FM - no AM - portable CD player

[kfbkfb]

https://www.carparts.com/search?q=car_antenna

Car Stereo Receivers | Pioneer Head Units | Pioneer Electronics

Transform your in-car experience with a state-of-the-art car stereo receiver. Pioneer head units feature superior sound quality, intuitive touchscreen controls, and hands-free connectivity for a safer, more enjoyable drive.

www.pioneerelectronics.com

I have 3 home Pioneer receivers in my various surround sound systems and AFAIK, the radio in my Honda Civic is made by Pioneer (IIRC, Honda owns a little Pioneer stock), it has reliable, good AM and FM (suburban) reception.


Kirk Bayne

 

[oldradiotapes]

Yes, I know full well aftermarket car radios are available but that's not what I'm asking about. I need what is basically an integrated amplifier without a tuner, that external components can be connected to. Like this type of system: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MXUCMWO, but for a car. Without a tuner. A tuner would be a virtually useless feature for me since I live in one of the worst radio markets in America. I have two-way radios and an under-dash police scanner if I need traffic information.

I mean, I guess I could improvise a mounting frame of some sort and run something like this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076P2VS9H on an inverter if I had to. Would rather do with a normal 12VDC automobile-specific device, though.

Don't know?

EDIT: Actually it looks like it really is a thing. Not precisely what I'm after but looks like something that might be doable: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00S7G1TW2 then just find a dash pocket to fill in the void underneath and make storage for e.g. a Rockbox IPOD connected to the auxilliary input.

Now, to see if its wide frequency range can make mountains of my almost 40-year old Jeep stock molehill speakers.....

 

[ZantennaG1]

Once the '390 croaks, that's it.

I see.

No more Potland radio. Good bloody riddance.

LOL It is Portland, Oregon, what did you expect? They was already on the way down, but after 2020, those people stopped trying to care altogether. Portlanders (under the new regime) are going to destroy their city from the inside out, and radio is right in there path. It is, a sad reality, but Portland radio will eventually become undone, and the only way for people like you or me to enjoy radio is to just move out and not look back.

For those who will go blue arguing that radio is NOT dead, just come to Arbitrarytron market #51 (DMA #21 last I saw) and have a tune round. You'll change your song pretty quick. :devil:
a lot.

Yep, "Potland" is the right term here. They are a cesspool, hence their radio is just as bad.
😈
On the contrary, I would invite you to visit the Midwest, where radio, is in fact, alive and well.

 

[Kelly A]

LOL It is Portland, Oregon, what did you expect? They was already on the way down, but after 2020, those people stopped trying to care altogether. Portlanders (under the new regime) are going to destroy their city from the inside out, and radio is right in there path. It is, a sad reality, but Portland radio will eventually become undone, and the only way for people like you or me to enjoy radio is to just move out and not look back.

You'd move because you didn't like the choices of local radio content? Really? Sounds pretty extreme to me.

Yep, "Potland" is the right term here. They are a cesspool, hence their radio is just as bad.

How so? If anything, that town is saturated with radio stations and formats. Seems like there's something for everyone. Oh, except Beautiful Music and Smooth Jazz, but that's gone in most places.

😈
On the contrary, I would invite you to visit the Midwest, where radio, is in fact, alive and well.

Oh yes, I'm sure radio is so much better there.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

You'd move because you didn't like the choices of local radio content? Really? Sounds pretty extreme to me.

How so? If anything, that town is saturated with radio stations and formats. Seems like there's something for everyone. Oh, except Beautiful Music and Smooth Jazz, but that's gone in most places.

Oh yes, I'm sure radio is so much better there.

I see.

LOL It is Portland, Oregon, what did you expect? They was already on the way down, but after 2020, those people stopped trying to care altogether. Portlanders (under the new regime) are going to destroy their city from the inside out, and radio is right in there path. It is, a sad reality, but Portland radio will eventually become undone, and the only way for people like you or me to enjoy radio is to just move out and not look back.

Yep, "Potland" is the right term here. They are a cesspool, hence their radio is just as bad.
😈
On the contrary, I would invite you to visit the Midwest, where radio, is in fact, alive and well.

@Kelly A in some places in the midwest radio is pretty good.. im not a fan of any of the operators in cheyenne and only one in laramie (wy, but im biased)... The NRRA in Nebraska is pretty good and thats just what comes to mind without even thinking

 

[Kelly A]

in some places in the midwest radio is pretty good.. im not a fan of any of the operators in cheyenne and only one in laramie (wy, but im biased)... The NRRA in Nebraska is pretty good and thats just what comes to mind without even thinking

How is radio geographically, better than any other market in the U.S.? Maybe one station in Duluth is a personal favorite, but you have to admit, a statement like that is totally anecdotal.

