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Agreed, I haven't listened to AM in forever, but FM signals - I believe can reach only line of sight from the transmission source, while AM signals bounce off the ionisphere and carry much further. So for critical communications - natural disaster or civil emergency, etc AM is a lot more reliable and effective way to reach everyone.
That's true, but only at night, when the sun does not affect the ionization.
So daytime and nightime programs reach very different audiences. The furthest reach in daytime is 540-AM about 250 miles. FM peaks out at about 150 miles, depending height of sending tower.
Before the late 70s, there was no FM reception in cars , because FM signals could not be read by a moving radio. Without the car audience, radio was unmarketable. FM was for a fringe audience. Now, AM is.
I can't believe that I remembered this exact phrase from my older brother's political science college class 49 years ago. I was still in high school. It took one google search to find it.......okay enough with the bragging. Times have indeed changed.
FM Radios
An article from CQ Almanac 1974
Document Outline
Senate Action
House Committee Action
Legislation aimed at expanding the market for FM radio broadcasting failed to clear Congress in 1974. The Senate June 13 narrowly passed a bill (S 585) that would have authorized the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to require that all radios costing $15 or more be equipped with FM, as well as AM, receivers. A similar measure (HR 8266), requiring FM receivers on car radios only, was reported in the House Sept. 19.
Supporters of the bills said they would help bring FM stations into closer competition with the older, more profitable AM stations. But the House Rules Committee, reacting to charges that the bills would infringe on consumer choice and inflate auto prices, never cleared HR 8266 for House floor action.
Obviously I can't speak for every locale in the USA, but I have lived in rural areas where the most reliable OTA radio broadcast stations (and because of that the ones most likely to broadcast important info such as weather, local hazards, or emergency situations) are AM, not FM. Areas like that also tend to have poor or nonexistent cell or web accessibility. Maybe such a mandate shouldn't be imposed at a national level.
That's true. It's not rare to see signs on highways pointing to certain AM broadcasts, especially weather and safety related. However - I can't remember the last time I tuned into an AM station. I've never even tried it out in the 2.5 years I've owned my present car.
Another characteristic is the extended range of AM, especially at night.
You can buy an AM FM radio retail for under $10. Having a radio that broadcasts both AM and FM in a car is no kind of expense and it doesn't take up any extra room. The only reason an AM FM CD player takes up more room than a pack of cigarettes is that it has to be big enough to put a CD into it. The electronics parts are not taking up nearly all that room
The United States maintains an emergency broadcast system and if AM is better for that, why would you not want it in your car? It doesn't cost anything extra and it doesn't take up any more room.
Exactly. If AM is so important, buy an AM radio. Air bags in the backseat add safety but they aren't required. They are an OPTION. Can't even remember the last time the radio was even on. Even CD players have been removed and many people actually used the CD player.
Exactly. If AM is so important, buy an AM radio. Air bags in the backseat add safety but they aren't required. They are an OPTION. Can't even remember the last time the radio was even on. Even CD players have been removed and many people actually used the CD player.
The case being made is not one of importance to the individual but rather the community should other broadcasting modes break down.
That the lobbyist making that argument are being paid by AM radio broadcasters is given.
Latest looney woke lunacy out of Congress. They want to keep automakers from dropping AM radio.
What's next? CD players?
CDs are not critical to disseminating real-time travel and emergency information.
AM radio is.
See the difference?
Quote:
Originally Posted by arr430
That's true, but only at night, when the sun does not affect the ionization.
So daytime and nightime programs reach very different audiences. The furthest reach in daytime is 540-AM about 250 miles. FM peaks out at about 150 miles, depending height of sending tower.
Before the late 70s, there was no FM reception in cars , because FM signals could not be read by a moving radio. Without the car audience, radio was unmarketable. FM was for a fringe audience. Now, AM is.
Over 50 million Americans listen to AM radio in any given week. That's hardly a "fringe" audience.
The case being made is not one of importance to the individual but rather the community should other broadcasting modes break down.
That the lobbyist making that argument are being paid by AM radio broadcasters is given.
It is not my job to be forced to pay for a radio. If a radio is important "to the community" then the community or the individual can buy them.
It is not my job to be forced to pay for a radio. If a radio is important "to the community" then the community or the individual can buy them.
Who's making you pay for it?
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