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December 8, 2021 12:14 pm  #2


Re: Det News op-ed: leave radios in electric cars

New Volvo electric car has no AM radio reception. Here's why;


https://blog.consumerguide.com/end-terrestrial-radio-electric-cars-radio/

 

December 8, 2021 2:09 pm  #3


Re: Det News op-ed: leave radios in electric cars

67GreenRambler wrote:

New Volvo electric car has no AM radio reception. Here's why;


https://blog.consumerguide.com/end-terrestrial-radio-electric-cars-radio/

Very interesting article. And it answers the question of why I won't be buying an electric vehicle in the near future, although I've considered it. Ridiculous as it sounds, an AM radio in a car is, to me, the single most important feature. It would drive (you should pardon the expression) me crazy to only have FM, which currently has very little to offer someone like me.

Yes, I'm a dinosaur. But before the meteor comes to destroy my kind, I'll be listening to the bulletins about it on AM!

 

December 8, 2021 4:58 pm  #4


Re: Det News op-ed: leave radios in electric cars

RadioActive wrote:

Yes, I'm a dinosaur. But before the meteor comes to destroy my kind, I'll be listening to the bulletins about it on AM!

Me too!
 

 

December 8, 2021 10:38 pm  #5


Re: Det News op-ed: leave radios in electric cars

Guess I'll be listening to Citynews at 92.5 HD2 in my Tesla, till the meteor destroys the electrical grid, and I can't get a re-charge.

 

December 9, 2021 1:21 am  #6


Re: Det News op-ed: leave radios in electric cars

RadioActive wrote:

before the meteor comes to destroy my kind

Please pardon this off-the-wall observation but it struck me as quite fitting that what comes
to destroy a dinosaur should be an old car.
 

 

December 9, 2021 4:40 pm  #7


Re: Det News op-ed: leave radios in electric cars

Does digital AM (ie digital on the actual AM band rather than AM radio stations with an FM digital repeater) have the same interference problems? 

Last edited by Hansa (December 9, 2021 4:40 pm)

 

December 9, 2021 5:34 pm  #8


Re: Det News op-ed: leave radios in electric cars

Hansa wrote:

Does digital AM (ie digital on the actual AM band rather than AM radio stations with an FM digital repeater) have the same interference problems? 

Good question, and this is 100% a guess, but given that HD uses the same frequencies, the answer would be yes.

 

December 9, 2021 6:09 pm  #9


Re: Det News op-ed: leave radios in electric cars

I have a partial answer.   I have attempted AM reception in a Tesla with a pretty good Sangean portable radio.  Even strong (local) AM stations were overridden with severe noise.  I did the test with the car in "park" so the electric motor was not engaged.   But its the various electronic systems that also generate a high level of noise.  For example, severe interference from the computer system(s) and the large touch screen.  The kind of interference you would experience using an AM radio very close to a large computer set-up and LCD display or an IMAC computer.   There are to my knowledge -and Scott Fybush can correct me if I am wrong, only 2 AM stations in the eastern U.S. that are transmitting fully in Digital.  Those stations would not be receivable in this region, fairly low powered, one I believe in the DC-Maryland area and another perhaps on long island.   There are a handful of AM stations which are still transmitting IBOC HD.  I believe WCBS 880 and WJR 760? and a few others still run IBOC HD.  But the "digital" information is subject to interference. My experience with those stations, - skywave reception at night, is that they are subject to electrical interference, notably TTC streetcar wires, even when the radio operates in HD Mode.  The reception was carried out in a VW CC model (internal combustion engine). I would doubt that an AM radio capable of IBOC HD reception would fare very well in a Tesla, or other EVs. I also have an AM IBOC table radio - AM HD is subject to noise - I live adjacent to a major electrical distribution line.
One other thought.  If one subscribers to a data package with an EV car company, you get apps such as Tune In Radio.  Tune-in in the case of Tesla, uses some geolocation for your vehicle and displays very prominently on the touch screen most if not all Toronto area AM stations that are streaming so it is very easy to "punch up" an AM station's stream.  The stream is delivered via LTE to the vehicle - and I have not experienced many drop-outs or buffering delays. It is also a pretty nice display of station logos, formats, etc.  My only gripe is that Rogers has never resolved the "streaming" issue with Major League Baseball, so all Blue Jays Games are "replaced" with CBS Sports radio on its stream in my car.  I can receive Sportsnet 590 on 92.5 HD3 out to Milton or a bit beyond...but if you're driving in S.W. Ontario (or outside the CKIS coverage area) -forget about it.

 

December 10, 2021 10:30 am  #10


Re: Det News op-ed: leave radios in electric cars

I think streaming AM (and AM stations on FM HD) will be the general workaround for AM station reception. It doesn't say much for the efficacy or long-term viability of the actual AM band though - and is a solution that may not work when and where AM is needed the most - during natural disasters or extreme weather situations that result in local blackouts and local cellphone towers and internet reception going offline - or when you're travelling in very remote areas where there is no wifi or cell phone reception. 

Last edited by Hansa (December 10, 2021 10:31 am)