If I lived in the Boston area, my receiver would be on 89.7.2.
Last edited:
-
Get involved.
We want your input!
Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.
After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.
After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/
Thanks in advance and have fun!
RadioDiscussions Administrators
New Car Purchase with Upgraded HD Radio
- Thread starter stewie
- Start date
As the OP, the HD Radio was an upgrade option on the car (not standard).
R
rbrucecarter5
Guest
To me - an upgrade would be two 5/8 wavelength FM whip antennas and diversity reception. That would probably bring in HD reliably. I doubt it would help the local oscillator jamming problem, though. I still fight that every day as little as 20 miles from full class C stations over flat terrain, where I can see the 2000 foot towers. A car next to me tuned 10.4 or 11.0 MHz below, and HD is TOAST. Darn that format change on 93.7!!!! Our local 104.1 pretty much gave up on HD-2 after that. Jammed. I get a double potential jam on 107.5, from people listening to country legends on 97.1, or that mixture on 96.5. MY HD drops - I get silence, occasionally can hear what they have on - I tune over to 96.5 or 97.1 - sure enough - the song the car next to me is playing. BADLY designed HD system!!!!!!! Idiots. They should have anticipated that problem, or found it in testing.
Nothing stopping you from putting two 6.044 antennas on your car Bruce (5/8 wave at 100Mhz), but do you actually expect auto manufacturers to do that? What are you smoking?
R
rbrucecarter5
Guest
I was being sarcastic. HD works marginally under ideal conditions here in Houston - full class C 100kW on 2000 foot towers and flat terrain. It does nothing to stop local oscillator jamming, all the antennas in the world won't help that. Away from cars that are tuned to potentially jamming frequencies, I get about 70 mile HD reception. But my heart goes out to people in places with hilly or mountainous terrain like Boston - the stations are not full class C to begin with, and HD reception for those folks must be horrendous as they go over horizons and in reception shadows.
On the flip side, I get HD reception maybe 50% of the time on a Dallas station from my West Houston location. It takes a 10 element yagi mounted outdoors, though. Not something most HOA's allow. I still need the yagi for HD on less than ideal rim shots 50 miles away, stations that otherwise punch right through in analog - even on cheap radios.
Maybe what you really need to get these elusive HD sub-stations is to install The Llamas Ass on your PC or Mac. It will handle just about anything and everything.
Last edited:
R
rbrucecarter5
Guest
I am NOT interested in streaming. It is a technology that isn't ready for prime time in the car. I pass from one cell tower to another, the stream may drop. I have to stop somewhere and re-establish. I get a call, the stream drops. I have to stop somewhere and mess with it. VERY annoying. Much less reliable than HD.
Hold on.. first KB101, or whatever his handle is, admits to listening to HD and now Bruce admits he prefers listening to HD over Internet streaming?
I'd better check The Weather Channel website to see if they can confirm there is indeed a snowstorm currently underway in Hell.
I haven't tried streaming in my car because I am totally satisfied with my HD options so far. It's the new FM.
R
rbrucecarter5
Guest
That snowstorm in hell is delayed until Houston has an oldies station again.
With me - it is about the music. If HD has the music, I will listen to HD. Since it is probably dying a slow death similar to what happened to C-Quam, I will eventually lose the HD-2's I am interested in. One has been off the air for two months, I doubt it is coming back. If HD ever does succeed with consumers, I will lose the formats I like to more of the same garbage on analog. I will tune out as pigs fly overhead if HD is a commercial success. If streaming is the only place to get the music I like, I will stream. I like having those, and satellite, as options. Back in the day - DX was it, and to get the music I wanted, I performed spectacular feats of DX. There is not a single QSL in my house, though. It was always about the music - having the choice to hear what I want. The most extreme thing I have done for the music is to put it on the air myself - I did 7 years on the air programming Christian rock in Daytona Beach.
Actually I haven't had my HD radio on in at least 3-4 years, probably longer. I do check out technologies before I criticize them. Anyway, why would I want HD radio in my car when I have Satellite radio which works very well?
I have both but HD is all I listen to unless I am out of range (which only happens if I get 80+ miles away from my home).
And with little exception, HD sounds a heck of a lot better than satellite.
...and it's free!
R
rbrucecarter5
Guest
Too bad HD isn't reliable, and stations don't care about their HD-2's. Satellite wins even though it sounds awful compared to HD. Free is no good if its not reliable or the stations don't bother to keep it on the air.
So does analog FM but as with HD the choices just aren't there and I don't think the difference in sound is that noticeable while you're driving. Some channels sound better than others also.
Well as the saying goes you get what you pay for. With free you get limited range, drop outs galore and very limited programming. Pay a measly 12.95 a month (or whatever it costs I have a lifetime subscription) you get choice and very few dropouts and the ability to drive across the country and listen to the same channel if you want to.
I'm not the world's expert on HD but as I have stated several times before HD is reliable in my market (Phoenix). Probably depends upon your topography and quality of your receiver.
R
rbrucecarter5
Guest
Sounds like you are getting about the same range in Phoenix I do in Houston, full class C 100kW stations on 2000 foot sticks no doubt. But you don't seem to be experiencing the LO jamming problem I am. Darn that Ford Explorer that leaves at the same time I do each morning!!!! He is tuned to KHMX 96.5 and jams TWO HD-2's I like, one on 106.9 and one on 107.5! And he and I both drive the speed limit - jams me over and over again as I catch up or he catches up. About one morning out of three, my HD radio experience is MISERABLE in the morning. So I tune to satellite. Nothing wrong with my radio - any radio that gets weak rim shots and stations 100 miles away without problems is working properly and aligned. I've got a 31 inch whip antenna, too.
My reception is completely reliable too but you have to remember that the system was set up to receive only within the protected contour and not get all bent out of shape because bonus coverage isn't what you might expect. It doesn't belong there anyway, even in analog.
- Status