Why do most AM radio stations have a greater range than FM stations?

brokenarrow

AM radio waves have a wider/higher range. FM waves are closer to the ground and more constricted. That's why the sound quality is better on FM stations. Dec 21 03, 12:55 PM

Hamlet.

Yes, also lower-frequency radio waves (those with frequencies below 30 Mhz) are able to reflect off the charged particles in the Earth's ionosphere; this is referred to as "skip." Instead of passing through the ionosphere and entering space as higher-frequency electromagnetic waves do, the lower frequencies on the AM band have the ability to reflect back toward the Earth and increase their range dramatically. As an added bonus, the reflective conditions of the ionosphere in the evening hours are superb and can increase range up to thousands of kilometers from a transmitting tower... Dec 21 03, 2:31 PM

Create a Free FunTrivia ID to add to, request more/new answers, or edit this entry

Why do FM stations usually sound better than AM stations? Why do AM and FM radio stations in the UK (and presumably worldwide) have to change their frequencies every 50 or so miles rather than keep one for the whole country? How do they determine the most popular radio stations? How do they determine what the most popular radio stations are?

1 Antarctic Stations A quiz about Antarctic research stations. I name the station and you choose which country owns it. Good luck! Polar Regions Tough 10 Q ohlund2 Mar 06 06 636 plays 2 Skylab Space Stations America's first active space station is the subject of this quiz. In this quiz, the manned missions to the station are denoted by their official mission patches (ie, Skylab 1, Skylab 2, Skylab 3). Space Stations Difficult 10 Q cag1970 Nov 13 02 333 plays 3 Catholic Stations of the Cross Most information below can be located in the Bible. The New Testament books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are the primary reference material. Some references are given below to assist. Roman Catholicism Average 20 Q rialto88 Apr 14 03 7305 plays