AM All Digital Test Results

I referred to this at the end of a prior thread, but thought it would be best to post a summary of the full-AM digital tests that were conduction over the past year:

http://www.radioworld.com/article/nab-tests-address-digital-am-concerns/278896

It seems to me that if I owned a group of stations which included an under-performing AM in a major market, I'd totally consider volunteering to go all digital with even potentially a (gasp!) unique music format with minimal spots, like FM started with back in the 70's.

Do current HD-AM/IBOC receivers decode the digital-only signal? If a new radio is required, fuggedaboudit.

As it mentions in the story I linked to, yes they do. Any HD radio tuner will receive hybrid or digital only.

MarioMania said:

Digital only works good on FM

Don't keep pushing all-digital AM, I will not work

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I suggest actually reading the article from the link I posted. That way in the future you can avoid the embarrassment of making incorrect statements like that.

OK, pardon my ignorance as a newbie to the HD-radio thing, but would all-digital still be audible on regular analog radios? I'd be for it if it got rid of the electrical noise typical of AM nowadays, but I wonder how it would fare with nighttime skywave reception?

And again we wind up with the problem of getting a nation that has largely stopped buying radios unless they're built into their cars to buy radios again.

I think the FCC will continue to object to all-digital AM. Their main interest is for OTA radio to be receivable in an emergency. All-digital can't promise that.

I happened to catch an all digital test of KRKO Everett Washington, which is about 30 miles north of Seattle. It was coming in just fine in Portland Oregon and had no trouble locking into the digital signal. By contrast, I used to sort of hear it about 40 years ago but nothing anymore. Also, someone asked about receiving it on an analog radio. No, you can't. That's whey they had a hybrid version in the first place, same with FM.

CTListener said:

And again we wind up with the problem of getting a nation that has largely stopped buying radios unless they're built into their cars to buy radios again.

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If the statistics sited are correct, that 30% of all cars on the road today have digital reception capability, then the number of radios that can receive HD are already pretty high. As with any form of media, content is King. If a station group with a Class A AM station in a market had the wherewithal to take the chance on operating full-digital with compelling content, you have to admit, it would be an interesting experiment that could go either way.

TheBigA said:

I think the FCC will continue to object to all-digital AM. Their main interest is for OTA radio to be receivable in an emergency. All-digital can't promise that.

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I believe a compelling case could be made to allow for some AM stations to operate all-digital in an already saturated radio market. Using Seattle as an example, there are a couple N/T stations, one of them is already EAS LP-1 status, and one of the designated go-to emergency stations. Take one of the CBS (as an example) 50kW also-ran stations, and allow them a one year STA for all digital testing.

Among a few other things, the unknown is whether a manufacturer would be game to build an updated version of the AM digital exciter and exporter that doesn't use hard drives.

That makes no sense. The majority of terrestrial radio listening is already on FM, whereas AM is gradually aging-out due to several factors, a big one being poor audio quality.

Kelly A said:

I believe a compelling case could be made to allow for some AM stations to operate all-digital in an already saturated radio market.

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Which stations are going to choose to go all digital knowing that only a fraction of the population owns digital radios? I doubt any radio station will want to be a pioneer, unless there's some form of mandate that goes along with it.