Does any of that stuff work in a steel building or a fallout shelter?
AM works everywhere and works damn well.
That is why Emergency broadcasts are on AM.
AM can have troubles in some buildings/workplaces, as can FM.
But overall...yes (and AM, great distances at night). But 20 per cent of listening now is to AM...
The NAB will spread a little money around Capitol Hill and the result will be a Federal law requiring all auto manufacturers to equip each vehicle with an AM/FM radio. Take that to the bank.
Unfortunately the AM station I listen to most of the time has a very low threshold for an emergency.
[siren alert]
A possum has been run over on Wilmington Pike. Although the carcass is not blocking any lanes, people are slowing down to look at the crows picking at it. Expect traffic delays of up to ten seconds.
AM is subject to structural and electrical interferences such as power lines, parking structures and office buildings. It is also affected by the changes in atmospheric conditions after sunset.
FM is not.......
I work in a building that interferes with AM.
It was important to put the cuss word in there, or we would not have known what you were saying.
If you’ve got a wire for your final connection internet works better than AM in a steel building or fallout shelter.
“AM works everywhere and works damn well.
That is why Emergency broadcasts are on AM.”
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AM vs FM?
Modulation technique and frequency of spectrum.
The modulation method is not what makes AM long range, it is the radio frequency. The AM Broadcast spectrum reflects off the atmosphere during some portion of the day. The range extends greatly at night, but the range varies some.
The FM signals are broadcast over a RF spectrum that is much higher in frequency and is much more local. BUT it is less prone to noise on the signal because of the modulation technique.
But the point of the article is correct. We need “always reliable” mobile communication systems. The web can be turned on and off. The radio spectrum cannot. (It can be temporarily disrupted with artificial ionization. A military technique.)