AM Radio CAN sound Excellent! (copy of Carlyle Comment Blog)

A “Sound” Idea….

Believe it or not, local radio, even on the AM band can sound GREAT! At WION in Ionia, MI we’re mighty proud of our quality of sound. It comes from owners who care, and equipment properly chosen and maintained.

At  WION we do that very well. So much so that we get compliments fairly regularly that we “stand out” against even the bigger-city stations. People even hear details in their favorite songs that they haven’t heard before!  That’s how well we pay attention to our sound!

Over a weekend in September, however, I was made painfully aware of how many people, as they drive, may NOT know what our (AM) signal really sounds like! 

I love my Jeep. It drives well, it’s fun, gets great mileage with its stickshift transmission, and it came with a GREAT original sound system. Except… the original system has a weak link. The speakers in the front doors. They are unique to the system, make replacing expensive and difficult. So, when the second of two speakers died, it was time to upgrade. Or so I thought: to a new stereo receiver, and new speakers.

So, I chose a Jensen in-dash, “heavy duty” receiver. Chosen for its larger knobs and buttons, very VISIBLE display, and conveniences of dual inputs, I had faith that the sound would be at least as good as the price-tag which was not inexpensive.

Only two people are ever allowed to tear apart my car, and one of them got the short straw, so Bill tore into it. He had to custom-design new tweeter brackets, run some new wires, bypass the Jeep’s amplifier circuits built into the doors, and install extra boxes for “high frequency adjustment.” All of it went well, and when turned on, the FM sounded FANTASTIC. The Inputs from the mp3 player were sounding great, and the long drive home was exciting with tunes I choose for my personal player.

Then came the problem.  In the very town….and the very DRIVEWAY where WION radio originates, the AM sound was not the familiar “Jeep” full, wide sound, but rather, the sound of a phone call if patched through a small CB radio speaker. Yes, it was that bad.  FM remained beautiful, inputs from the player were beautiful, but AM literally “HOOVERED.” The AM couldn’t be made to sound good, let alone….GREAT. AM was at best, unlistenable.

Obviously Jensen put out a product that would turn you, my listeners and friends completely OFF to the potential great sound  that AM radio stations have to present. And, its just not fair. I wouldn’t have even listened to TALK programmingon this AM receiver, let alone our music and “full-service” content.   I believe that this is not an isolated incident. 

On WION we often invite you to switch to our AM for  “longer distance listening” and our “quality of sound” and, we mean it!  We DON’T sound like a phone call through a CB radio, and our AM is the BEST sound AM can offer! Unfortunately, (some) manufacturers are leading you, the consumer to believe that AM radio sound literally sucks!  (If you’re offended by that term, so be it. I mean what I say.)  

Radio manufacturers have, by cutting corners and costs,  tossed aside a medium that can sound as good as FM, reach farther, and in many towns like Ionia, an (AM) station is the only LOCAL live media! It deeply angers me that public perception of what AM “sounds” like should be “crap” when in actuality, its potential goes far beyond what most people have ever heard!  I hope when you hear WION  proudly talking about our "sound" that you realize it's your RADIO that limits the quality of what you hear, not the AM band itself!

Who enjoys good AM?  People with Chrysler/Jeeps from the mid 90’s to mid 2000’s, with the familiar rounded corners and the 3-letter receiver codes on the front in white. (some are even AM Stereo!!)   Most NON-HD original equipment also sounds good. But, if the “HD” logo has been hung on it, the AM has likely been compromised. I have yet to OWN an HD capable radio that did justice to AM broadcasters. I hope that there actually are a “few” good HD radios in dashboards which give good (normal) AM sound.

I know that AM is not the first thing on your mind. I know we have a local  FM signal that sounds great. But, how would YOU feel if you put your heart and soul into a product, then found it was being diminished by forces beyond your control?  Our American economy is driven by purchases, and purchased by price, that’s a given. But, that DOESN’T mean that a few pennies here, or a dollar per unit to improve the quality of AM sound in radios would break the manufacturer, or the consumer.

Once you’re done reading this, please give a listen to this clip, posted on my website.  It’s taken from a REAL tuner “off air”. It’s REAL AM broadcasting, not audio piped into the recorder from our control room. It actually is a recording of a BROADCAST, edited for length. THIS is what AM radio is capable-of and this is what our local audience SHOULD be hearing, if the radio manufacturers would allow it!  And yes, in Ionia County, it’s what we offer on the air 24/7!

