My RAM 1500 Limited AM radio sucks!

[wegasque]

Are you out of your mind?
A 128gb micro SD card is around $15 bucks. If you can't afford that you Probbly shouldn't be driving a truck that uses gas and ride a bicycle everywhere.

https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-128GB-MicroSDXC-Memory-Adapter/dp/B08GYKNCCP/ref=mp_s_a_1_8?keywords=sd+card&qid=1675256795&sr=8-8

The size of audio files are the same no matter what you put it on. Storage is more expensive using CDs then anything else. Are you remembering the music and humming it to your self instead of playing it on a device because it's too expensive to store on a digital recording device?

Yes storage is relatively cheap these days, but only for those phones where you can add cards. iPhones do not have card slots to add storage so you're stuck getting their overpriced internal storage if you want to use the Apple ecosystem.

I respectfully disagree - the size of audio files are not the same (unless you mean copying one file to multiple devices then yes). Not only can you rip mp3s at different bit rates that result in varying file sizes, but there's other file formats that can be used (on UC5 at least) like flac (which is a lossless file). I've got a mixture of flac and mp3 files on a 1 Tb SSD hooked to the USB-C port. I can store my whole collection on it. It's way more than I have on my phone.

 

[Darksteel165]

Yes storage is relatively cheap these days, but only for those phones where you can add cards. iPhones do not have card slots to add storage so you're stuck getting their overpriced internal storage if you want to use the Apple ecosystem.

I respectfully disagree - the size of audio files are not the same (unless you mean copying one file to multiple devices then yes). Not only can you rip mp3s at different bit rates that result in varying file sizes, but there's other file formats that can be used (on UC5 at least) like flac (which is a lossless file). I've got a mixture of flac and mp3 files on a 1 Tb SSD hooked to the USB-C port. I can store my whole collection on it. It's way more than I have on my phone.

LOL playing flac files in a car audio system while driving. You said mp3 files before.
You also say mp3 and mp4, why are you comparing audio files to a video format of mp4?
You also say you use an iPhone, that's not anyone's problem except your self. You bought a device knowingly that is jacked up in price and doesn't let you add have your own storage.
There's also no reason to have your music on an ssd. A 5400 rpm drive would work fine in your truck even going over bumps, but hey it's not expensive to get a 1tb ssd vs external hard drive right? Even then I still don't get it. You can just get a 512gb thumb drive, why even bother with an ssd or external hdd makes no sense. You are spending more money then you need to for no reason.

You're all over the place. Looks like you are just digging for reasons

 

[Darksteel165]

I don't think the shark fin comes off very easy. If it's still under warranty take it to the dealer and see if they replace the sharkfin and antennas inside it.

Sounds like a bad antenna or poor connections going to it. Im not familiar with AM, can it use small boosted antennas or does it generally require a long one because of the frequency? I see other people with Rams posting about poor AM reception going back 10 years.

 

[OldMarine]

Some of you guys crack me up...."There are over 6,000 AM stations in the U.S. today. And they still have a huge audience of listeners, typically locals who seek out the latest weather, traffic, and news information. Most still listen in their cars or trucks. There’s a wide range of talk radio shows and you can still hear a baseball or football game on AM." AM Radio popularity

 

[wegasque]

LOL playing flac files in a car audio system while driving. You said mp3 files before.
You also say mp3 and mp4, why are you comparing audio files to a video format of mp4?
You also say you use an iPhone, that's not anyone's problem except your self. You bought a device knowingly that is jacked up in price and doesn't let you add have your own storage.
There's also no reason to have your music on an ssd. A 5400 rpm drive would work fine in your truck even going over bumps, but hey it's not expensive to get a 1tb ssd vs external hard drive right? Even then I still don't get it. You can just get a 512gb thumb drive, why even bother with an ssd or external hdd makes no sense. You are spending more money then you need to for no reason.

You're all over the place. Looks like you are just digging for reasons

Again I respectfully disagree, Darksteel. I re-read my post and I don't mention mp4. I don;t know where that comment came from. And yes, I have thousands of flac files that I do play in my truck because it would be ludicrous to spend the time re-ripping music to a lower quality of file just to convert them to something with less file size and a different format.

I have other reasons for using an SSD that I'm not getting into here. It has nothing to do with bumps in the truck and cost is not a factor for me.

