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> I assume AM broadcasts can cover significantly larger areas than FM. Yes, depending on the broadcast power AM radio signals can be picked up from farther awa
by MrRadar 3y ago
> I assume AM broadcasts can cover significantly larger areas than FM.
Yes, depending on the broadcast power AM radio signals can be picked up from farther away than FM. At night, depending on atmospheric conditions, AM signals can be received from hundreds of miles away. For example, see the daytime [1] and nighttime [2] coverage of WCCO-AM (a 50 kW clear-channel AM station) compared to the coverage of KSTP-FM (a 95 kW FM station) [3]. As you can see, the AM station can broadcast beyond the horizon (well beyond at night) while the FM station, even with twice the power, can't match even the daytime signal of the AM station.
[1] https://i.imgur.com/uSi2Hx7.png https://i.imgur.com/uSi2Hx7.png
[2] https://i.imgur.com/AJiXEVB.png https://i.imgur.com/AJiXEVB.png
[3] https://i.imgur.com/aL2HqsT.png https://i.imgur.com/aL2HqsT.png
- 082349872349872 3y agoFor terrestrial stations, yes, but how does it compare to satellite broadcast? I had a prof back in the 20th century who claimed that FM stations in the States were fairly localised due to market (serving local ads) forces; that Japan had a different economic model for radio; and that if the US had chosen to adopt the JP style, it would only take something like 3 broadcast (from orbit?) cells to cover the continental 48.