RadioBanter - View Single Post

March 1st 04, 12:39 AM

In article , says...
Anyone have an idea how I can better my reception of a local AM station.
I live in the fringe area and was curious as to whether there is a
simple improvement for the AM broadcast band. I use a simple Panasonic
portable and just want to listen to talk-radio....

Not to discount what others have said about loop antennas, but the
simplest solution might be to buy a better radio. If your problem is
signal capture, which is what it sounds like from your description of
being in the fringe area, a radio with a larger internal ferrite antenna
might solve your problem. I would suggest the GE Superadio 3 or the
Grundig S-350 (also available at lower cost on ebay as the Tecsun BCL-
2000). Both have considerably longer than normal internal antennas and
do an excellent job of capturing weak signals. There is also the CCRadio
Plus from CCrane, but it's more expensive than the other two and it's
questionable whether it's worth the extra money. (I have all three and,
given what you've said, I'd probably go for the Grundig/Tecsun.)

The loop antennas mentioned by other posters will do a miraculous job of
pulling in weak signals, but, in all honesty, they're a hassle to use
for casual listening. You have to place them near the radio, rotate the
loop to get the best signal, and tune the loop in addition to tuning the
radio. If you're a dedicated listener, have the space, and intend to
listen to the same station for an extended period, then a loop might be
just the ticket. Dealing with a loop, though, is more than most people
would want to go through just to listen to talk radio.

-- Jay