AM radio offers challenges for good reception. It is more susceptable to various kinds of interference, both natural and man-made, and sometimes it's hard to find a radio that gives you decent AM reception. But I enjoy many stations on AM for the programming they offer, and have searched out ways on my own to get better AM reception. I will share them with you here.
I've spent considerable time searching the internet, and haven't found a web-site devoted to helping the average person get better AM radio reception. I hope this web site fills that need, and offers some help. I've tried to keep this as non-technical as possible. Also, please remember that any reference I make to any specific product is my opinion, and that it is your responsibility to be a careful consumer. Shop carefully, whether on-line or in person, and be aware of the seller's return policy (just in case) and any product warranties. :-)
Who ever thinks about the antenna for AM? Yes, for FM you have the rod antenna that you pull up and move around, or that piece of wire that came with your stereo that most people leave dangling in a tangle behind the entertainment center (then wonder why their FM reception is no good...).
Your AM radio has an antenna, too. In most portables, transistor radios, boom-boxes and table radios, the AM antenna is built in. It consists of a ferrite rod around which is wound thin wire. Since we don't see this antenna, we tend not to think about it, but it's there nevertheless.
This antenna is directional-- that is it picks up signals from some directions better than others. This built-in antenna is best at picking up stations coming in from a direction perpendicular to the rod. It is least sensitive picking up signals coming at it end-on. This phenomenon can be used to your advantage. To get a station in better, try turning the radio. By doing so, you are aiming the antenna inside for a better signal. And if there is interference, you may be able to get the antenna rod pointed end-on toward the interference, thereby reducing it or cutting it out completely.
What if you have a nice stereo system, with a receiver or a rack system? In those cases, the AM antenna is often a loop of wire wrapped around a small plastc frame that you connect to AM antenna terminals on the back of the stereo. Let's hope you didn't throw this away with the packaging. If you did, get a length of wire, maybe 20 feet or so, and wrap it around something non-metallic to make your own loop. You might try using a cheap plastic food dish, for example. Wind it around its circumfrence, then strip the ends of the wires and connect them to the AM antenna terminals. As with the ferrite rod described above, it is directional, so experiment with the correct placement.
Many old stereo tuners and receivers had the ferrite rod antenna mounted to the back of the cabinet on a hinge. Again, experiment with aiming it for the best results.
Still need more signal? Try a better antenna. I'll tell you up front, sometimes this isn't pretty. And it can be dirt-cheap, or very expensive. Sometimes when you walk into the local electronics store and ask for a better AM antenna, the sales clerk will look at you like you have 2 heads. But don't give up. Take a print-out of this sheet and stand your ground.
The old fashioned long-wire antenna may work for you. But to use it you need two things:
If you can't do this, read down for ideas on indoor antennas.
- An AM antenna terminal on your AM radio, and
- Some place you can string up 50-75 feet of wire
The long-wire antenna is simply a long copper wire strung between two high places, with a lead-in wire going to the AM antenna terminal of your radio. RadioShack sells these items as a pre-packaged kit (catalog #278-758, $9.99 in their 2000 Catalog.) I have provided instructions on building a long-wire antenna on a separete page.
Terk makes an indoor loop antenna for AM radio. It is a 12" loop that is very attractive, and can sit next to your radio. As with the RadioShack antenna above, you put it next to your radio, tune the knob for best reception. It couldn't be easier! There's an antenna jack on the back for hookup to AM antenna terminals if you have them, and it comes with a short cable for that purpose. I bought one myself for $50 at a local stereo store. Look around, ask, and see if someone can order it if they don't carry it.
This is another tunable loop like the Terk AM-1000, but is reputed to be even more powerful. I haven't personally tried this one, but I has a good reputation. It comes in several versions, one of which includes a regerative amplifier to really boost reception. It is available by mail-order from:
- The C. Crane Company Based in California, they specialize in things for listening to radio. They have an on-line catalog.
- Universal Radio a company specializing in products for Amateur (Ham) Radio operators and shortwave radio listeners.
