Some 21 years ago, returning from a honeymoon in Vegas, we drove up I-15 into Utah and then turned east on I-70. Somewhere along that stretch of I-70, until we got somewhere near the Colorado border, I remember there being next to nothing on either AM or FM...except for the odd translator signal that probably originated in SLC. I also remember there being a sign about no exits for the next whole buncha miles.
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End of AM, FM in new cars in 2-5 years?
- Thread starter raccoonradio
- Start date
I'm glad to hear this was a mistake. And the comment that removing AM and FM would only save 12 cents makes me wonder why that would even be considered. How many features like AM stereo stayed on radios from the car makers for years after it had failed? If it only costs 12 cents, it looks like there's no reason for AM and FM not to stay in car audio systems until they're no longer in use.
Some statements are easily misunderstood - especially "shock" statements designed to get your attention. it could be that AM/FM radios themselves will be eliminated - only to be replaced by a type of "communications center" that features a number of choices, including AM & FM. That would sound more logical.
BTW, what AM or FM stations can be received deep within Big Bend Nat. Pk. in the daytime?
BTW, what AM or FM stations can be received deep within Big Bend Nat. Pk. in the daytime?
JeeperOne
Banned
I think it all boils down to the sheer number of gadgets in the car which do nothing but distract the driver from what they SHOULD be doing - Driving the car
Now when Google's Smart Car starts production here in the U.S. the reason will be to distract the occupant from realizing when they've arrived at their destination
JMO.....
Cheers & 73 ;D
Now when Google's Smart Car starts production here in the U.S. the reason will be to distract the occupant from realizing when they've arrived at their destination
JMO.....
Cheers & 73 ;D
Tom Wells said:
People who eliminate landlines and are what are called "CPO" or "Cell Phone Only" do not have the expense of a traditional phone... which at present, when you add in taxes and even minimal features, is $35 to $40 a month (I know... I had to have a landline for a home security system, and it ran over $45 a month in LA) on average. Put that saving on top of the cellphone basic charge and most people don't worry about the cost of bandwidth.
Many people are using smartphone apps to replace a need for cable, too. One of the goals many people have is to have all their entertainment options in one portable device.
I was looking through older threads and founs this topic. I traded cars last week (a 2019 Hyundai Elantra) and it had AM, FM, Bluetooth, a USB port that will handle IPhones, and an auxiliary jack, but no CD. So it looks like that's the direction basic car stereos are going.
Exactly. Streaming killed CD, not the radio. Streaming has replaced the new CD.
No need to buy CDs, and therefore no need for a CD player.
There are VOIP options for "landline" use as cheap as $6.50/month. My VOIP "landline" is identical to the POTS phone I used to pay the phone company almost $40/month for......but without the 60+ features that VOIP provides at no extra cost.
The thing I like most about VOIP? I can block or reroute incoming calls. My *crap* calls are now down to less than one per week.
I must have missed the announcement that CD/DVD are dead. I have a pretty large library of movies/documentaries/music on CD/DVD. From those masters I can create my own personalized mix playlists and I can also burn DVD's from other sources to add to my library.
While I have found USB sticks more useful, and larger, than DVD's I still like the flexibility of both media. I do have to admit that rarely use the CD player in any of my four vehicles.
I've had a smartphone with FM for five years now. Can't remember the last time I tried tuning AM in on my home stereo. Too much noise!
Here you go:
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/oct/24/cd-r-generation-z
https://www.reddit.com/r/trackers/comments/5did4f/its_official_whatcd_is_dead_memorial_thread/
Next time you buy a car, be sure it comes with a CD player.
That second link has nothing to do with the cd format dying. Its referencing a bit torrent tracker that was raided/shutdown and went by the URL of what.cd.
https://torrentfreak.com/what-cd-shuts-down-following-reported-raids-in-france-161117/
https://torrentfreak.com/what-cd-shuts-down-following-reported-raids-in-france-161117/
CD players in cars are disappearing a lot quicker than AM radio tuners. While my 2018 VW Jetta (which does have an in-dash CD player) was in for service, I had a new 2019 Jetta as a loaner car. It is only available with a CD player (and HD Radio) in its highest trim level, and the player is stuck inside the glovebox. So the base model I drove had no CD player, and not even a 3.5mm analog line-input jack -- the only audio inputs it had were a USB port and SD card slot. I tried plugging in a USB CD/DVD drive, but that didn't work. So the only conceivable way to play CDs in it would be to use a Discman connected to an FM modulator!
And let's not forget Sirius/XM in this discussion. I tune AM only for the TOH news. But then Sirius/XM has news. So much for AM. I am 26 mile from a 50kW blowtorch. At night the quality is marginal at best (not noise, just interference). AM is going to die, the question is whether it is going to be a long lingering death, or a quick chop. I suspect long and lingering.
My entire CD collection has been ripped to the computer. I have not actually listened to a CD in a long, long time. In a few minutes I am going to send a playlist via Bluetooth to my speakers. So much for a CD player. Same is true in cars. My carrier allows me to stream most of the music services without impacting my data plan. When I think about it, I often remark on the massive waste of bandwidth. But with Sirius/XM, cell phone streaming, USB stick, I am not sure a radio (particularly AM) is even a necessity in a car any more. Just continuing a trend at home, why listen to a radio at home, when you can call up almost anything you want via streaming.
My entire CD collection has been ripped to the computer. I have not actually listened to a CD in a long, long time. In a few minutes I am going to send a playlist via Bluetooth to my speakers. So much for a CD player. Same is true in cars. My carrier allows me to stream most of the music services without impacting my data plan. When I think about it, I often remark on the massive waste of bandwidth. But with Sirius/XM, cell phone streaming, USB stick, I am not sure a radio (particularly AM) is even a necessity in a car any more. Just continuing a trend at home, why listen to a radio at home, when you can call up almost anything you want via streaming.
Wait … I've never had a car with a CD player. I got one with a cassette player and could have ended my dependence on radio.
Actually, I need a new car now but I wouldn't be able to afford one that is really new. So it will have a CD player.
The last cassette player any car I owned was in a 2005 Dodge Caravan. It actually had CD as well, but Chrysler apparently dropped that model stereo soon afterward.
I'm really surprised that the AM reception in my new car is pretty good, but there's almost nothing I want to hear on AM any more.
I'm really surprised that the AM reception in my new car is pretty good, but there's almost nothing I want to hear on AM any more.
My last with a cassette was a 2002 Saturn. My next car -- the one I'm still in today -- was a 2008 VW -- no cassette, only CD.The AM is good but yeah, nothing to listen to except Red Sox on WTIC, but I usually use SiriusXM for that so I can switch around easily to other games. Patriots are on WTIC but WAQY Springfield booms in here, so I go for the interference-free audio every time.
You could go aftermarket to add HD to a late-model, or to modernize a '00s car also with the additions of a touch screen interface, Bluetooth, CarPlay, and a back-up camera. But those late-models do not use standardized DINs anymore!
Sirius XM is still an option? Last time I listened to satellite, the sound quality surprisingly gave me a migraine! Sadly the HD Radio feed of Prairie Home Companion was 10x better than the satellite simulcast. Decided not to spend the $10/month after that experience.
The only reason that Sirius XM is still around is because of luddite Gen Xers. I just listen to NPR or watch TV news when I arrive in my living room or a public area.
I was so afraid of cassettes because the tape will eventually be eaten (one way or another) if used too much. CDs have the best sound quality--way better than analog FM--but those jewel cases are thick and bulky, which barely fits in the center console, and noisy (if it bounces around while driving).
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