Who here still listens to AM/FM radio?

[machoman1337]

I realized today that I have never, ever personally operated an AM/FM radio in my life, especially not in a car. It's not that I don't know how to do it, but that I have had zero incentive to listen to AM/FM radio in over a decade. I came to this realization after a passenger asked if I could tune into some station and I had no idea what frequency it was, or whether it was AM or FM.

 

Old-fashioned people seem to enjoy turning on the radio for news, weather, traffic, and of course music. But in 2015, I have difficulty understanding how AM/FM does a particularly good job at delivering any of those.

 

Need to know the weather forecast? Whip out your phone and learn all you need to know in seconds.

 

Need to hear this week's current events? Whip out your phone. I don't even watch the news on TV anymore because it takes longer to hear it than to read it, and there are commercials to sit through.

 

Need to know the traffic situation? Whip out your phone and actually get relevant info about the roads you actually use instead of some chatter about a road that you don't even look at 90% of the time. Or if you're in the US and have a nav system, you might get the info over satellite. Better yet, install Waze and get routed around traffic.

 

Want to listen to music? Plug in your phone, iPod, flash drive, whatever. And skip the annoyance of listening to pointless advertisements.

 

Tired of hearing the same songs on your device and want something new? Pandora/Spotify + Bluetooth are calling.

 

Obviously, the "whip out your phone" stuff should be done before you start driving, and anyway isn't it better to know the weather and traffic before you turn the key so that you can plan your route accordingly?

 

I'm just wondering if anyone else feels the same way - that this feature is redundant in modern cars, much like the CD player. I wouldn't blink if automakers removed them and made them standalone factory-order options. The CD player, especially if it's single-disc, is particularly baffling. That is wasted space that could have accommodated more USB ports, or even better MFT hardware!

[GrySql]

Old-fashioned people seem to enjoy turning on the radio for news, weather, traffic, and of course music.

Old fashioned people?? :lol:

 

I think it is the 'old fashioned' people that built the underlying world technology that you embrace. Enjoy! ;)

 

===

Hint: My family's 1st 'modern' TV looked something like this:

[ptek]

What is this portable phone device you speak of? :confused: (I grew up with newspapers :read: and my first TV was B/W also.) I listen to either FM HD radio or USB music.

[Cobra348]

I dare machoman ... put that phone down for 24 hours. no pandora/spotify+bluetooth. Use the radio/Sirius like 'old fashioned folks'. Look at the television for your weather, if you can dope out the remote and channel listing. Learn the underpinnings of what you praise and you will appreciate what all the 'old fashioned folks' like me and others here have done to make your life easier.

 

Not only do I PREFER to use Sirius and sometimes AM stations for traffic reports on the highway, but I still have vinyl records and a turntable to play them on. They're all converted to MP3 for my CDs but then I'm 'old fashioned'. BTW, have you noted that vinyl records are making a comeback somewhat?

 

I do get what you're saying ... however after 40+ years in IT, I sort of dislike the old technology seemingly brushed off as useless or whatever. It made your phone possible.

[mwr]

Baseball games on AM, many good programs on NPR FM stations.

[lolder]

Hey machoman1337, what are you doing listening to a GIRL like Siri? You need to re-evaluate your addiction to a single electronic device.

 

There are many areas in the US and particularly Canada where there is little cell service or FM coverage. If you want to pay per month for a satellite radio, so be it. AM radio has greater coverage, especially at night with higher power stations.

Edited October 8, 2015 by lolder

[GrySql]

Machoman1337, good topic! You sure polarized the age groups, LOL! :)

 

Lolder, AM at night, right...

I remember camping in the middle of nowhere in lower Baja California in the early '70's with our offroad Baja Bug VW's, there was zero radio reception. Sitting in our cars at night we'd carefully move the AM dial up and down and pick up some atmospheric skips from Indiana or New Brunswick and listen to whatever we could hear. Very different today, if you want it.

 

On the beach in Baja, early 1970's, my car is the yellow one.

Edited October 10, 2015 by GrySql

[machoman1337]

Haha I certainly did. Not jabbing at any old/young folks here, and yes this stuff is indeed the grandfather of all my modern tech :) I do have a film camera in my drawer somewhere btw...

