“You are tuning in to 102.3 swag FM radio”, says Mary.
The FM Radio is the type of station that most teenagers listen to because it has music that you can listen too. Without it, you would only be listening to news and talk all the time. Booooooorrrrrrriiiing!!! Everybody likes to listen to music so why not have music on a radio show.
That is what Edwin H. Armstrong probably thought in the 1930s which gave him the idea of broadcasting an FM Radio. Actually he came up with the idea by overcoming the static problem of AM radio that interferes a lot, to which it is relatively immune. Basically he was tired of the static problems that “butt in” during the AM Radio show. So he came up with the idea of making a FM radio instead. But it sure wasn’t just a walk in the park.
Just in case you didn’t know, FM Radio stands for “Frequency Modulation”. FM Radio is more popular in Japan and the U.S economically wise. Frequency Modulation means that the program theme causes the carrier rate to change in proportion to the program level. Although of their high frequent ionospheric change of waves, it still doesn’t affect FM signals like it does AM. That is why when the sun is set you can still listen to the radio afterwards.
However, you still have problems in the FM radio too. You just can’t escape from problems. Well the FM waves go in a straight line so that makes it possible for it to disappear away from Earth. The disappearance makes the signal weak. So some people have weak signals. Fortunately, I have a good signal, but you never really know because the waves can disappear instantly. But if you have a weak signal, it is best to get a higher antenna so you can try to get some sort of signal. Another problem is that since the FM waves are a straight line, landforms like mountains or just plain buildings can get in the way. The best way I avoid this problem is moving someplace where there are not a lot of things surrounding it just in case so it won’t affect anything at all. But like you read before, if that occurs as a problem to you then get a high antenna. That is probably the most convenient way and it actually works too.
So now you know the advantages and disadvantages of the FM radio. If I were you I would focus more on getting a better signal with a FM radio instead of an AM radio signal. I would have gotten more complicated and go deep into the subject but I am only going to touch on just the basics. Besides, everybody starts with the basics first. Edwin H. Armstrong never saw the success of the FM radio because right before he wrote a letter to his wife saying sorry for jumping out the window and killing himself because of the stress and dreadful things that came along with forming the FM radio. But nevertheless the FM radio was a great “leap” of success in the long run.