Bay Area engineers off the record on HD Radio

An RBR-TVBR source has disclosed some rumors heard from some highly accredited/respected Bay Area engineers. We are checking with iBiquity Digital and CBS Radio as to the validity and will update this story with their responses.

The run-down:
•         AM HD works quite well, with negligible increases in bit-error rates, when analog sidebands are allowed to cap at 8,000 Hz, versus the 4,500 Hz limit that has been unilaterally imposed by Clear Channel, and became the defacto standard followed by others in the industry.  Why do they want to limit AM Analog frequency response? Just to limit HD interference? [This has been an issue for a while now with some engineers in the industry, but we did not hear that the 4,500 Hz cap caused increased bit-errors.]

•         iBiquity is not providing the promised updates to its software to repair the “bugs” that have developed in the AM codec.  The bugs require reboots of the HD encoders, sometimes daily. 

•         Citadel’s KGO-AM, a Bay Area institution, has quietly discontinued all HD-AM operations in the past few months.  That leaves almost no AM HD stations in what many consider the nation’s most robust AM market (combined 25% AM share). [ We know in the DC market all AM HDs are off the air, except for Radio One’s WOL-AM and WYCB-AM, but we cannot confirm these last two at this time].

•         CBS Radio has quietly told all of its Chief Engineers that CBS will NOT be proceeding with 6-dB power increases for any of its FM stations in any market, at least at this time. [However, CBS Radio SVP/Engineering Glynn Walden told RBR-TVBR over a month ago that a few have already been upped – like WJFK-FM DC – and others are likely increasing power in 2011 – so we are checking with him if there has been an update/slow-down on the power increase schedule.]

We are also asking iBiquity for some details: Of the licensed stations that may transmit AM & FM HD, how many are in fact broadcasting an HD signal today? Also, how many have discontinued HD? We think the FM numbers are better than the AMs, but would like a tally if possible.

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