Edit June 2013: After going "live" with AM stereo feeding our stream in February, 2013 we've added the web address to grab our players and listen on HQ or on your phone

Enjoy the links below.

Our "Live" stream feeds are on this page...pick what's best for you

AM stereo Promo of WION Radio, Ionia, MI

Tech-Tock-Tech-Tock....

What's your favorite "old technology?"

We're all in love with our smartphones, tablets, and netbooks, almost to the point where the "tower" computer is as foreign to our younger generation as a dial-style wired telephone! Technology is moving so fast that it's almost impossible to fall in "tech love" with anything anymore. 

But, that's not how it used to be!  We all had our favorite brand of TV set for a certain feature. We loved our cordless phone because it went farther than the neighbors' did. We got the first STEREO TV on the block and had people over to enjoy NBC broadcasting in full stereo on an oak-look console.

Rewinding even farther, in the deepest, darkest corners of our mind were our favorite video consoles long before there was a XBOX, Wii, or anything we use today. I'm talking about consoles with wired controllers, some with beautiful MONOCHROME displays on our TV sets, and with video that today would be considered the electronic equivalent of stone tablets and chisels!

What technology do you remember, or (going out on a limb here) even MISS?

I can't say for me I miss the party-line, dial-phone, or even the mimeograph machine from my elementary school with that blue ink. But, I DO miss some lesser-known or remembered ones!  How about the full size laser-disc machine?  Its composite picture was incredible!  (For its day.) God forbid today we should get up to switch sides of a disc!  Or, there's the competitor who had an early demise due to quality:  the CED disc promoted heavily by RCA!  Some of these still show up in the garage sales of today. There's the "metal detector" craze of the 1970's, (my parents HAD to have one, and we never used it, even on vacations).....and I'm sure you can add to the list!

Being in broadcasting, I've had the fun in the past couple of weeks bringing back an old 1980's technology known as "AM Stereo" to our station.  Yes, there's a limited audience for it, but...those who drive 1990's cars often have the famous "AMS" button, and SOME new HD radios (a technology I can't buy-into or like) render AM stereo.  I swore I wouldn't add CQUAM stereo to our station until we could do it without endangering the distance covered by good-ol AM mono. Well, it seems we've done well with it.  Even doubters of AM sound put on the headphones in our engineer's office and say, "wow!"  Our reasoning? Because we CAN. The same reason we've used to make many decisions at the station.

There are other things we grew up with that were an integral part of our lives, and our culture of the day. What was it you grew up with and maybe you'll admit you miss just a bit?

Maybe it’s not the technology we miss so much, but what seems like a simpler, easier time and lifestyle that went along WITH those great technologies.  What do you think?

Falling in love with certain technologies, and the days we did that.....both....
are long gone as we move fast through today's "introduce it and dump it for better" world. 

What's your favorite "old" technology?"

Saying "Goodbye" to an old friend.....

Two weekends ago was the "last weekend" for me and my trusty HP Pavilion Laptop.  I'm not a "power user" but I am a "persistent user."  My laptop comes on before 6AM and stays on mainly to 11PM, sometimes longer.....7 days a week.  It simply got "tired of me."


IN 3 years, I've gone through 3 letter "O" keys, two power supplies, and was on my second hard drive. Kind of like the family axe that has had 3 heads and 4 handles, but its still viewed as "Grandpa's family axe."  Yes, it was all salvageable, and in the end, I restored it to original condition ready for its next owner, like factory new.......but, time lost in saving and restoring e-mails and reinstalling programs on it for me was higher than buying new, and migrating the information to  a better machine.


Now it's time to turn the Carbonite backups on for the new machine, having moved all my thousands of e-mails from (years ago) Outlook Express to Windows Mail, and now to "Windows Live Mail."  All the mail survived, along with my contacts, and in the "file" department, the voice of my late Father which I am so glad to have with me to play back now and then as I interviewed him years ago. It was six years ago this weekend that I was attending his funeral, and deep in grief. Now, the computer is a bit of a comfort as his voice is saved for me to hear now and then, when the mood hits.


