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#1
Posted to alt.audio.equipment,rec.audio.tech
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AM antenna question
My junky small radios get AM just fine. My more expensive receivers don't -
the reception is weak and has static. The receiver antennas are just wires, several feet long and I've tried a number of configurations to improve things, with no success. Any suggestions for an inexpensive indoor AM antenna? Thanks |
#2
Posted to alt.audio.equipment,rec.audio.tech
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AM antenna question
In article .net, J Antero wrote: My junky small radios get AM just fine. My more expensive receivers don't - the reception is weak and has static. The receiver antennas are just wires, several feet long and I've tried a number of configurations to improve things, with no success. Any suggestions for an inexpensive indoor AM antenna? Terk AM-1000 "AM Advantage" loop antenna Intensitronics Select-A-Tenna |
#3
Posted to alt.audio.equipment,rec.audio.tech
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AM antenna question
My junky small radios get AM just fine. My more expensive receivers don't -
the reception is weak and has static. The receiver antennas are just wires, several feet long and I've tried a number of configurations to improve things, with no success. Any suggestions for an inexpensive indoor AM antenna? In most receivers, the AM tuner doesn't use the wire antenna. A wire a few feet long is too short to act as an effective antenna for AM signals, which have a wavelength that's far longer than that. No matter what fiddling you do with the wire, it won't help the receiver's AM signal receptivity significantly. Rather, the receiver probably has an internal "loopstick" - a ferrite rod which is wound with multiple turns of very fine wire. These antennas are rather directional - they may work better if the whole radio is rotated 90 degrees or so (if that's practical). External AM antennas can be used to improve the signal strength. One approach is to use an "antenna booster", which usually consists of a multi-turn wire coil a foot or two across, inductively coupled to the receiver's own loopstick. A similar inductive-coupling method can be used to couple a long-wire antenna (tens of feet of wire, with a ground connection) to the receiver. In both cases, there can be advantages to "tuning" the external antenna/loop with a capacitor, so that its resonant frequency matches the AM station you're trying to receive. Some sites with ideas for homebrewing: http://www.mindspring.com/~loop_antenna/ http://www.abc.net.au/reception/radio/am_antenna.htm A commercial product built along these lines: http://www.grove-ent.com/ANT21.html You might want to try knocking together one of the "two-foot loop" designs listed on the Mindspring site. The 365 pF tuning capacitor can be salvaged from a scrapped old-style AM radio (table radios have full-sized caps, while cheap mechanically-tuned AM portable radios have small "plastic variable" caps which will work). Everything else (wood and wire) can be purchased at your local hardware store, or salvaged (scrap wood, old telephone wire, etc.). -- Dave Platt AE6EO Hosting the Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior I do _not_ wish to receive unsolicited commercial email, and I will boycott any company which has the gall to send me such ads! |
#4
Posted to alt.audio.equipment,rec.audio.tech
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AM antenna question
"J Antero" wrote in message link.net... My junky small radios get AM just fine. My more expensive receivers don't - the reception is weak and has static. **Yep. Ironically, expensive receivers tend to use poor quality AM sections. The receiver antennas are just wires, several feet long and I've tried a number of configurations to improve things, with no success. Any suggestions for an inexpensive indoor AM antenna? **You need to advise us of your specific problems and location. Are you, for instance, located in a high rise building? How far away is the nearest window (preferably facing AM transmission towers). Etc. -- Trevor Wilson www.rageaudio.com.au |
#6
Posted to alt.audio.equipment,rec.audio.tech
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AM antenna question
On Tue, 28 Mar 2006 19:03:05 +0000, J Antero wrote:
My junky small radios get AM just fine. My more expensive receivers don't - the reception is weak and has static. The receiver antennas are just wires, several feet long and I've tried a number of configurations to improve things, with no success. Any suggestions for an inexpensive indoor AM antenna? I assume you are referring to stereo receivers of the hi-fi ilk. The AM sections in these units tend to be an afterthought. That said, I have had good luck with an outdoor loop several feet on a side. They are directional, so I have two, at right angles, with a switch. The loops should have two sides vertical and the other two horizontal. They don't *have* to be outdoors, but you want them far away from computers and monitors. -- Chuck Forsberg www.omen.com 503-614-0430 Developer of Industrial ZMODEM(Tm) for Embedded Applications Omen Technology Inc "The High Reliability Software" 10255 NW Old Cornelius Pass Portland OR 97231 FAX 629-0665 |
#7
Posted to alt.audio.equipment,rec.audio.tech
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AM antenna question
On Tue, 28 Mar 2006 19:03:05 GMT, "J Antero"
wrote: My junky small radios get AM just fine. My more expensive receivers don't - the reception is weak and has static. The receiver antennas are just wires, several feet long and I've tried a number of configurations to improve things, with no success. Any suggestions for an inexpensive indoor AM antenna? Unfortunately the AM section of "quality" receivers is often just there to fill the spec sheet. It may just be that your junky radio has a considerably better AM receiver. |
#8
Posted to alt.audio.equipment,rec.audio.tech
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AM antenna question
"Laurence Payne" lpayneNOSPAM@dslDOTpipexDOTcom wrote in message
... Unfortunately the AM section of "quality" receivers is often just there to fill the spec sheet. It may just be that your junky radio has a considerably better AM receiver. Also, there is a tradeoff between sensitivity/selectivity and audio fidelity (bandwidth). |
#9
Posted to alt.audio.equipment,rec.audio.tech
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AM antenna question
In article , "mc" wrote:
"Laurence Payne" lpayneNOSPAM@dslDOTpipexDOTcom wrote in message .. . Unfortunately the AM section of "quality" receivers is often just there to fill the spec sheet. It may just be that your junky radio has a considerably better AM receiver. Also, there is a tradeoff between sensitivity/selectivity and audio fidelity (bandwidth). There is obviously a big difference between communication receivers and hi-stereo receivers. He never cited what types. greg |
#12
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Yamaha RXV 4600 with HD Radio
I thought I'd post a few comments about this receiver.
This is one of the first hi-fi a/v receivers with the AM and FM HD Radio from Ibiquity. The list price is $1800 but I was able to mail order one for about $1100. There is one local station broadcasting in HA AM, KEX 1190. The HD signal is not broadcast at night. Rush and Laura don't really need the sound boost, but the elimination of background noise is welcome. Now and then there is aliasing distortion which goes away when I cycle power on the Yamaha. Quite a few FM stations broadcast in HD FM. The virtual elimination of background noise on KBPS All Classical 89.9 is welcome. It would be nice if the heavy copmpression applied to the analog signal were removed from the digital version. Digital FM is supposed to allow for 8 (eight) programs at once. Most of the Portland HD FM stations only have one HA audio stream at present. Contrary to recent comments in Slashdot, I have not noticed a delay between the analog and digital signals on either AM or FM. -- Chuck Forsberg www.omen.com 503-614-0430 Developer of Industrial ZMODEM(Tm) for Embedded Applications Omen Technology Inc "The High Reliability Software" 10255 NW Old Cornelius Pass Portland OR 97231 FAX 629-0665 |
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