On Fri, 24 Mar 2006 17:25:39 -0600, craigm
wrote:


Yes, converting analog to digital then back to analog will degrade the
analog signal. A straight wire is always better. However AM, radio is
not a straight wire. With AM radio, an analog signal is compressed, band
width limited, converted to electromagnetic waves, mixed with any other
waves on the same frequency between transmitter and receiver, converted
to an electrical signal, passed through an IF that further bandwidth
limits the signal, and then run through a detector that usually adds at
least 1% distortion.

Almost all MW and HF AM broadcast transmitters built in the last 30
years have used an analog to digital conversion in the modulator
stage.