Classical Radio Returns to St. Louis

kentj1948 · « **on:** 4 Apr 2012, 06:39 pm »

Today's Post Dispatch (3-4-12) has an article regarding the return of classical music to the FM dial. The Radio Arts Foundation, a group who provided much financial support to KFUO and failed in their attempt to buy it, are planning a classical PUBLIC radio station by early June. The station, whose frequency and call letters haven't been determined, will not have the endless succession or commercials for retirement homes, nursing homes, and funeral homes that made KFUO so irritating to listen to. Another benefit of going public will be more flexibility in programming as there are no sponsors to appease. The station will feature analog FM broadcasts, HD stereo, and Internet streaming. Most of the personnel running it will be familiar names/voices from Classic 99.

Here is the link to Stltoday.com.

http://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/arts-and-theatre/classical-music-radio-may-soon-return-to-st-louis/article_7bf3a6cc-5d6d-5c83-9d8c-43e035cf44af.html

If anyone has any additional information, please update this article.

I do not have a good analog tuner any more. Is anyone listening via a HD tuner? What is your experience with it? What is a good brand to purchase?

Kent Johnson

Mitsuman · « **Reply #1 on:** 4 Apr 2012, 06:50 pm »

I heard Radio Rich from KHITS 96 say today that in June they will launch a KHITS 2 HD station that will play nothing but classical. Anyone else here this as well?

macrojack · « **Reply #2 on:** 4 Apr 2012, 07:03 pm »

Kent - I have one of these:

http://www.zwee.com/gadgets/audio-and-ipod-gadgets/sony-xdrf1hd-hd-radio/

While it is not state of the art sound, it is very good and it will pull in stations you did not know were available.
DougS, our resident tuna expert, claims that the sound can be greatly enhanced by the addition of a tube buffer.

Barring that, I have an Amber Seven tuner I would sell you.

Insofar as I am in western Colorado, I can't tell you anything about the proposed station.

youravhandyman · « **Reply #3 on:** 4 Apr 2012, 07:42 pm »

There is already a classical station on 90.7 HD3. Kent, if you have a smartphone you can get the Tune-in radio app and listen now. I'm sure this has nothing to do with the reported new station but at least you don't have to wait long. Also available on the web.

PM me if you would like me to check my suppliers for a quality component HD/FM tuner

kentj1948 · « **Reply #4 on:** 4 Apr 2012, 09:58 pm »

I spent (wasted) the afternoon looking around to see what is out there in the way of HD tuners. I can't see buying an analog tuner since I know the reception problems I have here at this location. The bad news is that the Sony XDRF1HD is discontinued and the prices for used ones are in the $200-300 and up range. The Sangean HDT-1X is also discontinued as is the Insignia NS-HDTUNE. This pretty much takes care of all HD tuners that were at or below the $200 range. The exception is the COBY HDR650, which is available and can be purchased for about $100 and up, depending upon dealer. I decided to try one via Amazon for $99. The reviews of this tuner fall into the categories of great or junk so it will be interesting to see how it works out. I don't have good analog reception where I live, HD may not prove to be any better. Now that I have bought a tuner, they better not change their minds about returning the classical station.

KJ

macrojack · « **Reply #5 on:** 4 Apr 2012, 10:15 pm »

Look for that Sony tuner on eBay. I have a Kenwood KT 917 analog tuner with a nine gang tuning capacitor. It is widely regarded as one of the better Japanese tuners from the golden era. It will not even bring static when I try to tune KVNF in Paonia, Co. Mountains between me and the station are too much for it. I bought the little Sony because of its reputation for capturing faint signals. And I learned that that rep was well deserved. It brings my station to me all day every day clear as a bell.