 

About Siri, I use Android :P

 

This reminds me of how I had to explain to my friend's young kid why the "phone" app on a smartphone has a "weird" icon... (desk phones with such receivers are a rare sight now).

Edited October 8, 2015 by machoman1337

[lolder]

Then there was the recent BLONDIE cartoon with Dagwood trying to explain to Elmo how Superman changed into his costume in a phone booth. "I don't understand. What's a phone booth?", said Elmo.

 

When my 13 year old grandson visits this Christmas, I'm going to teach him how to fold the newspaper against the crease so the crossword puzzle is easier to do.

Edited October 8, 2015 by lolder

[hermans]

Who remembers books.. ;) .... I still read and write them.

[CCalvinN]

To answer the basic gist of your post; Yes, I listen to the radio. My commute to work is almost always listening to "Fresh Air" on the local NPR station. But that's not to say that I prefer the radio over any other infotainment service. My commute home is spent listening to various podcasts on my phone (Radiolab, The Allusionist, This American Life, Gadget Lab, Intelligence Squared...). When I'm just driving around town on various tasks I listen to music on my iPod.

 

The bigger part of the post though about dropping 'old' technology; I don't think I'd be in favor of that. I want as many options as are available. Sure, I don't currently use the CD player. I don't use it in my current car and haven't used it in my past three cars, but if someone brings a silvery disc to play in my car I want the ability to slip it in and take a listen. I listen to the AM band even less than I listen to CDs, but there was a point last year that I wanted to listen to a football game. I didn't have an active satelite radio subscription so I just tuned it to the AM dial and scanned until I heard the announcers voice.

 

In other words, I don't look at 'new' infotainment options as replacing the older versions. I look at them as supplementing them. I'm sure as time moves on, some of these technologies will go by the wayside. Eventually they will stop selling CDs. Eventually the terrestrial radio bands will change to something else or fade away entirely... but they're still here and they are still of valid use.

[Cobra348]

Who remembers books.. ;) .... I still read and write them.

Yup - hardcopy and e-books. I have several hundred ebooks (courtesy Smashwords), about the same in paperbacks (with a dozen waiting to be read), and some hardcovers that I treasure - early Asimov, Herbert, McCaffrey, Tolkien and more - some over 50 years old.

[Cobra348]

... <large snip> ... In other words, I don't look at 'new' infotainment options as replacing the older versions. I look at them as supplementing them. I'm sure as time moves on, some of these technologies will go by the wayside. Eventually they will stop selling CDs. Eventually the terrestrial radio bands will change to something else or fade away entirely... but they're still here and they are still of valid use.

I sent my girlfriend the original post and asked her input. Interestingly, she and I came to the same conclusion as here. One thing she did state was that because her Camaro has no CD, and she prefers Sirius over AM/FM, the lack of radio, etc in favor of only bluetooth is not something she would be willing to have happen. She''s a huge music junkie (several K tracks on her PC) and would be unhappy if at least radio in some musical form was available. In Winter she swaps her Sirius account to her Equinox which also does have a CD.

 

Me ... I listen to Sirius ... from the 50s thru 90s to NPR and some other stuff. I also use the CD when that gets repetitive or I'm just not wanting it any more. I use my phone for other uses, dislike Pandora and Rhapsody any way. So I liken the infotainment situation to Windows. Although you may have the latest and greatest Windows, there is still a command shell based on 30+ year old technology called DOS. I've had trouble calls to tech support and that command window was used in every session for something or other. So technologies merge ... you use whatever floats your boat.

Edited October 8, 2015 by Cobra348

[jeffo65]

When I drive the FFH I will sometimes listen to Pandora, but most times it is the radio. When my wife drives the FFH, which is 90% of the time, it is either FM or AM nothing else.

 

Late Sunday nights listening to AM radio was always a thing to do while lying in bed. The goal was to see how far I could receive a station from.

[hybridbear]

Time is the thing for me. Most of our car trips are fairly short in length. For those trips it is more work than it's worth to dig out the USB cable & plug in my phone. It's easier to just listed to the radio. There are a half dozen radio stations here that are moderately appealing that I can flip between to avoid commercials. If they all have nothing good on or are all playing commercials then I'll listen to music via Bluetooth. But, MFT is so slow to connect to BT that it's a pain. I don't use services like Spotify so I don't know about those. My wife listens to music from Spotify or other similar sources daily while driving via BT.

