When will FM and AM become the new citizens band?

[radiorobert]

I know we have all thought about it and wondered when that day will come. I often wonder when we will be be able to buy FM transmitters and be broadcasting as we wish? How long do you foresee it being?

I know when it happens if I'm still alive I'll be one of the first to do it! ;D

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

I sense a slight amount of pessimism in your "call to conversation". Let's assume for a moment, AM and FM broadcasting have deteriorated so badly that owners and licensees AND THE FCC abandon it to the point it becomes a "field of weeds".... open picking for people who think 'Citizens Band'.

If we reach that point, why bother. If you went to the trouble go acquire a transmitter and put some coal in the boiler, what would you accomplish? Who would listen? (Abandonment of the spectrum would have come because no one is listening!)

Decades ago when the Citizens Band was "still in bloom" I remember this phone call to a radio station just after a junior-grade blizzard. People were getting cabin fever and the radio station owner (from his home) was taking phone calls.

Did you hear about the new Super Computer that can think and talk? IBM was presenting the new machine and asked people from the audience to come and engage in conversation. First person said Hello. The computer asked: "What is your IQ?" '143'. The had a robust conversation about nuclear physics.

Second person said Hello. The computer asked: "What is your IQ?" '100' They had a robust conversation about the World Series, the Stock Market, and the upcoming presidential election politics.

Third person said Hello. The computer asked: "What is your IQ" '63" The computer responded: "TEN-FOUR, Good Buddy. What's your handle?"

So, When AM and FM become nothing but great wasteland good for nothing better than being the New Citizens Band... what will our conversation be? ;D

 

[Tom Wells]

Wouldn't it be wonderful to hear that someone was enjoying your ten watt signal a state away?

It might be like a return to the 1920s for dxers...likely more variety and surprise without the need to service
the overhead of huge signals.

 

[MickeyD]

I know we have all thought about it and wondered when that day will come. I often wonder when we will be be able to buy FM transmitters and be broadcasting as we wish? How long do you foresee it being?

I know when it happens if I'm still alive I'll be one of the first to do it! ;D

You can buy a complete fm radio station online now.

Mike

 

[craigbaker]

I never hear anything between 1700 and 1800 KHz. Wonder if they couldn't allow a 10 watt "pirate" to play music there. Wouldn't be hard to re-tune the top end of an AM radio to pick up the signal. Just a thought.

 

[MarioMania]

I really don't think it will ever happen

If it did happen, who will hear it? in time listen to News, Music, Sports & Ect..on Smart Phone, Laptops & Ipods

In 20 years, there will still be something on FM or AM

 

[spunker88]

Don't think it will happen for a while, especially on FM. FM is still one of the best ways to broadcast high quality audio to all people within x miles of the transmitter. Compared to online streaming which requires the user to have an internet connection with sufficient bandwidth. It also requires the streaming server to have enough bandwidth for each user who wishes to listen, so that amount of people who can listen at one time is limited. Also most streams are compressed down quite a bit so the audio quality suffers.

AM on the other hand suffers a lot of interference from HD radio and electronics. But stations are still using it so it must be worthwhile. FM was supposed to make AM obsolete years ago yet its still full of stations. This is likely due to the amount of receivers out there.

 

[coolaid213]

FM/AM broadcasting will eventually be rendered "obsolete" by the inevitable ubiquity of wireless internet. It's not if, it's when. The real question is, once traditional broadcasting is phased out, will the FCC relinquish the use of these two bands to regular folks? My guess is that the FM side will likely be reallocated for some sort of non-broadcast commercial use, digitally encrypted of course. Maybe if there is no commercial interest from the telcom industry, the FCC will allow both bands to be used for amateur radio. It would be fun to DX on the AM broadcast band. I don't know why, but for some reason I envision the FM/AM Stereo going the way of the analog television set. One thing is for sure, if they deregulate either band, I'll be setting up a transmitter the next day.

 

[newsmark]

I think AM/FM being obsolete has one major hurdle: efficiency.

Right now, it's still more efficient to fire up a transmitter and reach every radio dial that tunes to the frequency. Wireless radio requires an individual stream to each user. For anything to change, technology will have to allow us to "share" a stream. Which is then like digital broadcasting.

 

[MickeyD]

I never hear anything between 1700 and 1800 KHz. Wonder if they couldn't allow a 10 watt "pirate" to play music there. Wouldn't be hard to re-tune the top end of an AM radio to pick up the signal. Just a thought.

The FCC could care less about pirates but seem to get right on closing down AM pirates.

 

[MickeyD]

I know we have all thought about it and wondered when that day will come. I often wonder when we will be be able to buy FM transmitters and be broadcasting as we wish? How long do you foresee it being?

I know when it happens if I'm still alive I'll be one of the first to do it! ;D

I have seen first hand what happens during an emergency. Cell towers disappeared and radio was it!