"That Wascally Wabbitt" No More

[Dan Strassberg]

I wonder whether your recent problems with receiving WCRB could be related
to its HD Radio transmissions. Didn't 102.5 recently start broadcasting in
HD Radio? If so, the station now transmits digital sidebands above and below
the main analog sidebands. The digital sidebands are supposed to be
considerably lower in amplitude than the analog sidebands, but they might be
fooling the receiver's AGC into thinking that the signal is stronger than it
is and the AGC might be responding by turning down the RF gain. Also, some
percentage of the total modulation has to be devoted to the digital
sidebands, which reduces the percentage devoted to the main-channel analog
modulation and the analog SCA channels that I believe WCRB still transmits.
The effect of FM-band HD radio, as I understand it, is to broaden the
spectrum of a station's total modulation. An analog receiver may see no
first-order effect from the change in the spectrum shape but a second-order
effect of the type you describe is not out of the question.

Another possibility could be new construction in the vicinity of your
office. That could have a shielding effect. Are any buildings going up near
your office--or has space within your building near your office recently
been remodeled?

And of course, you've said that it's a tube radio. Can't overlook the
possibility of tubes slowly dying. Or the AC line voltage in your office
might have dropped by a small amount. It wouldn't take much of a change to
reduce the radio's sensitivity. Have you moved the wall plug to a different
socket? Lots of possibilities, but little possibility of your identifying
the real culprit.

--
Dan Strassberg, dan.strassberg@att.net
eFax 707-215-6367

----- Original Message -----
From: "A. Joseph Ross" <joe@attorneyross.com>
To: <boston-radio-interest@rolinin.bostonradio.org>; "Laurence Glavin"
<lglavin@lycos.com>; "A. Joseph Ross" <joe@attorneyross.com>;
<rogerkirk@mail.ttlc.net>
Sent: Monday, March 06, 2006 12:52 AM
Subject: Re: "That Wascally Wabbitt" No More


> On 5 Mar 2006 at 19:34, rogerkirk wrote:
>
> > Have you changed your computer or added another one?  Computers can
> > emanate a ton of hash.
>
> Not since 2002.
>
> --
> A. Joseph Ross, J.D.                           617.367.0468
>  15 Court Square, Suite 210                 Fax 617.742.7581
> Boston, MA 02108-2503                    http://www.attorneyross.com
>
>