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A Beginners Question
I would like to buy a portable shortwave radio with a whip antenna but I've
been holding back because I live in an area that gets mediocre reception on my Sony reciever's FM tuner from stations 20 miles away; so I'm really paranoid about buying a portable shortwave radio. My homeowners association doesn't permit outside antennas. Here are several questions: 1. Can someone recommend a portable shortwave radio for under $200US that works well.? 2. Can I attach an indoor antenna to improve reception? What brand of antenna? 3. I've tried several indoor antennas from Radio Shack to improve my FM reception and none did anything. Can someone recommend a really powerful FM indoor antenna? Thanks in advance. Frank |
#2
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A Beginners Question
Frank103 wrote:
I would like to buy a portable shortwave radio with a whip antenna but I've been holding back because I live in an area that gets mediocre reception on my Sony reciever's FM tuner from stations 20 miles away; so I'm really paranoid about buying a portable shortwave radio. My homeowners association doesn't permit outside antennas. Here are several questions: 1. Can someone recommend a portable shortwave radio for under $200US that works well.? Sony 7600GR. Try, http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=1627439 2. Can I attach an indoor antenna to improve reception? What brand of antenna? Yes, for shortwave a 10-20 foot piece of wire can be used. You do not need to spend a lot of money to get started. If noise is an issue, google for 'shielded loop antenna'. You can also buy more expensive antennas. Try, http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/sw_ant.html 3. I've tried several indoor antennas from Radio Shack to improve my FM reception and none did anything. Can someone recommend a really powerful FM indoor antenna? I doubt anyone really can recommend one that works. However, if the stations of interest are all in the same direction, you could consider mounting a 5 element yagi antenna for FM in your attic. (If your roof is metal this probably won't work.) Google for 'fm yagi antenna'. Thanks in advance. Frank |
#3
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A Beginners Question
On Dec 4, 3:36 pm, "Frank103" wrote:
I would like to buy a portable shortwave radio with a whip antenna but I've been holding back because I live in an area that gets mediocre reception on my Sony reciever's FM tuner from stations 20 miles away; so I'm really paranoid about buying a portable shortwave radio. My homeowners association doesn't permit outside antennas. Here are several questions: 1. Can someone recommend a portable shortwave radio for under $200US that works well.? 2. Can I attach an indoor antenna to improve reception? What brand of antenna? 3. I've tried several indoor antennas from Radio Shack to improve my FM reception and none did anything. Can someone recommend a really powerful FM indoor antenna? Thanks in advance. Frank You didn't tell us what model Sony receiver you are using, and what type of antenna it has. That can make a big difference in what I would recommend. Without knowing what you already have, you might consider the CCRadio-SW, or the equivalent under another brand name. I have it and have found the FM sensitivity to be outstanding. It actually gets outstanding reception of stations that come in poorly on the CCRadio and other radios I have. It is also excellent on MW and SW. If an analog tuner is okay with you, I don't believe you will be able to top the CCRadio-SW. |
#4
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A Beginners Question
Yes, for shortwave a 10-20 foot piece of wire can be used. You do not need to spend a lot of money to get started. If noise is an issue, google for 'shielded loop antenna'. You can also buy more expensive antennas. Try, http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/sw_ant.html Why would a shielded loop receive less noise than, say, a classic wire turn loop? Dale W4OP |
#5
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A Beginners Question
Dale Parfitt wrote:
Yes, for shortwave a 10-20 foot piece of wire can be used. You do not need to spend a lot of money to get started. If noise is an issue, google for 'shielded loop antenna'. You can also buy more expensive antennas. Try, http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/sw_ant.html Why would a shielded loop receive less noise than, say, a classic wire turn loop? Dale W4OP Dale, I made no shielded loop vs. unshielded loop comparisons. My intent was to give the beginner the idea that there are different types of antennas, and by suggesting google, allow the OP to do some research on his own. That being said, building a shielded loop implies the OP has shielded wire which can also be used for the connection between the radio and the antenna. This is probably better then building an unshielded loop out of speaker wire and using the same wire to connect the antenna to the radio. Again, I gave the OP the opportunity to do some research. On the other hand, I used a shielded loop in a previous home as a random wire antenna was not an option. craigm |
