JJSPC1372, translators work great.... in rural and medium sized towns. In larger cities like NYC, Chicago, LA, they are a joke. The exceptions are for Polenet Chicago market. It allows them to target certain areas, notably Polish speaking residents. Works out great. Especially the 107.1 in the North suburbs up to the stateline.

The HD2 scenario is OK too. Because, to have a translator, you HAVE to translate a signal originating on an AM, FM or an FM HD sub channel. HD recognition is pitiful as most people still do not know what it is. So allowing it to translate into Analog, is acceptable. When does it become questionable? When you have for example, EMF translating the same programming on several frequencies over the same coverage area, especially analog. At that point it is abuse.

Translators would have been much more successful if they were rolled out in the 80s when people were clamoring to get an FM signal. So bad, you had pirate signals everywhere. Even they are gone from SW radio and have migrated legally, online via IP, bypassing the FCC and limited by rules.

Z