[AMRadio] Only function of carrier

[Rob Atkinson]

Yeah but what's being talked about here are the guys who really pump
up the bass so when they hit a neg. peak it is with the low frequency
energy more than the highs which have the part of the speech conveying
information.   They may not realize this is what is happening but I
used to do this myself before I knew better and figured it out by
looking at an audio spectrum display and watching the mod. peaks on a
scope.  The idea seems to have taken hold that this is "hi fi" or
broadcast quality whereas in reality, broadcasters mostly try to
faithfully reproduce the talents's voices whether they are mostly
mid-range or deep baritone.   I don't hear this very often but when I
do, if the ham station is at a distance via skywave, all I hear is
unintelligible low rumbling and not much else.

73

Rob
K5UJ

On Mon, Apr 25, 2011 at 3:00 PM, Stevan A. White <stvwhite at att.net> wrote:
> I'll add this observation to the comments below; some folks have what I
> call "Motorola disease."  They cut off a lot of bass (low freq) response
> which may be OK for an FM repeater but it is the LF response that gives
> the real power to the audio so they're really shooting themselves in the
> foot.  You don't need the bass response growling but don't kill it
> completely either.  I'd pass LF down to at least 100 Hz (lower if you
> like) but keep the upper end up to at least 7.5 kHz; you'll sound a lot
> better, and more natural too.  As a broadcast engineer I am accustomed
> to going up to 125-135% modulation on positive peaks and limiting
> negative peaks to about 95%.  It doesn't add an appreciable amount of
> distortion, it's easy to hear and understand, and it cuts through the
> crud fairly well.  Of course, there's nothing like having everything
> from the mic to the antenna optimized.  It makes a world of difference
> on the receiving end and is easier on your equipment too.
>