Jump to content

Ford Dropping AM Radio From SYNC


Recommended Posts

Will AM radio survive the rise of the electric car? Here are the challenges it faces

 



As explained in the story, “Electromagnetic frequencies generated by EV motors happen to be comparable in wavelength to AM radio signals. The competing signals clash, effectively canceling each other, as if they were opposing forces. As EV motors grow more powerful, AM static tends to increase.”

 

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I was young and foolish I purchased some cheap spark plug wires that were not suppressors. Found my AM radio essentially useless. Saved up and bought the better wires. My "American Top 40" experience was restored. If the carmakers of those days could figure out how to fix it, I'm sure our best minds can fix AM for electric cars.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ford my be a little bit ahead of the curve here but AM won't exist in 20 year almost for sure. Most people under 35 don't even listen to FM radio.  When my 20 something kids in get in the car they immediately start listening to their down loaded playlist on there phone. Listener numbers have been dropping even for FM stations.  AM is pretty much been left to sports and political talk radio.  And people under 35 go online for those things too. You can down load a play list or podcast for the car or tractor. You should be using Waze for traffic during your commute. Plus many AM sports and political talk show have moved to FM or simulcast on both bands. I know farmers under 40 and the same is true for them, they don't list to over the air radio much in the tractor.  Some of the bigger tractors are getting pretty nice inside and blue tooth and satellite and big screens are invading there too. Its a demographic thing and Maverick is aimed at a younger buyer looking for value (code word for less than $35K please!) and a "coolness" factor.  AM radio just makes it look cheap and not cool. I see no problem with this.  The world is changing. 2030 will look very different from 2020.  Keep the AM in the expensive high end vehicles and trims that older people are buying. But in the long run AM and even FM radio will go the same way as cassettes and CDs. 

  • Like 1
  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Whole lot of don't care here, I haven't listened to AM in the 20 years I've been driving, and I can't think of any time my parents had an AM station on in all the years before that. 95% of the time I'm running pandora anyway. FM for the work day when my older employee doesn't want to hear my pandora playlist though ?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

While I don't listen to AM radio, we have the massive, huge AM 760 New Radio here in the heart of Ford corporate. I'm not sure how this can happen, or how much money can be saved.

 

On the other hand, my ODB2 programmer has just come in, and I'm looking how to delete AM, FM, and Sirius from the menu choices. It would be nice to have that option in the menu.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 10/12/2022 at 8:53 AM, fuzzymoomoo said:


Farmers aren’t buying Mavericks either…

We own a ranch and farm and bought a Maverick as a car replacement. It’s a great runner for parts, supplies and to go shopping in the city. Farmers many times will own a smaller vehicle as a runner or for the wife and the Maverick is a perfect fit for that role.

Edited by 2005Explorer
  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 hours ago, silvrsvt said:

Started in the radio broadcast engineer business the day before Regan got elected POTUS the first time, my take on it this.
Your trying to have a conversation with someone at a party, who's across the room. However, there is a guy with a bull horn next to you. The electric motors are the guy with the bull horn.

 

At one time, Ford had the best factory radios for reception.  Don't know where they stand now.

 

Technology can suppress the RF noise created in the EVs, but it costs money and presently it seems Ford is cutting cost, they've trimmed the fat and now their touching the muscle. 

In time they could start cutting into the bone.  (Can go only so far before making it worse than better.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Broadcast anything (am, fm, tv) could disappear tomorrow and I wouldn’t notice. But Take away the  internet and cellular and I would be lost.  I am in my 6th decade and grew up with broadcast media but have no use for broadcast media now.  Hell I don’t even know if  the CD players in my cars still work. I live in an area of the country with great 5G coverage and take fast cellular internet for granted. I don’t think my daughters have ever listed to AM in their lives.  I am waiting for the day they remove the 12 volt power source ( cigarette lighter hole) and just have more USB outlets, another archaic holdover that takes up space.

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 10/14/2022 at 6:19 AM, jniffen said:

Started in the radio broadcast engineer business the day before Regan got elected POTUS the first time, my take on it this.
Your trying to have a conversation with someone at a party, who's across the room. However, there is a guy with a bull horn next to you. The electric motors are the guy with the bull horn.

 

At one time, Ford had the best factory radios for reception.  Don't know where they stand now.

 

Technology can suppress the RF noise created in the EVs, but it costs money and presently it seems Ford is cutting cost, they've trimmed the fat and now their touching the muscle. 

In time they could start cutting into the bone.  (Can go only so far before making it worse than better.)

But at the same time is the investment worth the return for small part of the buyers out there? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 10/14/2022 at 6:58 AM, pictor said:

 I am waiting for the day they remove the 12 volt power source ( cigarette lighter hole) and just have more USB outlets, another archaic holdover that takes up space.

