{"id":23182,"date":"2017-01-06T08:36:18","date_gmt":"2017-01-06T12:36:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=23182"},"modified":"2017-01-06T08:36:18","modified_gmt":"2017-01-06T12:36:18","slug":"fred-lundgren-what-happened-to-am-radio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/fred-lundgren-what-happened-to-am-radio\/","title":{"rendered":"Fred Lundgren: &#8220;What happened to AM radio&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Crosley-Dial.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-12451\" src=\"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Crosley-Dial-1024x678.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"625\" height=\"414\" srcset=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Crosley-Dial-1024x678.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Crosley-Dial-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Crosley-Dial.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px\" \/><\/a>We all read articles about the utility and the demise of AM (mediumwave) broadcasting. In this short article via the Huffington Post,\u00a0Fred Lundgren (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.kcaaradio.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Founder and CEO of KCAA<\/a>) discusses <a href=\"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/fred-lundgren\/what-happened-to-am-radio_b_13876742.html#\" target=\"_blank\">&#8220;What Happened To AM Radio (that\u2019s NOT a question)&#8221;<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>On Christmas Eve morning, the electricity went off at our house and panic quickly spread among our younger guests.<\/p>\n<p>First, the TV sets went dark. Then, the desktop computers began to die as UPS back up batteries failed. For a while, we were reassured by the sound of familiar alarms, but then suddenly, total silence. Could this be the end times? Is this the onslaught of the apocalypse?<\/p>\n<p>Smart phones were quickly deployed and guests began calling each other from room to room. The panic began to subside when several millennials volunteered communal usage of their wireless data plans. The kingdom would be saved&#8230;crisis abated.<\/p>\n<p>[&#8230;]As the younger generation huddled around the smart phones with data plans, I began to think of the outage as an opportunity to listen to AM Radio, so I went to my office and dusted off my old RCA SuperRadio III.<\/p>\n<p>I couldn\u2019t remember the last time I replaced the batteries but to my surprise, it came to life with its signature popcorn sound when I pushed its big silver button. \u201cIT\u2019S ALIVE\u201d WOW&#8230;the AM band was extraordinarily quiet and responsive.<\/p>\n<p>[&#8230;]I scanned across the dial from 610 AM to 1590 AM. All the stations were as clear as a bell. Then, I decided to press my luck. I tuned to KTSA 550 AM in San Antonio and then I moved the dial slightly to the right and heard KLVI 560 AM in Beaumont, Texas. Every station was booming in loud and clear.<\/p>\n<p>I felt like a child with a new toy. I dialed up and down the band, experiencing the clear booming sound of AM Radio without any noise or interference. It was a feast for the senses. It was beautiful.<\/p>\n<p>After a few minutes, one of my daughters walked in and asked about the source of my entertainment. I pointed to my SuperRadio and said joyfully, \u201clisten\u201d. She looked at the big black box and asked \u201cHow can you listen with the internet and electricity off?\u201d I responded, \u201cIt\u2019s my portable SuperRadio III.\u201d Before I could explain further, she shrugged her shoulders, closed the door and went back upstairs, convinced that her Dad was conducting some sort of high tech experiment.<\/p>\n<p>In a manner of speaking, her assumption was correct. I was listening to AM Radio in a big city without the interference of computers, wireless modems and an overloaded electrical grid. For the first time in my recent memory, the \u201cSenior Radio Band\u201d sounded beautiful. Sadly, my experiment ended with preordained results when the electric power was restored.[&#8230;]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/fred-lundgren\/what-happened-to-am-radio_b_13876742.html#\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to read Lundgren&#8217;s full article on The Huffington Post.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We all read articles about the utility and the demise of AM (mediumwave) broadcasting. In this short article via the Huffington Post,\u00a0Fred Lundgren (Founder and CEO of KCAA) discusses &#8220;What Happened To AM Radio (that\u2019s NOT a question)&#8221;: On Christmas Eve morning, the electricity went off at our house and panic quickly spread among our [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[373,433,3,196],"tags":[4097,5785,5784,4099,4089,2651,197,453],"class_list":["post-23182","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-am","category-mediumwave","category-news","category-qrm","tag-am","tag-fred-lundgren","tag-kcaa","tag-mediumwave","tag-qrm","tag-radio-frequency-interference","tag-radio-interference","tag-rfi"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-61U","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":27076,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/07\/radioworld-steps-to-lower-noise-floor-and-revitalize-am-radio\/","url_meta":{"origin":23182,"position":0},"title":"RadioWorld: Steps to Lower Noise Floor and Revitalize AM Radio","author":"Thomas","date":"July 13, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: RadioWorld via Richard Langley) Noise interference is the menace of all wireless broadcast communications services Background noise interference is degrading the quality of broadcast reception, two-way communications, mobile cellphone services and every other form of wireless communications used today at an alarming rate. The FCC and the ITU agree\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AM&quot;","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/WHKY-AM-Radio-Tower.