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AM Radio Antennas, Reception Gear

41K views 93 replies 31 participants last post by  John Koenig 
#1 ·
Hi Classhope to get insite or info on DIY loop ant for 760 am wjr.Can I make it tuned for just that freq? thanks guys
 
#27 ·
Yes, it is a PS/2 keyboard/mouse style cable (kinda weird considering the application). One thing to be aware of is the connector on the antenna is slightly inset so if your cable has a bulkier connector it won't fit. The quality of the cable seems to matter too. I picked up a cheap extension off of eBay but it didn't work well and created a lot of static.
 
#30 ·
I'm a computer-parts pack rat so I have all sorts of gender-benders, but given the requirements of their system I'd just go with their brand new cables after all. Here in the Metro Vancouver area I don't do much AM radio listening but certainly this C. Crane antenna would be a good one in the RV. Up in northern BC and Alberta in the night time the AM DXing is great with just a normal car stereo and antenna, but with this unit into the RV's audio system (mini surround HT system) I would hope it would be amazing. :)
 
#31 ·
it didn't do what I hoped it would which was eliminate background hum.
That can be due to AM signals leaking into the receiver over the power lines (60HZ power signal modulated on top of the AM RF.) It was quite common with cheap counter to radios, especially tube sets, but can happen in other circumstances. An RF filter on the power line might get rid of it. I've also seen cases where it originated from bad studio equipment at the radio station.
 
#32 ·
I went to listen to AM 760 WJR Detroit yesterday and all I get is static on the station. I have moved the antenna in all directions and still cannot bring the station in.

Then I changed the station to AM 800 CKLW which is in Windsor, Canada across the river and it came in clear.

What could be causing my problem?

I can pick WJR out in my shed and it is right under electric wires. An it comes in clear.

I go to my garage and turn the radio on there and all I get is satanic there also on WJR, but when I turn it to CKLW it comes in clear. The garage is attached to the house.

Do you see anything similar with this problem?

Just what is causing it?
 
#33 ·
Antenna for AM Band radios?

I am having trouble receiving AM radio indoors with that standard AM loop that came with my receiver. What do you recommend I use for outdoor use?
I was wondering, would something like this work but vertical or does it have to be horizontal? I could just drop a 30 foot stripped RG-6 coax down the tower. My rooftop AM antenna
Or if there are not any simple outdoor DIY methods, is there some sort of outdoor AM antenna that can be purchased? Most antenna's that I can find are for the VHF/FM bands.
I'm just doing this to see how many channels I can get from far way, guess that's called AM DXing? Anyway I would probably never listen to the AM band, just something to flip through. So yeah it has to be cheap as possible. ;)
 
#34 ·
When I was a kid I had a metal bucket with a long wire (length didn't seem to matter much on my old 1930's radio) and I was able to get am stations from Spokane Wa from my location two valleys and a couple of hundred miles away in Oliver in Southern BC. This was during the day in the summer when I was picking various fruits such as Apples and Peaches. This worked during the day when night reception hadn't started. Trouble was it would also pull in the crackling from distant thunder storms. It would pull in WLS Chicago fairly reliably at night. I am assuming that you have an am antenna plug on your receiver.
 
#37 ·
AM radio antennas are typically just long wires. I had one that was about 100' long that would pick up AM stations (like WLS) over 200 mi away during the day. These days, there is much too much RF interference on the AM band for good AM reception, unless you happen to live well outside major urban areas and a good distance from other interference sources like factories and hydro line corridors. I believe that loops, that will work on towers, are also available.

Just as a side note: During a major power outage that affected all the northeast a few years ago, I dug out my battery powered AM/FM radio and tried some DXing to find out what was happening. The AM reception was fantastic. That ended when the power was restored and all the modern electrical devices went back into operation.
 
#38 ·
I'm in Beamsville, Ontario and on the out skirts of town. I got a large field to the south of me and a vineyard to the east of me with only one home, there are people living next to me on the north side, and I got another field to the west of me. :)
How is that for AM DXing? ;)
 
#39 ·
I used plug cord which I had split so that one wire of the twin lead was attached to the bucket (wrapped around the place where the handle was hooked in) and about 15 feet lower down I attached it to the radio. I guess you could join the two pieces together to make one long feed, but I just didn't use the other half of the wire. Of course don't use this if there are any thunderstorms nearby.
 
#42 ·
They worked for me. I just stuck the end into the antenna plug on the transistor radio, or screwed it into the antenna spot on the old radio. Longer may work better, I can't remember as I did this many years ago. Am hasn't changed much so give it a try - I don't see why twisting them together wouldn't work, trial and error. I had a long roll of wire that was used for plugs, and I just rolled off what I needed then split it and used one half of the double wire. AM didn't seem as fussy as FM though.
 
#43 ·
Antenna for AM radios?

We live in a highrise condo and all our AM radios howl and buzz even when placed close to a window. I was wondering if there is an antenna I could get to solve this annoying problem. The audio/video departments of the big box stores only seem to carry FM antennas. BTW The FM reception is clear and crisp. Thanks.
 
#44 ·
The interference is from modern electronics devices. The worst, for causing AM band interference, are things like computers and florescent lamps. The only way to eliminate the interference is to live off the grid, or at least well away from other people, without any modern electronics devices. Most radio stations offer internet streaming services and CATV cable digital box reception. That's the best way to listen to AM stations these days.
 
#45 ·
Any apartment building may have wire mesh in the walls or other materials that block signals. Also as ExDilbert said electrical interference [like a Plasma TV produces] cause the problem.

If you have a balcony you could connect an outdoor antenna and run it through the the balcony door to the radio.
 
#46 ·
using a battery operated AM radio, turn off the ac power on everything in your place, preferably via AC power panel. check if Noise is still there.
If so, it's probably coming from outside your place.
If it's gone, one by one turn circuits back on until ya find the circuit with the offending device.

AM radios typically come with a built in Ferrite loop antenna, which is bi-directional.
 
#52 ·
Years ago, I was faced with a similar problem. So I put my HAM radio skills to work and fabricated a simple loop antenna that was tunable and it inductively coupled to my radio at the time. It was rather large, but boy could that thing null out interference in specific directions.

If you google Palomar Engineers, they might still sell their loop antennas that allow the null of interference. Otherwise you would be better off listening to online streaming of radio stations.
 
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