I side in favor of FM here. Radio is an extremely resilient way of conveying information with VERY LOW requirements for reception. Unless the Internet somehow eliminates earthquakes, pandemics, tsunamis, forest fires, volcanos and all these rare but cataclysmic events... I want my FM safety net.
There is an entire paragraph in the article dedicated to why the campaign is "misguided." Radio folks think that's as simple as carriers waving a magic wand to enable all of these unused FM chips, but in reality that's almost universally impossible. I swear, people on this site don't read anything.
It is still an OPINION. I swear people don't know what is an opinion.
This save radio campaign has been thoroughly astroturfed over the social web.
Analogue Radio is dead. Rip up that wireless bandwidth for more efficient data services. (Yes, just like Norway is doing right now, with Australia/Europe/Asia are around the corner.) There are so many better ways we can be using that spectrum.
This sort of heel dragging on outdated technologies is why the USA is only just now getting into wireless payments. It's not what the people even want, sales of radios are gutter-level.
It's not what the people even want, sales of radios are gutter-level.
Auto sales are booming and every one comes with a radio. Quality of radio content is what is at gutter level. Personally I like small community radio and public, university radio much better than mega-watt commercial radio. Streaming is fine but it uses your data over cellular and is not always as accessible as an FM signal.
It is still an OPINION. I swear people don't know what is an opinion.
How is it an opinion? They're campaigning for something that is literally not physically possible!
If the campaign were "pass legislation to make sure all future phones have FM radios enabled," you would have a point. But the campaign is in fact "make wireless carriers turn on all the FM radios that are in existing smartphones," which -- as this article says -- cannot happen because the requirements for that have not been implemented in the shipping hardware.
... and act all virtuous about how clean their energy is -- and drive the most Teslas per-capita -- when pretty much all of their wealth comes from selling dirty fossil fuel to the world.
Yes, perhaps I should have included a winkie with my comment, as I meant it in the spirit of good humor.
Yes Mr. FM DJ, I do want you to talk some more over the same 12 songs you play in an endless loop.
As I wrote before, I listen to radio (AM radio, actually) every single day. And never once does a DJ speak over music or is there a 12-song loop. NPR, baby! Go support your public radio and tv!
Nope. Do not want. FM radio can stay dead. They are all owned by the same company anyway. They just want to push advertising to me. No thanks. Maybe if I was like 40 I would want FM radio back but no ma'am.
Wrong, wrong, wrong. And maybe if you're lucky you'll reach 40 some day and see the light.
But it doesn't. DAB is a misguided mess that wouldn't work in America, because we have too many radio stations. And the spectrum is still used for TV broadcasts. There is no reason to push to eliminate FM radio.
Well, I don't know. I thought that digital radio (I think the U.S. version is called "HD Radio") was using the same frequencies as FM, but just with more compact "packaging" of the signal.I'm not sure though, as the only one I have is in the car.
I used to think that too, but with apps like iHeartRadio, Pandora, Spotify, etc. there are already a ton of other sources that people can be using to listen to musice that Apple gets no money from. So why not start allowing app makers to access the FM radio part of the chip and write apps that apple could possibly make money off of (paid apps, iAds, etc).
And please don't forget that all radio is not music-oriented. News and talk is extremely valuable to many of us.
Just heard today that Norway will be shutting down FM in their country in 2016.
Are you meaning to contradict the info in this AppleInsider article, which states that Norway will drop FM in 2017 (not 2016)? Or did you just mean that you "heard" about Norway somewhere else first? Or did you just mean to tell us that you can read the article here in AI?
There is an entire paragraph in the article dedicated to why the campaign is "misguided." Radio folks think that's as simple as carriers waving a magic wand to enable all of these unused FM chips, but in reality that's almost universally impossible. I swear, people on this site don't read anything.
No such paragraph is in the article, unless you are prepared to read something into it that isn't really there. In fact, I knew about this story before it appeared here.
The station can choose to use either an omni-directional antenna or a directional antenna. With directional you can direct all the wattage toward your audience as is the case in my small town in Panama. The antenna is high on the hill and points towards town. With omni you get less distance because power is distributed in all directions.
I was also under the impression that all RF is line of sight although it can to some degree be reflected off of planer surfaces and penetrate some materials which varies depending on power and frequency. At least that is the case with X-rays which I know a little bit about.
FM stands for Frequency Modulation. The signal is sent at an exact wave height and the wave form is spaced based on the stations assigned frequency. If memory serves the height of the FM wave form is around 31". A car with a steel antenna will have an antenna with a height of the same. If your care has a shorter antenna then the rest will be coiled out of sight. I'm guessing that many earbuds that come with FM radios are also in the same length. The lower end of the frequency was reserved for public radio stations since the lower the frequency the less power needed at the transmitter. Towers and transmitters are typically located at high elevations since the nature of the signal is to go straight from the antenna and can be blocked by large object either man made or natural. FM also allows for duplexing the signal to allow for stereo.
