<VV>OT AM radio

[Padgett]

>...ironically, this was the original intent from the beginning, when
>spectrum space was originally allocated for AM broadcasting in the
>first place.

Actually voice broadcasts began long before spectrum allocations, before 
WWI. Was with the incredible rise of stations in the 1920s that occupied 
nearly all of the usable frequency space (1.5 Mhz was about the effective 
limit of the original equipment before Armstrong developed the circuits 
that made higher frequencies usable) that led to the formation of the FCC 
and government control (rather than just registering call letters) of 
frequency, power, and operating hours..

Think KDKA was the first successful commercial station (why a station east 
of the Mississippi has a "K") and has an interesting history at 
http://kdkaradio.com/history.shtml .

If you really want an exercise in politics see what let to the move of the 
whole FM band from the 45 Mhz band to 88-108 in  1946 that destroyed the 
Yankee Network.

Is one of my (many) hobbies.

Padgett