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WWFD Conducts More HD2 Testing

All-digital AM station continues to serve as a test bed

Dave Kolesar, Mike Raide, HD Radio, digital AM radio, MA3, WWFD, XperiDave Kolesar shares this photo to update us on field testing at all-digital AM station WWFD.

In the background is the Xperi test van and Xperi’s Mike Raide. They’re at the transmitter site in Frederick, Md., where they’ve started another round of HD2 testing on the station at 820 AM.

Kolesar is senior broadcast engineer at WTOP/WFED and program director of the format “The Gamut.” He and Raide have worked together extensively on the digital project at WWFD, as we’ve reported.

[Read: Real-World Tests Make Business Case for MA3]

“The testing is being done to determine coverage of an HD2 MA3 signal, as it’s not quite the same as a main channel, unlike FM HD,” Kolesar told us.

“It involves driving along selected radials and noting where the HD2 audio fails, taking field strength readings at those points. Test gear includes the calibrated loop antenna on the roof, a FIM-4100 field strength meter, a spectrum analyzer, and an Xperi test receiver capable of receiving the HD2 signal.”

He said it takes about a half-day to drive a typical radial, so testing will be going on over several days.

“When we’re done, what we learn will incorporated into WWFD’s report to the FCC under its experimental authorization, as well as being submitted for publication at this year’s BEIT conference at NAB.”

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