AM DX IN TROUBLE -- FCC APPROVES NIGHTTIME HD/IBOC ON AM RADIO

[dx7]

The FCC today approved AM HD/DIGITAL/IBOC on the AM band for NIGHTTIME operations. It had been restricted to daytime only.

There is already so much interferring hissing noise on AM channels adjacent to AM IBOC stations during the day that I cant imagine all the noise that'll bounce around the country at night.

[Josh C.]

 Hypothetical (even if highly unlikely) situation:
- A major disaster occurs (natural or attack) overnight.
- All the FM's are VT'd overnight (that's not that far a stretch of the imagination, is it?).
- The Internet is completely congested due to everyone trying to find out what's going on (remember that happening on 9/11? It did.).
- Cable TV gets knocked out and most people don't have an antenna capable of picking up a digital signal.
- The only other source of information, AM radio, has been destroyed by our own government (in all their wisdom) with digital hash.

We're SOL.

[The Dude]

[BRNout]

This is absurd!  A technology that serves no one will destroy one that serves millions.  Instead of driving listeners to buy HD radios, all this will do is drive them away from AM.  Owners of AM stations that support this are signing their own death warrants. 

Even the 100 people in the US with HD radios, probably 5 of whom may listen to AM, will not be able to hold the HD signal at night for more than a short time thanks to interference - except for those located right near the tx towers.  For the other 99.9999% of us, the dial will sound like crap and even fewer people will tune to AM. 

Not to mention that the AM HD "technology" makes the broadcast sound flat and tinny on an analog radio (which is what most of us have - and will have -  for a long time).  For a great example of this, if in Boston, tune to blowtorch WBZ (1030) during the day - then switch to WRKO (680) - then back again.  You'll note that WRKO sounds as if it's FM stereo when compared with WBZ, thanks to the hashmaker's effects on the analog output of WBZ (which transmits in HD).  I'm sure that this scenario can be repeated in any other market where you can compare AM stations that broadcast in HD versus those who don't. 

Too bad our government's policies are dictated by the whims of corporate greed rather than by the will of the people (or, by common sense).  This is yet another example of this foolishness. 

What a disaster this will be; a dial filled with static from a thousand hash-makers.   

[Douglas B.]

It's over. Time to toss the Hammarlund HQ180A, the Collins R-390 and even the Sony in the dumpster. Looks like I'll be in the market for a good table saw, top chop, drill press and some hand tools. At least with woodworking, some empty suits aren't going to destroy my hobby, or day job...
Hey, it was fun while it lasted.....

Best to all..........

[vchimpanzee]

I have got to start listening to AM at night again while I still can. I just don't have the time or a good enough radio. And for now, I've got to keep my radio for AM at night set on 1280 until the good signal comes back in the morning.

[Matt Smith]

I think that real AM DX'ers will take this change in stride.  After all, who else will tolerate extreme amounts of interference, static and fading just to hear a station they've never "caught" before.

They will probably just note that "...station WXXX was received pre-2007..." or "...station KZZZ was received post-2007..." and keep on straining to catch the farthest station that they possibly can.

Even more, eventually many will begin DX'ing with HD receivers, which will open up another avenue of long-distance catches.

BTW...DX'ing was how I was first interested in radio.  I remember those first catches back in the 60...WHO-Desmoines, KYW-Philadelphia, WGY-Schenectady, and the like.  And they're all still there after all these years.

Later....
Matt Smith, Station Manager
WGSR-TV, Reidsville, NC

[BobOnTheJob]

I live about 80 miles north of WHAS 840 and something on 850 is spraying IBOC hiss on them well before sunrise every morning. Makes a super strong station sound weak & fuzzy...yeah...that'll impress the audience. Especially when the whole night time dial gets clogged with this trash. Whoever developed this bill of goods should be banned from broadcasting.

[w9wi]

I think that real AM DX'ers will take this change in stride.  After all, who else will tolerate extreme amounts of interference, static and fading just to hear a station they've never "caught" before.

They will probably just note that "...station WXXX was received pre-2007..." or "...station KZZZ was received post-2007..." and keep on straining to catch the farthest station that they possibly can.

Even more, eventually many will begin DX'ing with HD receivers, which will open up another avenue of long-distance catches.
...

I certainly think so.  We've tolerated a lot of things that our forefathers said would kill the hobby. 

I think the other big question is, just how far will HD spread on AM?  I don't think last week's FCC action is going to spur much additional adoption of HD - most of the stations that were going to go HD would have done so anyway.  HD is still relatively rare on regional and local channels.  If adoption doesn't go much beyond the big Class A clear-channel stations, then DXing on the regionals won't be much affected. 

I have now heard that some engineers feel the widespread adoption of HD could kill not the DX hobby, but AM radio itself.  Ironically, such a development would probably *improve* DXing (provided DXers were patient enough to wait it out) of the remaining stations outside the US.  Personally, I think that's rather unlikely to happen.

I've done a *bit* of HD DXing.  So far, only one catch: WHO Des Moines.  (I'm near Nashville)  I do think there will be a lot more DX logged once the new rules kick in and all-night operation is allowed.

[FreddyE1977]

If nighttime IBOC AM DX reception is anything like reception on my Digital TV whenever the rabbit ears are a hair off alignment with the tower, it is virtually
useless.