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AM Interference - Leveling Off?

kfbkfb

kfbkfb

Any evidence that interference (impulse and steady state) in the "AM" band is going to get continually worse or level off?

A person can only have so many interference creating devices (newer - smart phone, Laptop/PC etc., older - light dimmers, appliances with electric motors etc.).

My Sony ICF-26P pocket radio says:
Operation is subject to the condition that this device does not cause harmful interference.


Kirk Bayne
 
kfbkfb said:
Any evidence that interference (impulse and steady state) in the "AM" band is going to get continually worse or level off?

A person can only have so many interference creating devices (newer - smart phone, Laptop/PC etc., older - light dimmers, appliances with electric motors etc.).

My Sony ICF-26P pocket radio says:
Operation is subject to the condition that this device does not cause harmful interference.


Kirk Bayne
Click to expand...
Positive: newer broadband technologies such as full fiber rather than DSL cause less interference. DSL works by squirting RF down copper telephone lines that were never designed for it, and they "leak". Full fiber emits no RF in spectrum that would cause issues for AM radio - it is literally light.

Negative: at some point, everyone is going to have an electric vehicle - these will raise the noise floor significantly, including in currently "quiet" areas (as cars tend to be everywhere).

The killer fact is that AM has no future because there are better options out there now for radio audiences. It will continue to decline, the number of stations will continue to dwindle, and even if all interference-causing gadgets were turned off tomorrow, this would continue to be the case.
 
kfbkfb said:
Any evidence that interference (impulse and steady state) in the "AM" band is going to get continually worse or level off?
Click to expand...
It's been getting worse about every other year. For example; the ITU claimed just a couple years ago that in order to get acceptable reception on a typical portable radio, the average field strength of a MW station would need to be at least 10mVm. Roughly a year ago, they raised it to almost 20mVm. All this to get over the increasing international noise floor in that band.
kfbkfb said:
A person can only have so many interference creating devices (newer - smart phone, Laptop/PC etc., older - light dimmers, appliances with electric motors etc.).
Click to expand...
What, in your thoughts is that some sort of rule? Remember, noise is a cumulative global standard. As under-developed countries grow in technology used, so goes the noise floor.
kfbkfb said:
My Sony ICF-26P pocket radio says:
Operation is subject to the condition that this device does not cause harmful interference.
Click to expand...
That's for a Part 15 compliant pocket radio. In reality, noise is being generated by LED lights, switching power supplies, aging utilities, electric vehicles, and band congestion.
 
FCC's attempt at controlling RFI is like throwing a sandbag in the Mississippi River.
Every house that puts solar panels up is no longer listening to broadcast due to the inverter RFI.
 
The increasing number of electric vehicles is a problem for AM. Not if you're driving one, but being close to one driving by, in your gas driven car or truck. This could be the death knell for AM.
 
Does this situation bode well for all digital HD in the "AM" band, was the HD signal designed to cope with ever increasing levels of interference?


Kirk Bayne
 
kfbkfb said:
Does this situation bode well for all digital HD in the "AM" band, was the HD signal designed to cope with ever increasing levels of interference?
Click to expand...
MA3 has been shown to be more noise-tolerant than analog, but if enough noise and depending the field strength from the listener perspective, noise is still destructive.
 
kfbkfb said:
Does this situation bode well for all digital HD in the "AM" band, was the HD signal designed to cope with ever increasing levels of interference?
Click to expand...
HD for AM was only developed as an afterthought so that the company could overcome what they thought was a potential objection to an FM-only version if it were seen to discriminate against AM.

The overpopulation of the FM band, culminating in Docket 80-90, gave no real way for most AMs to migrate, so the FCC began allowing "portable" translators to move all around the country to appear under some needy AM.

The real issue is that people do not buy stand-alone radios any more in any significant quantity.
 
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