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Am at night

V

vchimpanzee

I have a 23-year-old radio I could probably use for this, but the AM/FM switch is broken and I'd rather stay on FM. Even though a newer radio I have probably does FM better. But that newer radio doesn't have the power cord as its AM antenna. I used the round antenna from an old TV. That seems to work for some directions but not others during the day. At least stations to the north ought to be clearer than they are.

I have another problem with the newer radio. Above 1400 or so it doesn't seem to get anything but foreign-language or other weird-sounding stations. It's suppoosed to go up to 1700.
 
Anyway, I'm wondering if that round antenna really does keep me from picking up stations in some directions at night, because someone mentioned a Canada station I would like on this site and I didn't pick it up. Maybe turning the radio around would work, but I've never tried that. I just know some stations to the north aren't as clear as I would have expected during the day.
 
Specifically, what kind of a radio is it? And, the round antenna that you're referring to, is it a select-a-tenna (or other external am loop) or just a UHF loop? Also, it would be helpful to know what part of the country you're in - that would tell what stations you should be able to pick up with ease on that radio. Sorry to bombard you with so many questions, but the answers would be helpful in solving your problem.

Most radios utilize a ferrite bar antenna that is located inside of the radio for AM reception - while using an aerial or other external antenna for FM. With the ferrite bar, you'd need to adjust the radio's position to maximize reception. However, if you're using an external am antenna - then the answer would be different.
 
One of these days I may actually find the owner's manual again.

I think someone at Radio Shack, where I bought it, suggested that I use the old UHF antenna from a TV that no longer worked.

It's a simple radio and seems to do well at picking up stations. Most of my others won't pick up a station that's too close in dial position to another one.

Radio Shack doesn't sell it any more, to my knowledge, but it's called a Table Radio.
 
trusty said:
Assuming that the radio Shack in the town where you live, where is IT located?
:)
Click to expand...
It's not in my town. We're not big enough to have stores, except the antique store.

I tried to put North Carolina in my profile but I can't get the thing to work.
 
A UHF TV antenna is a poor choice for AM reception, it has too low of an inductance to work properly. It would take about 30 of them, connected in series and arranged side by side, tuned with a tuning capacitor - to make something that would work at AM frequencies. What I have just described is a box loop antenna, and it can be constructed much more easily:

http://www.mindspring.com/~loop_antenna/

I know people that use an old pizza box with 14 turns of wire around the edge as their loop, and a beer can / paper and foil arrangement for the tuning capacitor - and get fantastic AM reception.
 
rbrucecarter5 said:
A UHF TV antenna is a poor choice for AM reception, it has too low of an inductance to work properly. It would take about 30 of them, connected in series and arranged side by side, tuned with a tuning capacitor - to make something that would work at AM frequencies. What I have just described is a box loop antenna, and it can be constructed much more easily:

http://www.mindspring.com/~loop_antenna/

I know people that use an old pizza box with 14 turns of wire around the edge as their loop, and a beer can / paper and foil arrangement for the tuning capacitor - and get fantastic AM reception.
Click to expand...
Well, I hated to throw the UHF antenna away.

I don't really have a lot of money, and it doesn't matter anyway, since I can't ever remember to listen to AM at night, as much as I've enjoyed it. Mostly I just see what I can pick up. At one time I did that at sunset.
 
It may sound strange to some but it's fun to listen to AM radio while driving about 1-2 hours before local sunrise. Sometimes you get stations like KOA from Fla or WOAI in New jersey but it's unpredicable at best.
Some of these talk/sports shows may put you to sleep but while you're driving, they certainly keep you awake!
 
No thanks. I can't get up any earlier.

I missed hearing Paul Harvey announce Gerald Ford died because I was hearing "Real Country". I don't know where it was. You just can't depend on AM in the morning. Now if I could hear that station all the time, it was pretty good.
 
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