But the antenna is only the start. You also have to deal with interference. AM radio is more susceptable to natural and man-made interference due to the way the signal is carried over the air and demodulated (or "decoded") in your radio. The following things can cause interference on your AM radio:
The idea is to shut off any sources of interference that you can. Sometimes this is difficult, as you can't ask the bar next door to shut off its neon sign. But control whatever interference you can.
Sometimes moving the radio to a different location, or even turning it (so the internal antenna is aimed in a different direction) may be enough to reduce or eliminate interference, yet still leave enough signal to listen to the station you want.
If you are not sure where the interference is coming from, get a battery operated radio. If the interference disspears, then it was coming through the AC power line. RadioShack and other retailers of electrical parts and accessories sell AC Line Interference Filters that can reduce this kind of interference. If the interference does not go away, then it is coming through the air.
If this is the case, use the battery operated radio as a "direction finder" to locate the interference. Tune to a weaker station, and walk around with it until you come to where the interference is strongest. If it turns out that the interference is strongest near a utility pole, call the electric company, and see if they'll come out to wash or repair the insulators on the pole. Otherwise, you have the source of the interference, and if it is something you can control then you're all set. Caution! Do not mess with electrial circuits or devices unless you are a qualified technician. Leave that to the professionals as it is dangerous.
Still, if you care about your AM reception, there are a some portable radios out there that do a good job at receiving stations. The products I mention here are the ones that I know about costing less than $100 (with one exception at $159.95). Although there may be others that also do well, I haven't been able to evaluate them myself. Remember, your results may vary, as reception is different for everyone, although I would suggest that if these radios cannot pick up the station you want when used with a good antenna, it may not be possible.
As with anything you buy, always ask about the return policy of the store or dealer and ask about the warranty before you buy, in case you need to return it, or have a problem. RadioShack's ESO - "Extended Service Option" is available on many of their products, and is a good deal. RadioShack's policy with their ESO is usually to forget the fine-print and make the customer happy. Always save the receipt and packaging, no matter where you buy! Be a smart shopper!
Most radios under $100 give you mediocre reception, but this is one radio that excells! It's called the Radio Shack High Performance Radio. It is specifically designed for people who want good AM reception. It has a good built-in antenna and high performance tuning sections that provide great reception and sound. It has a bandwidth switch for AM that allows the radio to narrow the "reception window," to use a non-technical term, so you can zero-in on a station and cut out interference from stations on either side on the dial. You can also switch to Wide mode to open up this "window" and get better sound quality when there's no interference. In Wide mode the sound quality is so good that with a strong signal, your friends will think you've tuned into FM!
It has terminals on the back for both AM and FM antennas (which is rare on portable AM/FM radios). It has nice sounding built-in speakers, using a 5" woofer for good bass and a tweeter for clean highs. The sound quality is very nice, no matter what kind of music or programs you enjoy. It also gets good FM reception. It runs on batteries or AC. It is similar to the GE SuperRadio III, and is rumored to be made by GE with the RadioShack name on it, but this cannot be oficially confirmed and I have heard there are actually some significant differences between them. I know the speaker is smaller, and the ferrite rod antenna may also be shorter. I have not verified the latter difference personally. It's (or was, as of now) sold and warrantied by RadioShack.
The list price is $59.99 was of 03/07/03, and as mentioned above, it's now discontinued. A similar unit, catalog 12-603 was sold for a year or so after, and has also been discontinued. Radio Shack does not now, to the best of my knowledge, carry an AM radio that performs as well as these did, although they do carry some Grundig Shortwave Radios, that I have not had time to evaluate, so I can't comment on them in terms of their AM performance, although Grundig is a good name in general.
This is the most well-known high performance AM radio currently available, so far as I know as of August 2005. You can probably still find it at hardware stores, and I think I've seen it at Sears recently, but don't quote me on that. It is the one that the RadioShack version is based upon. There are those who say it out-performs the RadioShack version. I have not personally verified this. This is the Mother of all AM Portables. It has a very good built-in antenna and high performance tuning section that provides great reception and sound. It also includes a bandwidth switch. This switch can be set to "narrow" to zero-in on a station and cut out interference from stations on either side on the dial, or switched to "wide" to open up and get better sound quality when there's no interference.
