Jim,

AM stereo would have been a great idea if it had happened in the early '60s, 
but by the time it came along, FM stereo was thoroughly entrenched, and AM 
stereo was just another case of too little too late.

Steve

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jim Gammon" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, July 14, 2013 02:30
Subject: Re: Off Topic: HD Radio In New Vehicle


>I have had a Sony HD Am Fm radio for some time now, and agree
> with what Mike and all have said here.  I have no experience with
> the newer HD models.  When I first got my HD radio, I tried to
> pick up KNX, 1070 in LA from the San Francisco area where I live.
> Although I can and could hear it fine, it never would go to HD
> mode because the signal just wasn't strong enough no matter what
> kind of antenna I used.  The strongest HD Am station I can get
> where I live is KCBS.  After a couple seconds, the high
> frequencies improve and the audio just sounds more like Fm.  My
> other experience with Am was when we had a car with an Am stereo
> radio in it.  In that case, You could get stereo on weak stations
> when the signals were strong, but when they faded down, the
> station would become mono again.  In my opinion, the separation
> was never that good on Am stereo.  I was really surprised when I
> heard our local baseball team, the Oakland A's in stereo on Am.
> The only thing that you really could get was the crowd noise in
> stereo, but it was cool.  Other than that, I think Am stereo is a
> waste and I  apologize for diverting this off topic to even more
> off topic.  Jim WA6EKS.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Tom Behler <[log in to unmask]
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Date sent: Sat, 13 Jul 2013 20:49:11 -0400
> Subject: Re: Off Topic:  HD Radio In New Vehicle
>
> Steve:
>
> Thanks much for the clarifications.
>
> The radio has the usual tuning knob, so it will be easy for me to
> experiment
> with when we get into an HD radio area again.
>
> And, I never even thought to try it on A M.
>
> I guess I've always been turned off to digital A M radio because
> of the
> limits it puts on A M D X ing at night, but I suppose the cleaner
> audio
> could be easier on the ears.
>
> Anyway, I appreciate your and everyone's help with this, and will
> let you
> know what I find in my future explorations.  Of course, I can't
> do it hear
> in my town, so things may have to be delayed a bit.
>
> Tom Behler: KB8TYJ
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Steve Dresser" <[log in to unmask]
> To: <[log in to unmask]
> Sent: Saturday, July 13, 2013 8:14 PM
> Subject: Re: Off Topic: HD Radio In New Vehicle
>
>
> Tom,
>
> Tune to the main frequency of the station you have in mind.
> After a few
> seconds, the radio will acquire the HD signal if there is one.
> Your XYL
> will be able to tell by the display, but you may hear a subtle
> change in
> the
> audio (usually a slight stutter) as the HD locks on.  If you're
> doing this
> on AM, the audio will become a lot sharper and clearer (unless
> there's
> static or noise, in which case you won't be able to acquire the
> HD).
> Getting back to FM, since that's the only place where you'll
> find stations
> with more than one HD subprogram, once the HD has been acquired,
> press the
> Up button (or tune clockwise one click if the radio has a tuning
> knob) to
> get to the HD2 subchannel, and continue the process to get to
> subsequent
> channels.  In most cases, HD2 is the limit, but you may find an
> occasional
> station with HD3.  If you go past the maximum number of
> channels, you'll
> hear the familiar white noise that happens between stations.
>
> Steve
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Tom Behler" <[log in to unmask]
> To: <[log in to unmask]
> Sent: Saturday, July 13, 2013 19:03
> Subject: Off Topic: HD Radio In New Vehicle
>
>
> Hi, all.
>
> Well, the xyl and I regularly lease our vehicles, and today we
> picked up
> our
> newest one.
>
> I was interested to learn that the radio in the vehicle has HD
> radio.
>
> This is not helpful in the semi-rural part of Michigan where we
> live, but
> could be interesting to experiment with when we are traveling to
> larger
> metropolitan areas.
>
> But, my question is this:
>
> How do you access the given HD radio stations?
>
> I know that many stations have their main frequency (say 99.5
> FM), but
> how
> do you access their HD sub-channels for other program
> selections?
>
> Do you start on the main frequency for the given station, and
> then go
> from
> there?  Or, does it depend on how the given radio is set up?
>
> I know this is off topic, so please respond off list to:
>
> [log in to unmask]  if you have some suggestions.
>
> Of course, the radio in the new vehicle also has XM/Serious
> satellite,
> which
> I'm really going to have to be careful not to get addicted to,
> since we
> only
> have a four-month trial subscription.  Sure is tempting, though,
> due to
> the
> terrific program variety selection, and no commercials!!
> (smile)
>
> Tom Behler: KB8TYJ, Big Rapids, MI
>