 

[ZantennaG1]

How is radio geographically, better than any other market in the U.S.? Maybe one station in Duluth is a personal favorite, but you have to admit, a statement like that is totally anecdotal.

You are more likely to have full-service AM/FMs, ran by local people in small towns, but if you go to a mid-sized Midwestern city (think Omaha, Denver, etc.), you get a great deal of variety!

 

[ZantennaG1]

I realize some of what I said was over-the-top cynical, and I'm not normally like that.

You'd move because you didn't like the choices of local radio content? Really? Sounds pretty extreme to me.

Logically speaking, radio is not a dealbreaker on the real world, but radio is a good metric of how a town is doing, and radio is nowhere close to what's wrong with Potland (as ORT put it )

How so? If anything, that town is saturated with radio stations and formats. Seems like there's something for everyone. Oh, except Beautiful Music and Smooth Jazz, but that's gone in most places.

Sorry. The dial isn't bad over there yet. I should have clarified that it will be probably reduced to infomercials on a stations one of these days, but for now, Portland does have a nice, diverse dial.

Oh yes, I'm sure radio is so much better there.

In another post, you did say it was subjective, which is true. In that case, it is my opinion that truly local radio rules

 

[vchimpanzee]

You'd move because you didn't like the choices of local radio content? Really? Sounds pretty extreme to me.

How so? If anything, that town is saturated with radio stations and formats. Seems like there's something for everyone. Oh, except Beautiful Music and Smooth Jazz, but that's gone in most places.

Oh yes, I'm sure radio is so much better there.

Also adult standards, or what passes for the format these days. The first America's Best Music affiliate I listened to online was KKOV, which has poor sound quality and lots of glitches (commercials starting in the middle of a song, for example), but until I persuaded my phone company to give me faster Internet for an affordable price by threatening to cancel even my landline, that was all that would work.

And then KKOV changed to a foreign language.

 

[Kelly A]

Also adult standards, or what passes for the format these days. The first America's Best Music affiliate I listened to online was KKOV, which has poor sound quality and lots of glitches (commercials starting in the middle of a song, for example), but until I persuaded my phone company to give me faster Internet for an affordable price by threatening to cancel even my landline, that was all that would work.

And then KKOV changed to a foreign language.

Maybe you should try that on a local radio station. Threaten to move out of the area if they didn't change their format to 'Adult Standards'? Let us know how that worked out.

 

[CTListener]

Yep, "Potland" is the right term here. They are a cesspool, hence their radio is just as bad.
😈
On the contrary, I would invite you to visit the Midwest, where radio, is in fact, alive and well.

Now wait a second. You're in Wyoming, aren't you? Since when is that the Midwest?

 

[Kelly A]

I realize some of what I said was over-the-top cynical, and I'm not normally like that.

Logically speaking, radio is not a dealbreaker on the real world, but radio is a good metric of how a town is doing, and radio is nowhere close to what's wrong with Potland (as ORT put it )

How radio is doing? What does that mean?

In another post, you did say it was subjective, which is true. In that case, it is my opinion that truly local radio rules

Perfectly fine. But, to claim all radio within a market is somehow in decline because you don't care for the geographic area? When you think about a statement like that, it's a bit of a stretch, don't ya think?

 

[vchimpanzee]

Maybe you should try that on a local radio station. Threaten to move out of the area if they didn't change their format to 'Adult Standards'? Let us know how that worked out.

What I can get in the car is close enough. In fact, if I'm willing to put up with lots of interference, I can pick up something comparable to Pure Oldies in Milwaukee pretty much everywhere. I'm much more tolerant of some of the oldies on the stronger stations than I used to be.

And then I can listen to what I want while on the computer at home.

 

[ZantennaG1]

How radio is doing? What does that mean?

In my mind, a successful radio market is diverse, inventive, and basically not boring. It's hard to put those three things into tangibles, but I think the best example of a good radio market is Columbus, Ohio.

