From: cee@wshb.csms.com ( HBS/WSHB Sr Station Mgr)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.shortwave
Subject: Re: Are major broadcasters using SSB?
Date: 13 Oct 92 14:54:25 GMT
Organization: WSHB, Herald Broadcasting Syn., Inc., Cypress Creek, SC, USA

In article <1992Oct9.210016.8242@udel.edu> hanavin@huey.udel.edu (Chuck Hanavin) writes:
>
>Besides the advantage of spectrum conservation, ssb with reduced carrier
> or no carrier, will save a considerable amount of electricity. One
>of the VOA 500kw transmitters wastes 250 thousand watts in the carrier
>alone. Times that by 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and the number of
>transmitters operating, and that adds up to a lot of wasted energy. A
>station could save enough money in one year to pay for the cost of a ssb
>transmitter and probally alot more.


	It's not quite that simple, I' afraid.  First off, most new trans-
mitters now utilize some sort of carrier level control, dependent upon the
audio signal being carried, so that power consumption is already reduced. This
is independent of SSB operation.  And not many HF broadcasters operate all
of their transmitters 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, so the payback will
be stretched out by this as well.
	And modifying some transmitters is totally out of the question, due
to age.  They would have to be completely replaced, and believe me, new
transmitters are NOT CHEAP !


>On the recieving end, Beat frequency ocillators do not cost a lot of money.
>a bfo can be added to any radio externaly. An oscillator at the either the
>received frequency or the I. F. (+- 1khz) can be used to beat aqainst the
>incoming signal and demodulate the SSB signal. Granted this is not the
>best method, but it wont cost alot.

	This is an answer, I suppose.  But just how are the millions of SW
listeners in developing countries going to recieve this "additions," much
less install them properly.  Please remember that the vast majority of the
audiences the HF broadcasters reach are not the "technoids" that we here on
rec.radio.shortwave are, nor do they have the resources that many of us do.
They have spent already a considerable portion of their income for the radio
they now use, and it works fine.  You can't just say to them, "OK, now it's
time to spend more money if you want to continue to listen to us."



>If all the major sw broadcasters switch over ssb, there will be lots of
>cheap bfo's on the market, as well as, cheap japanese sw sets with the
>added bfo.
>WB3FJJ

	Again, in my opinion, I think this is incorrect.  The major market
is that of the receiver manufacturer.  This manufacturer has to see a 
positive market for cheap SSB receivers BEFORE there will be any push for
the major HF broadcasters to spend a lot of money on SSB transmitters.
And again, don't overlook DAB, digital Audio Broadcasts.  There are many in
the HF broadcast industry that have strong feelings that this new technology
will just leap-frog the SSB question entirely.  DAB is the area that the
receiver manufacturers are waiting for.
ED 


-- 
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C. Ed Evans, Senior Station Manager, HBS * cee@wshb.csms.com * +1 803 625-5555
WSHB, Cypress Creek, SC * WCSN, Scotts Corner, ME * KHBI, Saipan, Mariana Isl.
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Newsgroups: rec.radio.shortwave