You could also try these guys: http://www.zwee.com/gadgets/audio-and-ipod-gadgets/sony-xdrf1hd-hd-radio/
Sony XDR-F1HD is what you want - don't rest until you find one.

kentj1948 · « **Reply #6 on:** 5 Apr 2012, 02:13 pm »

Zwee.com shows the tuner but they don't actually have any for sale. Quite a few sites also list it but don't actually have it. I greatly appreciate the information and will keep my eyes open for one used. Best, Kent

doug s. · « **Reply #7 on:** 5 Apr 2012, 05:36 pm »

well... the sony xdr-f1hd is certainly the reception champ. and, its sonics can certainly be improved by running a tube buffer between it and your preamp. (necessary even if you have a tube preamp.) and, mike williams, over at radio-x tuners, can mod them; supposedly makes a big sonic difference; i have never heard a modified xdr.

but, from my experience w/the tube-buffered xdr, and from other's experiences w/the modded units, the sonics still do not compare to the sonics of a good analog (even if digitally synthesized) tuna. if you are a serious listener of quality fm broadcasts, the xdr won't do it for you. but if you insist, and insist on using an xdr as your sole fm source, one mod i would absolutely recommend is the one that forces it into analog - analog sounds much better than hd, and if a station broadcasts in hd, the stock xdr does not allow you to listen to the analog signal w/o that mod.

yes, the costs of the xdr have shot up - over $200 is typical. yust last week, i sold a 2nd xdr i owned on ebay - it was n.i.b. i bought it thinking i'd get it modded, but basically decided it wasn't worth it, so i decided to let it go, taking adwantage of the recent "feeding frenzy" prices on them. i sold it for an amazing $544!?!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/140728089817

i would definitely not recommend paying more than $100 for any hd tuna - the sonics are simply not worth it. i'd recommend the xdr only to someone who was into dx'ing as a hobby, or to someone w/truly abominable reception conditions, where, even w/a yagi antenna, they cannot get decent reception. there is a plethora of tuna under $200 - even under $100 - that will offer much better sonics, and still excellent reception, if not quite up to the level of the sony xdr-f1hd. better to inwest the extra money in a decent antenna.

where i presently live, most all the stations i listen to are 40-50 miles away; i was able to receive all but one perfectly, w/all my analog tunas, w/a simple cheap wire dipole taped to the ceiling of my 2nd story carriage house abode. all except one, which, a few times a week, would become noisy, even w/my best refurb'd/aligned analog tunas. it was on these occasions that i would use the xdr. then, one tuna, the rotel rht-10, when aligned and modded, changed that interwal from 2-3 times per week to 1-2 times per months. this rare tuna has better reception - after alignment - than any other of my tunas, except for the xdr. (its sonics also were dramatically improved, but it was modded as well as aligned; this likely also helped.) its less expensive cousin, the (also rare) rt-990bx, will perform as well, as they're wery close to being the same tuna inside. but, these tunas must be aligned for best results - my rht-10 was no better at reception than my other tunas before it was serviced. then, after way too much procrastination, i finally connected a cheap ($30) yagi, mounted in the attic of my abode. (i rent, so this precludes a roof mount yagi antenna on a rotor.) since then, i have not used the xdr at all, as all my tunas no longer have any issues w/this one problem station.

was that long-winded enough for y'all?

doug s.

doug s. · « **Reply #8 on:** 5 Apr 2012, 05:38 pm »

Quote from: macrojack on 4 Apr 2012, 10:15 pm

Look for that Sony tuner on eBay. I have a Kenwood KT 917 analog tuner with a nine gang tuning capacitor. It is widely regarded as one of the better Japanese tuners from the golden era. It will not even bring static when I try to tune KVNF in Paonia, Co. Mountains between me and the station are too much for it. I bought the little Sony because of its reputation for capturing faint signals. And I learned that that rep was well deserved. It brings my station to me all day every day clear as a bell.

