Click here To browse NPR Labs' Video Presenation: Overview of Captioned Radio; Radio Text Display Final Report: 3 Studies; Best Manufacturing Recommendations For Blind and Low Vision Users; Results from NPR Election Night '08 Captioned Radio Event; and see the NPR Labs' CONSOLIDATED REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION (RFI)
Update regarding the NPR Labs IBOC Power Calculator
Now that the FCC has acted on the NPR/iBiquity IBOC Power Proposal, the NPRLabs IBOC Power Calculator, originally provided as a courtesy to the industry to estimate allowable digital ERP for preliminary planning purposes, has been superseded.
Although the FCC ruling adopts the NPR-recommended power increase formula, the IBOC Power Calculator itself was based on a snapshot of the FCC database from late 2009, and is not to be relied upon for filing purposes.
Licensees may now prepare to file for voluntary digital facility upgrades, which should be based on accurate, current studies prepared by a qualified engineer, to determine their station's permissible digital ERP.
Please feel free to contact NPR Labs for more information on preparing digital ERP studies via
Comments and questions on retiring the power calculator should be directed to
This report adds sections dealing with compatibility (impairment to analog main FM channel reception from same-station IBOC transmissions) and a means for estimating increases in IBOC coverage at elevated digital powers.
NPR Labs Online Viewing Applications for Public Radio and Television
20100301: REVISED NPR Labs PAD Applications for iBiquity v4.x and later Importer software
NPR Labs has learned that the PAD applications provided free-of-charge to NPR Members are incompatible with iBiquity's version 4.x and later Importer Software.
NPR Labs has been working to revise the software, and is developing the replacement using the PADSDK provided through iBiquity Digital Corporation. The alpha version has recreated the software as a Windows service with 'plug-in' components to operate the desired PAD stream, flexible scheduling to allow different services to push PAD to the same network port at different times.
IBOC DAB Interference Maps and Population Reports for 49 Public Radio Stations
Click here to see the maps and learn more about them.
Digital Radio Coverage and Interference Analysis Study Now Available
NPR Labs completed their DRCIA project - an exhaustive 18-month study projecting the consequences of interference between HD Radio and station analog broadcast signals, as well as HD Radio’s overall success in meeting coverage expectations and needs. Visit http://www.nprlabs.org/research/drcia to download the final report.
NPR Labs started with the Tomorrow Radio Project in 2003. The project began with a meticulous practical analysis of the HD Radio system, involving months of drivetesting in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington DC.
After declaring victory in multi-channel HD Radio Research, the team championed Multicasting as a new business model for HD Radio. NPR Labs broke off from NPR Engineering in 2006 as its own unit, and has continued to research HD Radio, as well as other methods to help public radio stations get content to their listeners more effectively.
In January 2008, NPR Labs established the International Center for Accessible Radio Technology (ICART) – a collaborative effort between NPR and Towson University. ICART’s mission is to design and advocate for accessibility features to be included as radio broadcasting accelerates the global transition to digital transmission. As we like to say: “Accessible design is good universal design”
