HD Radio FAQ
This guide will help you learn about the difference between HD Radio and FM Radio, and it will assist you with optimizing your HD Radio listening experience. We've included some tips and techniques for obtaining the best reception based on your location.
- How do I get an HD Radio?
- How is an HD Radio different from a regular FM radio?
- Can I receive the three HD channels everywhere that I can hear WAMU 88.5?
- I bought an HD radio but I'm having trouble hearing the WAMU 88.5 digital channels.
- I am still having problems receiving the WAMU 88.5 digital signals.
- I'd like to listen to WAMU's Bluegrass Country and WAMU-3 in my car. What's involved?
- Any other suggestions?vWhere can I get more information about receiving HD Radio on WAMU 88.5?
- Where can I get more general information about HD Radio?
How do I get an HD Radio?
We want to make it easy to find out more about HD Radios, and how to purchase one. For a complete listing of currently available models, go to ibiquity.com. Many Washington, D.C., area vendors currently stock HD Radios, including Best Buy and Radio Shack. Online vendors like Crutchfield also sell HD Radios.
If you'd like your purchase of an HD Radio to benefit WAMU 88.5, you can purchase it from Amazon.com using this link, or purchase it from Radiosophy using this link, and a percentage of the sale will benefit the station.
No matter where you get your HD Radio, please give this exciting new technology a listen. You’ll never listen to radio the same way again!
How is an HD Radio different from a regular FM radio?
HD radios sound better
Regular FM radio has the ability to produce high fidelity sound under the right reception conditions. FM frequencies require a line-of-site path between the FM transmitter and the receiver. Hisses, pops, static, and fading occurs because FM signals are reflected from obstructions such as buildings -- or from you when you move around the room where your radio is located.
HD radio differs by using digital technology. This technology minimizes reception problems and offers freedom from the interference descibed above. Also, digital technology allows stations like WAMU 88.5 to squeeze in additional services, thanks to cutting edge compression technology.
HD radios receive more stations than FM radios
Several years ago, WAMU 88.5 installed the equipment necessary to broadcast digital signals, in addition to our regular analog signal. Essentially, this allows us to have three signals in the "space" it take for one. On your HD Radio, these three channels are still found at 88.5 on the dial.
WAMU 88.5-1
This is our flagship channel that you can hear on standard FM radios.
WAMU's Bluegrass Country
WAMU's Bluegrass Country is on-air in HD at 88.5-2. You'll hear all your bluegrass favorites, and live-hosted programs featuring Katy Daley, Ray Davis, and Lee Michael Demsey. This station is also heard online at bluegrasscountry.org, which has served the full-time bluegrass listener since 2001. WAMU's Bluegrass Country is among the first in the nation to offer live programming exclusively for HD Radio.
WAMU-3
Our third channel, WAMU-3, in HD at 88.5-3 serves the dedicated public radio news listener with programming not available on the flagship channel, including extended BBC news coverage and NPR's Talk of the Nation. Our groundbreaking partnership with AAA-public station WTMD continues on this station, where we'll continue to air WTMD's funky, eclectic blend of rock, country rock, blues, folk, and world music, weekdays from midnight to 5 a.m., and weekends from 7 p.m.-5 a.m.
Can I receive the three HD channels everywhere that I can hear WAMU 88.5?
Unfortunately, not necessarily: The current digital HD system was designed to offer a service that permits receiving the analog FM signal along with the new digital signals. This requires a careful balance by engineers to establish the power of the digital channels so as to maximize coverage without interference to the existing analog service. Luckily, it takes much less power for a digital signal to cover a specific listening area than its analog equivalent. In order to provide side-by-side analog and digital service in the FM broadcast band, the power of the digital signals is only 1/100th the power of the analog signal. The WAMU 88.5 analog signal has a power of 50,000 watts. Our three-channel digital service has a power of only 500 watts.
Nonetheless, most listeners within the greater WAMU 88.5 listening area have reported good results in receiving our digital signals. Our intention is to share the experiences and recommendations of our engineers and listeners who can suggest ways to successfully receive the WAMU 88.5 digital channels.
Take a look at the coverage map of the WAMU 88.5 signal. The map gives a general idea of where successful reception is possible. As listeners from farther locations try to receive our signal, special techniques may be required to obtain a strong signal.
Expected range for receiving WAMU-2 and WAMU-3
Green: Works with included antenna;
Yellow and Pink: May need an outdoor antenna;
Blue: Difficult, may be possible with outdoor antenna & amplifier;
Gray: Out of signal area
A larger version of the map is available for download (PDF, 1.1MB).
Anecdotal experience from listeners and our engineers thus far suggests that listeners within the strong signal area contour on the map should be able to receive an excellent signal with a properly placed indoor dipole antenna. Factors which will affect successful reception include whether or not a listener's location has a direct line-of-site to the WAMU 88.5 transmitter, located on the campus of American University in northwest Washington, D.C., at Massachusetts Avenue and Nebraska Avenue. Generally speaking, locating any FM radio, including an HD radio, on the side of the building facing the transmitter and as high as possible will yield the best results.
