Insigna's New HD portable Walkman Reception Report Old Greenwich CT cool Results

[Jamie]

Field Test Insigna HD Portable Walkmen Old Greenwich CT  I am Shocked how good this little toy from Best Buy works

87.7  - Pulse 87 with sideband troubles…
88.1 Mix music WARY, WCWP, WMNR
88.3  mostly WBGO, WLIU (very weak one spot)
88.5 WEDW LOCAL
88.7 WRHU fighting to come in stereo!
88.9 WFRS (fighting  3 other religious station a bit)
89.1 WNYU (lightly fighting some Crossover higher band stations)
89.3 Hash Mix
89.5 WSOU VS WPKN equal strength wpkn usually wins
89.7 Hash MIX nothing nearby
89.9 WKCR (another station weakly to the north)
90.1 W211A1 (wshu) translator
90.3 MIX WFDH mainly, WWPT
90.5 Nothing Hash
90.7 WFUV HD1,2,3 EXCELLENT SIGNAL
90.9 WAMK very weakly  - Lots of noise otherwise
91.1 WSHU In HD1,2, Pirate a bit faintly to the south
91.3 Pirate, W217AF, WVKR
91.5 WNYE, , a little hash to the east including WRXP hash
91.7 WXCI the station I am on weak, ☺ got a cool Meteor/ airplane skip while I was checking
91.9 WSHR, WSLX Weak
92.1 HASH
92.3 WXRK, HD 1,2,3 ( cuts in and out with airplanes flying overhead!)
92.5 WWYZ weak
92.7 WQKQ
92.9 WBPM, WEHM several mix moving around, hash
93.1 WPAT
93.3 WBWZ weak, WWMR (usually during a DX)
93.5 WVIP
93.7 WZMX weak hash trying to mix a bit
93.9 WNYC Local HD 1,2,3
94.1 WYSP, WHJY Unsure usually WYSP during a DX
94.3 WMJC fighting WYBC a bit
94.5 WPST, a pirate fighting the signal
94.7 WFME, WMAS weakly to the north
94.9 HASH sounded like a pirate in the backround
95.1 WRKI trying to come in HD! WAYV will fight during a DX
95.3 WHMN (wbab relay)
95.5 WPLJ 1,2,3 HD
95.7 HASH wplj maybe WKSS very weakly
95.9 WFOX Hd1 (I would love to program an HD rock station for COX!) wrat during strong DX will fight
96.1 HASH WCTO very weak
96.3 WQXR no hd or RDS?
96.5 HASH
96.7 WCTZ HD1, I miss tony reno and the cool Gang! (again: I would love to program an HD rock station for COX!)
96.9 HASH no WCTZ noise surprisingly!
97.1 WQHT HD 1,2
97.3 Mix of hash and foreign language programming
97.5 WALK HD1,2
97.7 WSKQ noise
97.9  WSKQ No hd?
98.1 WCTK, WHWK country mixers
98.3 WKJY? Or WDAQ
98.5 WBON  ( I miss the Bone!)
98.7 WRKS HD1,2
98.9 WUSL or pirate pretty good signal
99.1 WPLR (strong), WAWZ tries to interfere
99.3 Hash
99.5 WBAI no hd?
99.7 Hash
99.9 WEZN
100.1 star hash
100.3 WHTZ HD1,2
100.5 WRCH pretty good signal!
100.7 WHUD
100.9 WCBS/hash
101.1 WCBS HD 1,2,3
101.3 WKCI
101.5 W268AN (WDRE)  WKXW
101.7 WBEA
101.9 WRXP HD 1,2
102.1 WIOQ faintly
102.3 WBAB, WSUS faintly
102.5 HASH
102.7 WWFS HD 1,2,3
102.9 WDRC weakly
103.1 WBZO (stronger), WGNY  (looks like W276AV & W276BV are off!)
103.3 WQQQ (weak)/HASH
103.5 WKTU HD 1,2
103.7 WEEI weakly, WNNJ stronger
103.9 WFAS HD
104.1 WMRQ stronger, WAEB weaker
104.3 WAXQ HD 1,2
104.5 W283BA (WLIX)  playing alternative
104.7 WSPK, WXLM (very weak to east)
104.9 HASH
105.1 WWPR HD 1,2
105.3 WDRE strong , weak mix: W287AZ (WGRS) , WYCR, WDAS
105.5 WDBY, WHDA (stronger)
105.7 Mix/hash
105.9 WCAA (no sign of WHCN since I am in line of sight of NYC skyline)
106.1 WBLI (HD -1weak)
106.3 WFAF ( I miss my WPDH realay!)
106.5 Noise WBBO/WBMW mix weakly moving around
106.7 WLTW HD 1,2
106.9 WKDN Strong (WCCC trying? I will try again multiple times to get it in different areas of Old Greenwich hills etc!)
107.1 WXPK
107.3 WRWD, (WPUR?)
107.5 WBLS
107.7 HASH
107.9 WEBE HD-1 (again: I would love to program an HD rock station on HD 2!)

