It's official - IBOC is the standard in Mexico!

[DavidEduardo]

Just moved to Quintana Roo and was checking out the newly migrated stations. There are a handful of them, but the signals are dismal.

How many AMs are still left in the Quintana Roo, Yucatán, Campeche and Tabasco region?

 

[tomservo]

Is there any HDs either running or planed in mexico?

I bet there are some in the border regions, but I would be curious to know if there are any active in the heartland or Mex City.

 

[elchupacabras]

As for David's question of how many AM's are left in the peninsula--very few. I hit the scan on the AM dial and can only pick up 1 during the daytime- XERB from Cozumel, which is a retransmission of 89.9 FM. It is very odd to not hear ANYTHING on the AM dial. I end up listening to a lot of shortwave and internet stations. In the later hours of the day, Cuba, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Honduras are very strong MW signals.

 

[schmave]

I am very curious to see how all this will change the DX scene in the U.S.!

 

[kc0ltv]

There is indeed still AM in those states. I did some listening and picked up quite a few local stations if I remember correctly, especially on a rooftop of a house in Cardenas, Tabasco.

A 16-year-old cousin of my friend in Cardenas listens to 570 or 590 (can't remember) AM...."la radio cristiana".

As a side note, AM reception from Yucatan (don't know about Tabasco) is impressive. I think I heard 720 WGN from Chicago (maybe it was 890 WLS) in Valladolid, some 1,450+ miles away. I also remember hearing 870 WWL, 700 WLW, and 820 WBAP.

 

[DavidEduardo]

There is indeed still AM in those states. I did some listening and picked up quite a few local stations if I remember correctly, especially on a rooftop of a house in Cardenas, Tabasco.

A 16-year-old cousin of my friend in Cardenas listens to 570 or 590 (can't remember) AM...."la radio cristiana".

As a side note, AM reception from Yucatan (don't know about Tabasco) is impressive. I think I heard 720 WGN from Chicago (maybe it was 890 WLS) in Valladolid, some 1,450+ miles away. I also remember hearing 870 WWL, 700 WLW, and 820 WBAP.

According to an article in Mexico City's El Universal a few weeks ago, of 769 AMs, 599 were eligible to move to FM (meaning there was an FM channel available to file for), 559 filed for them, and about 40 did not file.

506 of the 559 are granted already, and another 53 are in the grant process. This means that only about 220 AMs will be left, and 75% will migrate to FM. There is a transition period where stations can simulcast on the new FM, and then the AM signs off, permanently.

While there is some indication that the remaining AMs can move to better frequencies if the better one has vacated, there will (unlike Canada) be no way to repopulate the AM band and no new applications except special cases to serve indigenous communities (per a speech by Pdte. Calderón himself).

On Fred Cantú's excellent www.mexicoradiotv.com there are 3 AMs left in Tabasco and 4 in Yucatán after the transition is finished. The rest will have moved.

Also, Mexico is developing LPFM stations in rural communities, having granted 59 in Yucatán alone in the last 6 months. THis will obviate any need to use AM to reach such areas.

 

[elchupacabras]

Those LPFM's will likely cover more territory on 100 watts than an AM could with 5,000 watts. CFL's are a huge problem here in the Peninsula, especially around tourist areas. You couple that with the thick block construction on most homes (not conducive to AM) and awful ground conductivity, and it is easy to see why AM is a failed proposition. I might also interject that the majority of the population is young (35 is considered to be OLD in Mexico, they'll turn you down for jobs if you are 35+), and never grew up with Amplitude Modulation. As much as I hate to admit it, AM for the most part (outside of a few Radio Formula stations) is dead, pathetic and pointless in Mexico. I fear it is succumbing to a similar fate elsewhere.