Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Radio Waves Podcast #49

The bidding ends September 12 at 5 PM, but if you happen to read this beforehand, you have some extra bucks sitting around, and you always wanted to have an internet show broadcast from your house, you’re in luck.

It’s the Tom Leykis Show “Done From Your House” promotion.
Here’s how it works: Bid on eBay (item #231327278940). The winning bid, according to the item description, will “have the pleasure of hosting the internet's most listened to call-in show for one full episode at his home. In his backyard. At his kitchen table. At poolside. In his apartment.”

Leykis says that it is for a private residence only, hosted by the winner and his friends. No storefronts, no parks, no beaches ... nothing that the general public can attend. The winner agrees to have a fast internet connection (for live streaming,” and the winner cannot transfer the show to another person.

Importantly, according to the item description page, “If you're not within 500 miles of our Burbank, CA studio and the cost of getting to your place and back plus two rooms for one night in a local hotel exceeds the amount of your bid, you are responsible for the difference.”

Leykis is quite candid about the auction and the live broadcast. History in the making and “getting us closer to making a profit!” he says.

Starting bid was $9.99 at 5 PM Sunday; just four hours later, it was already up to $4050. That would cover a really nice hotel, I think ... I’ll have the winning bid and Leykis’ reaction next week.

Saving AM

While numerous people and broadcast groups give lip-service to improving the ability of AM broadcasters to compete, a “microbroadcaster” named Jeffrey Gill, who broadcasts to his local community of Shirley, Massachusetts via unlicensed but legal “Part 15” transmitters, thinks he has a real solution.

Basically, force radio manufacturers to make decent AM radio sections in their radio designs, and work to cut AM interference from products as wide ranging as traffic signals to cable boxes. Read his petition at Change.Org via this link: http://tinyurl.com/ky4ot5n

HD Problem

I enjoy your column in the Press-Telegram and learn from it. I recently bought a new car and have HD radio for the first time. I am disappointed that the HD fades in and out, causing an echo effect. This is especially noticeable on KPCC (89.3 FM), my favorite NPR station. Is it my radio or the station? Is there any solution? Thanks. -- Charlotte Egan, Long Beach

I am surprised that you are having an echo problem because I generally find that KPCC does a really nice job blending the analog and the digital HD signals. If the signals are not perfectly in time with each other, you can get an echo as the radio switches form analog to HD and back. On my truck radio, I didn’t notice any echo with KPCC, but I have on other stations.

But I do think I know what is causing the fade ... you are probably experiencing the same problem that I am in San Pedro … weather. Namely, it’s too clear.

What is happening is that the atmospheric conditions are allowing the San Diego station at 89.5 (KNPR I believe) just destroy the signal from KPCC. It happens occasionally, (more often during Summer) and often affects other stations such as KROQ as well (106.5 from San Diego trounces 106.7 on clear days). Living near the ocean, the signals just travel straight to us over the ocean with little interference and little to stop the signal. If you were inland more, you might not notice at all (plus you’d be closer to KPCC’s transmitter).

So to answer your question, it probably isn’t the radio or the antenna (though with the short antennas on many cars from the factory it can certainly be an issue). What you will probably find is that as Winter sets in and/or weather patterns change between us and San Diego, your reception will improve.

No comments:

Post a Comment