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If you are in a car, and you're under the age of 40, you probably don't even know how to switch to your AM radio. Unless you are one of the rare drivers who kn

If you are in a car, and you're under the age of 40, you probably don't even know how to switch to your AM radio. Unless you are one of the rare drivers who knows about AM radio and uses it, it's not going to be something you think of using while fleeing a catastophe. It may have technical merits, just as horseshoes still do (because we do still use horses), but that doesn't mean we should force every car to have it. It certainly could be an option for those who see value in it.

rblatz 2y ago
I’m in my 40s and have no way to receive AM broadcasts. My wife and I both have Teslas, and we don’t have any radio tuners in the house. I wouldn’t even notic if the Tesla didn’t have FM either, I’ve lived in my current city for 12 years and couldn’t tell you a single radio station in the city. AM is dead, and FM is nearly there as well.
- lubujackson 2y ago
  I just listened to the 49ers game on AM today while driving, so YMMV. Anyone in the Bay Area should have a go bag for earthquakes and it should probably have an AM radio in it. Old, stable tech is uncool until it is necessary.
- grogenaut 2y ago
  I live in a city. All of my vehicles except my motorcycle (no radio) can recieve FM and AM. All of my current and old android phones can get AM/FM. The old boombox I have in the shed, several of my ham radios, clock radio, and some bluetooth swim headphones. And 2 of my TVs. Also I don't assume that my life experience represents everyone else's but then I don't drive a tesla or go on HN to tell people why they're wrong. The last one is a lie, but the rest is true.
- hetman 2y ago
  So your car relies on the very things that may be unavailable in a major disaster scenario? I wonder if we're building insufficient redundancy into our civilisation always assuming all the modern niceties must always be there.
- dartos 2y ago
  What an out of touch take. “Me, being successful in my 40s and living in a city with 2 teslas don’t listen to AM or FM radio, so those technologies are dead and should be abandoned”
  - michaelt 2y ago
    Well, there's also the data point that demand is so low the AM radio industry has literally gone to congress and asked to make receivers mandatory.
    - dartos 2y ago
      Consumer demand in populated areas sure, but out in the boonies digital radio doesn’t work as well. Not being popular isn’t a reason to declare something as dead or useless. Tho none of that is a reason to force auto makers to include AM radio.
      - stickfigure 2y ago
        > Not being popular isn’t a reason to declare something as dead or useless. Spectrum is a finite, shared resource. Especially these lower frequency bands.
        dartos 2y ago
        And AM has use as an emergency utility and FM is more accessible than digital radio.
        rblatz 2y ago
        Why do you keep jumping from AM to digital radio? What does that even mean, are you talking about XM? You do know FM exists and is analog, right?
        dartos 2y ago
- xpe 2y ago
  > AM is dead, and FM is nearly there as well. Overstated and incorrect. (The author reveals their own bubble in the preceding paragraph.) Word selection matters; there is not point in using "dead" when we have more accurate words like "declining". Talk is cheap. If the parent commenter wants to make a prediction about if/when AM and/or FM will die, I recommend going to a prediction market and practice making testable predictions. Most people are poorly calibrated. Many people would benefit from seeing how poorly calibrated they are firsthand. Losing is a powerful motivator for course correction.
  - rblatz 2y ago
    We just had a news story where an active AM station had its tower stolen and no one noticed until the landscapers reported it was gone. And what bubble did I reveal, because it could be that I’m able to afford cars that cost ~$30k, like used Teslas or a new Toyota Camry, it could be that I like technology (but that’s mostly a given here), did you mean I’m an early adopter? Stop discounting me and my opinion baselessly by placing me in a bubble you won’t even define. How am I to even discuss with you when you use weasel wording.
    - dartos 2y ago
      > We just had a news story where an active AM station had its tower stolen and no one noticed until the landscapers reported it was gone. In your local area I presume… > I’m able to afford cars that cost ~$30k, like used Teslas or a new Toyota Camry, it could be that I like technology (but that’s mostly a given here), did you mean I’m an early adopter Yeah, exactly. You also mentioned you live in a city, which are pretty dense and don’t require much effort to spread emergency information in. Most people can’t afford new Camrys or teslas at all… > Stop discounting me and my opinion baselessly by placing me in a bubble you won’t even define No… and I did define it. “ being successful in my 40s and living in a city with 2 teslas” That is not a common situation… especially nowadays where something like 40% of American households would be in danger of a debt spiral when faced with any kind of unexpected $400 bill.
    - xpe 2y ago
      This is the bubble that I was referring to: > My wife and I both have Teslas Even if they are bought used at affordable prices, you have convenient access to electric charging, right? This often involves homeownership or relatively high quality housing rentals or employers with that capability. This is a small segment of the population, as I see it. Fair?

