Digital Radio Conversion Fund
FY08 Funding Cycle
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the station match policy?
A licensee may apply for a grant of up to $75,000 per transmitter converted, but the total grant can not exceed 70 percent of the total eligible digital conversion cost (see eligible cost categories below). Minority and rural stations may apply for a grant of up to $85,000 per transmitter converted, but the total grant cannot exceed 80 percent of the total eligible digital conversion cost.
A licensee that is unable to undertake and complete its digital conversion project with a grant funded by CPB at the standard funding level described above may apply to CPB for "Hardship Status". If CPB grants Hardship Status, CPB would provide additional funds beyond the standard funding level for the licensee's conversion project.
The additional CPB support for hardship stations may take the form of an increase in the CPB-funded portion of the total eligible digital conversion costs (i.e., a greater than 70 or 80 percent CPB match rate) and/or (ii) relief from the relevant $75,000 or $85,000 funding cap. CPB will tailor any additional CPB support for individual hardship cases to the circumstances presented in the licensee's hardship showing on a case-by-case basis. CPB will determine the nature and extent of hardship relief in CPB's sole discretion. However, CPB does not expect to fund any hardship grant where the CPB-funded portion of the project is in excess of (a) 85% of the total eligible project costs or (b) $110,000.
The application process for hardship status is described in more detail in the guidelines.
Licensees must provide the balance of funding ("station match") and certify that they will have sufficient funding available to complete the project from non-federal sources prior to the end of the project.
How should I begin putting an equipment list together?
There are four major vendors of HD equipment, Broadcast Electronics, Continental, Harris, and Nautel. There are several other equipment resellers that will work with you to put together an equipment package. If your existing equipment is manufactured by one of the main vendors of HD equipment start by contacting your local sales person. The sales rep can put together a list of equipment based on your needs.
How should I handle the possibility that the IBOC power level will be increased?
IBiquity and the NAB have filed with the FCC to increase the IBOC side-band power level by 10 dB. At this point, this is only a proposal. Some engineers are concerned that an across the board 10% increase may cause interference to analog reception. CPB does not know if the FCC will allow a future increase in the IBOC side-band power level. Currently, the FCC mandated IBOC injection level is 1% and any systems built now must adhere to that standard. CPB advises you to consider a possible IBOC power increase capability in the equipment you purchase. Your equipment manufacturer can help you decide on the best approach to cover a future IBOC power increase.
Has CPB arranged a discount?
Yes, each of the major vendors has agreed to discount their equipment on a package basis to CPB grant recipients. Discounts can range from 10 to 22% or more. Contact your vendor for a specific discount quote. All conversion budgets must be submitted with the vendor discount applied to each item. Applicants are required to contact manufacturers to verify the terms of all applicable discounts.
Is it okay to charge for the time of my staff engineer to install the equipment?
No, you may not claim the salaries of your own staff engineer. However, if your engineer is a qualified independent contract engineer that cost may be included in the budget.
Technical Issues
I am new to this HD stuff. How does the HD signal get transmitted?
It can be combined with the analog signal in a process called "combining", where a common antenna is used or it can be transmitted using a separate antenna.
I've heard talk about low-level and high level combining. What's the difference?
In low level combining the HD signal is combined with the analog signal at the output of your transmitter's exciter and then fed to a common amplifier for transmission. There is no need for additional equipment. Most transmitter manufacturers now have a unit that can achieve 20+ kW analog and 1% HD digital in the same transmitter. In general, low-level combined transmitters are somewhat limited in output. With regard to high-level combining, the R.F outputs from the analog transmitter and from the digital transmitter are added together in a "combiner". Standard high-level combining is an inefficient procedure and a considerable amount of heat is produced requiring increased attention to air-conditioning. Another method for combining is called the mid-level or split-level technique. This technique is more efficient than standard high-level combining, and it keeps down both the loss to heat and cost to operate. You should consult with your engineer to determine your Station's particular needs.
What about using a second antenna for the HD?
If you have the space and the capacity at your tower for a second antenna you could use it for HD transmissions. This requires using a lower power digital transmitter with its own transmission line to feed a 2nd antenna. No combining is required using this method, therefore the loss to heat can be avoided and operating costs can be reduced. Under FCC rules, second antennas must be located within three geographic seconds of the primary antenna and within 70% of the primary station's antenna height. A second antenna used for HD transmission must be licensed by the Federal Communications Commission as an "Auxiliary" transmission system. Second antennas can be built into new, and some existing antenna systems, by interlacing the HD antenna bays between the analog bays.
How much power does the HD antenna radiate?
Under current FCC rules, HD antennas radiate 1/100 of the station's licensed analog radiated power. So if you have an ERP of 100 kW and use a second antenna or an interlaced antenna you will need an HD transmitter/antenna system with an ERP of 1 kW. If your antenna has a power gain of 5, then your HD transmitter needs to have only about 200 watts. (200 watts multiplied by 5 equals 1000 watts which is 1 kilowatt.) However, in a high-level combining system, 90% of the digital power is lost to heat so that means you would need 2 kW at the HD transmitter. You should also be aware that the high-level combining process steals approximately 10% of the power from your analog transmitter, so if you use high-level combining you need to have the additional analog transmitter power to make up for the loss.
Our studio to transmitter link is analog, is that going to be a problem?
Transmission of high-quality HD radio requires digital delivery to the transmitter from the studio. If your current system is analog, you should replace it with a digital system that does not use audio compression.
Can we use our present audio processor, it's digital?
You should have a separate audio processor for your digital transmissions, since the analog processors are built around requirements that are not the same for processing digital audio. There are some existing processors that can be upgraded to digital.
Administrative Issues
How do I fill out an application?
The application is an Excel spreadsheet with formulas. Download the application spreadsheet file and fill out the application spreadsheet electronically. The application spreadsheet file includes separate tabs for instructions and worksheets. Please read the instructions before completing the application. Also prepare a separate project narrative document (in MS Word or readable with Adobe Acrobat) in accordance with the application instructions. Save the completed application spreadsheet file and narrative document using the naming convention in the following example. "WXYZ-FM_application" and "WXYZ-FM_narrative", where "WXYZ-FM" is your station's call letters and AM or FM extension for your station.
Submit the two electronic files together by email to radiodigitalgrants@cpb.org. Faxed proposals will not be accepted. Applications will not be considered complete without a completed application spreadsheet (including electronic signature or "X"), project narrative (see application instructions), and, if applicable, a hardship showing.
All other CPB-qualified stations may receive up to $75,000, but the total grant cannot exceed 70 percent of the total eligible digital conversion cost. For CPB-qualified minority and rural stations, the grant amount is up to $85,000, but the total grant cannot exceed 80 percent of the total eligible digital conversion cost. The balance of the project costs comes from station matching funds from non-federal sources.
A licensee that is unable to undertake and complete its digital conversion project with a grant funded by CPB at the standard funding level described above may apply to CPB for "Hardship Status". The application process for hardship status is described in more detail in the program guidelines.
What should my project timeline be?
CPB expects a grantee to complete the conversion project within 12 months after full execution of the grant contract. Applicants receiving awards this grant round can expect grant contracts by December 2008. Stations wishing to extend the project duration beyond one year must provide additional justification.
When and how will I know if I have been approved?
CPB expects to make a funding decision by November 2008. You will be notified as soon as the grant award is approved at CPB.