I was curious as to why I was getting broadcast stations on the low end of band 2 so I asked Gemini.
Prompt: How many people have radios that receive 1610‐1700 kHz
Response: Today, the answer is **hundreds of millions of people**—essentially anyone who owns an AM radio or a vehicle manufactured in the last three decades.
While vintage radios often top out around 1600 or 1620 kHz, modern consumer electronics almost universally cover the 1610‐1700 kHz range.
Here is how that transition happened:
In 1988, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) approved extending the top end of the AM broadcasting band from 1600 kHz up to 1700 kHz in the Americas. This chunk of spectrum is commonly known as the "AM expanded band" or "X-band". The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) utilized these new slots to relocate existing stations that were contributing heavily to congestion and interference on the standard AM dial.
At the time of the 1988 agreement, very few consumer radios could tune past 1620 or 1630 kHz. To prepare for the incoming stations, the FCC began meeting directly with radio manufacturers to ensure that future sets would be capable of receiving the expanded band.
By the time the first U.S. expanded band station officially went on the air in late 1995, the electronics industry had largely adapted. Manufacturers shifted their designs, extending analog dials and programming digital tuners to reach 1700 or 1710 kHz as a baseline standard.
Because this industry standard shifted in the early-to-mid 1990s, virtually every AM-equipped device built since then includes the expanded band. This encompasses:
* **Automobiles:** Nearly every factory car stereo installed since the late 1990s.
* **Consumer Audio:** Standard clock radios, portable boomboxes, and home AV receivers.
* **Emergency Gear:** Weather and emergency crank radios.
So, while tuning to frequencies like 1695 kHz requires pushing past the printed limits on many older receivers, the capability has been universally baked into everyday consumer electronics for nearly 30 years.
Page: /X_band/X_band.shtml
Last modified: Saturday, 15 Aug 2026