Oaktree
Super Member
I think some of the old antennas, may have had a loading coil built into the base. You replacement was likely a 31 inch whip without a load coil. That may have been the difference.
Maybe some did, but mind didn't. Just a 3-section antenna that threaded into the fender-mount base. New one threaded in it's place.
I doubt that AM radio will disappear in the near future. Several years ago the FCC allowed AM stereo without specifying a standard system. Then they expanded the band an extra 100 Kcs, and it filled up. They've also changed the power specifications and allowed more 24 hour operations. It seems that the FCC is making the AM band a little more of a free for all much like the CB band.
There are hundreds of stations on the band, and no other commercial service wants the band. As long as a bunch of owners can make a few bucks, AM radio will be with us. Personally, I think they should have kept the 24 clear channel non-directional 50KW stations.
AM stereo has been around since the early 80s, never caught on. The expanded band (1610-1700) has a handful of stations in it, but I'd hardly say it's "filled up". Even that's been around for 30-odd years. Both were too little too late.
Yeah, AM will still be around for a while, but every year its audience share drops a little more. Almost no one under 55 listens, and even among us old guys there's more than enough right wing talk, paid religion and foreign language program to go around. Probably 90% of these stations aren't billing enough to pay the electric bill.
The 50,000 Watt clear channel stations are still there, the channels just aren't clear anymore.