Columbus

Nielsen Audio PPM Monthly Ratings Columbus OH (Market #36) Population: 1,796,400 Black: 330,800 - Hispanic: 104,900 Average Quarter Hour Share

radioinsight.com

There is a wide array of formats in the top 10, including Adult/Classic hits (93.3 The Bus), CHR (97.9 WNCI), Sports (97.1 The Fan), News Talk (610 KTVN), and even Country (92.3 WCOL) all maintain shares of 6.0 or higher, Sunny 95, an AC station, has a cume of over 340,000. Sadly though, CCM, Jazz, Classical, and shockingly Urban are all not represented here (unless they just don't sign up for the ratings). Overall though, this is a healthy market with tons of options to choose from, and stations that won't disappear as soon as someone offers dollar signs for those stations.

Now, let's examine some other facts about the capital of Ohio.
From https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-cities/columbus-oh-population :

Columbus is currently growing at a rate of 0.84% annually and its population has increased by 17.10% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 787,033 in 2010. Spanning over 225 miles, Columbus has a population density of 4,204 people per square mile. Columbus was named as one of the top 50 cities in America in 2012 by BusinessWeek, and it was given an A rating by Forbes a year later as one of the top cities for business in the country. It was also recently named as one of the top cities to relocate in the country and the number 3 best city of the future.

Image: Poverty rate of the top 16 cities in the US, Columbus is about in the middle to lower end. Per: U.S. poverty rate: top 25 most populated cities 2019 | Statista

https://kruppmoving.com/blog/columbus-oh-crime-rate/ says

The Columbus crime rate isn’t much higher than the national average despite being a major city. Most neighborhoods in Columbus are safe with family-friendly amenities, safe parks, and walkable streets

Another website: The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Columbus Metro, OH: Crime Maps and Statistics | crimegrade.org agrees in principal, however acknowledges that some neighborhoods are particularly dangerous, and that because Columbus is a big city, crime is just more likely to happen there. However, compared to other Ohioan cities...

Columbus Metro is as safe versus other metro areas of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in metro areas with comparable overall population in the metro area‘s boundaries. Considering only the crime rate, the Columbus metro area is as safe as the Ohio state average and as safe as the national average.

Obviously, this example city is not prefect by a long shot, but, it does hopefully show a correlation between good radio, and high rankings in quality of life factors. (Again, everyone's taste in radio is different, but as you can see, Columbus has something for everyone. Radio Stations in Columbus, Ohio..

Overall, I give Columbus a radio grade of A-, and a general grade of C+. By comparison, Denver gets a radio grade of B, and a general grade of B-, whilst Portland gets a radio grade of B+, but due to recent events, a general grade of D+. (Otherwise, Portland gets C+ overall). I can't really find a major city that is really bad at radio, but Wichita having way too many country stations is a start, and they have a higher incarceration rate and poverty rate than Columbus (just slightly), although it is an overall decent place to live because they saved their economy back in the early 2000's when Wichita really was stuggling.
-----

Perfectly fine. But, to claim all radio within a market is somehow in decline because you don't care for the geographic area? When you think about a statement like that, it's a bit of a stretch, don't ya think?

I can certainly recognize that an area is doing alright for itself even if I don't like the culture that well. San Fran and Portland though are in ways, declining. Only 4 of Portland stations get a 6.0 share, and before KKCW switched to holiday music, only 3 cracked 6.0 in October. Ouch.

I do agree that blanket statements are almost always a stretch.

 

[ZantennaG1]

Now wait a second. You're in Wyoming, aren't you? Since when is that the Midwest?

Meh. It's the "Inter-mountain West", but I've been brainwashed my meteorologists to believe we are the Mid-west. Although to be honest, once you are in the plains, (as in east of I-25), that's where the Midwest begins.

 

[ZantennaG1]

Maybe you should try that on a local radio station. Threaten to move out of the area if they didn't change their format to 'Adult Standards'? Let us know how that worked out.

Heh heh. One can't particularly threaten to move out or "cancel service" like the telephone company, but why not contact your local station that has a similar format to the one you are looking for, and give them some feedback? So, most US cities have a diverse range of radio stations, so you'll find something eventually. But if you can't even find a station that you jive with, even for a few moments, that could be a sign that you are just not going to fit into that city, and sometimes, that's okay.

 

[vchimpanzee]

Heh heh. One can't particularly threaten to move out or "cancel service" like the telephone company, but why not contact your local station that has a similar format to the one you are looking for, and give them some feedback? So, most US cities have a diverse range of radio stations, so you'll find something eventually. But if you can't even find a station that you jive with, even for a few moments, that could be a sign that you are just not going to fit into that city, and sometimes, that's okay.

