[Electronics-talk] Accessible HD Radio

[Baracco, Andrew W]

Along these lines, a blind friend recently showed me a walkman style FM
HD radio from Insignia.  It is FM only, and a true walkman, which means
that there is no external speaker, and headphones must be used.
Apparently it uses the headphone line cord as an FM antenna.  It is not
"accessible" but usable by a blind person.  When you tap the up and down
arrow buttons, you will move up or down the FM dial in linear fashion.
When you hit an HD station, you will know because there is about a 5
second pause before the station starts playing.  It is available for
$49.95 from Best Buy.  My local Best By store did not have them in
stock, but they are in stock at www.bestbuy.com
Follow the links to portable audio, and you will find a combo box for
srand selection.  Insignia will be one of the choices, and you will find
it there.

Andy


-----Original Message-----
From: electronics-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:electronics-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of David Andrews
Sent: Saturday, July 03, 2010 6:04 PM
To: electronics-talk at nfbnet.org
Subject: [Electronics-talk] Accessible HD Radio

I have used this radio a little -- and it does work.

David Andrews


>Hi Gang,
>
>I got the message below from the blind hams list.  As this has to do 
>with an accessible
>broadcast HD radio I thought I'd post it here.  See 
>www.diceelectronics.com/itr100a-info
>for more details.
>
>Dave
>
>Several months ago, someone on this list asked about an accessible HD
>Radio.
>
>I replied that such a unit was on the horizon, but that I could not
>disclose what I knew about it at the time. That was because I was part
>of a volunteer advisory team from the International Association of
>Audio Information Services, IAAIS, the organization of radio reading
>service professionals, which was working with Dice Electronics toward
>the release of this receiver.
>
>Below is information about the iTR-100A Vision Free HD Radio from the
>Dice Electronics Website:
>
>This unit began shipping last week, but I strongly suspect quantities
>are limited.
>
>Important Notes:
>
>1. The accessible model is the iTR-100A.
>
>2. The receiver also works for AM HD, although the information below
>doesn't mention that fact.
>
>3. The radio reading service feature referenced below is *not the 67
>or 92 KHZ analogue FM sub-carrier. It is a new digital authorization
>scheme to instruct an HD receiver to receive a digital Radio Reading
>Service signal. All I can say about this feature is that it will be
>tested in selected radio reading service stations soon.
>
>You will find the information which appears below my signature, along
>with accessible downloadable documentation, and ordering information
>for the radio in the iTR-100A link near the top of the Dice
>Electronics website.
>
>http://www.diceelectronics.com
>
>Mike Duke, K5XU, Director,
>Radio Reading Service of Mississippi
>
>Based on the popular DICE iTR-100 tabletop HD Radio(tm), this unit was
>designed with special consideration for the visually impaired.
>Practical voice prompts
>and audible feedback have been added which makes operating the
>iTR-100A simple and intuitive.
>
>Each button press is followed by an audio queue to help guide the user
>through actions such as station browsing or setting up the alarm
>clock. All buttons
>and knobs are arranged and spaced apart with ease of use in mind. The
>compact size of the unit makes it easy to enjoy the enhanced
>noise-free sound quality
>of HD Radio or RRS (Radio Reading Service) at home or in your office.
>
>iTR-100A Vision Free HD Radio Features
>
>Audio Feedback: Voice announcements are made to guide the user through
>each button press. Radio station information, time and settings are
>all assisted
>by vocal queues.
>
>RRS Capable:  Register the radio's serial number with a local Radio
>Reading Service provider to access the RRS content.
>
>  Alarm Clock:  Announces the current time on wake and begins to play
>preset radio station.
>
>Access to Multicast Channels:  Access more content with HD Radio's
>Multicast channels. These are HD2 and HD3 channels found on HD Radio
>frequencies.
>

                         David Andrews:  dandrews at visi.com
Follow me on Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/dandrews920


_______________________________________________
Electronics-talk mailing list
Electronics-talk at nfbnet.org
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/electronics-talk_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
Electronics-talk:
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/electronics-talk_nfbnet.org/andrew
.baracco%40va.gov