S650 Will Not Be Availiable With AM Radio

[K4fxd]

It's 2023 - it should be capable of playing FLAC files.

FLAC is pretty good but still uses size compression. I am a snob when it comes to audio quality.

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[Random7k]

You might be right, though there has to be a few of us who cross the spectrum. Can safely say I’m a millennial who uses all these forms of media.

If you're over 30 you're a boomer. /j

 

[Gregs24]

I heard they were also removing the half coconut and string from the S650?

 

[Genxer]

Is taking out AM radio going to save them any money or space? No. It might be more about the younger demographic who will be buying these cars in the future. Ford is good at cheaping out on the dumbest things but this may not be one of those things.

I listen to talk radio a great deal, which seems to be the preferred programming on AM. If AM dies then I suppose the talk will move to where it can be heard, and I'll move there.

For really good music selections, I'm going to listen to satellite or some kind of streaming service. I'll listen to music on FM when I really don't care what is on and am making a short trip.

 

[Genxer]

If you're over 30 you're a boomer. /j

I'm Gen X (barely) and over 50. My wife is a year older and a Boomer. I think us who were Gen X kids straddle old tech and new tech well. PCs came out when we were youngish and cell phones became commonplace not long afterward. But... I still remember rotary dial phones and those old AM crystal radio kits that kids could put together. I went from using vinyl LPs to audio cassettes, to CDs, then to digital.

 

[Gregs24]

AM died years ago in Europe. Yes, it is still transmitted in places, but the quality is so poor why bother when you have FM or DAB and streaming.

 

[Superspirit]

I'm Gen X (barely) and over 50. My wife is a year older and a Boomer. I think us who were Gen X kids straddle old tech and new tech well. PCs came out when we were youngish and cell phones became commonplace not long afterward. But... I still remember rotary dial phones and those old AM crystal radio kits that kids could put together. I went from using vinyl LPs to audio cassettes, to CDs, then to digital.

You skipped 8 track's. Those were fun.

 

[Genxer]

You skipped 8 track's. Those were fun.

I was around 8 tracks but never owned any. My brother sure had some.

 

[Korvus15]

This is one of those non issues for me lol. I havenr used the radio in my car for years

 

[CoBrArOx]

that would actually make a ton of sense if you think about it; millenials grew up riding in cars where AM/FM was normalized through their mid teens, and millenials grew up in the early internet/tech boom era where adapting to current tech went hand in hand with early adulthood

tons of zoomers probably lack experience with CDs, and tons of boomers are likely resistant to advancements in tech having been comfortable with physical media and am/fm for decades, the latter of which links to sirius xm as a "comfy" evolution

i still think xm has zero application in today's world and don't know why someone would pay for the service lol

Xm is good if you are streaming from your phone to the car but the car version is garbage in terms of audio quality.

 

[Garfy]

Lot of great programming on AM stations. Shame that they are just dumping useful tech, old as it may be. I'm sure it will be possible to find a Bluetooth AM device that can connect to the entertainment system...

Not to mention the fact that AM signals travel farther than FM signals. I remember listening to AM stations at night that were over 2500 miles away. It's not so much the modulation method (AM vs FM) as it is the frequency of the signal. Low band tends to travel farther than VHF signals for similar power outputs.

 

[Garfy]

There's almost zero use for CDs as far as I can tell, waste of space in modern cars imo

The only physical media you'd even need would be a little drive if you're not already using streaming services

Yeah, I'm old (70) and don't use CDs much as I just plug my phone into the USB port to listen to stuff I have on it, or a flash drive with mp3s on it. But I still like a lot of what's available on AM stations that aren't present on FM stations for the most part. Also, XM isn't available in some areas. For radioheads (ham operators, etc.) you know that broadcast AM signals travel farther than FM in terrestrial environments, especially at night. I used to DX AM stations when I was growing up which is incredible considering that AM had a maximum allowable power output of 10,000 watts while FM could go up to 50,000 watts. Anyway, when the SHTF we'll all be back in the stone age anyway after EMP wipes out all solid-state based electronics. Only the guys with vacuum tube radios will have functional equipment.

 

[Garfy]

Is taking out AM radio going to save them any money or space? No. It might be more about the younger demographic who will be buying these cars in the future. Ford is good at cheaping out on the dumbest things but this may not be one of those things.

I listen to talk radio a great deal, which seems to be the preferred programming on AM. If AM dies then I suppose the talk will move to where it can be heard, and I'll move there.

For really good music selections, I'm going to listen to satellite or some kind of streaming service. I'll listen to music on FM when I really don't care what is on and am making a short trip.

Fidelity clearly isn't as good on AM vs. FM but quite a while ago they did develop and implement AM Stereo broadcasting. A few stations did the upgrades but most didn't. If your radio had the capability it was interesting to hear AM stereo. For the time being I doubt that broadcast AM will disappear in the very near future. Of course, a lot is transitioning to digital as over-the-air TV broadcasts are now digital. Even ham radio repeaters that were analog FM, etc. now have digital capabilities so you won't hear anything but something that sounds like static or hash whenever a digital transmission is made over it if you're listening with an analog FM transceiver.

 

[Stonehauler]

https://fordauthority.com/2023/03/2024-ford-mustang-will-also-ditch-am-radio/

I take it that those who listen to AM will be quite sad/enraged/disappointed.

yeah. When I travel, I have a select set of AM stations I listen to because I get the best weather/traffic/news from them. (WGN and WBBM in Chicago, GREAT stations). Yeah, I know that supposedly your nav system has all that data, but hearing the drive times and how they are changing can impact your decisions. Of course, you need to know the difference between the Edens, the Kennedy, the Stev-e (Stevenson), the Eisenhower, the Reagan, the Bishop Ford, the Skyway, the Spur, The Jane Addams, the Kingery, and the Dan Ryan are. (especially the Edens, Kennedy, and Dan Ryan) and of course, which direction the reversible express lands are running...

Nav is great, verbal traffic on the major arteries every 10 minutes giving me my own options without having to drill down and search all of them on my own is better, especially when you are picking it up 1-2 hours outside your decision point when traffic isn't being updated on your nav.

 

[Stonehauler]

I grew up on AM radio, worked for a few, moved to FM in the 80s and haven't looked back. Last I heard an am station it was shockingly bad. Is the cd player gone as well? That I would miss.

Still use my CD player on occasion, but I use my phone more.

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