104.9 The Fox is one of three Jonesboro Radio Group stations broadcasting in HD Radio. Our sister stations Mix 106.3 and 100.5 The Eagle also transmit HD. That means we are actually transmitting two different types of signals.
- We continue to transmit the traditional FM Stereo signal on 104.9
- We also transmit the High Definition (HD) signal on the same channel, 104.9
You may have an HD equipped radio in your vehicle and you don’t even know it.
To find out if your automobile radio is HD Radio equipped, check your owner’s manual, your sticker if your vehicle is new, or look in the FM “settings” for buttons like the one pictured above that say “HD Radio”. In many cases, this option is not automatically turned “on” by the manufacturer.
The HD Radio signal is super clean. When the HD signal is engaged, the “hiss” associated at times with the FM signal is completely missing from the signal. It is truly beautiful, and we have spent tens of thousands of dollars to make this technology available.
In addition, similar to HD Television, HD Radio allows us to transmit additional multicast channels. In the case of 104.9 The Fox, the main Fox signal is on channel 104.9-1. We are also transmitting on 104.9-2 the signal of our contemporary sister station Hot 107.5. Hot’s analog FM signal is broadcast on 107.5, but the originating HD signal is broadcast on 104.9-2. We are also transmitting on 104.9-3 the signal of our relaxing station EZ 92.7. In this case, EZ’s analog FM signal is broadcast on 92.7, but the originating HD signal is broadcast on 104.9-3.
The digital signal does not have the same robust reach as the analog signal. For that reason, when you are listening to our station, and you move into what we call the “fringe coverage area” for the digital signal, your radio will start compensating for the loss of digital signal by switching to the analog FM Stereo signal. This is normal. We work hard to make sure that what you hear while this “switching” is taking place is as seamless as possible with no timing differences. If you ever hear a timing problem, please let us know. In addition, there is no originating analog signal for the -2 or -3 stations, so when you lose the digital signal for those multicast channels, your radio will simply go silent.
We know sometimes new technology like HD Radio can be confusing. If you have any questions, or need help understanding what HD Radio is and how it works, feel free to write Trey Stafford, our general manager.