[KML-224]

How much did this device cost you? Also, how are you getting this many stations?

[Jamie]

$53 (tax) if you are in CT... I found it in Portsmith NH in the only available store to have it in New England! its on a 2 week back order this thing is just unreal how strong and good it is..
http://hdradio.com/deals/
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9375071&type=product&id=1218094581941

[KML-224]

I wonder if Best Buy at Meriden's Westfield Shoppingtown would have it? Hmmm! Yes, I would pay the 6% sales tax in this case. I doubt the Walmart I work at will ever sell this. Let me ask you this, Jamie: Does it run on batteries only? Will it hook to an auxiliary jack with RCA jacks or a headphone jack? I'm so tempted to try this thing now! Lastly, how was the AM on this thing? 

[Ken]

Their is no AM on this radio only FM turner. Which isn't to bad as a lot of the big AMs are on HD 2 or HD 3 such as WCBS, WFAN, WINS, etc.

[KML-224]

Awwwww man! No AM? Bummer! At least I could hear the Rock Cats games on WTIC-FM HD2...except that many of them already air on WMRD-AM 1150 of Middletown. Thanks for the tip in all seriousness, though.

As for the Insignia brand, it's a Best Buy house brand that's made by Zenith. I've owned a digital converter box by Insignia for over a year and I'm quite happy with it. Very sensitive tuner that beats the digital tuner in my HDTV! Of course the picture here will only be 480p at the most, but I can deal with that, since my DVD recorder (with built in digital tuner) would see the incoming signal the same way anyways.

[Jamie]

the Insigna tuner is Usb self powered lasts about 10 hours. I never thought I could get Radio 104 in Greenwich so well. I can get 106.9 WCCC in spots too on a portable walkmen! I can't get CCC in my car or on my stationary radio Tuner this thing is just amazing.  there are a few small downsides like trying to keep locals in stereo bumping in and out of HD since HD is not reliable... k-rocks HD2 in "unlistanable because there are just too many airplanes going overhead cutting in and out or when I move it around. I hope for an HD increase but I fear the worst of loosing the Distant stations Like 104.1 or trying to get CCC.

[jlehmann]

As for the Insignia brand, it's a Best Buy house brand that's made by Zenith. I've owned a digital converter box by Insignia for over a year and I'm quite happy with it.

All of the Insignia branded items may not be made by Zenith, it may just be the DTV converter boxes. It's possible that some other company makes these HD portables.

[Scott Fybush]

As for the Insignia brand, it's a Best Buy house brand that's made by Zenith. I've owned a digital converter box by Insignia for over a year and I'm quite happy with it.

All of the Insignia branded items may not be made by Zenith, it may just be the DTV converter boxes. It's possible that some other company makes these HD portables.

Correct. And of course "Zenith" isn't even made by Zenith these days...it's just a nameplate owned by LG, which also made the Insignia converter boxes for Best Buy. Insignia's just the house brand for BB - no way to know who's actually making the stuff unless you open it up (or look at the FCC certifications.)

[Jamie]

I accidentally had the walkmen go through the washer... whoops! still works great! on a few notes: there is a one second delay with the audio processing. I found that out while I was on WXCI. I like to use my walkmens when I am on air instead of studio headphones. another is the audio always sounds more muddy except when the signal strength is strong or in HD then compared to normal analog walkmen.