Saving AM through simulcast?

[AB5ID]

Found these articals where on-frequency boosters are being considered to save AM radio. It uses new modeling to punch through all the literal garbage noise from cheap power supplies and trash LED lights.

It could actually fix local listening in cities but it might totally wreck things for DXers. Catching skip from states away is going to be a distorted echoey mess with multiple towers.

NAB Thinks It’s Time for AM Boosters - Radio World

Research suggests 80% of AM stations in the United States could improve their quality by using single-frequency boosters to solve coverage challenges.

www.radioworld.com

AM Broadcasting Renaissance: Modeling the Next Generation of Urban Signal Boosters with AN-SOF › AN-SOF

The AM broadcasting landscape is on the verge of a major technological evolution. In the United States, the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has launched a regulatory and technical roadmap aimed at authorizing on-frequency signal boosters for the AM band. This initiative, led by David...

antennasimulator.com

 

[pjxii]

Found these articals where on-frequency boosters are being considered to save AM radio. It uses new modeling to punch through all the literal garbage noise from cheap power supplies and trash LED lights.

It could actually fix local listening in cities but it might totally wreck things for DXers. Catching skip from states away is going to be a distorted echoey mess with multiple towers.

Ironically it's a good idea that hurts us. Any idea if AM boosters are used in other parts of the world?

 

[Boombox]

Unless they're easy to erect and get FCC approval, what stations are going to build them? AM towers usually need a ground system, and all that -- the second article linked above shows some proposed simulcast tower designs -- they still seem to need ground planes.. If it's LPAM, I doubt there would be much issue for DXers. They'd be 'on frequency', i.e. the same frequency as the main transmitter. Probably would be lower power, although neither article linked above seems to mention proposed power levels.

It's a great idea, just a bit too late, I think. With the revenue issues that Radio is having, I'm just not seeing any new stations being built, except maybe some more FM translators here and there.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

There is a problem with phase distortion at the overlap. simulcast requires engineering.