Bottom line?  Keep your backups going. Schedule them, or somehow remind yourself to back up your contacts, your e-mails if they're based on your PC and not in "the cloud"....subscribe to a backup service like Carbonite, or buy a (now very) inexpensive External USB drive, and stick it in your fireproof safe when you're not doing regular backups.  Protect your information. Not just from thieves, but from mechanical failure, loss, and more.


Two weeks into "Windows 7" I've not got the horror stories I've head from some others, but...you will need printer drivers for your network printers installed locally, and migrating to "Windows Mail" has been an experience, but I think it's getting used to me.  Web editing is back up for our station site, and all in all, I can't complain.  I CAN, however tell you that within 24 hours of buying the new machine I needed the e-mails I had automatically backed-up with both Carbonite and the program called "Express Assist." 

It's nice being back with you...with only one full weekend's interruption now in the rear view mirror..... 

And the 3 most important words in this day and age are NOT "Location, Location, Location"..they're:

"BACKUP, BACKUP, BACKUP"

You can never have enough of 'em. 

New Year's Tech "Housecleaning."

So, its 2011.  You've made your resolutions. You're going to lose weight. Spend more time with the family. Make more money.  GREAT. What are your "Tech" resolutions?

You could start with cleaning out your computer.  I'm guilty. Too many old e-mails causing the program to take too long to load.  Don't delete 'em yet, though...BACK THEM UP. My favorite backup application is called "Express Assist" because its simple, works well, and can backup your internet favorites and bookmarks, documents, mail, address book, mail rules and more.  Do a backup. Save it to a folder on your PC....then burn a couple backups of that and store them safely somewhere.  Then, you can delete all your old mail, speed up your system, and start "new" in 2011.  If you're not ready to delete all your old mail, keep six months, a year, or so....and AFTER the backup, delete the rest.

Speaking of backups, there's a HUGE chance you can  lose files this year. Your PC is on more. Your hard drive is a physically running device prone to eventual failure. Why not do an "offiste" backup of everything you don't want to lose?  I got convinced to use Carbonite. There's many other backup programs, too..but this one works for me personally, and for my business. Let it work in the background, store your backups of mail on your PC, and they'll automatically be backed up offsite, too!  It's a good investment.

How about a "communications audit" of your entertainment and communications budget?  I'm a huge fan of the ROKU box, delivering lots of FREE entertainment to my television. I bought it to enjoy the basic NETFLIX subscription with one DVD at a time, but I find I don't watch the DVD's. Lucky for me, Netflix this year has introduced a "streaming only" option for a buck LESS than the basic unlimited plan-was.  Sure, you're only going to save $12 a year, but that's 4 gallons of gas at today's rate!  If you've got reasonably-priced internet service, the ROKU box is great entertainment, and there's more content each day, even local radio!  (check out our sister station WGLM's feed.)  Make sure your DSL speed is at least 3mb, higher is better...but that works with ROKU. I've tried it!

Speaking of "free" entertainment, have you ever heard of "free to air?"  There's lots of free programming in the skies, some can be enjoyed on a small 18 to 30 inch dish, and basic systems are not that expensive!  Public TV in great quality, Networks that some cable companies carry, new "up and coming networks" and other programming, no fees, and LEGALLY in your home with the proper free to air equipement. Learn more about FTA on my favorite satellite TV site, "satelliteguys.us"  They're the 'net leader in information on programming and equipment on small dish subscription services, cable, internet, home theatre, free to air equipment, and much more. they're polite,  paid membership to the site is only $20/year and, even as a "free" member, you'll learn how to best use your internet and entertainment options and how to better budget for them, too!  

There's some classic TV now available on local station's subcarriers if you have a good antenna for your "over the air" (free TV) enjoyment. Don't skimp on your antenna, however. All the digital channels are in what's called the Upper VHF and UHF bands, regardless of what "virtual" channel shows on your TV. Research antennas available for your home, whether inside or outside, and you may find that an antenna investment combined with internet programming via a ROKU box (or similar) may just reduce your monthly subscription bills by leaps and bounds. 

And, for those of you who still have the large dish satellite systems in your yard (like me)....check out how you can pick and choose programming on many of the most popular channels and networks with what's called a "DSR-410" receiver. No moving of the dish is required once its aimed at satellite W-5, and, the programming is cheaper than the small dish systems or cable. Its' STILL an option, and easy to install or add-on to your existing big dish. New systems with non-moving six foot dishes are under $300, and a very good option. The best part?  NO CONTRACTS!  There's no penalties if you want to shut down for a month or two. Good, friendly people. Check out more at the site above, satelliteguys.us and the programming that is available from "satellite receivers limited" known as SRL.  Just recently a longer writeup on this showed up on wikipedia, too!

