On Mon, 04 Sep 2006 17:59:41 -0000, Jim Logajan
wrote:

Mxsmanic wrote:
writes:

You don't seem to understand there is NO quality difference in audio
quality between FM & AM, unless you're equipment is faulty and
introducing distortion. I've used AM & FM with amateur radio and been
a professional Broadcast Engineer for 30 years so believe me you are
wrong!

Odd that FM seems to sweep AM out of so many markets, then. All the
FM transmissions I've heard were superior to AM.

I believe FM's principle advantage over AM is superior immunity to certain
classes of noise - audio fidelity per se should be equal. Here's what my
copy of "The ARRL Handbook for Radio Amateurs, 2002" says about FM:

"The primary advantage of FM is its ability to produce a high signal-to-
noise ratio when receiving a signal of only moderare strength. This has
made FM popular for mobile communications services and high-quality
broadcasting. However, because of the wide bandwidth required and the
distortion suffered in skywave propagation, the use of FM has generally
been limited to frequencies higher than 29 MHz."

Yes you're correct "audio fidelity per se should be equal" but you
also mention bandwidth, that's critical. There are some advantages
with FM, until the signal gets weak! The other reason for FM is you
can easily modulate the carrier at low level. With AM you need a
higher power modualtor which uses more power.