[dungdang]

radio is mostly used by people in cars. all cars, at least stateside, have had digital radio for eons. i don't even think there's a used car you can buy that still runs, that doesn't do digital. for a car, a digital radio is not battery hungry -it's power requirement doesn't even count.

people don't buy standalone radio receivers, and haven't in decades.

[reaperducer]

all cars, at least stateside, have had digital radio for eons

My car is a 2015. My wife's car is 2016. Neither have digital radio, much to my disappointment.

people don't buy standalone radio receivers, and haven't in decades

Except that they do, which is why they're still available in stores. I bought one at Target just last fall for a relative who was in the hospital for an extended stay.

[kawsper]

You can buy a cheap bluetooth dongle that transmits on the FM-band that your car can pick up, you can then pair the bluetooth dongle with your phone and have your phone play through your car speakers.

That's a nice inexpensive upgrade, and can be an alternative to having a digital radio installed.

[reaperducer]

You can buy a cheap bluetooth dongle that transmits on the FM-band

No need to. The car has Bluetooth. It also has a USB port, an aux port, and an SD Card slot for playing music. It just doesn't have digital radio.

[dazc]

'Neither have digital radio, much to my disappointment.'

Count yourself fortunate.

[chrisseaton]

> people don't buy standalone radio receivers, and haven't in decades.

Seem to be lots of them in stores, everything from the local supermarket to higher-end department stores, to me. I see them in most people’s kitchens as well.

[dungdang]

you are a statistical anomaly then. people stream radio online in their kitchens these days, and i have not seen one myself. in fact anyone younger than my 40 years of age doesn't know what am radio is.

[chrisseaton]

The question was about 'standalone radio receivers' - so DAB side-board radios, bedside radios, desk radios, etc.

[detaro]

Bullshit. Signed, someone in their 20s.

[dungdang]

good for you. so you know a lot of people who listen to am radio then?

[detaro]

No, but that wasn't the question. And I know plenty of people that regularly listen to analog radio.

[dungdang]

you made up your strawman question. this whole discussion is about am radio specifically.

[drran]

I use headphones with built-in FM radio receiver a lot, when cycling. They are popular, I see them often. I found cheap brand, which fits my ears, and use it almost every day when cycling to/from work or when exercising.

[dungdang]

this is about am radio going away, not fm.

[detaro]

Then why does the article repeatedly say "AM and FM"?

> Analogue radio station licences will be extended for another 10 years, the UK government has said – entirely reversing plans to shut off FM and AM radio stations in favour of DAB digital radio.

[cpach]

Here in Sweden I don’t even know if digital radio is available. Never seen it in any car.

[lb1lf]

-Driving through Sweden from the Svinesund border crossing to the Øresund bridge last year, we definitely had DAB coverage for parts of the trip, but not all - definitely around Gothenburg and Malmö, I believe reception lasted quite a way out into the suburbs along the E6 highway.

[cpach]

Wow, I had no idea :)

[dungdang]

and you would not. it's just radio, and doesn't look any different. you likely listened to digital radio a lot, without knowing it.

[cpach]

How do you mean? If I tune in to the FM band then it’s analog, no?

[dungdang]

no. you tune it to your regular fm band on your radio. if you have a digital receiver, which is almost any car in the last decade+, it'll do digital. you won't even know it.

in fact, most of these people here defending analog have been using digital for years. this conversation however is not about fm. the switch to digital there was a long time ago. it's about am, whose ship is sailing now.

[kefyras]

You are talking about HD Radio, which is quite different from DAB/DAB+ used in Europe.

[detaro]

No, FM has not widely switched over to digital yet in the UK and Europe in general. Which is exactly the topic under discussion in the article...