Great Tuners but Lousy Radio Stations !

Tucson used to have pretty good radio. The public radio stations have taken to mostly having talk during the day and then when they should be playing Jazz or Classical at night they have those shows where they talk about the music and don't really play much.

The community radio station is still pretty good but since art funding is abysmal they have to talk more and more about the sponsors. Night time is a bit better but still a lot more talking then there used to be.

I've taken to plugging my iPod into the receiver when I want some variety.

Chad
 
I see that I am not alone in the fact that my tuner rarely goes above 92.5. I do however make an exception for Steelers and Penguins games.
Someone commented on the fate of FM and I have been wondering about that myself. With the popularity of satalite radio, how long can we expect AM/FM to be around? What will happen to our tuners when that happens?
 
I just wonder if all you people that say that you have no decent radio stations, what kind of antenna you are running? I'll admit that I listen to mostly NPR and have for over 20 years. So any recent changes to commercial radio hasn't affected my listening habits all that much. I will agree that most sound like crap.

I guess I'm blessed. I get NPR stations from the following schools.

Delta College
University of Michigan
University of Michigan Flint
Michigan State
Central Michigan
Eastern Michigan
Wayne State.
Might be a few more, but would be considered fringe reception.

Then there's the Canadian stations.

CBC II which is outstanding and an adult modern that's not too compress and sounds pretty decent.

Kettering University has a local LPFM station that has some funky, but pretty cool programing.

There a small classic rock station out of Lapeer Michigan, that must still be using old time equipment, because they sound pretty damn good and the DJ's drag in their own vinyl from time to time.

I feel for those that truly have no decent stations. The last couple road trips I resorted to an Ipod because there was just too much waste land out there. Unless you are lucky enough to live in an area with some decent stations, the days of just hooking up a T antenna and getting good radio is over. It takes some effort these days, you have to invest in a decent antenna and take the time to search out the remaining decent stations out there.

I can tell by the listing of stations that you live pretty close to me! Overall, the audio quality and programming of the FM stations in the Detroit area range from OK to atrocious, matching the rest of the country. Programming has become less and less compelling. I noticed a definite downturn in audio qualiry when the stations started to play their material from compressed files via computer about the time they launched their IBOC broadcasts. I still remember back in the day in the 60's and 70's when people would play 'Beautiful 102, WGER' from Bay City, MI to demonstrate how good their systems sounded. The music wasn't my cup of tea, but it really sounded good! Plus the 'big city' stations in Detroit sounded even better. Now, good programming and audio quality is pretty much limited to public radio. A good example is WKAR, public radio from Michigan State Univ in East Lansing, MI. They sound good sonically, and have compelling programming around the clock. Of the commercial stations around here, the only one I listen to regularly on FM is CIDR from Windsor Ontario which plays an adult alternative format. However, their audio is squashed pretty intensely. Having a good tuner, (like my Sanyo Plus T55) and a good outdoor antenna will expand your listening horizons, and give a boost in audio quality. That station from Lapeer, he mentions (WQUS, 103.1) is a nice little surprise. I can tell their source material is CDs and LPs (no 'swirly' cymbals or tin can vocals via overly compressed MP3s) and you have to turn the volume up a little bit to hear them, as the compression/limiting isn't as strong. However, they sound really good!
 
I have a great FM Station near me that plays a lot of Jazz (KPLU out of Seattle) but I was concerned that they too may go by the wayside in the future, so I bought some insurance. I have an Alesis Masterlink that I record programs on and turn them into cd's. This allows me to edit out the songs (and talk) I don't care for. I have a pretty good collection to date and also have put many discs on a thumb drive for use in the car, although they are MP3 format. If I move or they change the format, I am covered. I think the greatest attribute of FM is the random nature of playback where you never know who will be up next.

Al
 
The "alternative" station here is definitely compressed and sounds like $#@! so I mostly listen to a small community college station that's pretty good... plays local bands and just about everything else. The classic Stairway To Freebird stations sound okay but don't tune them in much.
 
One of those digital alternatives is described as "all classical and jazz [???]" and the other as Alternative, AAA, Folk, and Student Programming. Neither of these have been able to keep me tuned very long or very often; in fact, I had to search their site just now to find these descriptors, inasmuch as neither had built an identity for me. Also, the HD3 channel comes in at such a low level that I called the station twice and was told about some sort of glitch involving local personnel turning down the output and both times they turned it up, which solved the problem until the next time someone turned it down again...which was soon.

It had been a few weeks since I had tried KVLU-3; in all fairness to the station they seem to have resolved the level issue for their rock offering. I have been listening to it some since I posted this and have found it pretty enjoyable; am not familiar with much of the rock they're broadcasting, and that is a good thing. And though their website describes KVLU-2 as "all classical and jazz" what I've been hearing there has been jazz, which fills a need in this area. Just wanted to give credit where it's due.
 
We have a 24/7 jazz FM station in Las Vegas and that's where my tuner sits. I'd rather play CDs or cable TV music than listen to most music on the radio and I get enough NPR in the car.

Bob W
 
FM around here has hit an all-time low.If it were not for the two classical staions i would not even listen to the radio.Sad because I have some nice tuners that are not worth bring out because of the radio content.
 
Just wanted to say, that Ive really been enjoying this thread.

As for myself, I generally listen to 3 stations.

