Spam: WCBS Newsradio 880 in HD, FM that is!

[Brian Vita]

> 
> I don't have HD in the car, but if my home HD tuner
> loses a subchannel, it falls back to the stations main
> analog channel, just like when it loses the HD-1. The
> difference is that, in this case, it's obviously not
> the same programming in analog as what you had been
> listening to in digital on the HD-2 or HD-3.
> 
> EP
My Sangean at home does just that.  If I leave it playing WMJX HD-2 (smooth jazz) it'll sometimes drop to the analog Magic 106.7.  Unfortunately it won't jump back when it sees the HD signal again.
[Brian Vita] 
With respect to WBZ, I think that the big reason to put it on the HD-3 channel is that it gives a possible static free alternative to the analog AM channel.  Yes, I can pick up WBZ in analog at my office in Peabody but it's riddled with noise, not only from the electronics within my office but also atmospheric and skip interference.  WBZ-HD sounds a whole lot better.  WBZ on Wxxx-HD3 might be even better since the HD on FM shouldn't be affected by the same noise that could kill the AM-HD signal.

It's my understanding that the HD signals roughly work out as follows:

	FM HD-1	Near CD Sound Quality
	FM HD-2	Approximately FM Analog Quality
	FM HD-3	Interference free AM quality

	AM HD		Approximately FM Analog Quality

The only AM HD signal that I've really listened to is WBZ.  My only comment is that it appears that either they're passing it through with the AM analog signal processing or that the HD processing is not set properly.  While overall the signal sounds light years better, cleaner and less noisier, the high end seems to be boosted tremendously and spitty.  Just my humble observation, though.

Brian Vita