month on All-Digital AM

Post by n8fnr » Fri Oct 30, 2020 11:32 am

Even though DRM would likely be superior it does make sense for the FCC to pick HD Radio as apparently half of all cars now sold in the US are equipped with HD Radio receivers.
http://www.insideradio.com/more-than-ha ... 6f701.html

Here are the brands; https://hdradio.com/get-a-radio/new-cars/



SixPlusOne
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Joined: Fri Oct 08, 2010 10:03 am

Re: The FCC Will Vote This Month on All-Digital AM

Post by SixPlusOne » Tue Nov 03, 2020 12:56 pm

Courtesy: Comm. Law Blog

FCC Authorizes All-Digital AM Service

"The FCC repeatedly emphasized, however, that any decision to change to all-digital operation is entirely voluntary. The FCC expects that different AM stations will make different decisions, especially at first, based on the availability of digital receivers in a particular market, the make-up of a station’s audience, the format, and the investment required. Because the change to all-digital is voluntary, the FCC is not as worried about transition issues or potential loss of service to existing listeners. Likewise, the likely gradual change will make it easier for the FCC to respond to any interference issues that might unexpectedly surface."


https://www.commlawblog.com/2020/11/art ... m-service/



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