I'm toying with doing a short "tech" feature on WION in 2011, because I've been helping people lately with their PC's, satellite TV decisions, and other fun "tech" things. Let me know if you'd enjoy it.  There's much good knowledge "out there" but, its always nice to sort through the garbage and get to the "real" information, too. We all have some "tech housecleaning" to do...make it one of your resolutions, and I'll see you along the way!

-Carlyle 

I'm in the minority and the majority at the same time. My "networks" come from a large-dish satellite system with what's called a "4D" satellite receiver. That puts me in the minority today.


Remember when these larger dishes dotted the countryside, roofs and tall poles around your neighborhood?  Then came the "pizza" size dishes.....and...I was sucked-in at one time, too.  Simple, multiple receivers in multiple rooms, and .....one company to deal-with. Only I did something that MOST people don't today....I literally bought my own equipment, so I was never locked in to a contract.

Today, people sign up for anything that sounds good!  Free HBO? Sure! Free this? Yep!  Free that?  You bet!  Then...comes the two year contract, the requirement to keep your phone line plugged-in to the receiver or an "extra charge" will be charged, and on...and on...and on. Doesn't matter if you're on one small dish system or another. You're "locked-in."  They've GOT you.

Me? I like choice. I still use the big dish...which puts me in the minority. But, I choose my programming, I have NO contracts, and my prices for channels are cheaper, most likely than yours. No, the big dish may not be perfect for you, but it works for me.  But its more important in another way:

Here's where I believe I'm in the majority.  As a consumer, I don't like getting screwed by major corporations. Or any company. Ever look at your utility bills? The fees upon fees? How about your cable/satellite/internet bill? Same thing. I, like you want something simpler. I want choice, and I don't want to be TOLD that I will subscribe to certain channels and services because its what's "out there." THIS concept, I hope is a majority concept. But, its dying. There's a big company called "Motorola" that owns the technology for authorizing us "big dish users"...now down to around 10 thousand strong. That's the equivalent of about everyone in Ionia plus more being on this system. Motorola says, "nope, no more" after December 31st and is shutting down the sending of programming to those of us who bought our own equipment, maintain our own equipment.  A bummer!

Enter a company called "Skyvision", associated with another company called, "SRL". Together, they've been authorizing users of big-dish programming for a long time, and are now working hard to let us, with only a change in software and many signed agreements choose our programming from ONE satellite broadcasting a variety of channels for Comcast.  While this is still "packaging", it's still independent of cable and not "pizza delivered" on a dish that fades in the rain and has contracts of great length. We, the 10 thousand-ish users are some of the last holdouts of what is a GREAT technology, but still a minority. 

I hope that after December my big dish is still subscribing through a company like Skyvision or SRL that cares about its customers. Too many other big conglomerates have entered our lives, and...when they take over, we ALL lose. When their system fails, our nation is lost for one type of communications or another. When they want to increase rates, we ALL pay...and what do we get?  Less personal service.

If you are a big-dish owner, you have options. Maybe more options after the turn of the year. You can follow the options at http://www.satelliteguys.us/ and to a lesser degree at www.skyvision.com.  You can also convert your big dish to receive what's called "free to air" broadcasts, completely legal, and with some networks that WANT you to see them, to help make them popular, much like the early days of home satellite TV when we used to go "sky surfing."

Whether or not I'm watching cable networks on my big dish, this whole situation should be a wake up call to anyone concerned with too much large company consolidation and with consumer protection. We all know that big companies don't care about little consumers, they only care about answering to their stockholders, and they do that by getting "subscriber numbers" to go up...when you blindly sign your next two year agreement, whether it's a cellphone, satellite TV, Cable, or internet. 

Bottom line:  In some cases, if you own your own equipment, you don't have to be in a contract. ASK!  Don't blindly "bundle" your communications, and then be "in the dark" when the system fails and you can't get on your (internet) phone, cable TV or the 'net. Become and educated electronics user, not another "blind subscriber" with any modern technology.

Time to move my big dish over to satellite "W-5" for the night.....and enjoy one of the channels that I selected.  

Comments welcomed as always!
And, read my other blog....posted for WION Radio!