Mapping of FM and HD Radio Coverage Brian Casey, Leandro Franca, and Thomas Shanks March 9, 2009

2 Project Summary Determine the actual radio reception quality and RF level throughout the coverage area Measure audio quality with and without IBOC (HD Radio®) present to determine if IBOC has an affect on the analog coverage Station can use the data to determine if target audience is receiving a good audio signal Results are of interest to radio stations and the broadcast industry Cost of project, including instruments and labor, calculated to be $22,500

3 Objectives and Goals Make maps of data Show statistical information of the audio quality (mean and variance of SNR) Make maps of coverage with and without IBOC using several radios Publish results Provide service to stations

4 FM with IBOC Signal

5 Block Diagram of System BLUE 75Ω coax w/ F connector RED 50Ω coax w/ UHF connector GREEN Data connector BLACK Audio cable RCA to 1/8”

6 Software Design LabView controls the input devices and processes the audio to determine the SNR statistics. For SNR, signal measured from periodic tone and noise from silence Program is a state machine and therefore modular. LabView generates a file of the collected data to be processed and mapped after capture has been completed. Matlab will interpret the data and generate an image Image will be overlaid on a Google Earth map

7 Commercial Usage Analog and Digital Coverage and RF signal strength Audio SNR distribution maps with and without IBOC Reception quality as compared to target audience location Substantial information for advertising strategies Financial benefit to stations - FCC predicted - SW Generated low - SW Generated high

8 Driving Path Vehicle path Drive multiple times in the selected path Total path has approximately 300 miles

9 Demonstration and Acceptance Show working automated system Provide maps to customer Develop website to explain results Give presentation to peers Comparisons with NPR Labs predictions Verify system in lab Demonstrate use in field

10 Problems Limitations of software, hardware, and instrumentation Creating Matlab to generate images Time and environmental variances in RF signal Ensuring dynamic range of system Calibration of system Large coverage area

11 Schedule Software/Hardware Integration: 3/10-17 Milestone: Working System: 3/17 Calibration: 3/17-24 Milestone: Calibrated System: 3/24 Data Acquisition: 3/24-4/17 Milestone: Maps of Collected Data 4/17 Project Demonstration: Week of 4/20

12 Current Status Software component functional; ability to retrieve GPS data, audio SNR, and spectrum analyzer RF levels Integrated LabView GUI Instruments on hand: GPS, SA, DAQ, and Audio Interface Hardware on hand: Radios Hardware ordered; available week of March 9 Driving path chosen

13 Questions?