You could also try these guys: http://www.zwee.com/gadgets/audio-and-ipod-gadgets/sony-xdrf1hd-hd-radio/
Sony XDR-F1HD is what you want - don't rest until you find one.

macro, have you tried your kt-917 hooked up to a roof-mounted yagi antenna?

doug s.

macrojack · « **Reply #9 on:** 5 Apr 2012, 08:55 pm »

Doug-
The two stations I would like to receive are both 100 miles away. Moab is out of the question but Paonia has a repeater at the east end of our valley. There is no line of sight so I have no clue how the little XDR pulls it off. My car radios, all of them, can pull it in too. But the mothership Kenwood is unable. I don't care enough to buy and install a lightning rod of an antenna up on my roof. What I have works well enough.

However, selling my $75 tuner for $544 has a certain appeal. This I cannot deny.
Next step for me, unless I move away from here will probably be internet radio. I'm much more concerned with program quality than sound quality. Sometimes, out here in the boonies, you have to make those kind of choices.

doug s. · « **Reply #10 on:** 5 Apr 2012, 11:34 pm »

Quote from: macrojack on 5 Apr 2012, 08:55 pm

Doug-
The two stations I would like to receive are both 100 miles away. Moab is out of the question but Paonia has a repeater at the east end of our valley. There is no line of sight so I have no clue how the little XDR pulls it off. My car radios, all of them, can pull it in too. But the mothership Kenwood is unable. I don't care enough to buy and install a lightning rod of an antenna up on my roof. What I have works well enough.

However, selling my $75 tuner for $544 has a certain appeal. This I cannot deny.
Next step for me, unless I move away from here will probably be internet radio. I'm much more concerned with program quality than sound quality. Sometimes, out here in the boonies, you have to make those kind of choices.

here's a couple yagi's, that if painted white, and ceiling mounted, (or simply placed in the attic, as i have done), might be worthwhile:
http://www.amazon.com/Winegard-HD-6000-FM-Digital-Antenna/dp/B001NG24GI

(great deal; comes w/50' of coax):
http://www.summitsource.com/product_info.php?ref=1&products_id=8115

here's a great internet radio station for you to try:
http://tunein.com/radio/Lat-R5-NABASaeima-931-s48034/
http://www.radionaba.lv/
http://www.radionaba.lv/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1365&Itemid=98

doug s.

no1maestro · « **Reply #11 on:** 6 Apr 2012, 01:33 am »

I was one of those who fought to keep KFUO here in town but the Lutheran Church and their lawyer, Kermit, won out. On their last day of broadcast I was at the studio and talking with some of the powers that be about their future. They kept the equipment and the library and were somewhat upbeat about coming back in the future in one format or another. In the meantime they were streaming their programming on the net.

I was lucky enough to come up with a Sangean tuner so that I could pull in KWMU3 on HD. I have been quite satisfied with this tuner although the signal could be improved. I look forward to having another to select from and I hope the organization can pull it together.

doug s. · « **Reply #12 on:** 8 Apr 2012, 03:27 am »

follow up to what a nice antenna can do - my attic-mounted, (laid on a box in the attic), $30 yagi antenna allowed me to get noise-free stereo reception in the day time, w/a wintage tube tuna, on a station prewiously difficult for even my best-reception s/s analog tunas:

this is a kick-ass sounding tuna, up there w/my most expensive s/s units.

doug s.

michaelhigh · « **Reply #13 on:** 11 Apr 2012, 12:22 am »

I have the Sony XDRF1-HD, and I feel really lucky I got in before the prices went crazy for used/discontinued/remaining stock. I listen to KMOX on FM (102.5 HD 3) and it blows me away, best I ever heard the Cardinals! I listen to KSHE 2 (94.7 HD 2), best classic rock/eclectic programming ever. Overall, it does certainly live up to the hype. When I read a years-long thread on AK I pulled the trigger for $85 right before it got scarce! This is one of the best new gear purchases, dolllar for dollar that I've ever made. Too bad, anyone who missed out. I love radio and this was a no-brainer after all the good reviews I read all over the web. Good luck with your search!