On Jun 5, 3:13 pm, "Proctologically Violated©®"
wrote:
I posted some time ago regarding the tuning circuitry of car radios vs. home
radios/stereos.
I had long noticed much superior tuning in car radios over my home radios.
Several apparently knowledgeable people on a few radio ngs confirmed this,
even explained it, altho this went over my head.

Very simple: there isn't much market for high-quality home radio
receivers for a few decades now. With products not being sold by
quality but by how many features they have (look at a DVD player
remote control: more than 100 buttons!!!!) this is not surprising.

So based on this assumption of tuning superiority, I went to *great lengths*
to remove a very nice 6-speaker stereo from a car I'm junking (1990 Mazda
929S--nice car, too, seen better days), to hook up in my shop, so I can
listen to some decent radio, instead of brain-killing Reality TV.

*Finally* accomplished said task, and, big big bummer, the reception of the
car radio in my shop/garage is even worse than my home radios/stereos!
Yet, this *same radio*, when I used to park the car this very same garage,
had great reception.

Car radios antenna systems are matched to the radios. Take a car
antenna, put it on a big piece of sheet metal (aka "virtual car"), and
cable it up to the radio with a correct length of cable (cable
capacitance comes into the matching at least for AM) and you'll do
fine. With some matching circuitry you could match up to the dipoles
etc. you want to build.

If your garage/shop has a metal roof it will be a fine "virtual car"
ground.

Tim.