Re: NRSC and AM-IBOC

["Aaron 'Bishop' Read" <aread@speakeasy.net>]

At 09:57 AM 8/10/2002, Dan Strassberg wrote:
>of bandwidth to play in--which is untrue. Even the NRSC says the AM-band
>system won't work at night because of first-adjacent skywave interference. I
>have news for the NRSC; the system won't work during the day either. No
>amount of wishful thinking or propaganda can change that. Maybe if 80% or
>more of the AM stations in the US went dark, there would be adequate
>bandwidth to accommodate the signals, but there would still be reception
>problems. Perhaps there is another digital system that _could_ work. The
>French Digial Radio Mondiale might be such a system. However, you have to
>suspect a system whose proponents call it an open system and then fail to
>reveal even the most basic information about how it works because the
>proponents need to protect their intellectual property(!) This is an
>argument worthy of Bill Gates.
>
>--
>Dan Strassberg, dan.strassberg@att.net
>617-558-4205, eFax 707-215-6367

Hey Dan, got any evidence to back up those claims?  I'm sure iBiquity & 
NRSC have time for a libel lawsuit.  The NRSC's EXACT words were:

*********************************
http://www.nab.org/SciTech/amibocevaluationreport04062002.pdf
No test results were obtained by the NRSC, nor were they requested from 
iBiquity, on skywave reception. However due to the propagation mechanisms 
that support skywave reception, the NRSC expects that first adjacent 
interference may pose potential problems for listeners during nighttime 
hours. Additional testing would be needed before the NRSC could further 
comment on the nighttime compatibility of hybrid AM IBOC. The NRSC 
therefore recommends that stations desiring to operate with AM IBOC do so 
during daytime hours only.

Many AM broadcasters have long recognized the differences between day and 
night operation and listening habits. A vast number of AM stations operate 
with different directional patterns and power levels during day and night. 
It should not prove any more burdensome to switch off the IBOC digital 
signal during nighttime hours. This compromise will facilitate a rapid 
introduction of IBOC to the AM band with minimal interference concerns.
*********************************

They never once said "it won't work" - they said exactly what is true: 
skywave interference is a likely problem and more tests are needed.  All 
the published NRSC & iBiquity reports are at 
http://www.nab.org/SciTech/nrsc.asp  I suggest you take time to read them 
before spouting off.  Where the heck are you getting 40kHz bandwidth?  IBOC 
proposes only using about 30kHz of bandwidth, accepting that stations will 
now be forced to do what many already are; reducing their AM analog 
bandwidth down to 5kHz (a LOT of AM's are only using 3 or 4kHz anyway)

Oh and, by the way, I seriously doubt there's going to be any other system 
besides iBiquity's.  Even if it means iBiquity having start over from 
scratch, it will be iBiquity.   This is a venture with over $10 BILLION 
dollars and nearly 15 years invested in it and some serious political 
weight behind it both from outside and within Capitol Hill.  It ain't gonna 
go away.  For that matter, any solution that involves using new spectrum 
for digital will NOT be considered by Congress or the FCC.  They are under 
(admittedly self-imposed) mandates to use the spectrum as "efficiently" as 
possible...that means squeeze the most cash out of the most frequencies, 
and one-way communication (i.e. AM, FM, TV etc) is just not as lucrative as 
two-way wireless (i.e. cellphones, wireless internet, etc).

And finally, just about anyone can join the NRSC, there's no restrictions 
on membership.  If you don't like being in the dark, stop whining and take 
some action about it and join already.  I'd estimate at least 50% of this 
list, quite possibly 75-85%, could make a valid case for wanting to 
join.  The exact quote from their site is:
*************************************
http://www.nab.org/SciTech/nrsc.asp
Anyone who has a business interest in the technology being investigated by 
the NRSC is welcome to join the Committee and participate in its 
activities. Members of the NRSC are generally engineers, scientists, or 
technicians with in-depth knowledge of the subject being studied. In order 
to promote the free exchange of ideas during Committee work, members of the 
press are not allowed to attend NRSC meetings. However, members of the 
press are free to contact Committee chairpersons, NAB, or CEA with general 
questions about meetings. NRSC meetings are held on an as-needed basis, and 
NRSC members must participate at their own expense.
*************************************

_________________________________________________________
Aaron "Bishop" Read       aread@speakeasy.net
Fried Bagels Consulting   www.friedbagels.com
AOL-IM: ReadAaron         Brighton, MA 02135
"I'm weird, but around here it's hardly noticeable."