[CW] FCC MM Rule Making 13-249 AM Broadcast
AF4K via CW
cw at mailman.qth.net
Mon Jan 5 15:56:14 EST 2015
Here is the main receiver that did it for me. MCW was a pleasure, both on this
and on the R1155A. Yes they were super cheap surplus rigs but they worked fine.
A great introduction to SW radio listening!
http://af4k.com/imag/ham/NRR/hallicrafters-s39.jpg
I spent MANY happy hours listening on that one before being uprooted and moved to
Georgia at the age of 16. They never told me that it had been a prison colony for British
criminals!
On 4 Jan 2015 at 22:27, Brian Carling via CW wrote:
I MISS hearing MCW!!
Best regards - Brian Carling
AF4K Crystals Co.
117 Sterling Pine St.
Sanford, FL 32773
Tel: +USA 321-262-5471
On Jan 4, 2015, at 9:57 PM, D.J.J. Ring, Jr. via CW <cw at mailman.qth.net> wrote:
They don't care. Exactly.
So use our CW, if I could get away with it, I'd try to hook up narrow band spark (NBS)
maybe 8 kHz wide on 40m "cw" band.
Canada can use MCW but USA cannot.
I'd love to have a signal just like spark and use it during the day just to let the "kids"
hear what spark sounded like.
How many of "you" out there in Reflector-Land heard the 2000 Spark signal from
Canada? They had special permission to send on spark - only one way though. They
sent S S S S S that's it! I heard a bunch of E's and the word Marconi one time
meanwhile Earl Korf K2IC copied it clearly. K2IC Earl Korf - in his 99th year of age a
former sea and air sparks copied the word Marconi in spark. The QRM was terrific as
most thought it was going to be a two-way test but it was only reception only.
Here is the info on the Canadian Memorial: http://www.qsl.net/g4rfr/marconi.htm
Hey! K2IC would be proud, there is a recording and it says "MARCONI" followed by
dits!
http://www.qsl.net/g4rfr/spark.mp3
That's what spark sounds like! And this propagated 450 miles to my location and about
the same to Earl's location.
73
DR
On Sun, Jan 4, 2015 at 8:13 PM, Danny Douglas via CW <cw at mailman.qth.net> wrote:
Way too many years ago, AM radio became useless around here, at night. For some
reason, the FCC let them get away with abandoning their facilities at night, and start
using landline or satellite feeds to some place far away. We had a huge winter storm
move in on us, and that station was the only thing that was up and running, to let locals
know what was going on. It was right after my initial retirement, and I was working a
night shift at a banking institutions telecoms site. We lost TV incoming signals, and
attempted to find out, on AM radio. NOTHING. They sat there like there was nothing
going on. Telephone call after telephone call, and NO ANSWER. The went on, all
night long. The next morning, some hours after we were to be relieved, only a few had
straggled in, and others had called saying they were unable to make it. The radio
station seemed to still have an announcer who thought it was nothing, since there was
never a mention of it. I managed to see snow plows and followed one out to the main
road, and others on to the house, 8 miles outside town. Went to bed, and when I got
up, I called the radio station. Someone answered, finally, and only then did I discover
they were using some broadcasting company, up in Wisconsin, or other site, states
away. No apology forthcoming when I stated we had a night emergency the night
before and no one answered their phone - not even an announcement that no one was
there at night. I fed him a load about their responsibility, as a federally licensed radio
station, and that this was not following the requirements of service to the community.
He gave the distinct impression that he could not care less.
A further letter to the FCC about the same subject, went unanswered. That stations
license came up for renewal about 2 months later, and was received, apparently
without problem.
They just dont care.
Steve WD8DAS via CW
Sunday, January 04, 2015 6:23 PM
DR wrote:
I know what you mean, David. Here in my town there are only two AM stations with
enough listeners to even show in the ratings: my outfit's flagship WHA and the town
heritage news/talk station WIBA. WHA is hybrid HD and WIBA used to be but quit.
The rest of the AM stations have very cheap satellite network programming and little or
no local content. A new expanded band station tried for nearly a decade to make a go
of local news/talk but it never took off - too many people don't even know there is an
"AM" band any more. They quit in favor of satellite sports.
