FCC proposes making all digital AM (MA3) permanent

[CAwasinNJ]

This could be HUGE. The FCC is taking up the proposal to make voluntary adoption of the all digital mode (called MA3) for AM stations a reality. Up until now it's only been possible by using an experimental license and that was not guaranteed to be renewed. As far as I know the only station trying it is WWFD in Maryland. I suspect that other owners were a little reluctant to commit to it since it is a significant expense and there was no way to know if the FCC would pull the rug out from under them. If this can get passed, the guesswork will be greatly reduced and many more stations are likely to give it a try. It's not a slam dunk of course. There's still the issue of analog radios outnumbering digital ones by about a zillion to one, but there's a decent number of digital radios out there and it seems likely that the number will increase. My biggest problem with AM digital (and FM but to a much lesser extent) has been how far away from the center frequency the digital signal extends. That problem is fixed with the MA3 mode and it extends the range of the station to boot. This seems like a Really Good Thing(tm). AM station owners that are relying on translators should (IMO) be very excited about this.

If you'd like to read the proposal it's at docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-360519A1.pdf

[amanuensis]

If this change happens, would it still allow an owner to use an FM translator or station with the AM station? If so, for those stations that already simulcast, it seems like it would be a no-brainer. Those will legacy radios could still hear the station on the FM band -- which is probably what nearly all of their listeners already do.

[CAwasinNJ]

I haven't seen anything about any changes other than the AM transmission method itself, though I haven't read through all 33 pages yet.

I'm sure that if it was as simple as wanting to that a lot of stations would. Naturally it isn't. For a station that isn't currently using the MA1 hybrid mode (which is everyone other than WWFD that has digital at all) there would almost certainly be a big expense in getting the transmission system up to spec to be able to pass the digital signal. IIRC, WWFD was already doing MA1 and they still had to do a major overhaul at considerable expense. Fortunately owner Hubbard sees this as a worthwhile experiment and is big enough that they can shell out the cash to make it happen. They don't even run commercials on the station, so there's definitely no profit. Smaller operators, especially those that are barely hanging on as it is, are going to have a tough time. There's no guarantee that they will even make back the money they spend.

There's another problem to consider too. In some cases the existing AM analog signal covers a larger area than the translator. For example, look at KALL and its 92.1 translator. I'm only up in central Davis County and the signal is very weak and not usable. AM 700 comes in loud and clear and covers from Logan to Manti at night and most of the state during the day. Granted that's a bit of an extreme example, but the point is clear.

At the very least this sets the stage going forward and gives station operators the option if they want it.

[David]

My only hope is that digital AM doesn't turn into another "let the marketplace decide" fiasco like we had with AM stereo in the 1980's. As long as it's voluntary and MA3 is compatible with analog receivers, I don't foresee any serious problems. You have to remember that AM stations are still the Primary Entry Point for emergency notifications, and making digital mandatory on AM would kill off a lot of small town stations that can't afford to upgrade. Only 20% of the U.S. population listens to AM radio on a regular basis, and I can't see all of those people buying new radios just to continue to listen.

[CAwasinNJ]

The only other digital AM system I can remember hearing of was the Kahn digital one and that's been dead for years. I don't think there's anything to worry about as far as competing systems and I don't think the FCC will allow anything like that to happen again. At least I hope they learned their lesson.

I don't think there's going to be a choice about digital AM being voluntary. To use it a station needs to pay a licensing fee and the FCC mandating that seems out of the question. As for your other condition, we're talking about an all digital system. It has zero compatibility with analog radios. That's one of the problems. Consumers will have a choice going forward just as they do now. Of the dozens of radios I have, not one can do anything with digital. Several of them aren't even stereo and a few can't even go above 1610 AM.

It's true that a lot of EAS PEP's are AM's, but there are quite a few FM's that are as well plus SiriusXM and maybe more. Even if AM's were the only choice there's no reason you couldn't build an EAS monitor box that has a digital tuner to feed the tone detector. I'll bet there are models that already do. The only thing the detector cares about is that it's getting audio. It doesn't care how it gets there.