AM is Amplitude Modulation. The signal is based height of the waveform. The higher the frequency the higher the waveform. This allows for maximum broadcasting distance but is susceptible to weather conditions. The signal will jump and bounce off terrain buildings clouds and pop because of lightning and electrostatic interference.
Are you meaning to contradict the info in this AppleInsider article, which states that Norway will drop FM in 2017 (not 2016)? Or did you just mean that you "heard" about Norway somewhere else first? Or did you just mean to tell us that you can read the article here in AI? :)
if you spend time in the sub-91 range youll find a lot of cities have classical, jazz, and NPR stations. the public jazz station here in new orleans is one of the best in the world.
I wrote "commercial stations". I know about public radio - it's about all I listen to. In NYC, we have WBGO for Jazz, WNYC for public affairs, WFUV for AOR and WQXR for Classical.
How is it an opinion? They're campaigning for something that is literally not physically possible!
If the campaign were "pass legislation to make sure all future phones have FM radios enabled," you would have a point. But the campaign is in fact "make wireless carriers turn on all the FM radios that are in existing smartphones," which -- as this article says -- cannot happen because the requirements for that have not been implemented in the shipping hardware.
That is the very definition of "misguided."
I think you need to reread the article. iPhones don't physically have the HW set up correctly. A lot of Android phones / other types of phones DO have the chip hooked up and CAN access it in SW if they wanted to and in fact some phones DO have it turned on for some carriers, based on the article.
How is it an opinion? They're campaigning for something that is literally not physically possible!
If the campaign were "pass legislation to make sure all future phones have FM radios enabled," you would have a point. But the campaign is in fact "make wireless carriers turn on all the FM radios that are in existing smartphones," which -- as this article says -- cannot happen because the requirements for that have not been implemented in the shipping hardware.
That is the very definition of "misguided."
Again, you are reading what you want into not just the entire article but the entire question, in order to make what is essentially a political point. This spin is what some of us are responding to in the AI article. The simple fact is, a great many phones (all Android) and carriers already support FM radio, so this is far from a "physical impossibility." This is a fact no matter whether you agree with the effort to expand this capability to phones and carriers who have chosen not to support it.
I think you need to reread the article. iPhones don't physically have the HW set up correctly. A lot of Android phones / other types of phones DO have the chip hooked up and CAN access it in SW if they wanted to and in fact some phones DO have it turned on for some carriers, based on the article.
"misguided" is an opinion.
Yes, and it is a sad and mawkish way of trying to skirt the entire question by simply dismissing it as somehow lacking in good judgement.
I strongly agree that the FM tuners (and AM as well) should be activated. I listen to old-school radio every single day and would very much like to be able to listen via my phone without having to stream.
And the Norwegians aren't really an ideal model for the argument against. After all, they still eat dried fish.
Phones have never had AM radios due to the simple fact that the required antenna is too big.
Comments
There is an entire paragraph in the article dedicated to why the campaign is "misguided." Radio folks think that's as simple as carriers waving a magic wand to enable all of these unused FM chips, but in reality that's almost universally impossible. I swear, people on this site don't read anything.
It is still an OPINION. I swear people don't know what is an opinion.
This save radio campaign has been thoroughly astroturfed over the social web.
Analogue Radio is dead. Rip up that wireless bandwidth for more efficient data services. (Yes, just like Norway is doing right now, with Australia/Europe/Asia are around the corner.) There are so many better ways we can be using that spectrum.
This sort of heel dragging on outdated technologies is why the USA is only just now getting into wireless payments. It's not what the people even want, sales of radios are gutter-level.
It's not what the people even want, sales of radios are gutter-level.
Auto sales are booming and every one comes with a radio. Quality of radio content is what is at gutter level. Personally I like small community radio and public, university radio much better than mega-watt commercial radio. Streaming is fine but it uses your data over cellular and is not always as accessible as an FM signal.
It is still an OPINION. I swear people don't know what is an opinion.
How is it an opinion? They're campaigning for something that is literally not physically possible!
If the campaign were "pass legislation to make sure all future phones have FM radios enabled," you would have a point. But the campaign is in fact "make wireless carriers turn on all the FM radios that are in existing smartphones," which -- as this article says -- cannot happen because the requirements for that have not been implemented in the shipping hardware.
That is the very definition of "misguided."
... and act all virtuous about how clean their energy is -- and drive the most Teslas per-capita -- when pretty much all of their wealth comes from selling dirty fossil fuel to the world.
Yes, perhaps I should have included a winkie with my comment, as I meant it in the spirit of good humor.
Yes Mr. FM DJ, I do want you to talk some more over the same 12 songs you play in an endless loop.
As I wrote before, I listen to radio (AM radio, actually) every single day. And never once does a DJ speak over music or is there a 12-song loop. NPR, baby! Go support your public radio and tv!
