AM reception is crap and an absolute embarrassment

[Normal Rob]

aha - the tits are the dogs then.

 

[Rich Suvner]

Works fine in mine (Sony unit in Mondeo)

clearly i'm out of touch. had always been told DAB was crap on the road.

 

[Garage_Doors]

And I'd like to complain about the speed of computers. My Sinclair Spectrum takes ages to get going and it takes five days to load a single NSC page. It's 2012 for God's sake - what is this country coming to?

Think you may have missed the point a bit,Sinclair Spectrum's are not needed to be used as there are now better alternatives, but if you want to listen to 5 or talk sport we still have to us the am.

 

[Timbo]

NSC is a weird place, all having a go at someone who makes a very valid point.

5Live has just over 3x the listeners Radio 3 has and over half the amount of listeners to Radio 1. It really should be on FM but there is a real lack of space on the fm frequency and BBC is already allocated a large chunk of it. Also as 5live is speech based, sound quality is considered less important. I'd love to see R3 ditched and replaced with 5 but it'll never happen.

 

[Wozza]

Radio 5 fine in London. It's a Sussex thing. Has always been crap for communications (and roads).

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

Think you may have missed the point a bit,Sinclair Spectrum's are not needed to be used as there are now better alternatives, but if you want to listen to 5 or talk sport we still have to us the am.

No we don't. there is digital radio and has been for more than a decade. I have DAB in my car and it works perfectly. That was my point

 

[drew]

Well, AM reception has never been anything but crap in any car I've driven. It's better away from the Southeast where there's less interference from continental Europe stations, but down in our corner of the country it is totally unacceptable.

In the USA they have loads of stations all on FM and reception always good as long as you're in range. Why the hell do we have to put up with this absolute joke of an excuse for radio reception?

I like that, 'totally unacceptable'. Have you written to your MP yet? Are you also having trouble getting those glass valve thingys that go in the back of your telly? It's unacceptable that every branch of Comet or Currys don't stock them.

There is a lack of space/willingness to give them an FM band thingy..
If you think of popularity of 5 live & talk sport & they aren't on FM, seems bit unfair.

ps little bit of trivia!! talk sport 1053/1089 frequency was the old frequency for radio 1 til they went FM in late 80's..
actually that is the most boring piece of trivia ever..i apologise

And before that it was 747, I think.

Think you may have missed the point a bit,Sinclair Spectrum's are not needed to be used as there are now better alternatives, but if you want to listen to 5 or talk sport we still have to us the am.

Whoooooooooosh

 

[Driver8]

are you really having a bitch about 100year old technology? you've highlighted the main problem, longer range means interference. FM range is limited as a trade off for quality.

you could use DAB, isnt this issue what it was intended to address. but it's shit in cars too so they say.

I have always said they should swap it with Radio 3. I have never met anyone who listens to Radio 3.

 

[Garage_Doors]

Whoooooooooosh

That's the point, I think it went straight over your head did it not?

 

[Garage_Doors]

No we don't. there is digital radio and has been for more than a decade. I have DAB in my car and it works perfectly. That was my point

Ok point taken, think I'm getting old, did not realise car DAB was available, do all new in car radio have them now, or only high end?

 

[Danny-Boy]

Tried to listen to the match last night in the car driving down from Heathrow. The reception on 5-Live (or whatever it was) on AM is an absolute embarrassment. How the hell in 2012 can this country offer radio station reception like that? No better than it used to be listening to Radio Luxemburg all those years back.

This. After about 4 pm the reception in Seaford is diabolical,m I hear it louder when a Spanish club scores.

 

[Seagull Steve]

Ok point taken, think I'm getting old, did not realise car DAB was available, do all new in car radio have them now, or only high end?

Not all cars have them PS, I hired an S Max and that had one. It was ok. But Nissan (I have a Qashqai) Don't do it.

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

I think they are starting to - have never had it before and it is a revelation! So many radio stations and 5 Live extra. I'm doing a fair bit of driving to and from Yorkshire, so this has been a Godsend. Highly recommend it.

 

[beorhthelm]

I have always said they should swap it with Radio 3. I have never met anyone who listens to Radio 3.

well, there must be a call for it since theres commercial classic FM. however, that also means theres no requirment for this programming from the public service provider. i dont know why they couldnt merge R5 and R3, or indeed put the football coverage on R1, who also arent providing a necessary service during the day (evening programming is a valuable public service).

 

[goldstone]

My point is, with all the technology available to us, how come we cannot fix it so that all radio stations in the country get decent reception anywhere you live? It really is a fecking joke.

 

[C1 BHA]

I agree with the OP but thankfully my new car has DAB so it's problem solved. Also I've got 'Tune In Radio on my iPhone so we can listen to Gus' post match interview even when we're away.

 

[Stoichkov]

Its rubbish in my car although I quite enjoy the French radio station that 'ghosts' in the background to 5live in the evenings. Sometimes that comes through louder & clearer than 5live itself.

Also, 5live goes all fuzzy in Bear Rd (near the junction with Riley Rd) and up The Ridgeway near the Police Box.

Any NSC'ers able to PINPOINT other fuzzy reception points in Brighton & Hove?

 

[drew]

That's the point, I think it went straight over your head did it not?

I respectfully refer you to post 26 but I think you have already realised this.

 

[beorhthelm]

My point is, with all the technology available to us, how come we cannot fix it so that all radio stations in the country get decent reception anywhere you live? It really is a fecking joke.

and the counter point is, its really old technology that is inherently limited. replace it with DAB if you want, but theres nothing you can do to improve AM radio.