Time to expand FM

[-TJ-]

Its time to move the AIR frequencies up to a higher band and expand FM!  How about a 120.1 FM on your car's dial?

This would open up so many new opportunities....... new stations, more variety of formats, new owners!  It can only help.  When you got three group owners in any market doing the same formats, they all can bleed while the new "117.3 FM" does something new !

[raccoonradio]

> Its time to move the AIR frequencies up to a higher band and
> expand FM!  How about a 120.1 FM on your car's dial?
>
> This would open up so many new opportunities....... new
> stations, more variety of formats, new owners!  It can only
> help.  When you got three group owners in any market doing
> the same formats, they all can bleed while the new "117.3
> FM" does something new !
>
I think there was a plan to launch stations on 108-110 but those
freqs were given to aircraft instead. IIRC, FM was originally something
like 49-76 MHz. And the AM dial used to end at 1500, then 1600,and now 1700.

[Rick B.]

> Its time to move the AIR frequencies up to a higher band and
> expand FM!  How about a 120.1 FM on your car's dial?

Probably would have been simpler to ditch TV channels 5 and 6 as part of the digital conversion and add 76-88 mHz to the FM band (already used for FM in Japan). If nothing else, some of the less desirable AM signals could have been moved over to lessen AM congestion and give them a fighting chance. Not gonna happen, though.

[Musicradio]

HD radio is coming...hang in there.

[gr8oldies]

It was probably the 80s when a proposal for "FM2" came along in the 220 mHz area..that would have eliminated the 220 mHz ham band. Nothing ever came of it.






> > Its time to move the AIR frequencies up to a higher band
> and
> > expand FM!  How about a 120.1 FM on your car's dial?
> >
> > This would open up so many new opportunities....... new
> > stations, more variety of formats, new owners!  It can
> only
> > help.  When you got three group owners in any market doing
>
> > the same formats, they all can bleed while the new "117.3
> > FM" does something new !
> >
> I think there was a plan to launch stations on 108-110 but
> those
> freqs were given to aircraft instead. IIRC, FM was
> originally something
> like 49-76 MHz. And the AM dial used to end at 1500, then
> 1600,and now 1700.
>

______________
"There ain't no reason to fight over a woman. There's two more down the street!".."Senisble Don", 700 WLW

[DJKraze]

> It was probably the 80s when a proposal for "FM2" came along
> in the 220 mHz area..that would have eliminated the 220 mHz
> ham band. Nothing ever came of it.
>
>

That's a good thing, I like the idea of pulling out of the lower VHF TV band and using it for FM.

Then again, just how many ships are still using the LW band these days with all the newer forms of communications? There quite a bit of spectrum below AM. Much of what's down there could be moved into some of the gaps above AM.

[KeithE]

> Its time to move the AIR frequencies up to a higher band and
> expand FM!  How about a 120.1 FM on your car's dial?
>
> This would open up so many new opportunities....... new
> stations, more variety of formats, new owners!  It can only
> help.  When you got three group owners in any market doing
> the same formats, they all can bleed while the new "117.3
> FM" does something new !

Who's gonna pay to retrofit every aircraft & control tower in the world with new radios.  Not gonna happen.  The 108-136 MHz aircraft band is about as sacred as any allocation gets.

If FM were to expand, it would be downward to 76 MHz (where the Japanese FM band starts), eliminating Channels 5 & 6.  

Deep down, I get the feeling that the FCC really wants to eliminate the lower VHF TV channels once NTSC TV goes away.

How about this for reallocating those channels:
Channel 2:  Amateur radio, expanding the 6-meter ham band to 50-60 MHz.
Channels 3 & 4:  Public safety, fixed/mobile.
Channels 5 & 6:  FM broadcasting, with LPFM at 76-82 MHz, non-commercial FM 82-90 MHz, and commercial FM at 90-108 MHz.

[MikeFromIndiana]

> > It was probably the 80s when a proposal for "FM2" came
> along
> > in the 220 mHz area..that would have eliminated the 220
> mHz
> > ham band. Nothing ever came of it.
> >
> >
>
> That's a good thing, I like the idea of pulling out of the
> lower VHF TV band and using it for FM.
>
> Then again, just how many ships are still using the LW band
> these days with all the newer forms of communications? There
> quite a bit of spectrum below AM. Much of what's down there
> could be moved into some of the gaps above AM.
>
How Bout LW and AM Merge thus having the 150-1700 Open for AM Broadcasting and FM on 76 to 120

[DJKraze]

> > > It was probably the 80s when a proposal for "FM2" came
> > along
> > > in the 220 mHz area..that would have eliminated the 220
> > mHz
> > > ham band. Nothing ever came of it.
> > >
> > >
> >
> > That's a good thing, I like the idea of pulling out of the
>
> > lower VHF TV band and using it for FM.
> >
> > Then again, just how many ships are still using the LW
> band
> > these days with all the newer forms of communications?
> There
> > quite a bit of spectrum below AM. Much of what's down
> there
> > could be moved into some of the gaps above AM.
> >
> How Bout LW and AM Merge thus having the 150-1700 Open for
> AM Broadcasting and FM on 76 to 120
>


Nice idea as far as LW & AM, but I do know there are other services between LW & AM using that spectrum, I'm just thinking that the LW spectrum is being used far less now than previously for navigation, and there are other means being used that are far more popular. I don't think above 108 will work though, there's no way they are going to force a move of the aircraft frequencies, plus those frequencies are in use globally. In the case of going below 88.1, I do think it could work, but the big problem would be to try to convince the TV industry that they need even less spectrum.

[Mark Wooldridge]

> Its time to move the AIR frequencies up to a higher band and
> expand FM!  How about a 120.1 FM on your car's dial?
>
> This would open up so many new opportunities....... new
> stations, more variety of formats, new owners!  It can only
> help.  When you got three group owners in any market doing
> the same formats, they all can bleed while the new "117.3
> FM" does something new !
>

With the transition to digital television, the FCC are missing an opportunity here.  The current analog channels 11-13 could be cleared for digital audio (maybe some of 10 also, shared with digital TV) and instead of getting rid of UHF channels 57-69 only get rid of channels 62-69 and sell those off for other communication needs.

Why Band III VHF?  Basically because the rest of the world are operating or are looking to operate DAB services in this band.  DAB equipment is cheap, readily available and is a proven working system.  Wal-Mart would easily be able to sell digital sets that are only $5-10 more than current analog radio sets.  

Also with DAB there won't be any specific "frequency" associated with the station.  Call signs become irrelevant.  A national radio network could be built.  Current broadcasters would change to become "content providers" as the transmitters would transmit multiple stations on one frequency and there would be fewer transmitters (with more services - 6+ stations per transmitter).  

This would prove the challenge to satellite radio, as consumers can pay a low fee for a new receiver and get extra channels in as good (if not better) quality as FM, and not have to pay a subscription.  The government would then at a later point get Band II VHF for its own use once everyone has gone to DAB.

Mark.