I'm hoping someone can shed some light on why my AM radio doesn't come
in as clearly as my stock car radio. I am a KGO talk radio fan and
live in the bay area. I also have a home in the gold country that I
visit almost every weekend. I noticed that KGO didn't come in at all
on my regular, small radio so I invested in a CC Radio Plus with a
ferrite antenna. Much to my dismay it comes in very distorted,
although KNBR comes in very clearly.

What I don't understand is why my stock car radio tunes in KGO
perfectly. I'm wondering if it's because my CC Radio is inside and my
car is outside? Also, does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can
get better reception?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

ldbk wrote:
I'm hoping someone can shed some light on why my AM radio doesn't
come
in as clearly as my stock car radio. I am a KGO talk radio fan and
live in the bay area. I also have a home in the gold country that I
visit almost every weekend. I noticed that KGO didn't come in at all
on my regular, small radio so I invested in a CC Radio Plus with a
ferrite antenna. Much to my dismay it comes in very distorted,
although KNBR comes in very clearly.

What I don't understand is why my stock car radio tunes in KGO
perfectly. I'm wondering if it's because my CC Radio is inside and
my
car is outside? Also, does anyone have any suggestions as to how I
can
get better reception?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

The am mw antenna on that radio is a ferrite bar antenna on the inside
of the rear of that receiver. Try turning the radio until the reception
is best. usually broadside to the antenna.

Les Locklear
Monitoring since ' 57
Located on the Gulf of Mexico
Bendix R-1015B/URR
Hammarlund R-274C/FRR (SP-600JX-14)
Ten Tec RX-340
RF Systems MLB - MK2
Quantum QX Loop
CU-2279/BRC Multicoupler
http://www.hammarlund.info/homepage.html

On 2 May 2005 16:37:43 -0700, "ldbk" wrote:

I'm hoping someone can shed some light on why my AM radio doesn't come
in as clearly as my stock car radio. I am a KGO talk radio fan and
live in the bay area. I also have a home in the gold country that I
visit almost every weekend. I noticed that KGO didn't come in at all
on my regular, small radio so I invested in a CC Radio Plus with a
ferrite antenna. Much to my dismay it comes in very distorted,
although KNBR comes in very clearly.

What I don't understand is why my stock car radio tunes in KGO
perfectly. I'm wondering if it's because my CC Radio is inside and my
car is outside? Also, does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can
get better reception?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

http://www.ccrane.com/am-antennas.aspx

KGO uses a directional antenna. AM directional anntennas work by generating
interfering or re-inforcing waves in various directions.

KGO's system favors the north-south directions and disfavors east-west
transmission.

Your gold country home is in a "null" direction from the KGO transmitter
(at the eastern end of the Dumbarton bridge).

In such areas, the phase interference produced by the transmitting antenna
causes distortion in receivers.

KNBR has a non-directional antenna which is not subject to these effects.

The only way to improve your reception of KGO is to move.

As for your auto reception, the phase interference is a factor of postion.
If you drive around while listening to KGO you will find the area of
distortion is in a line between you and the KGO transmitter.

BTW, how is your reception of KCBS? Its situation is similar to KGO's

Norm Lehfeldt

"ldbk" wrotf:

I'm hoping someone can shed some light on why my AM radio doesn't come
in as clearly as my stock car radio. I am a KGO talk radio fan and
live in the bay area. I also have a home in the gold country that I
visit almost every weekend. I noticed that KGO didn't come in at all
on my regular, small radio so I invested in a CC Radio Plus with a
ferrite antenna. Much to my dismay it comes in very distorted,
although KNBR comes in very clearly.

What I don't understand is why my stock car radio tunes in KGO
perfectly. I'm wondering if it's because my CC Radio is inside and my
car is outside? Also, does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can
get better reception?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

norml wrote:
KGO uses a directional antenna. AM directional anntennas work by
generating
interfering or re-inforcing waves in various directions.

KGO's system favors the north-south directions and disfavors
east-west
transmission.

Your gold country home is in a "null" direction from the KGO
transmitter
(at the eastern end of the Dumbarton bridge).

In such areas, the phase interference produced by the transmitting
antenna
causes distortion in receivers.

KNBR has a non-directional antenna which is not subject to these
effects.

The only way to improve your reception of KGO is to move.

As for your auto reception, the phase interference is a factor of
postion.
If you drive around while listening to KGO you will find the area of
distortion is in a line between you and the KGO transmitter.

BTW, how is your reception of KCBS? Its situation is similar to KGO's

Norm Lehfeldt

Thanks for such a clear response! KCBS comes in strong and is very
clear as well. That's really strange since KGO is practically
non-existent. I was going through talk radio withdrawal. The only
really clear talk radio was out of Utah or KSFO. Neither were stations
I like to listen to. Maybe I should think about listening via the
internet.

"norml" wrote
KGO's system favors the north-south directions and disfavors east-west
transmission.
Your gold country home is in a "null" direction from the KGO transmitter
(at the eastern end of the Dumbarton bridge).
In such areas, the phase interference produced by the transmitting antenna
causes distortion in receivers.
_________________

Distortion of this nature usually occurs only very close to the transmit
site (a mile or so). Note that if KGO was transmitting distortion toward
ldbk's gold country site, she also would hear it there on her stock car
radio. But she says her car radio "tunes in KGO perfectly."

While KGO radiates less power toward the gold country than KNBR, the signal
strengths of each are defined more by groundwave losses than by their
radiated power. For example, the 2.5 mV/m groundwave field strength contour
for KNBR passes about 60 miles beyond Sacramento, while for KGO it is about
20 miles beyond Sacramento -- and this includes the differences in their
radiation patterns.

Probably the reception that ldbk notes is based more on the sensitivities of
the radios, and the locations where they are used. Radios used inside a
building have less signal to work with because the wiring in the building
can act as a shield. Aluminum siding just about kills AM reception except
in very strong signal areas. Also there could be a lot of interference in
the building (light dimmers, touch lamps etc).

Rotating/moving the CC radio around the building may help reduce noise by
capturing more signal and/or rejecting some of the local noise sources.

RF (retired broadcast engineer)

LDBK,

"LauraM" wrote in message
ups.com...
Thanks for such a clear response! KCBS comes in strong and is very
clear as well. That's really strange since KGO is practically
non-existent.

So, does KGO get bad reception in your car when it is parked in the
driveway? If so, I guess that would clinch it.

David,

I don't know about the KCBS pattern, but from experience it always
sounds better east of the bay area than KGO. This is especially true
in central Nevada, which is due east of the bay area. You can hear KCBS
better than KGO in Yosemite as well.