There are songs that would fit in an adult standards format on the oldies station that was standards. However, some of the oldies that would not be standards (or in this day and age, maybe they would be) are good.

 

[vchimpanzee]

In my mind, a successful radio market is diverse, inventive, and basically not boring. It's hard to put those three things into tangibles, but I think the best example of a good radio market is Columbus, Ohio.

Columbus

Nielsen Audio PPM Monthly Ratings Columbus OH (Market #36) Population: 1,796,400 Black: 330,800 - Hispanic: 104,900 Average Quarter Hour Share

radioinsight.com

There is a wide array of formats in the top 10, including Adult/Classic hits (93.3 The Bus), CHR (97.9 WNCI), Sports (97.1 The Fan), News Talk (610 KTVN), and even Country (92.3 WCOL) all maintain shares of 6.0 or higher, Sunny 95, an AC station, has a cume of over 340,000. Sadly though, CCM, Jazz, Classical, and shockingly Urban are all not represented here (unless they just don't sign up for the ratings). Overall though, this is a healthy market with tons of options to choose from, and stations that won't disappear as soon as someone offers dollar signs for those stations.

Columbus has standards, sort of. Easy 95 has a soft oldies/AC format that has occasional actual standards.

 

[Kelly A]

In my mind, a successful radio market is diverse, inventive, and basically not boring. It's hard to put those three things into tangibles, but I think the best example of a good radio market is Columbus, Ohio.

I'm still struggling with any direct ties between a livable city, according to various opinions, economic conditions, whatever, to the quality of radio stations or formats. It's like comparing apples to microphones. Detroit has struggled economically since the 2008 Depression, yet have been home of quality and groundbreaking radio formats. Chicago is another example. San Francisco, Los Angeles, and NYC come to mind too. All great radio cities, in spite of their 'livability index' or whatever metric you want to politically paint the market with.

Overall, I give Columbus a radio grade of A-, and a general grade of C+. By comparison, Denver gets a radio grade of B, and a general grade of B-, whilst Portland gets a radio grade of B+, but due to recent events, a general grade of D+.

Again, are you giving Portland that grade because of radio station performance in the market, or because you politically have a problem with that city? I can see lumping-in political talk radio with political opinions, but to paint an entire city with poor radio because of personal political leanings? Misguided and unfair.

I can certainly recognize that an area is doing alright for itself even if I don't like the culture that well.

And yet you claim that because you don't like the culture, radio in the market suffers too? Which is it?

San Fran and Portland though are in ways, declining.

Are you still talking about radio in Portland, the homeless problem, cost of living in the area, or politics? I'm struggling with making any connection to radio.

Only 4 of Portland stations get a 6.0 share, and before KKCW switched to holiday music, only 3 cracked 6.0 in October. Ouch.

Without sounding like a skipping CD, you're using 6+ information which is useless. Doesn't account for station target demographics, nor revenue.

I do agree that blanket statements are almost always a stretch.

And so far, you've made some doozy's.

 

[oldradiotapes]

How so? If anything, that town is saturated with radio stations and formats. Seems like there's something for everyone. Oh, except Beautiful Music and Smooth Jazz, but that's gone in most places.

I guess so, if you like far right-wing talk, far left-wing talk, announcers who sound like they're always stoned/barely out of puberty (I'm pointing fingers at YOU, KBOO and KXRY), bible thumpers, state propaganda, crappy indy rock, propaganda, 24-and-7 commercials, overprocessed Mexican stations far right-wing talk and sets of the same 50 songs repeated 8 or 9 times throughout the day, padded with 10 minute commercial breaks, of course. And let's not forget far-right talk.

Just like Methland itself, its radio market is a toilet and has been for years, and is only getting worse. On the other hand there is KQAC which is about the only halfway listenable thing left on the air. And once that's gone/Portland Central News Agency takes it over/it gets bombed by some dissident or wannabe revolutionary, that'll be the end of it.

It's gotta be something in the water...

and lots of glitches (commercials starting in the middle of a song, for example)

I hate to break it to you but that wasn't unique to KKOV. KKSN (910 and 1520) had had that same issue since the start of AM Only. I don't know why. You'd even sometimes hear the very last couple seconds or so of the network commercial set after the local set had finished playing, and in a few cases the network feed wouldn't mute so you'd hear two sets of spots talking over each other. Somebody at KKSN/KKAD/KKOV didn't know how to program a spot player or set up a Transtar cue receiver, I guess.