AudioRoundTable.com: Radio

Home » Audio » Radio » AM, FM, or SW (Which one do you usually listen to?)

Show: Today's Messages :: Navigator :: Polls
E-mail to friend

AM, FM, or SW [message #89169]

Mon, 12 November 2018 09:15

Jazzy
Messages: 78
Registered: June 2018

Viscount

I like listening to FM radio because the stations there commonly play music instead of news commentary. I included the shortwave because I remembered my father listening to a religious station on the SW radio.

Report message to a moderator

Re: AM, FM, or SW [message #89174 is a reply to message #89169]

Mon, 12 November 2018 16:17

gofar99
Messages: 1949
Registered: May 2010
Location: Southern Arizona

Illuminati (5th Degree)

For background...as it is not my main source of music (vinyl is) I use XM/SIRIUS. It works anywhere and particularly in the car you can go from coast to coast and not have to change stations. Once in a while you will get under a cover or inside a parking garage and lose it though. They have a new plan that only runs $10 a month and IMO it is a good buy. All the over the air stations here are pretty poor. I have two Marantz receivers, a Sony FM/HD tuner and a Pioneer tuner and none have been hooked up for over two years. Sad, FM used to be my go to for sound.

Good Listening
Bruce

Report message to a moderator

Re: AM, FM, or SW [message #89177 is a reply to message #89174]

Mon, 12 November 2018 17:13

Wayne Parham
Messages: 18785
Registered: January 2001

Illuminati (33rd Degree)

Those three radio bands offer three totally different genres:

FM is mostly music, with a little bit of talk radio.
AM is mostly talk radio, with a little bit of music.
SW is mostly talk radio, international news, fringe politics, religion and amateur broadcasts.

I kinda like each of them at different times. When I run the roads in my car, I often listen to FM radio. Sometimes I listen to AM radio, depending on my mood. And occasionally, late night, I like to dial-through the shortwave band to find what I can come across. It's kind of like sitting around the camp-fire listening to someone tell ghost stories.

Report message to a moderator

Re: AM, FM, or SW [message #89189 is a reply to message #89169]

Tue, 13 November 2018 08:09

Junior
Messages: 69
Registered: July 2018

Viscount

SW can be amusing to listen to. There are a few stations there where the speaker will talk about government conspiracies or supernatural happenings. We listen to FM when we travel, and we sing along during the trip.

Report message to a moderator

Re: AM, FM, or SW [message #89224 is a reply to message #89177]

Thu, 15 November 2018 08:36

Jazzy
Messages: 78
Registered: June 2018

Viscount

Wayne Parham wrote on Mon, 12 November 2018 17:13

FM is mostly music, with a little bit of talk radio.
AM is mostly talk radio, with a little bit of music.
SW is mostly talk radio, international news, fringe politics, religion and amateur broadcasts.

Why are radio stations divided this way? Is it because of the licensing fees that each radio wave costs? The SW radio stations that I heard before had a little advertisement or none at all.

Report message to a moderator

Re: AM, FM, or SW [message #89236 is a reply to message #89224]

Fri, 16 November 2018 07:10

Lost the Remote
Messages: 145
Registered: June 2017

Master

I listen to AM radio for the local news and for traffic warnings. I listen to FM radio for music and NPR. I listen to SIRIUS when I'm in the mood for specific music genres.

Report message to a moderator

Re: AM, FM, or SW [message #89277 is a reply to message #89169]

Tue, 20 November 2018 21:06

Reggie
Messages: 47
Registered: November 2018

Baron

I'm like the most of you here. I tune in to different radio stations or band waves depending on the time of the day and my mood. I mostly listen to FM stations for the music and news.

Report message to a moderator

Re: AM, FM, or SW [message #89462 is a reply to message #89169]

Mon, 31 December 2018 13:26

TheWanderer
Messages: 58
Registered: December 2018

Baron

I have not delved into SW radio before, but it sounds like I should. Laughing

I mainly listen to satellite radio. There are fewer commercials than FM or AM. When I switch over to FM or AM sometimes to see what I'm missing, it feels like I'm listening to one long advertisement. Boring!

Report message to a moderator

Re: AM, FM, or SW [message #89660 is a reply to message #89169]

Thu, 31 January 2019 10:41

Jazzy
Messages: 78
Registered: June 2018

Viscount

The advertisements are indeed a big let down from FM or AM radio stations. We have to endure it though, because that is how these stations get their income. New radio stations usually don't have advertisements yet so I try searching for them if there is one where I currently am.

Report message to a moderator