It was neither DAB nor HD Radio: 91 of the 93 km between Tangará/RN and Natal/RN had a clean digital signal (64 kbps / 48 Hz) from Jovem Pan Natal radio station.

Over a total travel time of 1h28min, 1h26min had high‑quality audio with no static and less than 2 minutes of accumulated silence due to signal loss.

The digital signal was configured at 64 kbps (AAC+) and 48 Hz, corresponding to the broadcast of Jovem Pan Natal radio station. Monitoring was carried out along different highway segments, with the aim of evaluating audio stability while in motion.

On the stretch between Tangará and Serra Caiada, covering 15.6 km, audio dropouts were recorded, totaling 20 seconds. On the following segment, between Serra Caiada and Senador Elói de Souza (7.6 km), an increase in interruptions was observed, adding up to 30 seconds without audio.

On the other hand, on the 12.8 km route between Senador Elói de Souza and Bom Jesus, the signal remained stable, with no perceptible interruptions. However, between Bom Jesus and Macaíba, over 30.9 km, 45 seconds of audio loss were recorded, making this the most critical segment of the measurement.

From Macaíba to Parnamirim (11.3 km), as well as on the final 9.6 km stretch to the broadcaster’s headquarters, located in the Candelária district of Natal, the signal performed consistently, with no dropouts.

Additionally, on an alternative route from the broadcaster’s headquarters in Natal to São José de Mipibu, via Parnamirim, with a total distance of 30.9 km, no audio interruptions were recorded, indicating excellent stability along this route.

Segment	Distance (km)	Cut time
Tangará → Serra Caiada	15,6	20 s
Serra Caiada → Senador Elói de Souza	7,6	30 s
Senador Elói de Souza → Bom Jesus	12,8	0 s
Bom Jesus → Macaíba	30,9	45 s
Macaíba → Parnamirim	11,3	0 s
Parnamirim → Candelária (Natal)	9,6	0 s
Natal → São José de Mipibu (via Parnamirim)	30,9	0 s

The digital signal was not used as a “fallback”; in fact, the digital signal was used as the preferred source, and there was no need to switch to the analog signal, which, at most, would be required to cover less than 2 minutes of the digital signal outage.

IP‑first configuration with no sync

• IP player as the primary source

• Deeper buffer (e.g., 10–20 s) to absorb network jitter

• Fallback to FM only in case of a real failure, not due to marginal quality

• No need for time alignment between IP and broadcast (dial)

• Perceptual consistency

The goal of this setup is to avoid constant switching; the focus is not “continuity at any cost.”

It is configured to avoid DIGITAL ↔ ANALOGIC “ping‑pong,” which improves the experience.

Avoiding timbre differences is important, since the digital quality (codec vs. FM) is superior and breaks the “magic” even when perfectly synchronized.

If it delivers 97%+ of the time (as in our test), it makes sense to treat it as the primary source.

Proposals that increase costs more than they benefit the systemThe pursuit of perfect

Synchronization between the digital and analog signals ends up being a largely unnecessary factor, as it significantly raises the cost of the system without delivering proportional benefits. Moreover, it is not my goal at all to create a system that constantly switches back and forth between the analog and digital signals, producing that annoying effect of muffled analog audio alternating with crystal-clear digital audio in an endless loop.

On the contrary: the FM analog signal should be treated as a secondary option. The digital signal will have absolute priority and will only switch to analog after 35 seconds of complete digital signal loss. Under normal driving conditions, this virtually eliminates any unwanted switching.