rblatz 2y ago

I’m in my 40s and have no way to receive AM broadcasts. My wife and I both have Teslas, and we don’t have any radio tuners in the house. I wouldn’t even notic if the Tesla didn’t have FM either, I’ve lived in my current city for 12 years and couldn’t tell you a single radio station in the city. AM is dead, and FM is nearly there as well.

lubujackson 2y ago
I just listened to the 49ers game on AM today while driving, so YMMV. Anyone in the Bay Area should have a go bag for earthquakes and it should probably have an AM radio in it. Old, stable tech is uncool until it is necessary.
grogenaut 2y ago
I live in a city. All of my vehicles except my motorcycle (no radio) can recieve FM and AM. All of my current and old android phones can get AM/FM. The old boombox I have in the shed, several of my ham radios, clock radio, and some bluetooth swim headphones. And 2 of my TVs. Also I don't assume that my life experience represents everyone else's but then I don't drive a tesla or go on HN to tell people why they're wrong. The last one is a lie, but the rest is true.
hetman 2y ago
So your car relies on the very things that may be unavailable in a major disaster scenario? I wonder if we're building insufficient redundancy into our civilisation always assuming all the modern niceties must always be there.
dartos 2y ago
What an out of touch take. “Me, being successful in my 40s and living in a city with 2 teslas don’t listen to AM or FM radio, so those technologies are dead and should be abandoned”
- michaelt 2y ago
  Well, there's also the data point that demand is so low the AM radio industry has literally gone to congress and asked to make receivers mandatory.
  - dartos 2y ago
    Consumer demand in populated areas sure, but out in the boonies digital radio doesn’t work as well. Not being popular isn’t a reason to declare something as dead or useless. Tho none of that is a reason to force auto makers to include AM radio.
    - stickfigure 2y ago
      > Not being popular isn’t a reason to declare something as dead or useless. Spectrum is a finite, shared resource. Especially these lower frequency bands.
      - dartos 2y ago
        And AM has use as an emergency utility and FM is more accessible than digital radio.
        rblatz 2y ago
        Why do you keep jumping from AM to digital radio? What does that even mean, are you talking about XM? You do know FM exists and is analog, right?
        dartos 2y ago
xpe 2y ago
> AM is dead, and FM is nearly there as well. Overstated and incorrect. (The author reveals their own bubble in the preceding paragraph.) Word selection matters; there is not point in using "dead" when we have more accurate words like "declining". Talk is cheap. If the parent commenter wants to make a prediction about if/when AM and/or FM will die, I recommend going to a prediction market and practice making testable predictions. Most people are poorly calibrated. Many people would benefit from seeing how poorly calibrated they are firsthand. Losing is a powerful motivator for course correction.
- rblatz 2y ago
  We just had a news story where an active AM station had its tower stolen and no one noticed until the landscapers reported it was gone. And what bubble did I reveal, because it could be that I’m able to afford cars that cost ~$30k, like used Teslas or a new Toyota Camry, it could be that I like technology (but that’s mostly a given here), did you mean I’m an early adopter? Stop discounting me and my opinion baselessly by placing me in a bubble you won’t even define. How am I to even discuss with you when you use weasel wording.
  - dartos 2y ago
    > We just had a news story where an active AM station had its tower stolen and no one noticed until the landscapers reported it was gone. In your local area I presume… > I’m able to afford cars that cost ~$30k, like used Teslas or a new Toyota Camry, it could be that I like technology (but that’s mostly a given here), did you mean I’m an early adopter Yeah, exactly. You also mentioned you live in a city, which are pretty dense and don’t require much effort to spread emergency information in. Most people can’t afford new Camrys or teslas at all… > Stop discounting me and my opinion baselessly by placing me in a bubble you won’t even define No… and I did define it. “ being successful in my 40s and living in a city with 2 teslas” That is not a common situation… especially nowadays where something like 40% of American households would be in danger of a debt spiral when faced with any kind of unexpected $400 bill.
  - xpe 2y ago
    This is the bubble that I was referring to: > My wife and I both have Teslas Even if they are bought used at affordable prices, you have convenient access to electric charging, right? This often involves homeownership or relatively high quality housing rentals or employers with that capability. This is a small segment of the population, as I see it. Fair?