HD Radio can double a station’s broadcast options.
In 2000, the consortium and Lucent Digital Radio joined to became iBiquity Digital Corporation, and the first commercial installations of HD Radio employing iBiquity’s proprietary IBOC technology took place in 2003.
These digital signals eliminate the static, hiss, pops and fades associated with today’s radio caused by conditions known as multipath, noise and interference.
iBiquity Digital completed indepth interference studies on the AM and FM bands, performed comprehensive channel characterizations, conducted countless simulations using real world data and logged over 75,000 hours of over-the-air tests on numerous radio stations.
Using this research, iBiquity Digital designed its IBOC technology to bring the benefits of digital audio broadcasting to today’s radio while preventing interference to the “host” analog station and stations on adjacent channels.
The system employs multiple digital signaling techniques, such as redundant sidebands, blend, first adjacent cancellation and code and power combining.
iBiquity Digital’s IBOC technology allows consumers to receive a digital broadcast of their favorite program at the same place on the dial where they currently tune in to receive the analog version.
IBOC technology makes use of the existing AM and FM band (In-Band) by adding digital carriers to a radio station’s analog signal, allowing broadcasters to transmit digitally on their existing channel assignments (On-Channel).
A station will convert to HD Radio technology and begin transmitting a simultaneous analog and digital signal, known as the “Hybrid Mode.”
Current analog radios will continue to receive the analog portion of the broadcast. New digital radios will receive both the new digital signal and the analog signal.
As a licensing agency, iBiquity Digital transfers its technology through manufacturers of both transmission and receiving equipment.
iBiquity Digital’s engineer, David Twyman, placing magnetic shields on one of their RFU units.