IBOC has been approved!

Because I can't post a URL yet here';s the artical from the FCC's site.

IBOC Digital Radio Broadcasting
for AM and FM Radio Broadcast Stations
The FCC has approved In-Band On-Channel (IBOC) digital radio operation for AM and FM broadcast stations. AM broadcast stations are limited at this time to digital operation during daytime hours.

Wasn't IBOC approved like four years ago?

I think it was a temporary "experimental" authorization. It wasn't an official standard. Kind of like AM Stereo before the FCC declared C-Quam the standard, after everyone had already set their sights on digital.

IBOC has been approved!

Because I can't post a URL yet here';s the artical from the FCC's site.

IBOC Digital Radio Broadcasting
for AM and FM Radio Broadcast Stations
The FCC has approved In-Band On-Channel (IBOC) digital radio operation for AM and FM broadcast stations. AM broadcast stations are limited at this time to digital operation during daytime hours.

According to my sources they are allowed full time broadcasting of AM HD.

The FCC has approved In-Band On-Channel (IBOC) digital radio operation for AM and FM broadcast stations. AM broadcast stations are limited at this time to digital operation during daytime hours.

Check out http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/digital/ for all the official stuff about IBOC.

Does this mean stations can start using the Extended Hybrid mode to stick in another 24 Kbps channel.

Additional story: http://www.twice.com/article/CA6427080.html

here's what it states

1) they'll be no mandatory conversion onto hd (unlike with hdtv)

2) any local hd station has to also be on analog but of compairable audio quality...so this issue of channels potentially jamming others shouldn't be around

3) allows fm to operate in extended hybrid format ? whats this ?...

4) allows sub channels/data to be sent

5) allows stations to broker unused bandwith to 3rd parties subject to reguation...this could be interesting in a number of ways...so a channel could simply get a subchannel to lease out to something else...I pray to God there's no infomertials....one thing I love about the subchannels is there's music on sunday mornings...the vast majority of stations near me have some psedo lite NPR stuff when I want to hear maybe metal

6) all requirements for analog apply for DAB...I guess this was said to imply the whole swaring thing

7) AM nighttime broadcasting is authorized! this is the biggest one I think...granted there's really only a handful that I get it could be dx'ing other channels near it is out of the question...I think I'll check this later tonight just to be sure of a few things...if it has the extended range then everything will be loaded quite a bit..at night I can get NYC stations easily, DC easily, WV, OH etc.

8) dismisses petitions for the dab to be something other than IBOC

9) seeks comment on further subscriptions...? hmmm.

10) seeks comments for public interest requirements for dab...I thought that was 88-90mhz...maybe they could increase it to say 87.5-91mhz

There's actually be QUITE a number of FCC statements today...some are pretty interesting. It also has what some as individuals think on the issues at hand

But, will there be Cable and DBS "Must Carry", so it can be heard in homes?

(Remember, the OTARD Rules specifically exclude AM and FM antennas :mad: .)

I would love to have all my local AM stations in HD full-time (provided that they set up their equipment properly; we have a new station in the Bay Area on 860 that sounds awful in digital). "Good old-fashioned AM broadcast DXing" went away years ago when the concept of "clear-channel" stations was abandoned or revoked, so the loss of reception of analog stations due to the digital sidebands of adjacent stations is a good trade, in my opinion.

here's what it states

1) they'll be no mandatory conversion onto hd (unlike with hdtv)

2) any local hd station has to also be on analog but of compairable audio quality...so this issue of channels potentially jamming others shouldn't be around

3) allows fm to operate in extended hybrid format ? whats this ?...

4) allows sub channels/data to be sent

5) allows stations to broker unused bandwith to 3rd parties subject to reguation...this could be interesting in a number of ways...so a channel could simply get a subchannel to lease out to something else...I pray to God there's no infomertials....one thing I love about the subchannels is there's music on sunday mornings...the vast majority of stations near me have some psedo lite NPR stuff when I want to hear maybe metal

6) all requirements for analog apply for DAB...I guess this was said to imply the whole swaring thing

7) AM nighttime broadcasting is authorized! this is the biggest one I think...granted there's really only a handful that I get it could be dx'ing other channels near it is out of the question...I think I'll check this later tonight just to be sure of a few things...if it has the extended range then everything will be loaded quite a bit..at night I can get NYC stations easily, DC easily, WV, OH etc.

8) dismisses petitions for the dab to be something other than IBOC

9) seeks comment on further subscriptions...? hmmm.

10) seeks comments for public interest requirements for dab...I thought that was 88-90mhz...maybe they could increase it to say 87.5-91mhz

There's actually be QUITE a number of FCC statements today...some are pretty interesting. It also has what some as individuals think on the issues at hand

Extended Hybrid Mode increases total data rate of 100Kbps to 150Kbps. Extended mode can have 144Kbps used for audio.

According to my sources they are allowed full time broadcasting of AM HD.


Do you know actual date? Is it effective immediately?.

"Good old-fashioned AM broadcast DXing" went away years ago when the concept of "clear-channel" stations was abandoned or revoked, so the loss of reception of analog stations due to the digital sidebands of adjacent stations is a good trade, in my opinion.

Unfortunately, not the FCC nor anyone else can abandon or revoke the laws of physics. Whether or not you listen to DX does not change that fact that DX stations hammer any AM receiver at night with signals on every channel. And, if many of those channels contain one analog signal plus two sets of digital signals from opposing adjacent channels, the result will be a mess unless except for stations that are consistently strong. VERY strong.

I am only 38 miles south of Chicago. On many nights, some DX signals (based on signal strength) are nearly indistinguishable from all but one of my "locals" (WLS). On many nights, 650 WSM, 660 WFAN, 700 WLW, 710 WOR, 770 WABC, 880 WCBS, 900 CHML and 1020 KDKA rival or equal the signal strength of the Chicago stations, which includes 560 WIND, 670 WSCR, 720 WGN, 780 WBBM, and 1000 WMVP.

I wonder what the result will be when all these stations (sans CHML) flip on their nighttime digital signals on adjacent channels. My prediction is that the local stations will have rising and falling digital noise in analog mode as the F2 layer fluctuates, and the same stations will repeatedly lose and regain their lock in HD Radio mode. Some people may have to add tunable, directional loop antennas just to help sort out the mess at home. In the car, there is no directional antenna solution.

We are about to engage in an AM Broadcast Band live experiment with the general public. Let's just have everyone fire up their HD Radio signals and see what happens. I hope I am wrong, and the situation is far less severe. It would be a shame if the last few AM listeners in the evening and night left for good.

My local AM station just started extending to night time broadcasts over the weekend.

If your local AM isn't doing it yet, I suggest giving them a call or e-mail quoting the new rules.

Has anyone yet to get digital am DX catch at night? Also how was the signal quality looks like? :eek:

To me DXing the digital stations on the MW band is very cool to say at the least. :)

4-2-07