FM Radio Antenna

[benick]

My dad needs a GOOD indoor OR outdoor FM radio antenna to recieve the Gospel station he likes. It comes in clear in the car even in the garage but no luck in the house. Have tried the wire antenna,35 dollar radioshack indoor antenna,rabbitears,rooftop TV antenna,ect. He is trying to get it on his Fisher Reciever...He used to get a similar station on satellite but it is no longer available.Southern gospel stations are hard to come by here in Maine...LOL...There is only one....

Any thoughts or ideas????

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, If it does not do well with those antennas you tried(they are some what directional), I think something wrong with the receiver. Were you connecting antenna lead correctly.(300 Ohm twin lead or 75 Ohm coax)

[JoeSpareBedroom]

I agree. Just for the hell of it, I'd take the receiver outside, connect it

20-30 feet from the house or other obstructions, and see if any of those antennas works. If not, it's the receiver.

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, Broadside of antenna shoud point to the station. My Yamaha AV receiver does not even has an antenna but it picks up all local FM stations with full quieting.

[aemeijers]

My father had real good luck with the omnidirectional FM roof antenna RS sells. After the big storm (Rita)bent the guyed mast that had it up 25 feet, he remounted it on the unbent section that was only 12 feet up, and it actually worked better.

Just for laughs, I'd try another receiver as well. The Fisher (haven't seen them in years) is likely old enough that some components may be getting marginal. Thrift stores often have 5 year old quite competent receivers for 10 bucks or so, now that everyone is switching to ipods and such. Or brand new amazingly good entry-level receivers can be had at most big-box stores for around $100.

-- aem sends...

[JoeSpareBedroom]

Thrift store receiver for the OP's dad? No no no....that's unholy. Get him something decent.

Doesn't have to be their top of the line, but not some piece of crap from Wal Mart.

[mm]

You mean the car radio when it is in the garage? Car radios work better than home radios, so don't expect to duplicate their reception.

If it is really God's word, it should come in no matter how bad the antenna is.

And as someone with about 20 radios trying to get two out-of-town stations in every room, I've found there is little correlation between the brand or price of a radio and its reception.

[Boden]

One of the benefits of my retiring to Maine was getting away from the southern gospel preachers.

B

[mm]

Does that include houses with aluminum or vinyl coated steel siding?

[Bob F]

I have an FM transmitter on the tape out of my main receiver, and just set the other radios to 88.1. Whatever I'm listening to in the living room is available in the bedroom, basement and garage.

[mm]

That sounds like a very good idea. Can you give me some guidance on what to get, where to get it for the transmitter?

[Sanity]

Have him move down here to Asheville, NC. He'll hear it 24/7 without a radio.

[hallerb]

put a decent car radio on a AC to DC converter, and keep it in the house.

[NotX]

[snip]

It SHOULD. That reminds me of my "deity detector", which is just a little red LED that isn't connected to anything. An all-powerful being has enough power to light it anyway. I've had it for 4 years and it hasn't lit yet.

[snip]

[real1]

Yes, I find that (southern gospel preachers) to be the worst thing on radio.

[mm]

To clarify, what I meant was that car radios work better than home radios because they are in the car, whose metal body helps out the radios antenna, aiui. I think my friend confirmed this, and maybe sci.electronics.repair . I'm not sure what happens in cars with plastic bodies.

[hallerb]

car radios have better designs so that poor reception is unlikely.

so put the car radio indoors on a dc adapter and install whatever you want for the antenna,

[beecrofter]

Here is a link to build his own out of flat 300 ohm lead in wire

If you need to fine tune for a specific frequency divide 5565 by the station frequency in MHZ and that will give you the length in inches for the top part of the antenna. These antennas are directional so try it first on one wall and again on one 90 degrees away

[ransley]

I bet its the radio and most home stero fm radios have poor specs anyway, it might be Kloss that has a good unit or get a car radio, but learn sensitivity specs, there is a big online cataloge seller of car stuff [ fotgot the name] that publishes specs for about all car radios made, and everything else on car stereos.

[JoeSpareBedroom]

Something nobody's mentioned yet: You didn't say how old the Fisher was. There was a time when they made decent stuff, probably back in the 60s &

70s. They dredged up the brand name in the mid-1980s and slapped it on some of the worst shit imaginable. Worse than Sanyo, if that's possible. Depending on the age of your dad's receiver, it may be a piece of crap. And even if it's one of the good ones, it could probably use a going-over by a competent tech, if you can find one.