HD RADIO HISS
I live in Anthony, Fla., a little town just north of Ocala. I love talk radio, and I listen to an AM station and was happy to find out that they are now on FM using a translator. I noticed at different times of the day that the station would fade to hiss, making it annoying to listen to. I am using a Kenwood receiver with a signal meter on it (yes, a real meter) that reads the same whether the hiss is there or not.
After some extensive investigating I find that an HD Radio station is the culprit. HD hash is extending out on top of 96.3. This same hash is happening to 96.7 from the samestation. This one station is blocking out two frequencies. There are about 1,800 AM and FMstations that are broadcasting HD; there are a total of 22,138 of all radio classifications on the air so far.
I checked out some facts on the website hdradio.com, and one fact stated:
Q. What happens if I lose the HD Radio signal?
A. If your HD Radio tuner loses the station’s digital signal, it will automatically switch over to the analog signal broadcast at the same frequency. There may be a slight break in the sound when this happens.
Solution: HD needs to move to another band, then we will not have to worry about “A slight break in the sound!” It seems this digital problem was created only tobe solved by analog. Obviously, the analog signal is far superior than the digital, so why digital?
For ademo, check out http://1033.webs.com/hdradio.htm.
I purchased an HD Radio (almost impossible to achieve) for my car out of curiosity and noted:
• FM stations fall back to analog a lot.
• FM HD2/HD3 channels cut out a lot, reception falls off a cliff. As in, the signal is there, and then it isn’t. It cuts out entirely. This is annoying. This is progress?
• FM HD has a much shorter useable range than regular FM HD is an inferior system.
• iBiquity has created a legal jamming of analog stations, and the FCC agreed to it.
Just thought I would vent a bit.
Frank Stevens
Anthony, Fla.
REMEMBERING DAVID HULTSMAN
Mike Troje says this was “Dave’s typical happy face.”
David Hultsman passed away on Aug. 27 following a two-year battle with cancer. I can’t say that I’ve known David Hultsman as long as many of you, but I can say that I’ve had the absolute pleasure of knowing him well for the past 12 years. We have truly lost a great guy and a true champion.
While affectionately known as “The Mouth of The South,” David was also known for his dedication to his employer, his loyalty to his customers and, more importantly, his love for his wife Karen and his family.
David loved to be on the road and took the time to call on every broadcaster and engineer he could. Not because it was his job but because those people either were, or would become, his friends. Many had technical problems David could help with and many just needed someone to talk with.
While David could listen, he could also spin a great story. David always left customers feeling good. He often did that for me when we would have our “what’s up” phone call every Monday morning, and I can tell you that talking to David was a great way to start a work week!
During the 2014 NAB Show David was given a plaque for attending 50 consecutive NAB shows, a true indication of his dedication to the industry (Sept. 9, 2015 issue).
Shortly after his passing I received an email from Adil Mina, former VP of sales and marketing for Continental.
Adil knew David well and wrote: “David was a very special person who contributed a lot to broadcasting and not only in the U.S. but worldwide. I have known Dave very closely for more than 35 years. We are almost the same age and always talked about it. He was loved and respected by all our competitors. He was one of the best sales people who ever worked for me and CEC. I very much doubt that many were more loyal to the company than him. He had a CEC logo on his heart. My sincere sympathies to his dear wife and family. He will be missed by thousands of broadcasters all over and especially by Mike! May he rest in peace and may his memory be eternal.”
Yes, Adil, I will miss David, as will you, and we can take comfort in knowing that we are not alone.
Mike Troje
Sales Manager
Continental Electronics
Dallas, Texas
