Mode HD Radio

HD Radio: the digital part of hybrid FM and AM stations.

Group	Broadcast radio
Default frequency	98.5 MHz
Default sample rate	2 Msps
In the mode list	USA, FM and AM

Step-by-step: Tutorial-HD-Radio

What HD Radio is

HD Radio (IBOC) adds digital sidebands to FM and AM broadcasts, mainly in the United States.

Frequencies and settings

Setting	Value
Start frequency	98.5 MHz
Tuning range of the mode table	0.52 to 108 MHz
Sample rate asked	2 Msps
Channel width	400 kHz

OnAir takes any frequency you type; the numbers above are the mode's starting point and the range its table describes. In the app the shortcut label is USA, FM and AM.

What OnAir shows

HD Radio (NRSC-5) digital sidebands of FM and AM stations (USA).

The mode's own tab has these screens: Station, Data, Signal. The other tabs (Overview, Receiver, Scan, History) are described on the Main window page.

Tips and caveats

• Checked with generated signals and impairments; recordings of real signals welcome.
• Which radio: Usually yes for narrowband signals: an RTL-SDR tunes roughly 24 MHz to 1.7 GHz at up to about 2.4 Msps. Wide signals such as TV channels need a faster radio, and OnAir says next to the source what the selected radio can do.
• Try it without a radio: most modes include a built-in synthetic test signal, so you can open the screen and try the controls first.
• Receiving and the law: Receiving broadcast radio is legal in most countries. OnAir cannot decode encrypted services. See Legal.

Related pages

• All modes, Broadcast radio
• Supported radios, Troubleshooting, FAQ
• More in Broadcast radio: DAB / DAB+, FM, DRM, CDR