taking AM/FM radio out of cars in 5 years or so,could it really happen ???

[Tom Wells]

On a train yesterday, I traveled from Detroit to Chicago on a train running parallel to interstate 94.
I had lots of time to keep trying over and over again to get IP connectivity.

Some fun, yep-err! This would only with with a rebuild of the cellular network
to something closer to the original concept.

In 1974, it was imagined cellular coverage would have the "small" cells as we have implemented today, along with
even larger cells which encompassed many small cells, and even larger super-cells comprised of groups of the large and small cells.

In this way there were many opportunities for the system to "see" that the phone was traveling across a region,
then providing service in larger cells, rather than trying to hand off coverage through small cells, as is done now.
Non-traveling phone users were to be handled withn the small cells.

 

[northwoods]

Landtuna - veering of subject - Motor Trend has improved, IMO. It's not the same magazine that made the 1970 Ford Torino (a bloated gas-hog of a land yacht - even for that bizarre time) the "Car of the Year."

In comparison to the LTD or T-Bird of 1970, the Torino looked like a mid-size. By today's standards, all 3 would be considered bloated gas hogs of a land yacht.

 

[LKellerIII]

Landtuna - veering of subject - Motor Trend has improved, IMO. It's not the same magazine that made the 1970 Ford Torino (a bloated gas-hog of a land yacht - even for that bizarre time) the "Car of the Year."

In comparison to the LTD or T-Bird of 1970, the Torino looked like a mid-size. By today's standards, all 3 would be considered bloated gas hogs of a land yacht.

Veering way off subject, but IMO - the much superior GM mid-size models of the time (69-73) (Malibu, LeMans/GTO, Skylark) were quite a bit smaller than the bloated Torino - at least they looked that way to me.

 

[michael hagerty]

Landtuna - veering of subject - Motor Trend has improved, IMO. It's not the same magazine that made the 1970 Ford Torino (a bloated gas-hog of a land yacht - even for that bizarre time) the "Car of the Year."

In comparison to the LTD or T-Bird of 1970, the Torino looked like a mid-size. By today's standards, all 3 would be considered bloated gas hogs of a land yacht.

Veering way off subject, but IMO - the much superior GM mid-size models of the time (69-73) (Malibu, LeMans/GTO, Skylark) were quite a bit smaller than the bloated Torino - at least they looked that way to me.

The 1970 Torino was nine inches longer than the Malibu. Five of that was in the wheelbase, the rest in front and rear overhang. The two were virtually identical in width.

The 1970 LTD/Galaxie and Impala/Bel Air were identical in length....ten inches longer than the Torino...19 inches longer than the Malibu.

 

[michael hagerty]

I don't know that it has been legislated yet, but I subscribe to Motor Trend and Car & Driver - auto enthusiasts' magazines. Their reviewers absolutely despise BMW's "I-Drive" and Ford's "My Touch" - two high-tech on-board "systems that combine all sorts of formerly segregated dashboard functions. They find them overly complicated and needlessly distracting.

I don't put much stock in Motor Trend as an authority on motor vehicles but I've always thought Car & Driver was spot on their assessments. That said, I agree with them.

There's a bit of a renaissance going on in car magazines. MT was always the most poorly written. I got a gift subscription to it at age 8 and swapped it for Car and Driver at 11.

But in the past few years, they've fixed some things. Angus McKenzie stopped the bleeding and turned the magazine around. In the past year, since Ed Loh succeeded Angus as Editor-In-Chief, the writing has improved dramatically. I honestly can't say they're inferior to anyone...it's now just a matter of taste, and MT is getting close to being as enjoyable a read as Car and Driver.

This month, Larry Webster has put out the first issue of the completely redesigned Road & Track and it is simply stunning. Visually and editorially, it's better than I thought car magazines in this country were capable of being.

And Automobile continues to have some of the most seasoned and interesting writers in automotive journalism.

I could make a case for subscribing to all four. They're all good and have distinct strengths that set them apart from each other.

 

[landtuna]

I don't criticize the writing as much as the selection of cars deserving awards of one thing or another. MT was always the darling of Detroit and got richly deserved hoo-haa's for their Car of the Year selections.

Road and Track was written for EuroSnobs who prefer exotic marques unobtainable by the average American car buyer. Nobody I know was ever interested in the limited production Lambo Quattro-Mosquito Dual-Turbo Extravaganza whose tires cost more than the average econo-box of the day.

