Third Susquehanna FM in Indianapolis Goes IBOC

WGRL(FM) has become the third Susquehanna station in Indianapolis to convert to HD Radio using Broadcast Electronics transmission equipment.
The ’80s format station went on the air with a BE HD Radio FMi-703 transmitter, FXi exciter and FSi 10 generator this month, following the
conversion of Indianapolis sister stations WFMS(FM) and WGLD(FM) in
December 2003.
“There was an audible difference the minute we put it on the air,” said Susquehanna’s Indianapolis Regional Engineering Manager Max Turner, who reported no multipath on the digital channel and exceptional signal strength overall. “We had a listener write in from a nearby town; he had an HD Radio receiver and noticed we had HD Radio on two of our stations already.”
WGRL(FM) brings to seven the total number of Susquehanna Radio stations being converted to HD Radio using BE equipment. The 33-station group installed BE HD Radio transmitters at WWWQ(FM) in Atlanta, WRRM(FM) in Cincinnati and WARM(FM) in York, Pennsylvania.
Susquehanna intends to convert another FM to HD Radio soon using BE equipment.
All seven are being configured for low-level combiner amplification with a BE broadband solid-state power amplifier, a BE FSi 10 HD Radio signal generator and a BE FXi 60 digital exciter for analog and digital. “We’re completing all the low-level combines as phase one of HD Radio implementation,” said Norman Philips, Susquehanna Radio’s Director of Technical Operations.
Five of the seven stations are using BE FMi-1405 transmitters to produce up to 14kW TPO in an analog/low-level HD Radio configuration. The remaining two are using BE FMi-703 transmitters to generate up to 7kW TPO in an analog/low-level HD Radio configuration. By combining HD Radio and analog FM in BE’s high-powered FMi-1405 or FMi-703 transmitter for common amplification to the antenna tower, Susquehanna is able to eliminate the cost of separate antenna systems.