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A lot of questions, I know, but I am very interested in your first hand experiences.


I finally got my HD Radio/CD head unit installed (JVC KD-HDR1). After a couple rides in the car here's what I've noticed:

The Bad:

HD reception is no where near as good as FM. At least on the head unit I have and with my minimal understanding of HD Radio I don't think HD reception can surpass FM. Regular FM reception is about average. In my experience HD only kicks in when you're within 3/4 of the max. FM range. For the HD1 channel this is OK. The HD1 channel broadcasts the same signal as FM. So when HD kicks out the radio automatically switches you to FM. However if you are on one of the other HD channels that broadcasts a different signal (often a different format from the primary station), and are in a spotty reception area, instead of getting noise (like FM) the signal totally blanks out. This can be real annoying. With FM I can tolerate a little noise but with HD you'll be "rock'in out" and then silence. Then a few seconds, or minutes, it kicks back in.

The Good:

So far all the new HD channels (all channels above HD1) are commercial free. I know this will not last but it sure is nice so far. In my area there are about 10 or so new stations. The quality seems good with no noise and a flat audio frequency transmission. I haven't had time to sit in the car and really take notice of the quality but it sounds good so far. While most HD Radios are very pricey (IMO) I got the JVC KD-HDR1 head unit for $160 from Crutchfield. This also has a CD player that will play about all formats and a remote. Compared to the cost of a used empeg tuner that will not play CD's (duu), and does not get HD, I'm happy. I just wish I had a good place to mount it.