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/WHKY-AM-Radio-Tower.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/WHKY-AM-Radio-Tower.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/WHKY-AM-Radio-Tower.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":25040,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/advice-on-cancelling-locally-generated-noise\/","url_meta":{"origin":23182,"position":1},"title":"Advice on cancelling locally generated noise","author":"Thomas","date":"April 5, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"An SWLing Post reader recently contacted me with the following question: \"What devices work well to cancel out local RFI? I've been told that both the Timewave ANC-4 and a number of BHI products are all worth considering.\" Unfortunately (or fortunately, for me) I've no experience with outboard DSP or\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Accessories&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Accessories","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/accessories\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Timewave-ANC-4.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Timewave-ANC-4.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Timewave-ANC-4.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":31654,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/04\/rsgb-presentation-on-rf-interference\/","url_meta":{"origin":23182,"position":2},"title":"RSGB presentation on RF Interference","author":"Thomas","date":"April 23, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor,\u00a0Gary (W4EEY), who writes: I want to recommend an excellent presentation on RF Interference from the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) Convention in 2015. The presenter is Ian White, GM3SEK, who has a Blog website here: https:\/\/gm3sek.com\/ You can find the presentation video on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Ham Radio&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Ham Radio","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/ham-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Digital-Frequency-Dial","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Digital-Frequency-Dial.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Digital-Frequency-Dial.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Digital-Frequency-Dial.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":20248,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/08\/selecting-a-budget-antenna-for-urban-radio-listening\/","url_meta":{"origin":23182,"position":3},"title":"Selecting a budget antenna for urban radio listening","author":"Thomas","date":"August 1, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday, an SWLing Post reader contacted me with questions regarding budget antenna choices for an urban apartment.\u00a0He's about to purchase an SDR, but knows that a decent antenna capable of coping with urban radio interference is a\u00a0critical\u00a0component. I suggested that, since I'm no expert with urban interference, he pose his\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AM&quot;","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Urban-City-Cityscape","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Urban-City-Cityscape-e1470052384993.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Urban-City-Cityscape-e1470052384993.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Urban-City-Cityscape-e1470052384993.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Urban-City-Cityscape-e1470052384993.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":65717,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2026\/04\/nhk-closes-radio-2-after-95-years-on-the-air\/","url_meta":{"origin":23182,"position":4},"title":"NHK Closes Radio 2 After 95 Years on the Air","author":"Thomas","date":"April 2, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Fred Waterer, who shares the following article from RadioInfo Asia that notes NHK has officially closed its long-running Radio 2 service as part of a broader plan to consolidate its radio operations and adapt to shifting audio consumption trends. While the AM-based service ends,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AM&quot;","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/NHK-Radio-2.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/NHK-Radio-2.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/NHK-Radio-2.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/NHK-Radio-2.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/NHK-Radio-2.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":41530,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/john-works-with-fcc-to-track-down-wx-radar-interference\/","url_meta":{"origin":23182,"position":5},"title":"John works with FCC to track down WX radar interference","author":"Thomas","date":"January 9, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, John Harper (AE5X), who notes that he recently worked with an FCC crew to find the source of noise that was affecting a weather radar site. In the process, John got to check out, first hand, RF Hawk and some of the equipment the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/QRM-plot.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/QRM-plot.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/QRM-plot.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/QRM-plot.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23182","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23182"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23182\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23182"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23182"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23182"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}