To know how good AM radio can be, you need either a long memory or a new radio - one with AMAX certification.
When all radio was AM, broadcasters and radio manufacturers labored for the best possible AM sound. But in the '60s, AM faded as the world discovered FM - static-free and with wider frequency response. Radio makers concentrated on their FM sections, cheapening the AM side. Broadcasters stopped caring about good AM sound; many stations deliberately avoided it, broadcasting in a perpetual scream to grab more listeners. Even the coming of AM stereo didn't help. It was a decade late, and the FCC screwed up by allowing a confusing rash of stereo standards instead of just one. And all the while, the world was filling up with gadgets (fluorescent lights, computers) that could choke all but the best AM radios with static.
The AMAX standard is a last-ditch effort by broadcasters and radio makers to save AM by reviving a long-forgotten tactic: quality. To meet the standard, a radio must have enough audio bandwidth (at least 50 to 7,500 Hz) to let you hear most of the music, plus a switch that lets you narrow that bandwidth to cut interference and get rid of that fuzz on distorted signals.
So far, there's just enough AMAX equipment to cover all the bases. For portable use, Sony Electronics Inc. has the SRF-42 Walkman radio (US$34.95) and GE has its Super Radio III (Model 7-2887, $59.95) with a big speaker. For your stereo system, Denon Electronics makes the TU-680NAB Tuner ($600). And all the AM stereo radios Delco Electronics Corporation makes for GM cars meet AMAX standards, though the Delcos with only mono AM don't. With a good station (often hard to find), their AM sections sound so good you could easily be fooled into thinking they were FM.
SRF-42 Walkman: US$34.95. Sony Electronics: (800) 222 7669, +1 (201) 930 1000. Radio III, Model 7-2887: US$59.95. GE: Available at select retail locations. TU-680NAB Tuner: US$600. Denon Electronics: +1 (201) 575 7810.
STREET CRED
The PDA Gets Real ... CloseNeuromancer Speaks!
Random Acts of Senseless Violence
The Analog Frontier Foundation
Future Quest: Like Smoking Oregano
AM Radio's Reprieve
