{"id":34316,"date":"2018-10-02T06:51:09","date_gmt":"2018-10-02T10:51:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=34316"},"modified":"2018-10-02T06:51:09","modified_gmt":"2018-10-02T10:51:09","slug":"all-digital-am-hd-wwfds-experiment-is-attracting-attention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/10\/all-digital-am-hd-wwfds-experiment-is-attracting-attention\/","title":{"rendered":"All-digital AM HD: WWFD’s experiment is attracting attention"},"content":{"rendered":"

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(Source: InsideRadio<\/a> via Ulis K3LU)<\/p>\n

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All-Digital AM Grabs Automakers\u2019 Interest.<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a>The fate of AM radio in the car dashboard may pass through Frederick, MD. That\u2019s where the latest experiment on an all-digital AM signal is taking place, on Hubbard Radio\u2019s adult alternative \u201cThe Gamut\u201d WWFD (820). The project, in conjunction with digital radio developer Xperi and the National Association of Broadcasters\u2019 PILOT program, is already generating interest from carmakers in the U.S and around the world.<\/p>\n

The Federal Communications Commission in July\u00a0approved a proposal<\/a>\u00a0to allow WWFD to turn off its analog signal for the next year while remaining an all-digital operation. The aim is to use the real-world environment to conduct experiments designed to improve the all-digital AM service.<\/p>\n

WWFD has 4,300-watts day (non-directional) and 430-watts night (directional) and the company proposes to operate with roughly the same output when it goes digital-only, 24-hours a day.\u00a0Dave Kolesar<\/a>, Hubbard\u2019s senior engineer overseeing the project, said it\u2019s an ideal station to use for a test case since it\u2019s non-directional by day and directional at night.[…]<\/p>\n

The switch has already been flipped and Xperi senior manager of broadcast technologies\u00a0Mike Raide<\/a>\u00a0said preliminary results are encouraging. \u201cWe haven\u2019t had any problems with OEM receivers,\u201d he said, noting he drove 70 miles from the transmitter site and still picked up WWFD without any problem. In fact, one DX listener in the Pittsburgh area, roughly 300 miles away, said they were able to hear the station during the daytime. \u201cThat\u2019s a testament to how robust all-digital is,\u201d Raide said.[…]<\/p>\n

\u201cAt a time when we\u2019re all hearing rumors about car manufacturers cutting AM from their factory offerings, something like this could come along and show the auto manufacturers that AM still matters and AM has a digital solution as well,\u201d Kolesar said.[…]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Click here to view the full article at InsideRadio.<\/a><\/p>\n

In August, I received a strong lock on WWFD in neighboring West Virginia via my car’s built-in HD receiver. The next day, I made this short video<\/a> of my reception on the Sangean HDR-14 (read review here<\/a>) in neighboring Germantown, Maryland:<\/p>\n