[talmy]

I haven't used a car radio in over 8 years. I listen to podcasts or iPod/iPhone music while commuting or traveling.

[lolder]

These cars are so quiet I usually just enjoy that. During the six month Sirius free trial, I listened to their classical channels. The volume compression was so bad that solo violins were sometimes as loud as full symphony finales. It wasn't due to any car settings. The frequency response wasn't great either.

[corncobs]

I haven't used a car radio in over 8 years. I listen to podcasts or iPod/iPhone music while commuting or traveling.

That's my kinda statement not quite that long but still. I don't even have my antenna whip on my car anymore. My wife's Explorer didn't have one so she got mine.

 

Whenever I'm driving anywhere but especially to / from work I absolutely hate two things radio talk and commercials.

 

I have enough music on my USB stick and my phone that I don't have to listen to a song twice for a very long drive. (Almost to FL and back)

Edited October 9, 2015 by corncobs

[machoman1337]

There are a half dozen radio stations here that are moderately appealing

 

I realized today that AM/FM stations in USA are MUCH better than they are in Canada, so I now see why you guys might still see it as being appealing :)

 

Went across the border to open my PO box and tuned in out of curiosity and was surprised by the quality of the soundtracks in the stations I picked up!

 

My iPod touch (a 2009 model that cannot be updated beyond iOS 4.2) has a new permanent home in one of my car's USB ports, so timing is never an issue. You're right hybridbear, if you constantly unplug and replug your phone, especially an Android, it takes waaaay too long to re-index.

[Cobra348]

See? There are advantages (disregard Washington, DC - it's hopeless) to living 'South of the Border' so to speak, eh? :) :happy feet:

[Texasota]

Great topic. I confess to being an old fashioned person (and also just old). I enjoy talk radio as it keeps me engaged, awake, and laughing during long drives. To the best of my knowledge talk radio mostly resides on AM and that is where my radio is usually tuned. I also stream my favorite AM stations with my phone. So I guess you could say I am also whipping out my phone so that I can continue my old fashioned habits.

 

It’s great that we live in a place and time where there are audio options for everyone.

[corncobs]

Great topic. ...

 

Its great that we live in a place and time where there are audio options for everyone.

Exactly!

 

(and make a lot of people rich in the process) ;)

[hybridbear]

My iPod touch (a 2009 model that cannot be updated beyond iOS 4.2) has a new permanent home in one of my car's USB ports, so timing is never an issue. You're right hybridbear, if you constantly unplug and replug your phone, especially an Android, it takes waaaay too long to re-index.

We have an iPod Mini from about 2006 that has a permanent home in the Focus Electric. It's only 4 GB so it doesn't hold a lot of music, but it has enough for use when driving within the city. For long drives we'll connect our iPad via USB since it has our entire music library. It takes a long time to index...

[machoman1337]

See? There are advantages (disregard Washington, DC - it's hopeless) to living 'South of the Border' so to speak, eh? :) :happy feet:

 

Indeed there are. I like USA and will always visit at least 20 times a year (mostly day trips). There are parts of the US that make Toronto look like some Scandinavian utopia in comparison, but there are also great places that really do earn their tourist/immigration dollars.

 

In Canada (at least 10 years ago when my parents would turn on the car radio), you'd hear the same old songs from our Canadian singers like Bryan Adams half the time, which reduces AM/FM's appeal. There's a lot more variety on US stations for sure.

[hybridbear]

I'm listening to it less now than a few weeks ago. We only have one local Spanish FM radio station in the Twin Cities. They used to broadcast an analog signal on their own frequency. However, a few weeks ago they switched to being an additional HD channel of a local FM country station. The antenna for that station is far away northwest of the Twin Cities & thus the reception is now very poor :rant2: in the part of the Twin Cities where we live. I can still listen to that station on my phone via the TuneIn app, but I'm not going to do that in the car because of the complication & time. Since that change I'm spending less time listening to the radio in the car since this was the main radio station that I listened to.