AM radio solution?

[GFreud]

Does anyone have a work around for an AM radio? Using my phone is not a good option because of dead zones in the service on my daily commute. It made no sense to eliminate this option and Ford did not advertise it in advance.

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[drdirk]

I am pretty unhappy about that as well and from what I read, no reasonable workaround. Its a shame and one of my big negatives.

 

[trev5150]

AM Radio Absence: Here’s Why EVs Don’t Have AM Radio
Automakers Are Starting to Drop AM Radio in New Cars. Here’s Why

 

[p52Ranch]

The removal of the AM radio was immediately apparent upon the release of the 2023 Lightning Order Guide and the 2023 B&P.

At first I thought Ford would be removing AM radios from many 2023 models. However it seems the Lightning is the only model without an AM radio. Then I thought maybe there was some shielding issue with EV’s and AM radios. But the 2023 MME still has an AM/FM radio so I have no idea why Ford chose to remove it from the Lightning.

 

[trev5150]

Seems like removing a feature like that from otherwise off the shelf components (which is the whle point of these initial EV F-150's) would constitute an extra cost. Must've been cheaper than an extra layer of EMI shielding just for a radio band that most drivers aren't listening to anyway.

I know that last bit is going to piss some people off, but if most of them are the old coots like my 78 year old father who still listens to AM news radio while driving 20 MPH below the speed limit, then "most of" will be "all" fairly soon anyway.

 

[Monkey]

Tesla and others don't have AM Radio in their EVs. Simply adding shielding doesn't work as the amount of shielding around the motors and electrical pathways would be significant . AM radio is going away. Many places have FM re-broadcast of their major AM stations and the major ones are also available on satellite and internet sources.

I'm almost 50 and the only people I know that think they need AM radio are a handful of old coots like my dad. ...Who already faced this dilemma a couple years ago when he bought a Tesla.

 

[lakeguy55]

Lots of options listed with a search for "portable am tuner bluetooth". No idea how well their reception would be or how to deal with the interference issues. But if one of them worked, connecting to speakers with bluetooth should be fairly straightforward.

 

[Oafy44]

Seems like removing a feature like that from otherwise off the shelf components (which is the whle point of these initial EV F-150's) would constitute an extra cost. Must've been cheaper than an extra layer of EMI shielding just for a radio band that most drivers aren't listening to anyway.

I know that last bit is going to piss some people off, but if most of them are the old coots like my 78 year old father who still listens to AM news radio while driving 20 MPH below the speed limit, then "most of" will be "all" fairly soon anyway.

all my vehicles could do away with FM radio - let alone AM. I haven’t used AM/FM in forever. Xm radio/ Amazon prime music and podcasts do me just fine. I am 41 and know in the next 30 years I’ll probably complain about getting rid of something but in reality -people got upset for about 10 minutes when cars got rid of tape players - then got rid of cd players.

 

[metroshot]

The removal of the AM radio was immediately apparent upon the release of the 2023 Lightning Order Guide and the 2023 B&P.

At first I thought Ford would be removing AM radios from many 2023 models. However it seems the Lightning is the only model without an AM radio. Then I thought maybe there was some shielding issue with EV’s and AM radios. But the 2023 MME still has an AM/FM radio so I have no idea why Ford chose to remove it from the Lightning.

Actually the '23 MME does not have AM radio any longer.

https://www.macheforum.com/site/thr...23-from-a-22-on-the-street.24669/#post-572226

 

[trev5150]

all my vehicles could do away with FM radio - let alone AM. I haven’t used AM/FM in forever. Xm radio/ Amazon prime music and podcasts do me just fine. I am 41 and know in the next 30 years I’ll probably complain about getting rid of something but in reality -people got upset for about 10 minutes when cars got rid of tape players - then got rid of cd players.

Don't forget The Dude's 8-track tapes

 

[Kev12345]

a bunch of AM radio stations broadcast on HD FM stations. if they want to survive they'll have to do that.

 

[keen]

Does this mean that MY2023 Lightnings don't have the AM radio antenna in the front?

 

[Kirk]

I just drove from Minneapolis to Seattle and back in our Jeep Wrangler. While I could care less for AM stations under most conditions, I did find it useful for those ‘Tune to AM 1640 for information on Snowqualmie Pass road conditions’.

 

[rdr854]

I just drove from Minneapolis to Seattle and back in our Jeep Wrangler. While I could care less for AM stations under most conditions, I did find it useful for those ‘Tune to AM 1640 for information on Snowqualmie Pass road conditions’.

Most highway safety stations are in the AM band. It’s unfortunate that OEMs are deleting access to this important information.

 

[shutterbug]

Does this mean that MY2023 Lightnings don't have the AM radio antenna in the front?

No it doesn't. You still get the whip antenna for FM.

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