As for cost, the only thing I said was agree with Bowdown that phone storage can be expensive and added the caveat depending on what phone you have.

I'm not getting into anyone's choice of phone, that's a 3.21 vs 3.92 kind of argument. I'm not sure what you meant for digging for reasons. Reasons for what?

 

[SkittleRam]

So I have been listening to AM since yesterday and the reception has been much better than I would have thought with just a shark fin.

 

[BowDown]

Are you out of your mind?
A 128gb micro SD card is around $15 bucks. If you can't afford that you Probbly shouldn't be driving a truck that uses gas and ride a bicycle everywhere.

https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-128GB-MicroSDXC-Memory-Adapter/dp/B08GYKNCCP/ref=mp_s_a_1_8?keywords=sd+card&qid=1675256795&sr=8-8

The size of audio files are the same no matter what you put it on. Storage is more expensive using CDs then anything else. Are you remembering the music and humming it to your self instead of playing it on a device because it's too expensive to store on a digital recording device?

Read it again, I said cost per Gb on a phone, most phones can no longer use a micro SD. My Samsung S21 cant, iPhones cant, most flagship phones cant.

Best Android phones with expandable storage 2025

You can increase your internal storage on these Android phones.

www.androidcentral.com

Also, the size of audio files is not the same. A CD sounds better than an MP3 because an MP3 uses lossy compression to copy the file to a digital medium

What is an MP3?​

Before we can tackle the differences between MP3 and MP4, let’s do a quick recap of an MP3 file and its uses. MP3 is a short form for MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3. It was developed to give us a way to store audio information in digital form, but with a smaller file size than the format used by CDs at the time. MP3s do this using a psychological trick — they start by taking an original, uncompressed digital audio file (like a track on a CD), and then they selectively remove chunks of data in a way that the human ear is unlikely to notice. It’s a process known as “lossy compression.” It’s the same trick used by JPEG files to shrink the size of photos without affecting the key details that make it look as good as the original. The same is true for MP3 files: Though they only take up about a 10th of the storage size as a CD audio track, most folks find them to be an acceptable listening experience.

MP3 vs. MP4: What's the Difference and Which One Is Better? | Digital Trends

Everyone knows of MP3 -- the longtime standard for digital music. But what about MP4? Should you stop using MP3 files? We have the answers right here.

www.digitaltrends.com

MP4 has options for not loosing data such as AAC or ALAC with ALAC retaining the sound qualities of a vinyl, I typically use MP4 for that reason but now really use Pandora streamed from my phone

 

[BowDown]

LOL playing flac files in a car audio system while driving. You said mp3 files before.
You also say mp3 and mp4, why are you comparing audio files to a video format of mp4?
You also say you use an iPhone, that's not anyone's problem except your self. You bought a device knowingly that is jacked up in price and doesn't let you add have your own storage.
There's also no reason to have your music on an ssd. A 5400 rpm drive would work fine in your truck even going over bumps, but hey it's not expensive to get a 1tb ssd vs external hard drive right? Even then I still don't get it. You can just get a 512gb thumb drive, why even bother with an ssd or external hdd makes no sense. You are spending more money then you need to for no reason.

You're all over the place. Looks like you are just digging for reasons

I said MP3s and MP4's. MP4 can also be audio only, its not limited to video. Apple uses MP4 with an AAC codec for Apple music. I use MP4 with ALAC compression (codec) but they are still audio MP4's
As for the phone, it's likely that 99% of people use one of 2 phones, iPhone or a Samsung., no reason to be hostile about it. Also, a HDD is a bad idea in a device/vehicle that's moving; SSD is a far better choice and you can buy a 256Gb PNY SSB drive for $25

 

[BowDown]

Again I respectfully disagree, Darksteel. I re-read my post and I don't mention mp4. I don;t know where that comment came from. And yes, I have thousands of flac files that I do play in my truck because it would be ludicrous to spend the time re-ripping music to a lower quality of file just to convert them to something with less file size and a different format.

I have other reasons for using an SSD that I'm not getting into here. It has nothing to do with bumps in the truck and cost is not a factor for me.

As for cost, the only thing I said was agree with Bowdown that phone storage can be expensive and added the caveat depending on what phone you have.

I'm not getting into anyone's choice of phone, that's a 3.21 vs 3.92 kind of argument. I'm not sure what you meant for digging for reasons. Reasons for what?

Exactly