An important factor to remember is that an analog FM signal fades gradually as the distance from the transmitter increases. The signal becomes noisier and there is more interference. With a purely digital signal, there will be either perfect sound or no sound. In a strong signal area, the signal will be excellent: no fading, no pops, clicks or hiss, but as the signal drops below a threshold level, the signal disappears completely. In addition, when tuning to a digital signal, it can take up to five seconds to capture the signal so there are several seconds of silence before the station is heard.
To minimize this problem, the HD technology is designed to first capture the analog signal and gently blend to the digital signal when you tune to a station broadcasting its main channel in HD. In areas where the digital signal falls below this critical level, our main channel, WAMU 88.5, reverts to the analog signal. However, the additional digital channels do not have a corresponding analog signal. Therefore, when the signal falls below a certain level on WAMU-2 or WAMU-3, the station will go silent. It may alternate between full sound and no sound depending on the actual signal level. It is important for our listeners to understand this difference between reception of the WAMU 88.5 main channel signal and the WAMU-2 and WAMU-3 digital signals.
I bought an HD radio but I'm having trouble hearing the WAMU 88.5 digital channels.
We suggest you first take a look at our coverage map and determine how close to the limit of the primary signal contour you are. If you are relatively close to our transmitter check the following:
Did your HD radio come with a dipole antenna?
A dipole antenna can be identified by its shape. It is in the form of a T.
Dipole antennas are inexpensive and available at many electronic retail stores. A dipole antenna captures an FM signal much better than a simple piece of wire. It also receives signals primarily located 90 degrees to the direction of the extended T portion of the antenna.
Using the coverage map, determine the approximate direction of the WAMU 88.5 transmitter, and point the dipole antenna 90 degrees to the direction of the transmitter. Usually the higher the dipole is mounted, the better the reception, and you may need to experiment with several locations. Connect the leads of the antenna to the antenna terminals on the back of the HD radio.
Tune in to either WAMU-2 or WAMU-3 and listen for awhile to ensure you have a strong signal that can be consistently received.
I am still having problems receiving the WAMU 88.5 digital signals.
Sometimes relocating the receiver or even trying a connection to a TV antenna or rabbit ears will bring in the signal. Some listeners report that they have found an amplified indoor antenna works for them. However, in many cases the amplified antenna overloads, and interference from nearby strong stations prevents reception of distant stations.
If this does not produce an acceptable signal and you are a passionate listener to WAMU 88.5, then it may be necessary to obtain an FM antenna to be mounted in your attic or outside on the roof. FM antennas vary in size and cost depending on the number and type of elements designed to bring in distant signals.
An example of a typical FM antenna
They are available at some local electronic stores or online. You may need to get assistance for the selection of the antenna and its installation from a professional installer.
I'd like to listen to WAMU's Bluegrass Country and WAMU-3 in my car. What's involved?
Those of us who have installed an HD radio in our cars have been very pleased with the results. Not only can we hear WAMU's Bluegrass Country and WAMU-3, we also hear WAMU 88.5's main signal without multipath distortion – the pops, clicks, and distortion often heard when driving near tall buildings and in hilly areas.
Installing a new radio seems daunting to some; others like their current factory-installed radios. Professional installers available at stores like Best Buy can complete a professional installation of an "after-market" radio such as an HD Radio from JVC or Kenwood in a couple of hours. Templates are available for most car models so the finished installation makes the new HD radio look like it was factory-installed.
Two radio currently endorsed by NPR Engineering that are capable of receiving the extra WAMU 88.5 channels are the JVC KD-HDR1 and the Kenwood KTC-HR100 TR tuner box with KDC-MP625 head unit.
BMW recently announced a factory-installed HD radio options for their 2008 models. It's likely to take several years for a significant number of auto makers to include HD radios in their models. For those who can't wait, the radios mentioned here are great additions to the listening experience in your car.
Any other suggestions?
Several listeners in outlying areas with some technical savvy have added an antenna preamplifier to increase the WAMU 88.5 signal even more. This approach is most effective when the preamplifier is mounted near the antenna. Some experimentation may be needed and results aren't guaranteed. Consider ordering outdoor antennas and amplifiers from a store that has a return policy.
Where can I get more information about receiving HD Radio on WAMU 88.5?
After reading this FAQ, feel free to contact us with your questions. Also, we'd like to hear from you about your experience with digital reception.
Where can I get more general information about HD Radio?
For a complete listing of currently available models, go to ibiquity.com. Many Washington, D.C., area vendors currently stock HD Radios, including Best Buy and Radio Shack. Online vendors like Crutchfield also sell HD Radios.
If you'd like your purchase of an HD Radio to benefit WAMU 88.5, you can purchase it from Amazon.com using this link, or purchase it from Radiosophy using this link, and a percentage of the sale will benefit the station.
