What happened to AM radio!

Good article there on Radio NK, he has it right on from my perspective, noise in the house, and when I really want to DX, I take my radio into the woods and use it there, while deers walk around me and wonder what's going on.

I've tested with a pocket AM radio as probe/scanning device, like you see someone doing in Star Trek. My computer itself isn't that noisy, just within about 6 inches, the monitor has more interference.

I have some very cheap phone charges that are very bad, 20 foot buzz radius, even outside, at least one was like that. CFL light bulbs can be strong sources, as can some LED, but I found that the newest Filament LED bulbs are low noise, surprisingly so.

I haven't been able to win so far, so I just take my radio to the wood or the park and listen there.

This is the reason that I have such an aversion to going AM(among other things) with part 15/BETS-1 because how would my small signal get through to anyone who would even try to listen.

And, unfortunately, not enough people care that you can't listen to AM radio.

Nate Crime...I like the going outside away from the house or the hydro for that matter, but in winter? or maybe you live where there's not much winter?

Besides a petition for more power there should be a petition to the FCC for their role in the demise of AM radio and to do something about what they allowed.

Mark

it must be difficult to be a genius such as the author of the linked article where he can definitively analyse the demise of AM radio based on a momentary power outage and no data other than his personal opinion.

No doubt that in home noise is a problem but wasn't AM radio diminishing 25 years ago before CFLs and wall warts?  Who wants to listen to 22 minutes of commercials each hour, commercials which incessantly repeat the "call now!!!" phone numbers to buy pills to help you pee or to hire divorce lawyers only to be treated to the remaining 38 minutes of mindless opinions of talk program hosts?

There is more working against AM radio than just electrical noise.

Neil

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The FCC Is Ignorant to the problems plauging the AM BCB, sure they said last year that they want to revitlize the band but that was just a band-aid.

Simulcasting their AM programming on FM is the band-aid and not a very good one at that, in many large cities the fm band is crowded where would you even put your AM programming on the FM band nowadays?

I had thought  a better solution would be to crack down on noisy gadgets being sold to Americans and at the same time take all the AM's that are not 50 KW blowtorches and allow the stations two smaller signals synced on the same frequency but with the transmitters located across town away from the main transmitter. Of course this takes up more precious real estate on the AM BCB but AM would be reliable again.....eventually.

See the trouble with my plan? You have any idea how long it will take for all the old noisy gadgets to dwindle down and die before we have a usuable AM band again. There are literally Thousands upon thousands of noise spewing devices out there and not all of them are consumer grade gear.

Some utilities, gas stations, led signs, ect. are going to be around for years to come because the cost of replacign those devices when they aren't broken is not cost effective, about the only thing that would fix it is if the FCC snoops around these offenders and puts the kabash on the whole lot.

The commercials and mindless talk shows we can definetly do without, basically the music gets in the way of making money off of those god awful ads. That is the mindset of many commercial stations these days. Sad but true.

Yeah, there's that too. But the same on all FM stations too....4 songs and 5 minutes of one after another commercials. Some talk shows can be interesting.

Even with everything turned off in the house if there's power there's the noise.

Kind of wonder if no one wants to listen to commercials how come the advertisers pay so much to the stations to have 20 minutes of them each hour and how are all the stations staying in business?

Not much difference between the noise and commercials....it's all noise!

Mark

Don’t blame the stations for playing commercials every 4^th song. You can blame the CRB, RIAA and their partners.

Now back to the technical side of the article and some statements that I’ve always said. With all the noise in the major cities and even in a rural area I have a hard time listening to AM in the house. That buzzing that was described overpowers a lot of stations where when I go to an open field I can listen to AM and quite nicely on the Grundig 450 I have.

With all the noise its no wonder that a part 15 compliant station has little chance of reaching 1-2 miles (Unless maybe carrier current). At least this will allow the signal to come right into the Radio’s themselves and just maybe you’ll get the range depending on your power grid.

The article did say another thing that I totally agree with. We need to fight to save AM and make these noise makers pay. Its even starting to effect FM in some cases.

There are two issues being discussed here.

The AM broadcast band is being killed with noise.  But that's just our reliance on technology  it's not going away unless everyone gives up their computers, cell phones, etc.  The band was noisy 50 years ago - I remember having to go outside to listen some distant stations.  Now that noise is multiplied by orders of magntude.

AM radio is being killed by the radio stations and their programming.  Not every one but it's certainly trending in that direction.

Its hard to find a good Rock station on AM.  Don't get me wrong they exist bbut they are few and far between but you CAN find all those talk stations.  Why AM has so many talk stations and many rebroadcasting the same talk show and you can pick those up as well.

I say bring back good musical programming and maybe AM will have the listeners again.  You can pick up a transistor AM Radio for $15 which is even digital.  Some Radio's are OK but again a lot of them could have better receivers too.

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