Entercom Moves Along With HD Radio in Seattle, Boston

In the next 90 days, Entercom’s FM stations in Boston and Seattle will be converted to HD Radio, after which the group will move on to other markets.
Supplier Broadcast Electronics said Entercom will convert KISW, KQBZ, KMTT and KNDD in Seattle using FXi digital exciters and FMi-201 broadband transmitters. The setup will high-level combine analog FM and digital through a shared main ERI master antenna, BE said.
“Using a new ERI approach to high-level combining, Entercom will introduce a separate HD Radio path into one polarity of the circularly polarized antenna so that HD Radio can broadcast at the same time as the analog FM, which is radiating from the opposite polarity of the antenna,” BE stated.
“The approach will reduce the injector loss typical of high-level combining … eliminating the need for Entercom to purchase higher-powered HD Radio transmitters to handle the injector load.”
Entercom will install FMi-201 transmitters for each station’s HD Radio path. The BE FXi 60 and 250W exciters with FSi-10 signal generators will generate the digital signal, BE said.
Another Entercom station in Seattle, KBSG, is on a separate Shively antenna system and will be converted to HD Radio using an FXi exciter and a FMi transmitter.
Also converting to HD Radio are WQSX(FM) and WAAF(FM) in Boston.
BE had supplied Entercom with two exciters and a transmitter for conversion testing and demonstrations on a shared antenna at its Seattle aux site. “The additional equipment will complete Entercom’s conversion to HD Radio FM in Seattle and Boston,” BE said.