Local programming with a digital sound

Programming options for HD Radio are all local, meaning that the stations you receive are broadcast from nearby and give you local news, weather information, traffic and ads. For me, this was pretty appealing. As someone who listens to satellite radio at home and in my car, I often switch over to my FM tuner to get the latest traffic and local news. (Folks living in major metropolitan areas may have access to weather and traffic on specified satellite channels — but many locales don't have this available to them.)

Since there are so many different listening areas to choose from, I took the Recepter with me as I traveled in September — from my apartment here in Charlottesville, VA, to visit a friend in Richmond, VA, and back home to Fairport, NY, to visit my family. I was able to sample the available radio stations, digital and analog, and get a better idea of the sound quality and variety of stations available.

Starting out in C'ville

The first stop on my own personal Recepter Radio HD tour was, of course, my apartment here in Charlottesville. I picked up great reception (with the dipole antenna) from a bookshelf in my bedroom. The main display was clear and let me easily see the station I was listening to, even if I was sitting partway across the room and changing stations with the remote control. The only thing I did have trouble seeing was the HD Radio icon. It flashed when I tuned in a digital signal, but, because it was located above the main display, it was tough to see if I was too far away or not on eye level with the receiver's display.

WVTF, one of the only stations to broadcast digitally in Charlottesville, does so on both 88.5 and 89.3 Mhz frequencies. Of the two stations I tuned in, I got the best reception with 89.3. Within a few seconds, the small HD Radio logo flashed on the Recepter and the sound quality improved. The display also changed from 89.3 to 89.3-1. I tuned into an evening newscast and the reception was quite good. And to reach WVTF's 89.3-2 station, I only had to turn the tuner knob clockwise (as you would to reach 89.5) and it switched to WVTF's HD2 frequency, which was broadcasting jazz. The sound quality was noticeably better than other FM analog stations — in fact, the first thing I noticed was the lack of hissing and popping noises that I typically associate with radio listening.

This table radio is small but still manages to produce a big sound.

On the road to Richmond

Listening to one radio station in Charlottesville gave me a basic sense of what HD Radio could do (better sound, two different programs at the same time), but I wanted to base my opinions on a broader range of stations, music and programming — so I hit the road. One of my good friends lives in Richmond, and I invaded her apartment one Sunday afternoon to test out the Recepter in a place that had more digital broadcasting. According to HDRadio.com, Richmond has seven stations that produce some sort of HD Radio signal. As I checked out the first HD Radio station on my list, WMXB 103.7, I again heard its distinct difference from the analog stations in the area. The better sound especially stood out when I listened to slower, softer songs. The details rang out through the apartment since they weren't muddied with the usual hisses and crackles of analog radio. The songs on the radio had a similar sound quality to the songs I listen to on my MP3 player.

I didn't pick up any multicasting or HD2 stations in Richmond, but I was able to get a good selection of clear, static-free HD Radio stations — WBTJ 106.5, WMXB 103.7, WRXL 102.1, and WTVR 98.1. The range of stations I had access to was limited by the location of my friend's apartment, but still gave me a good sense of the listening options available in the area.

Along with a clear digital signal, Richmond's 98.1 takes advantage of another HD Radio option: they broadcast the track information about the songs they play. I thought this was a great addition to HD Radio since I've grown accustomed to having this info at my fingertips with MP3 and satellite radio players. I quickly saw that one song I heard on the radio was by Counting Crows and Vanessa Carlton (I had wondered who the female voice was) and called "Big Yellow Taxi." It's also possible for stations to broadcast other types of textual data like weather or stock market information, but I didn't tune in any Richmond stations that did.

A trip home for the weekend: Fairport, NY

I also brought the Recepter with me on a trip home to visit my family in Fairport, a suburb of Rochester, NY. Before I headed off on my trip, I checked HDRadio.com again to see what stations would be available. It listed 12 HD Radio stations for Rochester, so I was excited to get started.

In Fairport, I was able to tune in 5 different radio stations and all were multicasting in some way. I had pretty big hopes for the multicasting feature of the Recepter. Better sound quality is definitely a welcome improvement, but I was really looking forward to the additional programming.

Multicasting and FM HD Radio stations: the results

The first channel that I tuned in was WDVI 100.5. Within seconds, there was a flashing HD Radio signal on the Recepter and the sound had noticeably improved. After a few more seconds, the display switched to 100.5-1 and I knew then that this station would also be broadcasting an HD2 station. Sure enough, when I turned the dial, I hit 100.5-2, and could listen to different programming from the same station.

Later, I tuned in four other stations that were broadcasting digitally: 94.1, 95.1, 98.9, and 102.7. In general, I found that what was playing on a station's HD1 and HD2 frequencies tended to be quite similar. For example, WZNE 94.1 plays alternative rock on their HD frequency and simultaneously broadcasts an HD2 frequency with an indie rock focus. WBZA 98.9 played classic hits on both of their frequencies, but it gave me the ability to choose between Elton John's "That's Why They Call It The Blues" and Journey's "Faithfully."

Multicasting is a really cool idea, but I found that some stations weren't broadcasting new programming on their HD2 frequencies — instead, they'd broadcast the same program that was on their HD1 frequency or another analog radio station. I think HD Radio listening options will expand as more stations take full advantage of their HD2 frequencies and develop unique programs just for them.

AM HD Radio reception

While in Rochester, I tuned in an AM station that was broadcasting digitally, too. WHAM 1180 is a news/talk station and I listened to the end of a news show on Friday evening. FM HD Radio stations broadcast with a sound quality similar to CDs, but the sound quality of a digital AM radio broadcast is closer to that of an analog FM broadcast. For me, the difference wasn't quite as noticeable as the difference between analog FM and digital FM, but I definitely preferred the clarity of digital AM to that of analog AM. Folks who are interested in AM's talk radio stations will especially appreciate the improved sound quality. It was much easier to hear these shows — I didn't struggle to follow the conversation as I sometimes do if the sound is distorted.