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Forum Index : Off topic archive. : AM radio reception problems
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| domwild Guru  Joined: 16/12/2005 Location: AustraliaPosts: 873 |
Friends, You may be able to help me? Micro stereo system, gets FM reception OK in the bush via TV aerial and booster. I am in a marginal TV/radio reception area - outside the 97% TV coverage and have just bougth a sat dish. For AM it has an internal loop aerial and I do not get a single station. Where you plug in the wires of the loop aerial there is an "earth" icon engraved at one connector. 1. If I connect an earth to it, would it get me AM reception? 2. I should not but can I connect the mains earth to it? This will blow the unit in case of a short somewhere no doubt. Must I run a wire from an outside fence post to it?? 3. It talks about adding a long piece of wire; would this go on the other connector, i.e., earth on one side and the long wire on the other?? From my crystal radio days I remember a similar system. Thanks. Taxation as a means of achieving prosperity is like a man standing inside a bucket trying to lift himself up. Winston Churchill |
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| VK4AYQ Guru Joined: 02/12/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2539 |
Hi Dom You should connect the earth wire to a good separate earth like a copper pipe driven into the ground a couple of foot, not onto the house earth as that can cause interference, as for the aerial wire get it as long as possible outside tied up to a tree for a bit of elevation, you also could try wrapping the Ariel wire a few turns around the power lead as it can pick up through the power system, but may be a bit noisy from residual interference on the power lines. All the best Bob Foolin Around |
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| Barry T Coles Senior Member  Joined: 30/07/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 109 |
Reminds me of trying to get radio reception in low reception areas of WA on a transistor radio. I used to wrap a small length of shielded wire around the arial and push the other end into the earth pin on a power point, perfect reception untill the fridge started up ZZZZ SSSSS Never blew myself up but probably could have. Cheers Barry I need to learn from the mistakes of others. I dont have the time to make them all myself. |
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Greenbelt Guru Joined: 11/01/2009 Location: United StatesPosts: 566 |
domwild a little sketch for you 
Time has proven that I am blind to the Obvious, some of the above may be True? |
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Gizmo Admin Group  Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5116 |
Or you could try a tuned loop aerial. Its just a big coil and tuning cap, and you place your radia near it. Found this on the Jaycar forum "All you need is a loop antenna- I have used these for many years to listen to far away am stations- any radio can be used- even tiny portables. Basically, you wind about 23 metres of insul. or enamel copper wire on a frame in a continuous loop & wire an adjustable tuning capacitor as used in a.m. radios across the ends- the radio is placed in or near the frame for maximum reception as the cap is tuned- the loop amplifies the signal received by the inbuilt ferrite rod antenna of the radio- if radio uses external loop antenna, just place that in loop for best effects. Size of frame can be convenient to size of radio- I use about 30 x 30 c.m.- can be square or round- can use cardboard or plastic such as cut up beer carton or 20 litre plastic drun section. " And this link shows how they are made. http://www.mtmscientific.com/loop.html I've never used one but apparently they make a big difference in reception. Glenn The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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| domwild Guru Joined: 16/12/2005 Location: AustraliaPosts: 873 |
Thanks for the many replies. As FM comes through loud and clear it was a surprices that AM was non-existent. Apologies, the radio came with an external loop aerial, not internal. Despite this loop aerial I get absolutely no signal. But the manual (in Jinglish) tells me about "a long piece of wire" and there is this earth symbol engraved. Your answers and picture explain what they mean. Thanks. Taxation as a means of achieving prosperity is like a man standing inside a bucket trying to lift himself up. Winston Churchill |
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Tinker Guru Joined: 07/11/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1904 |
Your comment " I get absolutely no signal" suggests to me that there is something very wrong. Perhaps as simple as not having pushed the right button? 
I would ignore the "long piece of wire" suggestion at this stage and wade through the "Jinglish" for the right band setting first. You should get static noise as you tune through the AM band(s) and hear occasional gobbledigook from strong overseas stations even without any aerial connected. If the radio is quiet all over the AM band there is something wrong or not functioning at all. I was recently in the remote west Kimberleys on a boat and even there I managed to get heaps of AM (out of range for any FM) stations. The trick was to find the ABC station with the strongest signal as they broadcast the same programme from many stations. This radio (car dash type) just used the 27MHz antenna rod via a splitter. My little portable Chinese all band radio was great to get the weather forecast on short wave SSB. Lots of AM stations on that one too with no external antenna connected. Klaus |
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| windlight Guru Joined: 03/03/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 331 |
Dom I assume you are referring to your place down south, I would expect you to get at least ABC AM Wagin has a big transmitter, just to mention one. The way radio reception in the control room kitchen was obtained at the last power station I was at was by some enterprising person/s running a length of insulated cable (just a roll of 2.5mm sq) from the top of the turbine hall down the outside. This was then led into the inside areas through the false ceiling and attached to a coil of same wire wound on an about 150mm length of 15mm pvc conduit, this was laid on top of the standard transistor radio parallel to the internal ferrite areal. What I can't remember is if the other end was attached to anything, but it all worked well no electrical interference from any of the electrical equipment. So I guess it was just a long wire aerial with the coil concentrating the signal by close coupling only which probably is why there was no interferometric from electrical thingies. Allan "I like this place and willingly could waste my time in it" - (Act II, Scene IV). |
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| Robb Senior Member Joined: 01/08/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 221 |
If you looking for a commercial version this guy makes them:http://www.amradioantennas.com/ This is a diy version: http://www.eskimo.com/~nanook/radio/2007/01/am-medium-wave-b ox-loop-antenna-for.html |
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| domwild Guru Joined: 16/12/2005 Location: AustraliaPosts: 873 |
Thanks for the further replies. You are right, Allan, it is the North Walpole hovel. Perhaps the AM band is shot in that receiver, so I better follow the suggestions in the previous pages before I return the radio. Thanks once again. Taxation as a means of achieving prosperity is like a man standing inside a bucket trying to lift himself up. Winston Churchill |
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