I don't mind responding to detractors. But I'll confine my remarks to the rational ones. Like Hippo.
My sentiments sure as hell don't lie with the Clear Channels and CBS/Infinitys of this world (despite the fact that my work runs on Clear Channel stations in Greensboro quite often).
Be dubious if you like, but my recordings of HD at my house are exactly as I represented them. It works that well WITH MY SETUP. And I'm in a pretty damn lousy FM environment. MOST HD stations are either mono, or severely blended in analog, until the HD kicks in. But it pisses me to no end that the stations providing this are largely (entirely in the commercial arena) Clear Channel and CBS/Infinity operations. YUCK! Imagine if someone you wanted to strangle the life out of gave you a check for ten grand, and the keys to a brand new car...no strings attached. That's HD in a nutshell to me.
By the way, the first hour I experimented with my Accurian, I thought "this thing really sucks. When I kind of get a signal, it goes back and forth from digital to analog, crap...I'm going to box this thing back up". Then I started experimenting with different antennas. Terk amplified antenna? NO WAY! It actually brought in nothing in HD until I turned the amplifier OFF! Rabbit ears suddenly brought in a half-dozen usable signals instead of one. Some of the weaker ones occasionally crapped out, so I tried an FM Reflect. It was an improvement, but was too "floppy" to stay in any position that yielded good results. Then came the Magnum Dynalab SR100. It looks like electrically it should present itself as a pair of rabbit ears, with the elements stacked (and connected on the ends). Except the elements aren't round...they're a flat metal ribbon...think the metal tape on a tape measure. Anyhow after connecting it, and experimenting with position (trying to find one that would bring in signals from the south toward Davidson and Charlotte, and the east toward Greensboro without repositioning the antenna, I found something that worked. MANY stations, solid as a rock...hour after hour, HD2 signals in tow.
That's why I keep posting the particular gear I used, and how it's set up. I know it's much easier to obtain lousy results. Manufacturers should be very specific about antenna requirements. Signal strength actually makes little difference. Amplifier noise (from an amplified antenna, or a separate amp or booster) seems to kill hd deader 'n Elvis!
Pick one HD station in your area with a particularly strong, noise free, non-blended analog stereo signal, and make your first HD 'stand' on that frequency. IT WILL LOCK ON! Expand out from there. Experiment with antenna location until you find a good compromise.
NO IT'S NOT THIS DIFFICULT IN URBAN AREAS! But "in the sticks" it sure is.
By the way, it isn't JUST the big commercial corporations pushing HD. Thank God for NPR, and public radio in general. Signals that truly do approach CD quality, and no agenda other than to provide better service. They ain't stockholders in Ibiquity. In fact HD has cost them plenty. Money they won't get back. They're willing to do it to serve us BETTER.
If I had a small market station, would I go HD now. Almost certainly not ESPECIALLY with an AM that was performing well. Too much expense, I don't want to owe my life to Ibiquity, and public awareness is almost zilch. But thankfully, unlike AM Stereo, we don't all need to "carry the water" this early in the game. The biggies are doing it for us. Down the road, we could actually benefit!
I can't argue with any of your negatives Hippo. But having experienced the positives, I'm kind of glad I don't have a "horse in this race'. 80 percent of my HD listening is to public stations like WDAV. Once in a while I'll go over to WTQR's HD2 stream, because I like country oldies...or Lite 102.9's HD2 stream, because I like oldies (I AM ONE! I played most of these songs on the radio when they were new) My radio listening is largely in bed at night...often while reading...through headphones, to block out my wife's X-Files and Simpsons viewing orgies! (No she doesn't have real orgies with Homer OR Mulder!)
If not for public radio, I wouldn't own an HD radio now, frankly, and would curse them as tools of Satan, Hippo. I admitted it. Ya' happy now?
