Digital radio-how is it going to affect us?

gearhead

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
I could use some knowledge in this area.
Is digital radio going to screw up vintage style AM/FM for us?
I know the biggies like Clearchannel are telling us to write our representatives and tell them how wonderful it is, but I know they've got ulterior motives.
I know some of this has to be political by nature, but let's keep it civil.
Here's an analogy as to how it seems to me-the Clearchannel stations are like Wal Mart, who will drive the smaller stations away by unfair, but legal, methods.
Am I right in thinking this way?
 
About ClearChannel? Or about digital radio? In either event, the move by commercial broadcasters to digital will affect anyone who uses a tuner to listen to their dreck. If, OTOH, you use a tuner to listen to your own low power radio transmitter, then the commercial move to digital is a non-issue.

The biggest impact will probably be to drive the price of analog tuners down since the masses (sheep) will do whatever the FCC/ClearChannel (shepard) tells them to do. Once the masses are convinced that analog tuners are worthless, I'm looking to pickup some nice units very cheaply.

Now if we could only get the buzz started that big, old receivers are bad for you. Then I could get the G-9000 I've always wanted.
 
The current system of digital radio (HD radio) puts the digital signal in the sidebands. It is called IBOC (in band, on channel).The original analog signal is still there concurrently. I have not heard about any plans to do away with the analog radio signal (digital TV however does not have this compatibility).

I really only see two potential problems with digital radio:

1. The digital signal in the sidebands creates more interference to weaker signals in the vicinity of a strong digital signal or can cause more intereference to listening to weak AM signals at night

2. On an AM station that is running digital the analog signal bandwidth is limited to 5 khz mono whereas a purely analog AM station can run up to 10 khz audio and stereo.
 
Back
Top Bottom