#6
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A Beginners Question
Gary, the Sony receiver is model GX700 ES and the antenna is the standard FM
antenna that came with the receiver. It's probably about 10 years old by now and still sounds good. It picks up about half of the FM stations that are available in my area - Las Vegas. Here's what I don't understand. There are 2 stations. 88.9 and 89.7. Both are NPR with HD. The first one is news and the second one is classical music. I can get the news station fine. But what I really want is the music station which is nothing but static. Being in a county with 2 million people one would think that there would be more than one classical music station but there is only one and all I get from it is static. A Radio Shack amplified antenna was not help at all. Frank wrote in message ... On Dec 4, 3:36 pm, "Frank103" wrote: I would like to buy a portable shortwave radio with a whip antenna but I've been holding back because I live in an area that gets mediocre reception on my Sony reciever's FM tuner from stations 20 miles away; so I'm really paranoid about buying a portable shortwave radio. My homeowners association doesn't permit outside antennas. Here are several questions: 1. Can someone recommend a portable shortwave radio for under $200US that works well.? 2. Can I attach an indoor antenna to improve reception? What brand of antenna? 3. I've tried several indoor antennas from Radio Shack to improve my FM reception and none did anything. Can someone recommend a really powerful FM indoor antenna? Thanks in advance. Frank You didn't tell us what model Sony receiver you are using, and what type of antenna it has. That can make a big difference in what I would recommend. Without knowing what you already have, you might consider the CCRadio-SW, or the equivalent under another brand name. I have it and have found the FM sensitivity to be outstanding. It actually gets outstanding reception of stations that come in poorly on the CCRadio and other radios I have. It is also excellent on MW and SW. If an analog tuner is okay with you, I don't believe you will be able to top the CCRadio-SW. |
#7
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A Beginners Question
In article KCy5j.2781$md.534@trnddc06,
"Dale Parfitt" wrote: Yes, for shortwave a 10-20 foot piece of wire can be used. You do not need to spend a lot of money to get started. If noise is an issue, google for 'shielded loop antenna'. You can also buy more expensive antennas. Try, http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/sw_ant.html Why would a shielded loop receive less noise than, say, a classic wire turn loop? Dale W4OP Shielded loops are less sensitive to local inductive E fields. -- Telamon Ventura, California |
#8
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A Beginners Question
"Telamon" wrote in message ... In article KCy5j.2781$md.534@trnddc06, "Dale Parfitt" wrote: Yes, for shortwave a 10-20 foot piece of wire can be used. You do not need to spend a lot of money to get started. If noise is an issue, google for 'shielded loop antenna'. You can also buy more expensive antennas. Try, http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/sw_ant.html Why would a shielded loop receive less noise than, say, a classic wire turn loop? Dale W4OP Shielded loops are less sensitive to local inductive E fields. -- Telamon Ventura, California I thought there was enough math/data out there that no one any longer believed this. From the W8JI page- http://www.w8ji.com/magnetic_receiving_loops.htm "Folklore claims a small "shielded" loop antenna behaves like a sieve, sorting "good magnetic signals" from "bad electrical noise". Nothing is further from the truth! At relatively small distances a small magnetic loop is more sensitive to electric fields than a small electric field probe. W4OP |
#9
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A Beginners Question
On Dec 5, 7:13 am, craigm wrote:
Dale Parfitt wrote: Yes, for shortwave a 10-20 foot piece of wire can be used. You do not need to spend a lot of money to get started. If noise is an issue, google for 'shielded loop antenna'. You can also buy more expensive antennas. Try, http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/sw_ant.html Why would a shielded loop receive less noise than, say, a classic wire turn loop? Dale W4OP Dale, I made no shielded loop vs. unshielded loop comparisons. My intent was to give the beginner the idea that there are different types of antennas, and by suggesting google, allow the OP to do some research on his own. That being said, building a shielded loop implies the OP has shielded wire which can also be used for the connection between the radio and the antenna. - This is probably better then building an unshielded loop - out of speaker wire and using the same wire to connect - the antenna to the radio. Again, I gave the OP the opportunity to do some research. On the other hand, I used a shielded loop in a previous home as a random wire antenna was not an option. craigm Craig M., Actually Loop {Balance} Antenna make from Speaker-Wire and using the same Speaker-Wire {Balanced} as a feed-in-line is a fairly simple and practical Loop Antenna set-up. Just like a "Split" Speaker-Wire Dipole Antenna using the same Speaker-Wire {Balanced} as a feed-in-line is a fairly simple and practical Dipole Antenna set-up. Both can be very low cost and effective Shortwave Listening (SWL) Antennas not requiring a Ground to give relatively Good Signal Levels and Low Noise. RadioShack - Recoton (SW-1850) 50Feet 18 AWG Speaker Wire http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2428008 iane ~ RHF |
#10
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A Beginners Question - FM Radio Reception and FM Antennas
On Dec 5, 8:48 am, "Frank103" wrote:
Gary, the Sony receiver is model GX700 ES and the antenna is the standard FM antenna that came with the receiver. It's probably about 10 years old by now and still sounds good. It picks up about half of the FM stations that are available in my area - Las Vegas. Here's what I don't understand. There are 2 stations. 88.9 and 89.7. Both are NPR with HD. The first one is news and the second one is classical music. I can get the news station fine. But what I really want is the music station which is nothing but static. Being in a county with 2 million people one would think that there would be more than one classical music station but there is only one and all I get from it is static. A Radio Shack amplified antenna was not help at all. wrote in message ... On Dec 4, 3:36 pm, "Frank103" wrote: I would like to buy a portable shortwave radio with a whip antenna but I've been holding back because I live in an area that gets mediocre reception on my Sony reciever's FM tuner from stations 20 miles away; so I'm really paranoid about buying a portable shortwave radio. My homeowners association doesn't permit outside antennas. Here are several questions: 1. Can someone recommend a portable shortwave radio for under $200US that works well.? 2. Can I attach an indoor antenna to improve reception? What brand of antenna? 3. I've tried several indoor antennas from Radio Shack to improve my FM reception and none did anything. Can someone recommend a really powerful FM indoor antenna? Thanks in advance. Frank You didn't tell us what model Sony receiver you are using, and what type of antenna it has. That can make a big difference in what I would recommend. Without knowing what you already have, you might consider the CCRadio-SW, or the equivalent under another brand name. I have it and have found the FM sensitivity to be outstanding. It actually gets outstanding reception of stations that come in poorly on the CCRadio and other radios I have. It is also excellent on MW and SW. If an analog tuner is okay with you, I don't believe you will be able to top the CCRadio-SW.- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - Frank 103, A Beginners Question - FM Radio Reception and FM Antennas The SR-100 Silver Ribbon Tunable FM Antenna by Magnum Dynalab http://www.magnumdynalab.com/fmantennas-sr100.htm Designed to be used In-Doors and You can 'Adjust-It' and 'Rotate-It' for the best Reception of the specific FM Radio Station that you are trying to hear. Check-Out the "FM Antennas FAQs" by Magnum Dynalab http://www.magnumdynalab.com/fmantennas-sr100.htm C Crane FM Reflect Antenna by C. Crane Co. http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/mwant/0143.html * This is a "Passive' FM Antenna that can be mounted On-the-Wall; or Hidden-behind-Draps; or Under-the-Carpet. Terk "FM Pro" {FM-50} FM Antenna http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/mwant/3825.html * This is an Active {Amplified} FM Antenna that can be mounted In-Doors; In-the-Attic; or Out-Side Under-the-Eaves. READ - Improving FM Radio Reception : The Better Antennas To Use http://groups.google.com/group/rec.a...420981a553930b READ - Serious 'portable' FM Radios for DXing the FM Band http://groups.google.com/group/rec.r...a23d4d7ab0ba14 READ - Follow-Up - Two Key 'Features' In Any Portable FM Radio That Are Worth Considering For DXing The FM Band Are : http://groups.google.com/group/rec.r...edc1e05ab1e40a f m magic - iane ~ RHF {pomkia} |
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