Airwaves: October 30, 2009
HD Power Increase on Horizon?
One of the major problems with HD Radio, the trademark for the digital “in
band” broadcasting system authorized in the United States, is reception.
For some people in some areas, it is just hard to receive. Even in strong signal
areas, it can be trouble, requiring longer antennas and more “fiddling” ...
very much like the early days of color television broadcasts.
And portable HD radios? Forget it.
This is because HD’s power is limited to one percent of a station’s
analog signal. A five thousand watt analog powerhouse becomes a 50 watt light
bulb. It is a testament to the system that it works as well as it does, given
the power limitations.
There has been some research, much of it from National Public Radio, looking
into the effects of increasing digital power on stations using the HD system.
And there has been a proposal to increase power tenfold, so that a station’s
digital signal is as much as ten percent of its analog signal. According to
research and tests, this would do much to solve the reception problems and
even allow portable radios to reliably receive HD signals.
At what cost? Good question. The increase in digital power causes an increase
in interference. It’s obvious in the AM band -- which to my knowledge
is not part of the suggested power increase -- with a white noise sound that
drowns out adjacent stations if they are there. Old time computer users will
recognize the sound as the same sound a modem makes when connected to a telephone
line.
On FM up to now, the HD hash has not been a huge issue because the interference
to analog reception is far less noticeable on FM than AM. Some radios may be
fooled into thinking a station is no longer there, but that is rare. It appears
that an increase in power, however, will cause some problems for analog listeners,
especially those traveling in cars ... the majority of radio listening in many
cities.
NPR wants to see what would happen if a station increased HD power to something
less than ten percent, as an interim move to the full ten percent. Along the
way, they want to see what can be mitigated. A proposal to do just that is
being floated by NPR, and the FCC is investigating the idea as well.
My opinion? While HD detractors will claim I am a shill for HD Radio’s
creator Ibiquity Corporation, I believe it is worth a try. We won’t really
know the effects of a wholesale power increase until it is tried. The doomsdayers
were wrong before when they said HD would destroy radio, and I would like to
see for myself.
Complaint
Saul Levine, owner of KKGO (105.1 FM) and KGIL (1260 AM)
has filed a complaint with the FCC regarding CBS Radio’s simulcasting
of the Inland Empire’s KFRG (95.1 FM) signal on KTWV’s digital
signal (94.7 FM HD-3).
Levine’s contention? That CBS is using an HD signal to illegally extend
K-FROG outside of its primary coverage area.
Levine has a valid point here. It will be interesting to see what the FCC thinks
as the complaint makes its way through the system.
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Copyright © 2009 Richard Wagoner and Los Angeles Newspaper Group.
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