Nope. Do not want. FM radio can stay dead. They are all owned by the same company anyway. They just want to push advertising to me. No thanks. Maybe if I was like 40 I would want FM radio back but no ma'am.
Wrong, wrong, wrong. And maybe if you're lucky you'll reach 40 some day and see the light.
But it doesn't. DAB is a misguided mess that wouldn't work in America, because we have too many radio stations. And the spectrum is still used for TV broadcasts. There is no reason to push to eliminate FM radio.
Well, I don't know. I thought that digital radio (I think the U.S. version is called "HD Radio") was using the same frequencies as FM, but just with more compact "packaging" of the signal.I'm not sure though, as the only one I have is in the car.
I used to think that too, but with apps like iHeartRadio, Pandora, Spotify, etc. there are already a ton of other sources that people can be using to listen to musice that Apple gets no money from. So why not start allowing app makers to access the FM radio part of the chip and write apps that apple could possibly make money off of (paid apps, iAds, etc).
And please don't forget that all radio is not music-oriented. News and talk is extremely valuable to many of us.
Just heard today that Norway will be shutting down FM in their country in 2016.
Are you meaning to contradict the info in this AppleInsider article, which states that Norway will drop FM in 2017 (not 2016)? Or did you just mean that you "heard" about Norway somewhere else first? Or did you just mean to tell us that you can read the article here in AI?
There is an entire paragraph in the article dedicated to why the campaign is "misguided." Radio folks think that's as simple as carriers waving a magic wand to enable all of these unused FM chips, but in reality that's almost universally impossible. I swear, people on this site don't read anything.
No such paragraph is in the article, unless you are prepared to read something into it that isn't really there. In fact, I knew about this story before it appeared here.
FM stands for Frequency Modulation. The signal is sent at an exact wave height and the wave form is spaced based on the stations assigned frequency. If memory serves the height of the FM wave form is around 31". A car with a steel antenna will have an antenna with a height of the same. If your care has a shorter antenna then the rest will be coiled out of sight. I'm guessing that many earbuds that come with FM radios are also in the same length. The lower end of the frequency was reserved for public radio stations since the lower the frequency the less power needed at the transmitter. Towers and transmitters are typically located at high elevations since the nature of the signal is to go straight from the antenna and can be blocked by large object either man made or natural. FM also allows for duplexing the signal to allow for stereo.
AM is Amplitude Modulation. The signal is based height of the waveform. The higher the frequency the higher the waveform. This allows for maximum broadcasting distance but is susceptible to weather conditions. The signal will jump and bounce off terrain buildings clouds and pop because of lightning and electrostatic interference.
The latter. Busted????
if you spend time in the sub-91 range youll find a lot of cities have classical, jazz, and NPR stations. the public jazz station here in new orleans is one of the best in the world.
I wrote "commercial stations". I know about public radio - it's about all I listen to. In NYC, we have WBGO for Jazz, WNYC for public affairs, WFUV for AOR and WQXR for Classical.
How is it an opinion? They're campaigning for something that is literally not physically possible!
If the campaign were "pass legislation to make sure all future phones have FM radios enabled," you would have a point. But the campaign is in fact "make wireless carriers turn on all the FM radios that are in existing smartphones," which -- as this article says -- cannot happen because the requirements for that have not been implemented in the shipping hardware.
That is the very definition of "misguided."
I think you need to reread the article. iPhones don't physically have the HW set up correctly. A lot of Android phones / other types of phones DO have the chip hooked up and CAN access it in SW if they wanted to and in fact some phones DO have it turned on for some carriers, based on the article.
"misguided" is an opinion.
How is it an opinion? They're campaigning for something that is literally not physically possible!
If the campaign were "pass legislation to make sure all future phones have FM radios enabled," you would have a point. But the campaign is in fact "make wireless carriers turn on all the FM radios that are in existing smartphones," which -- as this article says -- cannot happen because the requirements for that have not been implemented in the shipping hardware.
That is the very definition of "misguided."
Again, you are reading what you want into not just the entire article but the entire question, in order to make what is essentially a political point. This spin is what some of us are responding to in the AI article. The simple fact is, a great many phones (all Android) and carriers already support FM radio, so this is far from a "physical impossibility." This is a fact no matter whether you agree with the effort to expand this capability to phones and carriers who have chosen not to support it.
I think you need to reread the article. iPhones don't physically have the HW set up correctly. A lot of Android phones / other types of phones DO have the chip hooked up and CAN access it in SW if they wanted to and in fact some phones DO have it turned on for some carriers, based on the article.
"misguided" is an opinion.
Yes, and it is a sad and mawkish way of trying to skirt the entire question by simply dismissing it as somehow lacking in good judgement.
I strongly agree that the FM tuners (and AM as well) should be activated. I listen to old-school radio every single day and would very much like to be able to listen via my phone without having to stream.
And the Norwegians aren't really an ideal model for the argument against. After all, they still eat dried fish.
Phones have never had AM radios due to the simple fact that the required antenna is too big.