Not yet, but soon - the transmitter pieces are getting shipped, apparently. The format we'll be running is online now (and commercial free, which was one of the BIG annoyances about the Live365 stream - necessary, but annoying.) I don't want to pin a date on the premiere HD2 broadcast yet, but I'll make sure you know in plenty of time.
There's actually a few reasons to get an HD Radio now, though:
- The first generation of the radios is getting marked down rather nicely, probably because manuacturers figured "hey, people will just start buying these, cause we're callin' 'em 'HD'" without there being good programming on the HD2 and/or HD3 channels. (By the way, HD means "Hybrid Digital" - in other words, the FM signal you've always listened to is still there, it just now has a digital signal hiding behind it.) For the main station, HD offers "CD-like sound quality," but I'm of the opinion that isn't enough to get people to want to buy HD radios; good formats you can't get otherwise *might* make it happen, though. Check Overstock.com for the refurbed Insignia portable from Best Buy, discounted to $35.50 (no tax, $2.50 shipping.) If you want a new one, try Best Buy directly (on sale now for $40). Don't know how long the deals will last, though.
- Getting one now will get you used to the disappointments that come along with HD Radio, and I don't want to lead you astray here: it is *not* like regular radio. If you used to like to listen to WLIR on the Jersey Shore on a troposphere bounce through the static and think you can do that here, forget it - when an HD2 doesn't come in strong enough, it doesn't come in at all. Total silence. When it does come in, however, it comes in perfectly. It's digital, so it's all or nothing. Cars, as it turns out, aren't great places to listen to HD2 stations, unless you happen to be within the primary service area and even then there can be dropouts. (HD1 doesn't have this problem, exactly, because when you drop out of HD range it falls back to good ol' analog FM.) That having been said, the FCC's actually been doing its job in this area, and have just approved an increase in digital power (multiplying it by ten, in fact.) I'll get back to you on how well that works when HD transmitters start raising their power at the end of the month, but it'll probably fill in a lot of the gaps. (And if you can't get it with an HD radio, there's always the Internet.)
- The reason I know a lot about living with HD isn't just because I'm going to be running a station - I also use my commute to listen to what I expect to be my competitor, Shore Alternative at 94.3 HD2 (yep, hiding behind 94.3 The Point, the long-standing Adult Contemporary station in Asbury Park) Their antenna is visible from the Parkway just northeast of Exit 100, and I find I can get them reliably (no dropouts) from mile 86 to mile 114 with my Insignia portable; beyond that, the further you go, the more luck needs to be on your side. In the car, I use a nice long audio connector cord hung over my rearview mirror as an antenna. Shore Alternative is already better than G-Rock was, and (especially for the audience reading here) I expect my little project to be better than that. There's also Last.fm/Discover on 102.7 HD2 and K-Rock on 92.3 HD2 our of NYC if you're a bit further north - not much in the way of NW on those, but they're not half bad if you'd like to be challenged with new music.
- So why mention my competitors? I think, at this early stage of the game, we're all in this together. They may not agree, but it's my opinion that the more people know about the alternatives that are lighting up at HD2 & HD3 (and HD4, believe it or not, though that's really only going to be good for talk formats) the more they may actually want to listen. That plus cheap HD radios may result in a new HD landscape that'll be a lot like the late 60's (and the early 80's) in FM, when folks didn't mind taking a chance. (By the way, I applaud WRXP in NYC, really the only commercial FM taking chances these days, for feeling the same way - in fact, they've mentioned me on the air there.)
Here's the last few songs we played online, as of this writing:
Modest Mouse - Florida
The Comsat Angels - Day One
My Brightest Diamond - Tainted Love
Gorillaz – Stylo (feat. Mos Def & Bobby Womack)
Public Image Ltd. – FFF
The Jam – In The City
Fanfarlo – You Are One Of The Few Outsiders Who Really Understands Us
The White Stripes – My Doorbell
Neil Young – Mr. Soul (1982 "New Wave" Version)
Sparkydog – Radiowave
Killing Joke – Eighties
Elvis Costello – (I Don't Want to Go To) Chelsea
Lowlife – Definition
Arctic Monkeys – When The Sun Goes Down
Cold War Kids – Audience
Slow Children – President Am I
Vampire Weekend – Giving Up the Gun
The Joy Formidable – Austere
Filter – The Best Things
Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart
Delta Spirit – Trashcan
The Beatles – She Said She Said
The Smiths – Barbarism Begins at Home
...and that's really what the station'll sound like when it goes on the air. (We'll be using the same automation source.)
Anyway...too much info? There's lots more music where that came from...
-Sean
Altrok Radio
Streaming on your computer anytime, at <a href="">http://www.altrokradio.com</a>
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Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 6:43 am