Re: [IRCA] The beginning of the end - of IBOC

["Craig Healy" <bubba@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> Citadel, in turning off the night IBOC, has made a good move to protect
> many of their high power AMs and their nighttime skywave coverage.  This
> is a promising first step.  It is steps like these that - if multiplied
> dramatically - will save nighttime AM.  Broadcasters do, despite what
> many people think, often police themselves.  What will spell the end of
> AM IBOC will only be additional owners and local listeners who realize
> that they have lost something precious -- coverage.

If someone were to take an IBOC station to court, I would think that
Citadel's shutting off of their IBOC would be tantamount to an admission
that it caused interference.  A court would certainly consider that in the
hearing, even if Citadel wasn't the defendant.

And, daytime IBOC in December will still be a real pain.  If anything, IBOC
should be shut off during the critical hours time as well.  That would leave
very little time, so why would they even bother?

This will have two other effects.  First, receiver manufacturers will
probably pause before leaping on board.  Second, non-IBOC station owners
will certainly have a non-incentive to spend tens of thousands of dollars on
something that may be pulled right out from under them.

Considering AM IBOC covers about half the radius of the good quality analog,
cutting power is really not an option.

A couple nights ago I set my JVC radio to scan for AM IBOC signals.  I let
it run maybe a half hour.  It detected 710, 880, 1030 and that's about it.
It decoded none of them, even after numerous tries.  About the only thing it
decoded was the WBZ call letters.  Even WBZ daytime only decodes maybe a
third of the time.  Just enough to make the switching back and forth
annoying.  In the daytime, local WHJJ-920 has a significant level difference
in their IBOC signal.  It sounds to be at least 10db down, maybe more.  I'd
bet the switching on that is a real turnoff.  LOUDsoftLOUDLOUDsoft.  Blah..

Craig Healy
Providence, RI

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