Car and Driver was the best of the car mags both in writing (mostly tongue in cheek) and in selection. Famous for their "drive off comparo's" of like models they put a realistic spin on car performance for the average car buyer. Their occasional features like the race across America and motorcycle adventures in Mexico were hilarious.

Since I've become old and fat and honor my personal comfort more than a shiny geegaw to impress the ladies I still read C&D mostly for their comparos of luxo-cruisers.

BTW, my 2012 Genesis has a replica of the BMW I-Drive system and I agree that it is way too cumbersome to use and difficult to master. Were it not standard equipment I would have opted out.

 

[michael hagerty]

I don't criticize the writing as much as the selection of cars deserving awards of one thing or another. MT was always the darling of Detroit and got richly deserved hoo-haa's for their Car of the Year selections.

Road and Track was written for EuroSnobs who prefer exotic marques unobtainable by the average American car buyer. Nobody I know was ever interested in the limited production Lambo Quattro-Mosquito Dual-Turbo Extravaganza whose tires cost more than the average econo-box of the day.

Car and Driver was the best of the car mags both in writing (mostly tongue in cheek) and in selection. Famous for their "drive off comparo's" of like models they put a realistic spin on car performance for the average car buyer. Their occasional features like the race across America and motorcycle adventures in Mexico were hilarious.

Since I've become old and fat and honor my personal comfort more than a shiny geegaw to impress the ladies I still read C&D mostly for their comparos of luxo-cruisers.

I believed MT's Car of the Year went to whatever car company had the biggest ad budget....until this year, when they chose the Tesla Model S. Tesla's not spending a dime on magazine ads.

Road & Track has packed up, left Laguna Beach for Ann Arbor, and former Car and Driver staffer Larry Webster's in charge. The Euro-snob thing is gone. Really worth a look.

And we agree about C/D. Some of the best writing, automotive or otherwise, including Escape From Baja, Jean Lindamood's "Pig Of Bronze" Jeep and P.J. O'Rourke's auto writing debut about Rent-A-Wreck.

 

[LKellerIII]

Off subject or not, thanks for the back-up, Michael. I KNEW that Torino was huge, though I didn't know the specs. A couple of years later, a friend of mine had a "Starsky & Hutch" look-alike version. IIRC - it was a piece of junk, wheras my friend with a 69 Malibu and another friend with a 71 Dodge Charger had reasonably reliable cars...for the time, any way. MT got a lot of criticism at the time for picking the 70 Tornino as the "Car of the Year."

I was always a C&D fan, but recently subscribed to MT because the subscription price was so low. So I now get both for around $20 a year, combined. I stopped subscribing to R&T because of their concentration on high ends sports cars and super cars. Though I like the occasional articles on Corvettes, Ferarris, etc - my interest in cars is a bit more plebian. If it seems like I can afford it someday, I'm interested in reading about it - even if I never take the plunge.

I also like that "Tirekicker" blog written by...uh...can't recall his name at the moment.

 

[michael hagerty]

Thanks, Llew! Maybe that guy'll get somewhere. I just read that he's been picked up by BBC Autos (yep, the British Broadcasting Corporation) as a contributing writer.

Road & Track: Larry Webster says in this issue that they'll cover all cars...but the emphasis will be on sports & enthusiast vehicles. I really recommend you flip through a copy at the newsstand. Totally different magazine. Look for the new logo.

 

[MC]

Back on the radio stuff, I see those retro radios for classic cars at car shows, The radio in dash looks like a radio from the 60s period, but has hidden components to give good sound and work with a mp3/ipod etc.

Ford mercury had the cyclone GTs, I think they where smaller than the torino?

 

[michael hagerty]

Ford mercury had the cyclone GTs, I think they where smaller than the torino?

Nope. Built on the same chassis, the 1970 Mercury Cyclone's unique bodywork was actually 3.9 inches longer than the 1970 Ford Torino.

 

[hm insulators]

My guess is that "technology" will continue to be deployed to the car dashboard until it impacts the ability of the driver to operate the vehicle. Then it will be legislated back out or altered so as not to create a significant distraction. This is already happening.

They were talking about that on KTAR-FM in Phoenix this morning.