Too many people don't even know AM exists, and/or don't know how to switch bands
on their radio. The growing radio noise problem hurts AM particular hard, too. The
band is dying and if we don't do anything it will ultimately go away and we will lose that
great resource for highly efficient communications.
The NPRM you found is an effort to save AM. One of the FCC Commissioners had
made one of his goals to "save" AM because he sees it as an important asset for local
communities, particularly in emergency situations. They are seeking all kinds of ideas,
not just regarding digital modes.
The bleak future projected for AM is why I support the option for broadcasters to try all-
digital. Not a requirement to convert, just the option. I would like to see us go to not
just some hybrid analog-digital stations, but in fact a "hybrid band". Some analog
stations, some digital, together on the broadcast band. Separate digital and analog
stations can coexist in the band perfectly well. That way there are still stations to be
heard with the millions of radios already deployed, but stations that want to try all
digital can do so and be heard by HD radios (which have good analog reception as
well). Hopefully someone trying that new approach will likely also invest in some
interesting programming.
I just realized this discussion is pretty far off-topic for this mailing list - my apologies if it
bothered anyone.
Steve WD8DAS
sbjohnston at aol.com
http://www.wd8das.net/
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D.J.J. Ring, Jr. via CW
Sunday, January 04, 2015 2:49 PM
I hate to see AM go away. I like co-channel digital. I almost never listen to FM. I wish
there was more music on AM as on a great station it sounds better than FM, especially
if transmitted in AM Stereo. We have one local AM with music, but not AM Stereo,
and a distant 250 watter (WJIB) with better music and AM Stereo. I have TV but no
decent programming, so I rarelt watch it. I listen to AM radio about 10 hours a day.
I got my start receiving with diode, coil, capacitor, wire and headphone.
I wish I could get a Ibiquity receiver for bedside, but the only one I see is FM and I do
not like most FM programming.
Sadly WJIB doesn't stream and if required to go digital will not be able to afford digital
license fees from Ibiquity.
73
DR
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Steve WD8DAS via CW
Sunday, January 04, 2015 2:18 PM
David -
While I *love* analog amplitude modulation, I can speak from personal experience that
all-digital broadcasting using the iBiquity non-hybrid mode is a highly effective system.
My personal experimentation as well as involvement in the industry has shown me that
the existing HD receivers know what to do with the all-digital signal and the range is
excellent and the audio is high-fidelity. I have long been a supporter of hybrid HD on
both AM and FM bands, and have had it do well on my stations - with the exception of
disappointing table-top and portable receiver availability.
The receiver problem is a reflection of the poor market for any consumer radios, not
just HD. The makers of high-volume consumer electronics have nearly zero interest in
building anything but the very cheapest radios. And zero interesting in making higher-
quality radio receivers of any kind, digital or analog. These companies see very little
demand for new radios - there are millions and millions of radios already in homes
across the country. Look at the radio selection in a your local Walmart, Target or
BestBuy. There might be one or two cheap analog radios for sale. It is not surprising
that the radios makers are not willing to introduce new models at higher prices. The
only exception to this trend are auto radios - and most of the new radios coming out
now are actually getting better and include HD. Huge numbers of car radios with HD
capability are being sold right now - that offers some hope.
Given that the vast majority of AM stations have very few listeners, and are losing
money and will go off the air if the owners see no path to future success, it is time to
allow broadcasters to make the choice to give all-digital a try. Niche formats often
have listeners willing to work a bit to get a radio to receive their favorite kind of
programming - we see this with people getting HD radios to hear the second and third
channels of hybrid digital FM stations.
An extra bonus - having some AM band stations go all-digital will actually reduce
interference on the band, as it will eliminate some of the analog splatter and the hybrid
carriers on second-adjacent channels The digital transmitters focus the energy tightly
around the center frequency, fully within the allocated channel.
Steve WD8DAS
sbjohnston at aol.com
http://www.wd8das.net/
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--
Danny Douglas
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Brian Carling, Radio AF4K
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