Car companies dropping AM radios

3256 Views 72 Replies 39 Participants Last post by Peter, 14 d ago

Lagnar

Discussion Starter · 3 mo ago

www.thedrive.com

2024 Ford Mustang Drops AM Radio From Infotainment

AM radio is starting to disappear from new cars, like the 2024 Ford Mustang. Officials are worried it could compromise emergency broadcasting.

www.thedrive.com

"It's a trend of concern to current and former U.S. emergency officials, who recently wrote the Secretary of Transportation a letter advising action on AM radio's disappearance. AM radio is a crucial component of the U.S.'s national alert network, with just 75 stations reaching more than 90 percent of the country's population. Officials are concerned that AM receivers' decreasing availability in new cars could compromise their ability to reach citizens during emergencies."

Where I live I can't receive FM radio either in the car or at home. AM is it. Even when I drive to the city it stays on the AM stations. If I want music, I have 64Gb on a thumb drive which is accessible through my car's entertainment system.

I think Ford is making a mistake and the two bucks an AM receiver section would cost them is next to nothing.

Reactions: 5

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Exarmyguy

· #2 · 3 mo ago

They need room to put electronics to kill your A/C ,Sirius radio and GPS if you miss your vehicle payments.

Reactions: 5

Fonz

· #3 · 3 mo ago

Corporate stupidity strikes again.

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Outpost75

· #4 · 3 mo ago

And the EV cars will put out so much nasty square-wave hash noise that AM reception will be zero.

Reactions: 4

internet troll

· #5 · 3 mo ago

The only radio I listen to is an AM station that has all conservative hosts. I smell a conspiracy 🤔

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John Matherson

· #6 · 3 mo ago

Pretty soon we'll be like Cuba, driving around in old cars with creative repairs.

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Cigars

· #7 · 3 mo ago

Ya, Ford...

Wheel Tire Vehicle Car Automotive tire

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Lagnar

Discussion Starter · #8 · 3 mo ago

I'm driving the last car I will ever own so what Ford does or doesn't do won't affect me. I wonder how much of the younger generations listen to any radio at all, AM, FM or internet radio. My dentist has a Pandora station going all the time which was nice.

I think radio is more of an old people medium.

Reactions: 5

ajole

· #9 · 3 mo ago

Seriously….no one I know listens to AM. And I’m an old guy.

If the gov’t wants to do emergency stuff, they need to make deals with FM, XM, and the phone people. Seriously….the fact that AM might reach people is meaningless if they aren’t listening to it. Like most other gov’t bureaucraps…..those people are so locked into their budget lines, mission statements and manuals, they have ZERO real world awareness.

Reactions: 3

Lagnar

Discussion Starter · #10 · 3 mo ago

ajole said:
Seriously….no one I know listens to AM. And I’m an old guy.

I guess when all the AM stations go out of business because their sponsors leave, then we'll know.

Reactions: 1

ForumSurvivalist

· #11 · 3 mo ago

I rarely watch TV (1hr a day max) and even rarer do I listen to a radio when I'm driving, but if I do it's a conservative AM radio show.

Reactions: 3

BlackSaint11

· #12 · 3 mo ago

Lagnar said:
2024 Ford Mustang Drops AM Radio From Infotainment

AM radio is starting to disappear from new cars, like the 2024 Ford Mustang. Officials are worried it could compromise emergency broadcasting.

www.thedrive.com

"It's a trend of concern to current and former U.S. emergency officials, who recently wrote the Secretary of Transportation a letter advising action on AM radio's disappearance. AM radio is a crucial component of the U.S.'s national alert network, with just 75 stations reaching more than 90 percent of the country's population. Officials are concerned that AM receivers' decreasing availability in new cars could compromise their ability to reach citizens during emergencies."

Where I live I can't receive FM radio either in the car or at home. AM is it. Even when I drive to the city it stays on the AM stations. If I want music, I have 64Gb on a thumb drive which is accessible through my car's entertainment system.

I think Ford is making a mistake and the two bucks an AM receiver section would cost them is next to nothing.

