TheSamba.com :: View topic - Radio nerds

Tue Apr 25, 2023 11:09 am

In my garage up north, I have an old analog AM-FM boom box. It has an antenna, and I've even attached a 15 foot wire to that to keep my FM reception from certain stations from "wandering" out of tuning frequency and not coming in clear, so I need to fiddle with the tuner knob. So is there anything I can do to improve and "keep" the station strong ???

Thanks.

Tue Apr 25, 2023 11:29 am

I had the same problem with my tuner in my shop, tried the various long wires, even used an auto antenna for a while, it still wandered some days.
The solution was one of these: https://www.amazon.ca/Stellar-Labs-30-2435-Outdoor...&psc=1 , put it on a 6'-8' chain link fence pole on the roof peak and even the weak FM is great now, and never needs retuning. I've seen them for sale on multiple sites.

Tue Apr 25, 2023 2:09 pm

There isn't a way to connect an external antenna to my radio, just has the telescoping metal antenna that looks like this

Tue Apr 25, 2023 2:16 pm

When I was shopping for radios, I would always look for one with an antenna jack. Not many have them. On my current garage telescoping antenna, I have an alligator clip with a few feet of wire and then another clip to a tee of wire. Before this, I would have to move the single wire for different stations. It’s amazing how bad reception is on some radios.

Tue Apr 25, 2023 2:35 pm

Real basic antenna.

Fm wavelength is about 3 meters so a simple antenna dipole should be about 1/4 of that , or 75 cm, in length.

Tue Apr 25, 2023 3:00 pm

This is interesting. I have an original VW radio in my 71 Karmann Ghia. The FM works great when I'm close to the transmitting tower but fades quickly as I get farther away. I wonder if it's an older technology trying to work with newer technology??? Or is the radio likely not working properly?

Tue Apr 25, 2023 4:21 pm

Sounds more like an antenna issue, corroded connection or broken/traumatised wire perhaps?, many of the older radios also have an antenna trimmer screw, I can't recall the exact way it works but it was something like "tune to a weak station and play with screw until it's loudest".

Cusser, the alligator clip suggestion is a good one, co-ax from the outdoor antenna to a 75 ohm transformer and an alligator clip on to the telescopic one on your set.

Tue Apr 25, 2023 5:55 pm

Aluminum foil worked on that era of televisions.

Tue Apr 25, 2023 6:00 pm

Crystal clear... over the interwebz.

https://www.audacy.com/

Tue Apr 25, 2023 7:39 pm

busdaddy wrote: Cusser, the alligator clip suggestion is a good one, co-ax from the outdoor antenna to a 75 ohm transformer and an alligator clip on to the telescopic one on your set.
You don't understand how ignorant of radio reception I am. Wouldn't a coax cable from an outdoor antenna need a matching transformer like this?

So which lead (or both) would need to be clipped to my existing radio antenna?

Wed Apr 26, 2023 1:49 am

Excellent topic, most of my AM & FM radios no longer have a good signal for the last 20 years. The exception in my 2013 Honda Fit. Can someone tell me why the auto radio works so well and if those stubby antennas are a possible fix for indoors?

Soon AM /FM radio stations will no longer be free and all that technology will end up in a landfill :evil: :cry:

Wed Apr 26, 2023 4:57 am

I'm still trying to figure out my 8-track!

Wed Apr 26, 2023 7:14 am

Bonesberg55 wrote: I'm still trying to figure out my 8-track!
Hey - I never had 8-tracks, but still play cassettes in my 1970 and 1971 VWs and my 1988 Mazda truck.

I'm serious about the FM reception issue in my garage. I'm going to take up one of my kids' 25 year old boom boxes to try up there.

Wed Apr 26, 2023 7:27 am

Cusser wrote: busdaddy wrote: Cusser, the alligator clip suggestion is a good one, co-ax from the outdoor antenna to a 75 ohm transformer and an alligator clip on to the telescopic one on your set.
You don't understand how ignorant of radio reception I am. Wouldn't a coax cable from an outdoor antenna need a matching transformer like this?

So which lead (or both) would need to be clipped to my existing radio antenna?
Not if it's using 300ohm antenna wire.

Wed Apr 26, 2023 7:31 am

https://www.lifewire.com/improve-fm-antenna-reception-4588662

Wed Apr 26, 2023 7:45 am

Cusser wrote: busdaddy wrote: Cusser, the alligator clip suggestion is a good one, co-ax from the outdoor antenna to a 75 ohm transformer and an alligator clip on to the telescopic one on your set.
You don't understand how ignorant of radio reception I am. Wouldn't a coax cable from an outdoor antenna need a matching transformer like this?

So which lead (or both) would need to be clipped to my existing radio antenna?
Don't know, try one, and then both and see what works better, I'm no expert, I've just farted around with various combinations until I found something that worked. :P

Wed Apr 26, 2023 7:50 am

LAGrunthaner wrote: Excellent topic, most of my AM & FM radios no longer have a good signal for the last 20 years. The exception in my 2013 Honda Fit. Can someone tell me why the auto radio works so well and if those stubby antennas are a possible fix for indoors? :
That's what led me to try auto antennas for my shop radio (metal covered building), they did work better than random loose wires, but all still had to be in a certain spot, or pointed a particular way to work well, and different stations required fiddling with the antenna each time.
The ring on a pole solved all the problems for me.

Wed Apr 26, 2023 9:02 am

The old tube radios seemed to pull in more stations, especially short wave stations. I remember my dad's in the garage back in the 60s used to get the marine bands. FM stations were pretty clear as well.