Digital HD Radio and Analog Translators

by Ed McDade

Digital HD Radio and analog translators.

In our last blog we skimmed the surface of HD radio in relation to FM broadcast.  Today I want to expand that discussion in the direction of acquiring an analog translator using an HD signal.

The basics

According to an Inside Radio article from June of 2018 there are nearly 2,200 stations broadcasting in HD. Out of those signals 1,950 are multicasting (more than one HD channel), 1458 HD2 channels, 470 HD3 channels and 72 HD4 channels.  HD1, by default, broadcasts the FM analog signal which means that HD2, HD3, and HD4 are additional formats.

In many cases owners of HD stations have applied for and received analog translator frequencies so portions of the HD coverage area can listen to an HD format without the need of a HD radio.  In some cases the owners of the HD station will lease an HD channel to another party who could also apply for an analog translator.

Does my market have an HD station?

One of the best resources for this information is www.hdradio.com.  All you need to do is click on the location icon on the upper right of the webpage, enter your zip code and look to see how many HD statins are available in your area. The webpage will display the frequency and how many HD carriers are already licensed for the primary station. Now that you know what is available you can make contact with the station owner to see if there is an interest in leasing an HD channel.  Some stations will only be broadcasting with HD1.  That can be a good thing because with the purchase of additional equipment (and of course licensing fees) you could “add” additional channels to the primary station allowing you to broadcast on their HD2 channel.

What’s First?

The first thing you want to do after you have found an HD channel is to determine if there are any FM analog frequencies available for the market you wish to broadcast in.  For instance, if you living in Hendersonville NC and did the HD search on hdradio.com you would see that as of today there are 13 HD music stations, 4 HD news talk stations and 1 HD sports station. None of these stations are licensed to Hendersonville, they are all in larger metro areas but Hendersonville is in the coverage area of the primary station.  This means that if you wanted to broadcast to the Hendersonville area with an analog translator you now know it might be possible.

Now that you have some possibilities of HD the next step is to see if there are any FM frequencies available for Hendersonville by contacting a consulting firm for a frequency and coverage study.  A frequency study to see if anything is available and a coverage study to see if the signal would be worth your time and expense on proceeding.

What about coverage area?

Translators for HD channels are treated the same as “Fill In” stations.  Meaning that you could get 250 watts effective radiated power.  This does not mean that you will automatically get the maximum power, it means that the application process for the engineering portion would be treated the same as a “Fill In” translator. Directional antennas are allowed and power levels up to 250 watts are allowed.

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