RHF wrote:
For One and All,

So You Get The Bright Idea . . . To Use A Car Radio In-the-Home !
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortw.../message/11842

If you are going to use a Car AM/FM Radio as a :
Home, Garage, or Basement Radio you need
1 - The Car's AM / FM Radio
2 - 12 Volt DC Power = Battery/Charger -or- Power Supply
3 - Two or more Speakers
4 - A good "Combo" AM / FM Antenna and Ground System

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I have used car radios in the house and garage off and on for years and
they are very good. The biggest problem is the power supply. A
lead-acid car battery and charger combo will create so much hash from
the rectifiers that it drowns out much of the signal. A proper power
supply of 5 amps minimum is required and even it may create buzz. If
you use the battery with the charger unplugged it is quite satisfactory
at least until the voltage drops.
A vented lead-acid car battery should not be used near electronic
equipment. The h2So4 molecules emitted when charging eat hell out of
nearby circuit boards. I think a sealed battery would be ok but I have
not tested this. An old car battery can be used in the garage to test
the system but I would not use it in the house.
A two or three foot length of wire bare at one end which is pushed
into the (Motorola) antenna input will do surprisingly well. Most car
radios are very sensitive. I have used motorcycle batteries on a 1-amp
charger and they do not seem to create the racket of the 6 to 10 amp
chargers and they are quite cheapand compact.