Cruising Will Never be the Same

[adorshki]

Car companies wanna stop installing AM radios. Where is it gonna end?

https://tflcar.com/2023/05/am-radio-dropped-from-new-cars-report/

I actually have 2 news and a classical station on my AM presets.

 

[GAD]

I haven’t listened to AM radio in 40 years unless you count AM on the HF bands, but even that’s usually SSB.

The last time I saw someone listening to AM was at work during a baseball game. Hell, I don’t even listen to FM in the car anymore.

 

[Midnight Toker]

I haven’t listened to AM radio in 40 years unless you count AM on the HF bands, but even that’s usually SSB.

The last time I saw someone listening to AM was at work during a baseball game. Hell, I don’t even listen to FM in the car anymore.

I occasionally put on FM, but it’s most often checking in on some stations in outside markets I once listened to….via streaming> Bluetooth. As long as you have a cell signal, you can pretty much listen to any radio station out there…in any market. Almost every station has an online streaming signal. My truck’s stereo hasn’t left the aux/media input in going on 15-20 years! (I’ve also had satellite for that entire time…head unit in my old truck, app on my phone w/ the new truck. )

 

[chazmo]

Ball games. That's it. Won't miss it. At my previous company, we didn't even monitor AM stations for programming details. We did monitor FM stations.

 

[Stagefright]

The radio/CD combo died in my old beater and I think I like it that way. Modern radio programming annoys me.

There was a time when I relied on the AM band to provide NASCAR race broadcasts, and other sporting events, while traveling. Most of that stuff is long gone or has been moved to larger stations on the FM band. The AM band kept me awake more than once on late night trips through the middle of rural America. There something about a good fire and brimstone preacher that keeps you on the edge of your seat at 4 AM.

Don't forget the farm reports. I knew the yankee transformation of my home town was complete when the farm reports stopped.

 

[walrus]

I still listen to AM occasionally for the news, traffic, etc. It's a habit, like a lot of other things...

walrus

 

[Brad Little]

I'm with Chazmo, I have 2 AM stations in presets during baseball season, Yanks and Mets. Regrettably, as a Red Sox fan, no reliable local station, so bluetooth and mlb.com on my phone or Sirius for home games, when they're on the road they only play the other teams 'cast.

 

[Stuball48]

650 AM -- WSM (We Shield Millions) 50,000 watts and home of the Grand Ole Opry

 

[JohnW63]

Why? What is the benefit to not having it? If you want news in emergencies or shows not playing music, and you don't want it to stop when the cell servers goes in or out, I find AM radio the place to hang out.

 

[DrumBob]

I have 880 CBS news radio NYC in the car, but that's it for AM. It's worthless otherwise.

I do have a problem with car companies doing away with CD players though. I still have one in my 2018 Subaru, but they probably stopped them a year or two later.

 

[Brad Little]

I have 880 CBS news radio NYC in the car, but that's it for AM. It's worthless otherwise.

I do have a problem with car companies doing away with CD players though. I still have one in my 2018 Subaru, but they probably stopped them a year or two later.

When I got my 2020 Outback, it had no CD player, so I had one installed (it was an option, so it is a Subaru player, though not in a particularly convenient spot).

 

[walrus]

I have 880 CBS news radio NYC in the car, but that's it for AM. It's worthless otherwise.

I do have a problem with car companies doing away with CD players though. I still have one in my 2018 Subaru, but they probably stopped them a year or two later.

When I got my 2020 Outback, it had no CD player, so I had one installed (it was an option, so it is a Subaru player, though not in a particularly convenient spot).

My 2011 Outback has a 6 CD changer! I love it! It is in fact why I bought that particular Outback off the lot!

walrus

 

[merlin6666]

In Germany they have turned off AM broadcasting many years ago, and FM is supposed to be turned off very soon too. They want everyone to switch to some digital radio format. I tried that in a rental car and the reception was poor at best. I feel for my 88 year old mother who loves listening to radio and who still has some old tube radios from the 50s and everything in between in the house.

 

[merlin6666]

My 2011 Outback has a 6 CD changer! I love it! It is in fact why I bought that particular Outback off the lot!

walrus

My 99 Corolla has a separate CD player installed as cassette was still the standard then. I may try to take that out when it is time to get a new vehicle (hopefully never) and see if it can still be connected.

 

[Uke]

My 2011 Outback has a 6 CD changer! I love it! It is in fact why I bought that particular Outback off the lot!

walrus

Back in 2018 my wife bought a new Toyota RAV4. She test drove the base model which had a CD player, but she didn't like the ride so much. She then drove the upgraded model and liked the ride. She paid for the vehicle, got home and all seemed well -- until. She goes out to take a drive, picks up a CD to listen to, and discovers there is no CD player in the upgraded vehicle. The base model had one: the upgrade one did not. So now I tease her when I walk out the door to drive off in my 2002 Camry and carry along a CD to listen to in my old school car.

 

[adorshki]

In Germany they have turned off AM broadcasting many years ago, and FM is supposed to be turned off very soon too. They want everyone to switch to some digital radio format. I tried that in a rental car and the reception was poor at best. I feel for my 88 year old mother who loves listening to radio and who still has some old tube radios from the 50s and everything in between in the house.

YES!!
Same with digital television. Ever since the stations started using the digital format there's an annoying number of tech glitches like dropped sound and video data. And yes reception sucks except in the most ideal circumstances. A moving car is not one such circumstance.

 

[adorshki]

Why? What is the benefit to not having it? If you want news in emergencies or shows not playing music, and you don't want it to stop when the cell servers goes in or out, I find AM radio the place to hang out.

"word"

 

[Westerly Wood]

the older I get, the more i been gravitating to AM radio. it's all I got locked into radio in my truck.

 

[Westerly Wood]

 

[RBSinTo]

My 2013 Subaru Forrester has AM/FM radio and a CD player, and the Lovely Missus RBSinTo's 2021 Kia Forte has AM-FM radio.
I listen to about four or five different AM stations: one talk and music from another century that has a beat, and lyrics, one strictly talk, one strictly news, and two sports. And when my savage breast needs soothing, I go to the FM band to one of three stations that play classical music.
RBSinTo