My wife wants a small digital radio. What should I know?

[Darren_Garrison]

We have an expert in our midst:

AM radio being removed from cars

TL;DR: Automakers want to delete AM receivers because reduced receiver performance in electric cars will drive up service returns and reduce perceived quality. I designed the IF downconverter chip for the first generation of HD radio in North America (first generation had separate chips for RF, IF, and baseband processing). I was witness to some of the issues raised by automakers with regards to HD radio implementation. One of the most onerous was driven by fear of increased service complaints …