NPR, there are 2 local variations, but I also follow them when traveling...finding new along the path.

Conservative Talk Radio on a local FM station, which also has the likes of Kim Komando computers and gizmos talk, and Dave Ramsey and Clark Howard, personal finance consumer talk.

And lastly we have an independent station, Beach Boogie and Blues.

Occassionally I will listen to the Clear Channel/Citadel whichever owned Classic Rock and Oldies stations.

I also listen to AM Talk, specifically ESPN Radio, and another Conservative Talk radio station.

That about sums up my listening. I do most of it in the car.
 
re tuners and radios stations

Wow , I am enjoying this too , cant believe all the venting thats going on and to think that I was just frustrated one day here in Miami trying to appreciate some FM and it suddenly dawned on me to start this post.
 
Having a nice tuner, or a collection of them, certainly necessitates having a nearby radio station that you enjoy listening to. I have 3 stations nearby that I can get my fix with. So far, so good.

No one knows what the FM future will be. I think it will be fine, at least where I live. One thing you can do, if you like your tuners but are a little nervous about getting or keeping them, is to get an FM transmitter. I bought one from C Crane for $80 that has turned out to be a lot of fun. I bought it so I could broadcast XM throughout the house to my various tuners/radios.

Details: I have a Polk XM tuner. the Crane comes with an rca to mini cord. The rca outs of the Polk go to the Crane transmitter (about the size of a cigarette pack). You find a blank area on your FM dial and set the Crane to that frequency, dial any radio/tuner you have to that freq and Viola, XM everywhere, look ma, no wires!

So basicly, I have my own radio station in my own house. I choose what I want to broadcast. Doesn't have to be XM. Hook the Cranes rca's to a cd player, phono, anything with rca outs. Most people that come to my house get a kick out of XM Satelite Radio being played on a Marantz 10b.

This works for me, a music lover, might not for someone obsessed with the micro details on a recording. I have a nice turntable and cd/sacd player for that. :)
 
I agree, if you have some nice tuners then a FM transmitter is a fun accessory. I run a Ramsey FM100 and end up getting close to a ½ mile range. I’ll put Foobar on random and let it go. Also handy when comparing two tuners.
 
Was stationed in Charleston 25 years ago and it was a radio wasteland then. Had many redeeming qualities that I loved. Radio stations was not one of them. Was quite happy when we changed homeport to Boston.

Just wanted to say, that Ive really been enjoying this thread.

As for myself, I generally listen to 3 stations.

NPR, there are 2 local variations, but I also follow them when traveling...finding new along the path.

Conservative Talk Radio on a local FM station, which also has the likes of Kim Komando computers and gizmos talk, and Dave Ramsey and Clark Howard, personal finance consumer talk.

And lastly we have an independent station, Beach Boogie and Blues.

Occassionally I will listen to the Clear Channel/Citadel whichever owned Classic Rock and Oldies stations.

I also listen to AM Talk, specifically ESPN Radio, and another Conservative Talk radio station.

That about sums up my listening. I do most of it in the car.
 
I agree, if you have some nice tuners then a FM transmitter is a fun accessory. I run a Ramsey FM100 and end up getting close to a ½ mile range. I’ll put Foobar on random and let it go. Also handy when comparing two tuners.

Would the Ramsey be better than the Crane if I don't need the 1/2 mile range?

I get a nice trace on my scope for strength and multipath but I wonder if the Ramsey would give me more separation and/or less distortion being a better unit. Thanks.
 
More power is always better, never used the Crane. The Ramsey is very flexible for my needs, two adjustable inputs, plus mic inputs. Price wises it quite a bit more than the Crane. You can save some money by buying it as a kit and building it yourself. There are lower priced Ramseys that may suit your needs.
 
More power is always better, never used the Crane. The Ramsey is very flexible for my needs, two adjustable inputs, plus mic inputs. Price wises it quite a bit more than the Crane. You can save some money by buying it as a kit and building it yourself. There are lower priced Ramseys that may suit your needs.

Thanks. I just checked their website. Is the kit hard to put together for the novice? It appears that factory assembled is only for export (so they don't run afoul of the FCC?).
 
There was a place on that auction site that sold built and kits. I really didn't have time to build one, so just watched the auctions and ended getting one built for less that the cost of the kit.
 
Around here, we have over 1 dozen Jesus stations, many all talk needing only mono. We have 4-6 country stations, 3 classic rockers, and 2 classical stations, 3 conservative talkers, 2 sports talkers, 2 overmodulating Mexicans, and one variety college station available. Many overmodulate like mad, have severely compressed audio, and many adjacent stations. I live between Knoxville and Chattanooga, TN. Most of the Jesus stations and the talkers should be on AM Radio only. They don't need FM Stereo channels.
 
Along these same lines has anyone noticed a drop in the quality of the analog side of your local station after they added the HD carriers? Thetwo local NPR affiilates that i listen too often just don't sound as good as they did prior to going "HD". The high end has taken on a glassy "digital" character. I suspect part of this may be that the HD add also involved replacing their analog processor (optimod 8100's I think) with newer all digital "Omnia-FM" units. NOT an improvement to my ears....
 
The new Omnia and Orban digital processors have an artificial, crunchy type sound. One reason why we use old Orbans in the stations I engineer except for HD stations. The older Orbans in fine condition used lightly are much better sounding in practice.
 
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