Fred's Head from APH: Accessible HD Radio
Digital radio broadcasting has been a slowly emerging technology over the
past several years. This technology, similarly to its television
counterpart, promises to deliver richer sound as well as affording stations
the opportunity to multiplex programming. Multiplexing means that a station
can transmit multiple audio streams on their parent frequency. Take, for
example, the local NPR affiliate here in Baltimore. In addition to their
primary programming on the standard FM channel, 88.1MHz, they also
transmit,
on one of their subchannels, the BBC World Service.Most digital radios,
commonly referred to as HD radios, rely on a visual display to identify the
frequency and any "HD" subchannel being received. Most of these radios, as
with many consumer electronics devices, are not natively accessible to
blind
users. Enter the Dice Electronics ITR100A. This tabletop style radio
provides spoken feedback, in an easy to understand female voice, for all
functions and commands.There are a minimal number of controls on the
ITR100A. Buttons for Power, Mode (AM/FM/Auxiliary), preset channels 1-6,
and
a dedicated Radio Reading Service scan button, along with knobs for
changing
the volume and active channel are all the necessary controls to operate the
unit.When turned on, turning the frequency selection control one or two
clicks will move the radio .2HKz, or, if an HD channel is being received,
one subchannel. Repeatedly turning this knob will instruct the radio to
"seek", skipping frequencies where it does not find a strong signal. If the
tuning knob is not touched for approximately two seconds, the radio will
interrupt the program to announce the frequency, the HD subchannel if
present, and if provided by the HD broadcast, the call letters of the
active
station.Pressing any of the buttons on the radio will yield an announcement
as to the action taken. For example. Pressing preset 1, the radio announces
that it is switching to preset 1, followed by frequency information for
that
subchannel. Holding down a preset for about 2 seconds will save the active
channel in the memory, and an announcement to that effect will be
spoken.Speech is also provided to set both the clock, and the alarm. When
the alarm goes off, the radio will announce the time and begin playing the
active radio station.This radio also includes the capability to receive
Radio Reading Service broadcasts. Pressing the RRS scan button will begin
scanning the active band, AM or FM, for a Radio Reading Service signal.
Note
that this feature may require you to register our radio's serial number
with
the RRS, if this is the case, hold down the RRS button for 2wo seconds and
the serial number will be spoken.For those interested in exploring the
world
of digital radio, the Dice ITR100A is an accessible, easy-to-use, radio
that
will get you started. ©2010 All Rights Reserved
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