[cma-l] AM for CR

Wed Feb 17 11:29:36 GMT 2016

I like AM.  I listen in the car to 5Live and others (including the cricket
on LW), and I also listen at home - mainly at night since I can't stand the
World Service jingles (or content) during the night.  Crystal clear sound
quality is overrated...I like the 'radioness' (radioicity?) of listening of
AM - the crackle, hum, distorition etc etc all give it warmth and,
especially when listening to overseas stations, a wonderful sense of
'otherness'.
I'd love to hear more AM in the UK...but also recognise that in the digital
age its fuzziness and humanity are unwelcome guests for many radio managers
who prefer cold hard delivery. ;)

Eryl

On Wed, Feb 17, 2016 at 9:48 AM, Tony Bailey <ravensound at pilgrimsound.co.uk>
wrote:

> MF/AM (medium/long wave) is a legacy system with older listeners
> predominantly, but we, the Aussies and Americans still find it useful.  It
> is possible to listen to it on a battery powered radio which will run for
> days on a couple of AA's.  In the US they even extended the medium wave
> band, which could be done here now as many receivers cover up to 1700 kHz.
> It's ability to cross boundaries has sometimes been useful although less
> cost effective now. As always, given relatively free access to broadcasting
> excess demand has driven the need to exploit any available waveband and
> this will continue until cheap mobile internet radio takes over.
>
> There are a couple of ways I would look at AM community applications: Low
> power AM as a way to get a better deal on music licensing (fingers
> crossed!) for an essentially web only radio; or higher power AM coupled
> with an online (decent quality) receiver selling promotion to the served
> community.  As with FM the transmission site is critical.  Keep away from
> domestic housing and look for high ground conductivity, this is
> particularly important with short aerials (less than 1/4 wave).  To save
> costs, you could reduce power overnight as audience numbers will often be
> low and incoming interference high (the permitted power would not overcome
> it anyway).  There are still quite a few car radios with AM for the
> dedicated listeners.
>
> Tony Bailey
>
>
> On 17/02/16 02:45, James Cridland wrote:
>
> AM is being switched off all over Europe, including here in the UK.
>
> AM receivers are being removed from cars (BMW one of the first), will
> never be in most microprocessor-powered electronics, like mobile phones.
>
> The sound quality is relatively dire, the electricity costs are huge, the
> interference is growing, the user experience lacking, the audience is
> falling away. Many AM masts are nearing the end of their life cycle.
>
> AM isn't an equivalent platform to FM, therefore; and you'd be crazy to
> want to use it.
>
> (It is still quite large in Australia, for coverage reasons, incidentally,
> but I still worry about its future here too).
>
>
>
> On Wed, 17 Feb 2016, 12:36 AM Ian Hickling <transplanfm at hotmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> We have been trying for over 8 months now to together a reliable and
>> predictable  AM transmission system together for a Client (sadly not a CMA
>> Member) who insists on taking an AM frequency rather than pushing Ofcom for
>> FM.
>> We're now looking at a 600W transmitter from Bulgaria.
>> Can I ask for some views please?
>> Does anyone have anything positive to say about Ofcom's policies of:
>>
>>    - Offering AM as an equivalental platform to FM?
>>    - Offering only AM if an Applicant wants greater coverage than a 5km
>>    radius
>>    - Offering AM licences on a countrywide basis in the second half of
>>    2016
>>
>>
>> Thanks for whatever you can contribute
>>
>> *Ian Hickling*
>> Partner
>>
>> <http://www.transplanuk.com/>
>> *Office: 01635 578435  (7am-11pm UK time)*
>> *Carphone: 07530 980115 (only responds when driving)*
>> *6 Horn Street, Compton, NEWBURY, RG20 6QS*
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