It has antenna terminals on the back for both AM and FM (which is rare on portable AM/FM radios). It boasts a powerful amp, and a big 6" woofer for good bass and a tweeter for clean highs. It sounds as nice as a decent boom-box. It gets good FM reception, too. It runs on batteries or AC.
The price varies. I've seen it at some places for $59.95, and other places for less. I recently saw one at Sears for $49.99.
The CC Radio, manufactured by Sangean for the C. Crane Company is designed specifically for AM Radio listeners. (It also includes FM, TV Sound and the Weather Band with alert.) I have not tested this radio personally, but have read some excellent product reviews in some major magazines, and it has been reccomended by a visitor to this web-site. The published specifications look good. It is reported to be very sensitive and selective (meaning it can "zero in" on a station located on the dial between two other stations). The sound quality is tailored to the range of the human voice, making it great for listening to talk shows and news from distant AM stations. It sells for $159.95 (as of 05/27/2000 in their magazine ad), including shipping. Yes, a bit expensive, but remember that this is a specialty product designed for someone who really wants good reception. It includes antenna terminals, and is reported to perform well on FM as well.
Everything I write from here on down assumes that you have already have a decent AM radio and antenna, but even if you don't, or can't use a good antenna for whatever reason, the following information is still important.
This sometimes explains why your friend who lives the same distance in miles from the station, only a few towns over, can get the station while you can't. It may be the station's antenna is aimed at his or her town, and away from yours. So, try to determine where you are in relation to the station's transmitter-- not just in terms of distance, but also in terms of direction? Again, a call to the station or search on the databases I've linked to may answer this question for you.
To make things even more intersesting, sometimes a station has to change its directional pattern at night. That is, either in place of reducing their power, or in addition to reducing their power, they may also have to change their broadcast pattern at night. One station in my area has an omnidirectional pattern in the daytime (broadcasting equally in all directions) but at night must not only lower its power, but also has to beam its signal to the east to protect stations toward the west from interference. This means people to the west of the station lose it when the sun goes down.
If you can string an antenna to the outside of the building, try that, although again somethimes that's not practical. (C. Crane Company offers a version of the Select-A-Tenna for this application.) One customer of mine lived in a trailer-- a metal trailer, and couldn't get anything! He got the RadioShack 12-603 (mentioned above) and ran a wire outside from the AM antenna terminal. Now he's happy as he can pull in even the weak stations. Again, that depends on what your situation is, and what the boss will let you do.
If this isn't possible, it may be time to consider using a cassette or CD player, and leave the radio listening for home.
Or, use your VCR. That's right, I said "VCR." An engineer friend of mine uses a HI-FI VCR to do this. He runs a patch cable from the headphone jack of the radio to the audio input on the back of the VCR, switches the VCR to the line-input (consult your VCR's instruction book on how to switch to this input) and has it record at the SLP (also called EP) speed so he can get 6 hours on a T-120 tape. Play it back through your stereo if the VCR is hooked up to it, or just use your TV (you'll hear the program but the screen will be blank, obviously). Although I haven't tried this with a non HI-FI VCR, it may still work. Not all VCRs can do this, but if you have one, try it! This feature may not be documented in your VCR's manual. Remember, for this to work, instead of using the external timer, you program the VCR to come on at the right time, and the radio is already turned on and tuned to your station. Again, for instructions on programming specific VCRs, consult your owner's manual. (Please do not e-mail me asking how to program your VCR! There are hundreds of models out there, going back nearly 20 years --how time flies! -- and I only worry about my own VCR and my Mom's. The rest of you, please read the manual, or enlist the help of your friendly neighborhood whiz-kid!)
RadioShack As they say, "You have Questions, We Have Answers!" They say that over 90% of the population lives within a 5 minute drive of a RadioShack. Plus, as you know from reading this, they have a lot of the stuff you need for better AM listening.
DX-ing.com A resource provided by Universal Radio for people interested in receiving long distance (hence, "DX") radio and TV signals.
The C. Crane Company offers information on their web page about getting good AM reception (in order to sell their products, of course, but the info is good).
Grove Computers and Radio A company offering products for better radio reception, also publishing the magazine "Monitoring Times," a publication for radio enthusiasts.
Better AM Radio Reception a page with some tips for getting better AM radio reception.
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