Finally Got HD Radio!

Congrats! What radio did you end up getting? Also, the artist/title info is provided by the automation system the music is stored on, some are better than others (Prophet used by clear channel is usually pretty darn nice about the metadata, whereas scott studios will only provide so much info, and simian (read: cheap stuff) will only provide station info most the time! It's not really the stations fault, but in the automation system they have... and there is *NO* standard to that.

Could be worse, the stations up here all have NOTHING displayed durring commercials, so you don't even know what station you're listening to.

Most of the stations in the SF bay usually have artist and song info and during commercial play the Station Identifier info. One of the stations never displays any info. The one complaint I have, and it is a small one, is that the Alpine unit doesn't support HD2 channels

You got the Alpine HD Tuner?. Where?. I thought it was not available yet?.

Is the lack of support of HD2 channels a limitation of the HU, the HD tuner module or both? Knowing Alpine, I can see holding off until the new HD tuner module is released only to find out they have made it incompatible with the prior years model.

The limitation is the actual deck, or head unit... Some bright software engineer didn't include it, and you'd think you'd just download a file, burn it to CD, and update, but no...

Otherwise, the alpine HD box knows how to get the HD2 signals, just the HU can't decode them.

I just installed HD in my car as well. I went with Kenwood. I was going to go with Alpine based on previous experiance, but I heard they have been taking features out of their radios. I ended up with the Kenwood KDC-X890 and the Kenwood HD Tuner. It does support HD2, and has some really great other features.

So far, I like the HD Radio, but I have problems with one of my favorite stations. 105.3 (in Atlanta) comes in and out of HD which is REALLY annoying. Some of the other main stream stations are doing a very good job and I have not had any issues with. 94.1 has a bit of a timing issue, but its not bad and the reception has been excellent.

I am torn right now since my favorite station is the one I am having problems with. I may try to call them and see if there is anything they can do. Not sure if its a power issue or what. I do live in town so reception should not be an issue.

If you're talking about WBZY, their transmitter is actually about 30 miles southwest of Atlanta judging from the info on fcc.gov. I don't know if that's typical for your area.

The HD2/HD3 channels are the most interesting thing HD radio has to offer. It's a real shame to see Alpine put out equipment that can't hear it.

That is a MAJOR boo boo. Alpine should do SOMETHING!

I just got the JVC KD-HDR1. What a wonderful headunit, HD tuner built in.
HD 1,2 & 3 on FM works fine.
it even has surround sound.
It is XM and Sirius ready, But I'm still using my Delphi Sky Fi I used with my previous headunit via the JVC's line in.

SAME HERE! I LOVE WBZY's HD-2 channel, The Incubator, but it CONSTANTLY cuts in & out. I even replaced my antenna cable.
WBZY moving from 96.7 to 105.3 was a good move, but they still need more power.
I live in Gwinnett County.

If your not talking about a car radio...

Get over to Radio Shack and get a inexpensive TV preamp..10db or so..that should bring the signal up enough to lock in...

I got my JVC KD-HDR1 last week from Crutchfield.
The HD Radio is pretty inpressive. A few Detroit stations use the multicast features pretty well, with few commercials and interruptions. Sound quality varies from station to station.
WCSX-FM offers DEEP TRAX on HD-2 playing obscure album tracks from classic rock artists.

What makes the KD-HDR1 so enjoyable is the SRS Circle Surround Automobile (CS-A)
circuitry that creates spatial and tonal enhancements tailored to a car's 4-speaker environment. That really makes the JVC stand out among the car HD Radio crowd.
AM, FM, CD, MP-3 all benefit from the CS-A's effect.

On a whim, I played a Dolby Surround encoded CD from RCA, Tomita's SNOWFLAKES ARE DANCING. Wow...it sounded great! Very discrete channel separation. About as effective as Dolby ProLogic II when I play it on my home 5.1 surround system. In addition, the surround effects created when playing stereo material is quite convincing, too.

Combined with iPod and CD changer input options, I found this intro to HD Radio pretty enjoyable.

Great! Congrats.. A friend got the JVC one too from Crutchfield.. She used to have a lot of problems with the signal till it was replaced and she's pretty happy now..

Is HD that much better??

Oh yes...it's that much better!

HD Radio FM music benefits for no background static or hiss, increased dynamic range and frequency response.
HD Radio AM sounds like good FM, with much wider frequency response and virtually no background hiss or static, either. Talk is deep and clear; sports sound dynamic.

In addition, stations employing the multicast feature, HD2 and HD3, offer wider variety of formats. Our soft-jazz station in Detroit at 98.7 uses HD2 to play traditional jazz with no commercials. The classic rock station at 94.3 uses HD2 for DEEP TRAX, playing more obscure classic rock tracks from less played artist's albums.

My less than $199 investment in my JVC KD-HDR1 car stereo has already paid for itself in sheer commuting bliss...

Got my KD-HDR1 installed in my 300ZX today, so with HD, XM, MP3, and an adapter for an iPod I hope never to have to listen to commercial radio again.

Sorry to say... but HD-Radio is commercial. Yes, all HD 2 and 3 stations don't have any commercials, but that's because there is some FCC regulation against this (which I think will be changed in the not to distant future).

And you may occasionally hear on your HD2 channel that it's being sponsored by some business like Allstate insurance. Not a commercial!

Not sure anyone is paying attention here --- but here goes.

Besides the JVC, are there any other HUs with built in HD?

Liked the Alpine 9857 idea, but a 250 add on HD tuner that won't do HD2&3 is NO good....

Hello, I'm new to this forum but I just bought the Alpine CDA-9857. I was very very impressed with the way it sounded in my Nissan 240SX (running 6.75" Pioneer 4Way in the back and unknown Kenwood 3ways in the front). But sadly I found after the install that it doesn't do HD2. So I returned it and am now on the Crutchfield waiting list for the CDA-9885. The main reason I decided to go HD was because of the subchannels. I wouldn't be surprised if they start having a 24Hour traffic report broadcasted on a subchannel or put up as display information. And this new Alpine looks like it's going to sound everybit as good as the 9857, that to me is more than worth the money.