HD Radio in Vancouver

This morning Bell Media announced that its first foray into HD Radio is now live on the air in Vancouver. HD radio delivers crystal clear digital audio and feature-rich content from AM stations on the FM dial.

HD Radio in Vancouver

In Vancouver, you can tune into 103.5 QMFM (if you have an HD radio at home or in the car) and click through to 103.5-1 or 103.5-2 to listen to TSN 1040 and TSN 1410. They are now Canada’s first sports station to broadcast on HD/FM.

From this morning’s press release:
“With HD radio, 103.5 QM/FM becomes more feature-rich, displaying song title, album art, and artist information on listeners’ digital display panels, rounding out an enhanced listening experience. And with TSN 1040/1410’s transition to HD Radio, listeners can enjoy the station’s up-close coverage of UEFA EURO 2016 and the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in HD.”

HD Radio can be enjoyed at home, on the road, or on the go, with portable or in-dash HD Radio devices receiving a signal over traditional radio waves, requiring no Internet connection or monthly fee. CKNW launched HD Radio in Vancouver a while ago as well, and they can be heard by tuning into Rock 101.1-2 on your FM dial to hear the AM station in HD.

How to Tune in

John and I listened to HD/FM on our road trip in the Honda Pilot we were driving. We tuned to 103.5 QMFM and waited a few seconds for the HD radio to kick in. You’ll notice a boost in sound quality and the display will say HD. Once that happens, use the seek buttons on the radio (or up/down, side/side) buttons to connect to 103.5-1 or 103.5-2. We found TSN Radio on 1, and TSN 1040 on 2.

I love radio (my husband works in radio) and this is exciting to see in Vancouver since its been around in the United States for almost a decade. I can’t wait to listen to my local sports team in HD the next time I’m on the road or at the beach.