 

You can always convert it to a USB outlet....I did that with the lighter in my 1983 Mustang GLX convertible...nobody smokes in my household anyway.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 10/15/2022 at 6:33 AM, silvrsvt said:

But at the same time is the investment worth the return for small part of the buyers out there? 

So, why do we have the auto dimming inside rear view mirror, when we can easily reach up and flip a lever, like we used to?
That would save some $$$ for the small number of buyers who wants that feature to real function.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, jniffen said:

So, why do we have the auto dimming inside rear view mirror, when we can easily reach up and flip a lever, like we used to?
That would save some $$$ for the small number of buyers who wants that feature to real function.

 

One of two things with that-its either cheaper just to make one type of mirror or the auto mirror is cheaper to make because of less mechanical moving parts?

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, silvrsvt said:

 

One of two things with that-its either cheaper just to make one type of mirror or the auto mirror is cheaper to make because of less mechanical moving parts?

 

 

Or because it's a "premium"/"luxury" feature that sells the vehicle, and is often used to sell higher trims (only Escape Titanium got it, at least before they butchered the line-up for 2023)?

 

How many notice the benefit of an electrochroamatic rear view mirror as opposed to how many use AM radio on a regular basis?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Also electrochromatic mirrors are a safety feature, (even get awarded NHTSA points for them) by the time you flip the mirror you have noticed the glare which has caused a change in your vision and ability to see. With auto-dimming that never happens as it reacts progressively as the glare is occurring, they are especially nice on the exterior mirrors.  Also the Maverick doesn't offer one even optionally in the Lux package even on the Lariat; however is a common add-on for people on the Mavrick forums so one might be added in future model years. There is a cost savings there that during development was thought it should be left out.  

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Chris E said:

They won’t have an excuse for their ugly antenna anymore since that was their reasoning for it. 

Actually have had a few vehicles without the ugly antenna with decent AM radio reception. Currently my 2014 Taurus has just a small pad on the roof. This type antenna came about the same time as satellite radio. In the distant past had a '77 Camaro with a windshield antenna (I was young and foolish). 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

25 minutes ago, paintguy said:

Actually have had a few vehicles without the ugly antenna with decent AM radio reception. Currently my 2014 Taurus has just a small pad on the roof. This type antenna came about the same time as satellite radio. In the distant past had a '77 Camaro with a windshield antenna (I was young and foolish). 


Sharkfin works fine in most places.  The whip is needed when you’re in the middle of nowhere in Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, etc.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 minutes ago, akirby said:


Sharkfin works fine in most places.  The whip is needed when you’re in the middle of nowhere in Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, etc.

 

Isn't that the stated explanation for keeping it on F-150, anyway?  Rural truck drivers (e.g. farmers) being more likely to tune into AM radio than other rural drivers.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, j2sys said:

 

Isn't that the stated explanation for keeping it on F-150, anyway?  Rural truck drivers (e.g. farmers) being more likely to tune into AM radio than other rural drivers.

Also less likely yo have other signals out in the boonies other than AM and Sirius XM.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, jasonj80 said:

Also electrochromatic mirrors are a safety feature, (even get awarded NHTSA points for them) by the time you flip the mirror you have noticed the glare which has caused a change in your vision and ability to see. With auto-dimming that never happens as it reacts progressively as the glare is occurring, they are especially nice on the exterior mirrors.  Also the Maverick doesn't offer one even optionally in the Lux package even on the Lariat; however is a common add-on for people on the Mavrick forums so one might be added in future model years. There is a cost savings there that during development was thought it should be left out.  

 

I'd rather have the AM radio. The manual rear view mirror works fine for me. When driving at night, I just flip the lever to "night" and leave it there.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, AGR said:

 

I'd rather have the AM radio. The manual rear view mirror works fine for me. When driving at night, I just flip the lever to "night" and leave it there.


I'd take the Auto-dimming mirror, I haven't used a CD player in my car in 12 years and the last time I used AM radio was to check traffic when I had to drive cross town and that was 20 years ago. 

Also shows the issues companies have when removing features, to some they are necessary others never use them. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

39 minutes ago, jasonj80 said:


I'd take the Auto-dimming mirror, I haven't used a CD player in my car in 12 years and the last time I used AM radio was to check traffic when I had to drive cross town and that was 20 years ago. 

Also shows the issues companies have when removing features, to some they are necessary others never use them. 

 

Take my AM and SXM, take the hotspot out of my TCU (mine just made the cutoff for that).

 

Not sure if the CD drive in my 2012 Focus has ever been used, as USB and Bluetooth removed the need for that.  For all I know, it never even worked from the factory.

 

In exchange, swap in an electrochroamatic rear view mirror and electrochroamatic side view mirror (which used to be available on Fusion but now would require Corsair).  (And more like proper ambient lighting and puddle lamps, but let's not get greedy.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...