Ford to drop AM radio in new vehicles

AM kinda died a long time ago when music moved to FM...news,

they still offer roll down windows too
Who is they? And what do roll down windows have to do with anything?

You said 'the old whip antenna is long gone', I provided you a very recent example proving you incorrect.

While I likely passed hundreds of newer generation F-Series trucks today, I didn't pay attention to the antennas until I was next to a very nice current generation F-450 King Ranch. And it had a whip antenna. If you want to play website games, the antenna is clearly shown on Ford's website. The Raptor I was behind on my way home also had one. I believe our fleet of Transit vans at work has them too.

 
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Well, this friendly thread got active rather quickly. I don't know who said what. I'll consolidate my responses best I can. If I've missed some earlier posts and opinions, I'll come back and address them.

Auto AM/FM antennas are disguised many times, but REQUIRED, for any terrestrial radio, completely separate from GPS , Phone/Internet and satellite to make that clear.

Changing from an original whip antenna to aftermarket, changing length, or removing a whip basically disables your terrestrial radio. They're designed to "resonate" on certain frequencies, replacing with different equipment will reduce effectiveness on BOTH bands. Smaller antennas for looks may be great for your next "show off" meeting of vehicle enthusiasts, but it won't help you hear local stations on the road. They're simply not made for reception, they're made for owner's vanity in their vehicles.

31" Whips are the VERY BEST for FM and tuned perfectly for that band, and perform well for AM. HOWEVER, for many years, antennas for terrestrial radio have been disugised like rear windshield defoggers, small panels in side glass, often separate AM and FM with some kind of "amplifier/combiner" in the back of the vehicle which then feeds in one cable to the front.... and in the case of FM, a small squiggly wire inside the shark fin, which does very LITTLE for AM reception except make it ineffective. Amplifiers are sometimes employed to help, but..they seldom do. Digital Signal Processing to remove static or fade only serves to squelch the sound of AM and reduce the quality of sound if not the impression listeners get of AM.

As far as, "So basically it's safe because other types of users wouldn't put up with its quirks and do the engineering to be able to use it well." I'd say you're slapping an entire industry. AM may be the oldest mass communications, but...it offers a wide range of terrestrial coverage. Any "Quirks" you refer to (such as "going away under a bridge" I assume ) also happen to XM/Sirius. Satellite also disappears when you go into a town with tall buildings on two sides of a street....As far as sound quality, don't blame the AM band, blame the owners of the stations. AM can sound excellent, with a wide stereo soundstage, and excellent detail in music... and can be just as impressive when owners care enough to process properly and pay attention to their source audio. Want to hear it? Visit my station's website. It's streaming AM in full stereo right now, and if WE can do it, any station could. We've updated old analog equipment and use all of the allowed bandwidth an AM can legally have. (www.i1430.com or any device, but make sure you listen IN STEREO!)

AM is not going anywhere, Anyone who says it is has no idea how things work. The FCC rakes in MILLIONS of dollars every year from AM operators, small and large. Even when they reduce the yearly regulatory fees we pay to keep our 8-year license, they STILL make money. It's not going anywhere. Is it effective for other uses? No, but...there's plenty of good AM's in this country that are the lifeblood of a town, very much involved with listeners, and there's "quirks" in everything. Big cities often have AM stations if not in the top slot of ratings, at least a few of the top 10! In an age where consumers will listen to "music" on the speakers in a phone, AM can hold it's own and sound better than many digitally compressed audio sources.
Think maybe you got wrong idea- I said that some other potential (non radio) user of the band wouldn't want to go through all of that care & feeding needed to use it well. But the current radio use does suffer from a lack of giving a rat in some ways- it's hard to keep up all of that care & feeding, at 100s of stations, with audiences dwindling as younger folks simply don't find and use AM like they used to.
 
Who is they? And what do roll down windows have to do with anything?

You said 'the old whip antenna is long gone', I provided you a very recent example proving you incorrect.

While I likely passed hundreds of newer generation F-Series trucks today, I didn't pay attention to the antennas until I was next to a very nice current generation F-450 King Ranch. And it had a whip antenna. If you want to play website games, the antenna is clearly shown on Ford's website. The Raptor I was behind on my way home also had one. I believe our fleet of Transit vans at work has them too.

Honestly who cares...most new cars don't have them
 
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Honestly who cares...most new cars don't have them
I care, because you made yet another false claim and I am calling you out on it. And I want to know who 'they' is. You brought it up, now you want to deflect.

Last I checked, there are approx 2/3 - 3/4 of a million F-Series trucks sold per year, add in the others and you have a lot of vehicles out there with whip antennas.
 
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I care, because you made yet another false claim and I am calling you out on it. And I want to know who 'they' is. You brought it up, now you want to deflect.

Last I checked, there are approx 2/3 - 3/4 of a million F-Series trucks sold per year, add in the others and you have a lot of vehicles out there with whip antennas.
So what...
 
Winner winner chicken dinner...I hope we are on the same page now
Its Still a whip antenna ....
That was your discussion, that it didn't have a whip antenna ...
You said the same about the Ford F 150 ... I have a '23 and it has one ...
I showed you a picture of a '24, right on the Lot ... you disputed it still.
 
Moderators, as the OP I'm requesting that this thread be locked. It has run its course and now I'm afraid it's gone off the rails. Thank you.
 
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Its Still a whip antenna ....
That was your discussion, that it didn't have a whip antenna ...
You said the same about the Ford F 150 ... I have a '23 and it has one ...
I showed you a picture of a '24, right on the Lot ... you disputed it still.
Not the old style on the front...much shorter....now do you get what I said?
 
Moderators, as the OP I'm requesting that this thread be locked. It has run its course and now I'm afraid it's gone off the rails. Thank you.
Ill lock it if you want, however there was some decent discussion before the trolling took over.

So I will first remove the troll, then see how it goes.
 
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Automotive News has reported on the progress of the “AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act” (AMRFEVA) through the House:

AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act passes panel vote​

The bill mandates all new passenger vehicles include devices for accessing AM broadcast stations, and now pends House approval.​

The only lawmaker expressing strong opposition in the vote was Rep. John James (R-Mich.).

"I feel like I'm taking crazy pills," James said at the committee meeting. "We're putting an unfunded, unnecessary mandate for a problem that doesn't exist. This is exactly why people hate Washington."

A 2023 report from the Center for Automotive Research found that keeping AM radio would cost automakers a cumulative sum of up to $3.8 billion through 2030 to address interference with reception in EVs.

John Bozzella, CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, said that the gorup opposes the legislation because it is unnecessary to ensure public safety. It is "an intervention by Congress to support a particular business model — in this case, advertising-supported analog AM broadcasting," he said.

Some companies, including Tesla, Volkswagen, Volvo Cars and BMW, are eliminating the frequency in EVs.

A Volvo spokesperson told Automotive News that the company "recognizes the concerns brought forth regarding AM radio," and will offer HD radio, which provides clear, free, over-the-air AM content, to all cars in 2024. Current vehicles that do not have HD radio will receive an over-the-air update.

The bill now moves to the full House for final approval after passing the committee roll call by a vote of 45-2. Following House approval, the president will sign it into law.
 
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Automotive News has reported on the progress of the “AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act” (AMRFEVA) through the House:
Big money will win on this. They didnt buy 95% of all stations on AM for nothing!
 

AM at low power