KIA Sportage 2009 - Manual (Page 116)

How car audio works
AM(MW, LW) and FM radio signals are
broadcast from transmitter towers
located around your city. They are inter-
cepted by the radio antenna on your
car. This signal is then received by the
radio and sent to your car speakers.
When a strong radio signal has
reached your vehicle, the precise
engineering of your audio system
ensures the best possible quality
reproduction. However, in some
cases the signal coming to your vehi-
cle may not be strong and clear. This
can be due to factors such as the dis-
tance from the radio station, close-
ness of other strong radio stations or
the presence of buildings, bridges or
other large obstructions in the area.
AM(MW, LW) broadcasts can be
received at greater distances than
FM broadcasts. This is because
AM(MW, LW) radio waves are trans-
mitted at low frequencies. These
long, low frequency radio waves can
follow the curvature of the earth
rather than travelling straight out into
the atmosphere. In addition, they
curve around obstructions so that
they can provide better signal cover-
age. FM broadcasts are transmitted at
high frequencies and do not bend to
follow the earth's surface. Because
of this, FM broadcasts generally
begin to fade at short distances from
the station. Also, FM signals are eas-
ily affected by buildings, mountains,
or other obstructions. These can
result in certain listening conditions
which might lead you to believe a
problem exists with your radio. The
following conditions are normal and
do not indicate radio trouble:
¢ ¢ ¢
JBM001
¢ ¢ ¢ ¢ ¢ ¢
JBM002 JBM003
FM reception AM reception FM radio station
3 107
Knowing your vehicle
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