 

[landtuna]

My guess is that "technology" will continue to be deployed to the car dashboard until it impacts the ability of the driver to operate the vehicle. Then it will be legislated back out or altered so as not to create a significant distraction. This is already happening.

They were talking about that on KTAR-FM in Phoenix this morning.

Was there a prevailing opinion?

 

[LKellerIII]

My guess is that "technology" will continue to be deployed to the car dashboard until it impacts the ability of the driver to operate the vehicle. Then it will be legislated back out or altered so as not to create a significant distraction. This is already happening.

They were talking about that on KTAR-FM in Phoenix this morning.

Was there a prevailing opinion?

I was just reading - and I can't remember the source - that there is a lot of concern among auto safety folks (NHTSA, etc) about distractions in general - not specifically anything to do with AM or FM, just the fact that we now have so many things on och dash boards to distract us - Nav systems, AM/FM/CD/Satellite, and all the power options that come with cars these days. And of course, there are the now ubiquitous cell phones, whihc are distracting whether or not you're holding it in your hand or not, really. If you're like me, your listening to an MP3 player, and looking down to skip songs occasionally.

I doubt it will lead to the elimination of any features, but more likely to new designs in dashboards and technology in general so we don't have to take our eyes off the road to operate all the features.

 

[michael hagerty]

My guess is that "technology" will continue to be deployed to the car dashboard until it impacts the ability of the driver to operate the vehicle. Then it will be legislated back out or altered so as not to create a significant distraction. This is already happening.

They were talking about that on KTAR-FM in Phoenix this morning.

Was there a prevailing opinion?

I was just reading - and I can't remember the source - that there is a lot of concern among auto safety folks (NHTSA, etc) about distractions in general - not specifically anything to do with AM or FM, just the fact that we now have so many things on och dash boards to distract us - Nav systems, AM/FM/CD/Satellite, and all the power options that come with cars these days. And of course, there are the now ubiquitous cell phones, whihc are distracting whether or not you're holding it in your hand or not, really. If you're like me, your listening to an MP3 player, and looking down to skip songs occasionally.

I doubt it will lead to the elimination of any features, but more likely to new designs in dashboards and technology in general so we don't have to take our eyes off the road to operate all the features.

Trouble is, the automakers' current thinking is to make everything controllable from an iPad like screen on the dashboard. And you have to take your eyes off the road to hit the right app. Cadillac's CUE, the other GM Link systems and MyFordTouch promise to reduce distraction but actually require more time with eyes off the road.

The 2014 Chrysler system is supposed to be better...we'll see. But best would be a one-touch button on the steering wheel and voice recognition commands that actually work.

 

[LKellerIII]

I believe we covered this earlier in the thread, but it bears repeating - the car mags and Consumer Reports generally despise Ford's My Touch and BMW's i-Drive, not only as distracting, but not user-friendly, and requiring a big learning-curve to master.

The nearest thing I have experience with is the system on my Prius (yes, for all my love of fun cars, I currently drive the most boring vehicle on the road) which took some getting used to. For example, the sound system (radio, CD, Aux) is just one of 4 or 5 screens. The default screen is for "Consumption" -so you can monitor and feel all smug about the gas you are saving. In order to access the radio "dial" and audio controls (except volume), for example, I have to hit the button for that specific screen. Once you learn it, it only takes an extra second, but it was distracting at first. It was easier in the old days, when I could just look down at the radio for a second. All these new things require extra steps.

 

[Triple Fake Jerry]

I don't think in 5 years, but in 15 to 25, maybe.

 

[landtuna]

Could AM be the new weatherband?

I'm thinking a few 50K blowtorches scattered around the country in appropriate locations would cover weather and natural disaster emergencies. That would require a continued ability to receive AM in cars.

 

[michael hagerty]

Could AM be the new weatherband?

I'm thinking a few 50K blowtorches scattered around the country in appropriate locations would cover weather and natural disaster emergencies. That would require a continued ability to receive AM in cars.

Interesting idea. You'd need to clear the AM band of a lot of smaller signals and make sure whatever you put on doesn't step on any remaining Mexican or Canadian frequencies.

Past that, I wonder if 50K is enough, given today's noise floor. You may need more stations for adequate coverage. A distant AM in a severe storm with lots of lightning can be virtually unlistenable.

 

[ronald54321]

Instead of radio in cars, there will be information centers of which AM-FM will be a part.