Ford Escape, Fusion Vehicles to Offer Dual-Radio Reception Systems

Ford's 2017 Escape and Fusion vehicles will come with dual-radio reception systems, including one of the first dual-radio applications for HD Radio, the automaker said Wednesday. Dual FM radio reception uses a second receiver and the rear window heater grid as a second antenna to help the radio choose between multiple signals on the same frequency, said Ford in an announcement. The second antenna and receiver reduce interference from the same radio signal when it’s received twice, helpful in cities and mountainous areas where radio signals tend to bounce around the surroundings, said Ford. The second receiver also helps discern the stronger signal for clearer reception, the company said. In testing the system, Ford assessed radio signals in Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York, Pittsburgh and Seattle and determined the system allows listeners to hear stations longer when traveling between cities since there’s no middle zone where the radio plays overlapping stations. With a typical radio, at a midpoint between cities interference can last up to 15 minutes when a tuner is bringing in two stations overlapping the same frequency, it said.