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Well AM radio has been around 100 years. How long can it go on?
It is ridiculous reducing AM, FM and satellite radio by mere software upgrade. That is the potential to receive AM, FM and satellite radio is still there but the user cannot access. This is regress not progress imposed by Tesla rather than being requested by Tesla customers.
This is my speculation, that the radio unit installed by Telsa must be a software defined radio ('SDR'). In a simple explanation, instead of placing components specific to a frequency band, the software defines the demodulation and decoding of the radio signal.
I first discovered SDR while experimenting with a USB TV Tuner dongle. Using the 'primitive' software supplied with the USB TV Tuner, one could change the frequencies from as low as 30MHz and choose a particular demodulation such as FM. In addition the bandwidth of the filters could be altered. One could choose frequencies such that one could listen to narrowcast FM services provided by Languages Other Than English ('LOTE') radio stations.
Thus it would not surprise me that DRM could be programmed into the Tesla's head unit.
It's a stupid policy to reduce the number of services to IP-based streaming services including VOD. IP streaming is dependent on a data plan with the ISP.
Note that satellite radio in the US is a subscription service.
We've also read and learned from commentator to this site Mr StJohn that satellite radio as used in the US is dependent on the car's dipole antenna not being in direct line of site of the satellite by obstructions such as trees and rain. Dipole antennas have less gain than a parabolic dish. Mr StJohn mentioned that for moving transport carriers such as cars and ships, parabolic dishes require a servo system moving the dish towards the satellite's direction.
Then if Tesla wish to expand to include 5G, the issue then becomes the ability of the radio receiver to decode 5G signals in environments such as a brick wall that may attenuate the 25GHz signal.
Therefore, even though AM and FM is 'old' technology, it certainly can be heard if there is something between the tx and rx such as rain, tree and a brick/concrete wall. For the latter, the signal may be able to go between the steel-reinforcing bars.
Thank you,
Anthony of collegiate Belfield