Nah. Everything you could ever want to listen to can be streamed via Bluetooth from an electronic device.

cowboy1964

· #13 · 3 mo ago

ajole said:
Seriously….no one I know listens to AM. And I’m an old guy.

The only AM I've listened to for decades was Rush Limbaugh.

Reactions: 4

Potawatomi II

· #14 · 3 mo ago

ajole said:
Seriously….no one I know listens to AM. And I’m an old guy.

If the gov’t wants to do emergency stuff, they need to make deals with FM, XM, and the phone people. Seriously….the fact that AM might reach people is meaningless if they aren’t listening to it. Like most other gov’t bureaucraps…..those people are so locked into their budget lines, mission statements and manuals, they have ZERO real world awareness.

This^^^ When I saw the title I thought it was some kind of joke. You can't get anything on AM radio around here and never have been able to. When on the road the only time I've ever been able to pick up AM is around big cities. It's always just been there for that one station at the Mackinaw Bridge that you can tune to for weather, and similar uses in other places.

In all honesty I always thought is was like CB and could only be used for short distances since that's the only way I've ever seen it used. I doubt very many people would notice that it's gone.

Reactions: 2

Outpost75

· #15 · 3 mo ago (Edited)

I listen to AM radio late at night and enjoy the E-skip you can receive with a good receiver and antenna. I use my Yaesu FT897 ham rig with a W7FG full-wave 160 meter true open wire 240 foot loop antenna rigged 50 feet above ground surrounding the house. With digital signal processing and common mode filter for noise cancellation the reception is amazing. I receive all of the clear channel broadcast stations from Cuba, Canada, US west to the Rocky Mtns and South to Mexico City.

Even with a simple 30 ft. indoor wire reel antenna strung across the ceiling, saving presets on my Sangean WR3 tabletop radio I get clear reception in West Virginia from DC, Baltimore, Boston, Philadelphia, Charlotte, Richmond, Albany, NYC, Chicago, Detroit, Louisville, pretty much year round.

In the truck the common Toyota AM/FM radio and antenna in the vehicle gets good night time reception of the Philly, NYC and Boston AM stations.

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.455_Hunter

· #16 · 3 mo ago

I have sat at night in my in-laws driveway in eastern South Dakota and listened to the Denver Broncos game on KOA (850 am), the "50,000 watt Blowtorch of the West", without any issue on my car radio.

Reactions: 2

Cigars

· #17 · 3 mo ago

Outpost75 said:
I listen to AM radio late at night and enjoy the E-skip you can receive with a good receiver and antenna. I use my Yaesu FT897 ham rig with a W7FG full-wave 160 meter true open wire 240 foot loop antenna rigged 50 feet above ground surrounding the house. With digital signal processing and common mode filter for noise cancellation the reception is amazing. I receive all of the clear channel broadcast stations from Cuba, Canada, US west to the Rocky Mtns and South to Mexico City.

Even with a simple 30 ft. indoor wire reel antenna strung across the ceiling, saving presets on my Sangean WR3 tabletop radio I get clear reception in West Virginia from DC, Baltimore, Boston, Philadelphia, Charlotte, Richmond, Albany, NYC, Chicago, Detroit, Louisville, pretty much year round.

In the truck the common Toyota AM/FM radio and antenna in the vehicle gets good night time reception of the Philly, NYC and Boston AM stations.

I have a small pocket AM/FM Sangean. I use it to pull in AM 1060 comedy station in Calgary every night. I'm in Oregon. Not much of a skip but it's consistent. I've enjoyed listening to far off AM stations at night since I was in high school.

Reactions: 3

Exarmyguy

· #18 · 3 mo ago

I dont listen to anything . I enjoy the quiet.

Reactions: 4

Gmcd

· #19 · 3 mo ago

You cannot spell AMerican dreAM without AM
You cannot spell hAM radio without AM
You cannot spell chAMpion teAM without AM
You cannot spell fAMily without AM

It's the hot dogs and apple pie of radio.

Reactions: 5

charliemeyer007

· #20 · 3 mo ago

No Art Bell then no Rush. I almost never turn on the radio anymore.

Reactions: 5

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