Is reception from the 9 kHz part of the world normally possible in Chile? If not, I don't see the need for that circuitry.
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Ford Reconsiders, Now Keeping AM Radio
- Thread starter davideduardo
- Start date
But what if that listener travels to a 9 kHz region? This is not what we would consider to be a rare use case.
How many people would bother with a radio? I know I wouldn't. And if I did, I'd bring one of my old analog radios which would solve the problem.
A smartphone would be a far better choice, especially if WiFi is available. Depends on international roaming charges over the local cellular networks, I would think.
First, it allows one model to be sold everywhere. That means if a market dries up, the radios on hand can go anywhere else.
Second, it allows people who travel and carry a radio to use theirs anywhere. I know that even when I could use my iPhone or iWatch or laptop to wake me while traveling, I'd always use a pocket radio that I had set to local time as my primary alarm... particularly when not showing up could cost us a $30,000 music test!
All receivers back to the crystal set process RF in some manner. And if you think about it, a crystal set is basically a very large diode!
From Wikipedia (an item that is actually correct, too):
Modern crystal sets use modern semiconductor diodes. The crystal functions as an envelope detector, rectifying the alternating current radio signal to a pulsing direct current, the peaks of which trace out the audio signal, so it can be converted to sound by the earphone, which is connected to the detector.
See my last post.
Many places are nowhere nearly as reliable as the US and Western Europe. I'd rather have a radio for security.
One production cycle, a large stock of radios that can be shipped anywhere in the world with just a simple setting before packaging.
Also remember that some nations have 100 kHz FM assignment intervals and others have 200 such as in the US and much but not all of Latin America.
Colombia , for example, has stations at frequencies like 91.1, 91.2, 91.3 and so on. As does Italy and many nations in Europe, Asia and Africa. So radios can be set for a 200 kHz interval or 100 kHz interval depending of the market.
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Radio is doing rather well in many European countries, actually, at least on FM. Having truly national networks helps a lot.
It costs me $10 a day (for each day it is used) to run data through my phone when in Europe (or outside North America at all). So I minimize that usage. A halfway-reasonable radio is less expensive and is a capital expenditure rather than an ongoing expenditure.
It probably costs less to put the 9/10 kHz spacing capability in the radio - especially if it can be done with firmware as is so often done now - than it would to have separate production runs.
I've never had to deal with it, so you answered my question. Thanks.
And they also can set the FM interval and top and bottom of the band. One production run, configurable for any place in the world.
And let's not forget the FM de-emphasis curve. The Tecsun PL-320 that I just bought allows switching between 50 (rest of the world) and 75 (North America and South Korea) microseconds independent of any other parameters.
Oddly, Sangean has separate 50-usec models for the DT-800 and the DT-400 - the latter being DT-250 in the rest of the world - and it really does make a difference in listening, even to these 66-year-old ears. I bought the "rest of the world" versions through Amazon France.
Oddly, Sangean has separate 50-usec models for the DT-800 and the DT-400 - the latter being DT-250 in the rest of the world - and it really does make a difference in listening, even to these 66-year-old ears. I bought the "rest of the world" versions through Amazon France.
That's probably what they do when they manufacture FM radios for different countries, such as 88-108 MHz for the US and 76-108 for Japan. But firmware is easily uploaded during the manufacturing process; it's trivial to do at the factory. No need for a physical switch or a menu item (also requiring some kind of switch to set it).
I spent 40 years in electronics manufacturing, and such customization for various countries or even individual customers was standard procedure in most companies I worked for (a defense contractor being the exception). It depended on the product, of course, and got easier over the years. The object of the game was to minimize component costs, which got much easier as microprocessors got more sophisticated, and cheaper at the same time. Even one switch or pushbutton that cost $1 or less per unit added up.
Never did get an answer to my question from Monday, Kirk:The message would repeat all night until commercial programing (or infomercials) start the next morning - 5AM, for example.
Kirk Bayne
Swell. But if the disaster occurs between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m., what happens? Are you staffing but not programming? Are people taking turns sleeping on a cot at each radio station every night?
Emergency responders (who I would expect to be trained on what EAS is, how to activate it and what to say).
The time of day and whether anyone is physically present at the radio station wouldn't matter, EAS is supposed to be automatic and interrupts any programming when activated.
Kirk Bayne
The time of day and whether anyone is physically present at the radio station wouldn't matter, EAS is supposed to be automatic and interrupts any programming when activated.
Kirk Bayne
According to this article, GM will be ditching Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in at least some of its EVs starting in 2024. They're going with an embedded system from Google instead:
www.radioworld.com
GM Goes Embedded in Its EVs
GM Goes Embedded in Its EVs - Radio World
General Motors recently outlined its infotainment plans for new electric vehicles.
www.radioworld.com
The article also says:
But when you talk about car radios, there are different companies involved beyond traditional Delco. Which is why radio companies know they need to familiarize their listers with ways to hear their stations on other devices, and come up with content other than music.
According to this article, GM will be ditching Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in at least some of its EVs starting in 2024. They're going with an embedded system from Google instead:
GM Goes Embedded in Its EVs
GM Goes Embedded in Its EVs - Radio World
General Motors recently outlined its infotainment plans for new electric vehicles.
The Google system has also been adopted by Volvo (in 2022) and Honda (in 2023). However, both those automakers have chosen to have theirs compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Ford says it will do the same.
GM is going off on its own in hopes of controlling and profiting from the applications it makes available in its vehicles. A Ford spokesman says that’s a battle the automakers lost ten years ago, and their research shows the lack of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is a deal-killer for too many buyers.
Worth noting that Tesla also does not offer Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.
I said this years ago that XM and Sirius (before the merger) changed everything by offering to pay car companies for space on their dashboards. My sense is that's what this is. GM is getting something from Google in exchange for this. A decision was made and Apple lost. There's really nothing radio companies can do about this because radio is not owned by one company. The government owns the spectrum. It's up to them to fight for space on the dash. Radio companies either have their own apps or TuneIn.
BigA, my understanding is that the automakers pay Google for Android Automotive. It comes with a suite of services from Google, including Maps, Play Store and Assistant.
Most manufacturers also specify that they want Apple Car Play and Android Auto (different from Android Automotive)---again because of consumer demand.
Volvo was early to Android Automotive, early enough that compatibility hadn't been worked out and the first eight months of production of 2022 Volvos were cars that weren't compatible with CarPlay or Android Auto. Those cars were then retrofitted via an over-the-air software update (I did one on a press vehicle in my driveway a few months back).
My guess is that Android Auto allows for other third-party apps that the manufacturer can make deals for and GM thinks it can make money with them. I expect it will backfire spectacularly and GM will be glad they can do OTA software updates and make their vehicles CarPlay and Android Auto compatible when they run up the white flag (though if they negotiated a deal with Google for a lowered price based on lowered functionality, they'll have to settle that first).
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