Ford dropping AM radio from SYNC

[Meintc]

I grew up in West Texas in a small town and the 'skip' at night kept me entertained. I listened to Wolfman Jack out of Del Rio Texas and WLS in Chicago as well as San Antonio and New Orleans. Good rock stations all.

I too would listen to WLS at night. thinking about it brings back fond memories of my childhood in the summertime.

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[Pickles]

You thought not having a CD player was bad, It looks like Ford will be dropping AM radio on some models.

… mine has an AM radio??

 

[Nugget]

EV will lose AM radio for a while. It will come back as a streaming option.

 

[Topfun]

if you are concerned about emergency radio get yourself a cheap ham radio handheld like a baofeng uv5r. around $22 on amazon for a basic one. you can tune in alot more useful frequencies in a disaster situation and you can even transmit on them in a life or death situation legally without a licence. getting licensed to use them is cheap and easy enough if you a bit of a nerd with some free time. if you want it over the car speakers most of the aftermarket speaker mics for them have a built in aux port but you will need a stereo splitter as the radio outputs in mono. thats what i will be mounting in my cubby next to the screen.

 

[Michaelkov]

It looks like Ford will be dropping AM radio on some models.

No problem...just pop-in a CD instead.

 

[Guv]

Too much conservative radio for some.

 

[Guv]

That is the best idea that I have seen posted.
So... many things are digital and driver's aided, what ever happened with being part of the driving experience?
My first car did not have power steering or disk breaks that was extra. (1970 Plymouth Duster 340)
I wanted my Maverick to be a base model just so I would have less things to go wrong.

Those buggers where pretty fast! My buddy had a 340 Dart, giant killer

 

[TorqueWrenchUSA]

Coming in January, the front passenger seat is now optional

Lol the sad part is they would probably make the passenger seat optional before the rear seats for those that would like a longer bed.

 

[D.Pears]

Those buggers where pretty fast! My buddy had a 340 Dart, giant killer

I personally think that the best drag car was the 67 Dodge Dart with the 440. The 318 in a 64 Dart was great too.

 

[uh50]

Those buggers where pretty fast! My buddy had a 340 Dart, giant killer

I too had a Big Bad Orange 1970 Plymouth Duster 340. It was a beast off the line which was typical for small blocks. It was great for a red light dragster. My wife loved the matching orange interior. Fun car and my wife loved me. Good days.

(Oh, after 54 years, my wife still loves me and I drive a Maverick XL which runs pretty good too.)

 

[bwayne]

Honestly I don’t remember ever using AM so it really doesn’t bother me.

Some people never use the e-brake. Maybe they should get rid of it.

 

[Walter56]

The FCC does have spurious emission standards for digital devices, but with so many devices so close to the receiver, it’s not enough to prevent interference, which usually shows up as reduced sensitivity. The biggest problem is all the digital clocks and busses. It takes a lot of shielding, chokes, clock frequency changes and attenuation to prevent impacts. At some point it becomes uneconomic to try keeping AM reception clear, so it’s easier to drop AM receivers.

GM probably did a lot to keep the AM radio working in the Volt, but I suspect even it faces some desensitisation. And there are more digital modules in newer vehicles. Best enjoy the volt whilst you still have it!

Best car I've ever owned. Hopeful the maverick will be the same

 

[Red Ryder]

I didn't read through this whole thread, especially when it degraded into references to 8-track tapes, cassettes, and compact discs. This may have been brought up, but many government agencies (e.g. State Deportment of Transportation, Park Services) use low-power AM for Public Service Announcements. They are small (~10W) transmitters that typically inform of road or facility closures and such. These are more reliable when infrastructure for streaming fails.

Travelers' Information Service

Governmental entities, as well as park districts and authorities, may be eligible to operate a low power AM radio station for the purpose of disseminating information to travelers. A license is required before construction or operation of a Travelers' Information Station may commence. This service, which was initiated in 1977 by Docket 20509, is covered under rule Section 90.242 of the FCC's rules.


Travelers' Information Stations on the AM band are limited to a 10 watt transmitter output power and the antenna height may not exceed 15 meters (49.2 feet). These stations may not transmit commercial information. This service is not available to individuals or groups, but only to governmental entities and park districts. See 47 CFR 90.242 and 47 CFR 90.20(a). Application for an AM band Travelers' Information Station license may be made on FCC Form 601. The service is administered by the FCC's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau. For additional information on Travelers' Information Stations, please contact our Gettysburg, PA office at (888) 225-5322.


State and local governments may also create state-wide networks to provide non-commercial public safety information via radio using LPFM stations (see the LPFM page). Applications for this type of service must be filed on Form 318 during an LPFM filing window, and such applications will be processed by the Audio Division, Media Bureau.

 

[mspmms]

 

[Phileaux]

Well, I'm not a techie, but I think your phone pings to a tower as you travel, so if it has a tower to ping, than the range is unlimited.

True but for power outage it has 24-48hrs of backup.

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