Re: CCU to install RDS in 192 FM stations

[Aaron Read <aread@speakeasy.net>]

At 12:20 PM 10/27/2003, Sven Franklyn Weil wrote:
>On Mon, 27 Oct 2003, Aaron Read wrote:
>
> > News bit from BE Radio.   Anyone think this "means" anything more than 
> what
> > it looks like on the surface?
> >
>
>Well...it could also enable listener's radios (so equipped) to auto-retune
>to another local Clear Channel station with the same format as you leave
>one station's service area and enter another's.

I imagine you're speaking somewhat tongue-in-cheek....this is next to 
impossible to realistically implement under the current FCC allocations 
scheme.  There's the obvious problem that scant few radios can even receive 
RDS/RBDS in the first place, even fewer can auto-tune to a new station 
based on that protocol (something like 1% of 1% I'd imagine...perhaps more 
or less, but it's precious few).

On top of that, how does the radio decide that one station is too weak and 
a new one must be tuned to?  It's virtually impossible to do that reliably 
with the way stations are allocated these days.

Sure, with Eureka 147 in Europe that works perfectly since everyone's 
signal is all the same and a given signal level at a given location is a 
lot more predictable on the fly.   Even the analog side in Europe is more 
centralized and more level when it comes to allocations, so a plan like 
that can work.



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Aaron "Bishop" Read             aread@speakeasy.net
FriedBagels Consulting          AOL-IM: readaaron
http://www.friedbagels.com      Boston, MA