Time to reconsider AM stereo?

[The Dude]

AM STEREO is much better than this digital garbage infecting the airwaves!! (Analogue sounds MUCH BETTER)

[KB1OKL]

AM STEREO is much better than this digital garbage infecting the airwaves!! (Analogue sounds MUCH BETTER)

Yes it does, unfortunately many younger people have no idea how really good analog AM can sound.

[XavierRenegade]

There doesn't seem point to have AM HD stations. There is no additional content just a digital broadcast of the regular AM station. I can listen to 93.1 Jack FM HD-2 and listen to KFWB News 980. On 94.7 the wave FM HD-2 I can listen to KNX 1070 News Radio. I don't need to be able to listen to KNX or KFWB in HD on the AM dial. It seems pointless. Having HD on FM gives me a chance to listen additional HD stations including  some news and even sports.

There is already some talk on FM but I could care less about talk radio. There are some markets that do offer Sports Radio stations on the FM dial but its places like Washington DC, Baltimore, New York and Detroit. In Los Angeles or San Diego they don't have any sports radio stations on FM just AM radio.

[Play Freebird]

I wonder if the stations that have been using translators under STA's will be required to adhere to the coverage/distance rules?

The STA's shouldn't have been granted unless an exhibit was submitted showing that those requirements were met.   

We acquired three translators for our daytimer last year and they are doing a fine job; we can now serve our market on a fulltime basis and begin the morning show at 6 AM year-round.  Previously, in four months out of the year, it wasn't possible to sign on until after 7 AM , even taking advantage of pre-sunrise authority.     

I've also worked on similar translator projects for a few of my small-market AM clients and they are all very pleased with the results.    The question is:  Why did the NAB fight this proposal for so long?   AM translators have been legal in Alaska for many years and had been proposed for the remaining states, but NAB's firm opposition kept the FCC from opening this opportunity until recently. 

[w9wi]

The FCC Order authorizing AM use of FM translators is very restrictive. The 60 dbu contour of the translator can't extend beyond 25 miles from the transmitter site or beyond the AM's 2 mV contour, whichever is less.  Plus, only presently licensed translators are eligible.  Assuming you can find an existing translator, that's a tough standard to meet.  Especially for stations with a directional signal.

It's not uncommon for an AM station to have a deep null over an unpopulated area in order to maximize signal over the population; however, that null comes into play when determining whether you can use a translator since it sucks in the 2mV contour.  Also, many AM's are located outside of the population center for real estate reasons, and that brings the 25 mile rule into play.

It should be noted the 60dBu must be within the 2mV daytime contour of the AM station.  It may well exceed the 2mV nighttime contour.

AM stations with directional daytime signals are certainly not rare, but they're a lot less common than stations that are only directional at night.   (or are directional at all times but have a night pattern that's MUCH tighter than the day pattern)  The latter stations, as well as the Class D stations (usually non-directional but with little or no night power) and Class C stations (usually same facilities day and night but with severe nighttime interference problems) will benefit from translators.

[Play Freebird]

Note also that the final rule does not specify whether the location of the daytime 2 mV/m contour is to be based on M3 conductivities or measured data (which implies that you can choose the method which works in your favor)  In most cases, use of M3 will show a greater distance to the contour.  That's what I've usually submitted in the past and the FCC has never raised any questions. 

[JohnnyElectron]

Yes, iBquity should bite the bullet and reprogram their HD generators to broadcast in "C-QuamII" aka AMHiFi or AMAX.  It would be compatible with all the Ford, Delco and Chrysler CQuam receivers out there, but on the HD tuners, it not only would decode the CQuam stereo audio, but also add the data with station ID.
I'm game, and the time is now.

[SUPERCASTER]

Yes, iBquity should bite the bullet and reprogram their HD generators to broadcast in "C-QuamII" aka AMHiFi or AMAX.  It would be compatible with all the Ford, Delco and Chrysler CQuam receivers out there, but on the HD tuners, it not only would decode the CQuam stereo audio, but also add the data with station ID.
I'm game, and the time is now.

What?
Continue to pay iBiquity's royalties?

Why not just buy a new C-Quam generator?
Link:
http://www.deltaelectronics.com/amprod.htm

[Bill]

As in my earlier post, AM Stereo works.  I invite anyone who has not heard it to come visit with us at WNMB in North Myrtle Beach, or get in touch with Matt Smith at WZKY in Albemarle, N. C.  Should you not be able to visit and would like to hear it, I will be happy to send you an aircheck recorded from a Sony SRF-A100 receiver. You can e-mail us at wnmb@sc.rr.com

[audioguy]

Thanks to everyone for the interesting and informative responses to my post. I would love to see AM stereo make a comeback! It would be a vast improvement over IBOC. "What's old is new again"!

Is stereo important for AM radio? Well, perhaps not, if your station is talk only. But it must be recognized that stereo transmission is the de facto standard for all audio channels. Radio tried and abandoned quad and other multi-channel formats, but stereo has survived. Not only on radio, but also on television, home audio systems, portable music players, and the Internet. Most AM stations have at least some musical content that would benefit from stereo transmission, even if it's only during commercials or sounders.

Is AM radio itself still relevant? Well perhaps at some future date it will indeed go away, but there are thousands of licensed facilities on the air, with millions of listeners. Owners have made (and continue to make) significant investments to maintain and upgrade these facilities. I don't think that most of them are going away anytime soon. There is currently no alternative use for the AM radio band, and there are millions and millions of AM radios in circulation.

AM stereo could benefit from the use of digital signal processing technology in receivers. A few years ago Motorola announced a new line of integrated circuits for receivers called the "Symphony" series, that could have greatly improved reception. Probably they would not re-introduce this line, but there is always the possibility that new ones could take its place.

If one or two of the major networks would switch off their IBOC jammers and put AM stereo back on the air and promote it, that would be a major step toward revitalizing the AM band.