KAZU HD2 Digital: How to listen and what you will hear

KAZU HD2 CLASSICAL   KAZU has relaunched its digital Classical Music service. To listen you'll need a radio capable of receiving digital radio signals--an HD Radio. KAZU HD2 offers classical music 24/7. We also hope to offer a web stream soon. Here's what you need to know about HD Radio. What is HD Radio broadcasting? HD Radio is the biggest technological development in radio since stereo came to FM in the early 1960s. It allows any FM station to broadcast as many as three, crystal-clear digital audio channels within the same FM channel as its main analog broadcast signal. HD Radio also gives stations the capacity to send text information about programming, weather, traffic conditions, and emergency alerts. What's the difference between satellite radio, webcasting and HD Radio technology? Satellite radio is a subscription service that requires users to pay fees for content delivered to them from networks of satellites. Listening to a webcast requires a connection to the Internet, which typically involves a monthly charge. In contrast, HD Radio signals are available without any sort of fee or subscription. You only need to purchase an HD receiver, available at all major electronics retailers. Of course, as is the case with KAZU's main broadcast service, there are costs associated with broadcasting our KAZU HD2 Digital Classical service--costs which we look to offset with voluntary contributions from listeners. How do I listen to HD Radio broadcasting? Listening to HD Radio programming requires two things - a station that has converted its signal to HD Radio technology (which KAZU has done) and a receiver that picks up the digital signal. You can find information about HD Radio receivers here: www.hd-radio.com. How is HD Radio different from the digital radio I've heard in other countries? In the 1990s and early this decade many countries rolled out new digital radio services, sometimes on a new set of frequencies outside of the "conventional" AM and FM bands. The digital radio standard in Europe is known as DAB or "Eureka 147." Another digital FM system is known as FMeXtra. A different digital transmission system was established for AM called DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale.) However, U.S. broadcasters preferred to encode digital signals in the existing radio bands so that older radios would remain usable--a proprietary system that's known as HD Radio. This means that a digital radio receiver you might have acquired in another country won't receive HD signals. Wikipedia offers a comprehensive overview about the evolution and politics of digital radio here. HD Radio is a trademark of iBiquity Digital Corporation