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AM tuner for monitoring

A

amfmsw

We're using Tascam tuners to monitor our AMs. They're rack mounted with the processing and comrex interfaces, but no computers. Audio is fed over T-1, no STLs. They are pretty much worthless other than punching them up on the board to see if we're on the air or not. The noise floor and hash (no IBOC) is so hi, you cannot actually monitor with them. Pretty narrow bandwidth too. Different antennas don't help. The studios are about 5 miles from the xmtrs, so it's a decent signal.

Any decent tuners with noise blanking available with a decent bandwidth? Any other noise reducing ideas?
 
All the racket and hash/noise is most likely being generated by computers and other electronic junk in and around the building. It's a tough one, sometimes.
We use the Denon tuners, fed by a Belar shielded loop and a Belar AM DA to feed multiple tuners here. Works pretty well.

You didn't say what your antenna system was, but I'd look at that. Get it as far away/above the noise sources as possible. Indoor antennas... usually not a good idea in a commercial environment. Commercial buildings have too many noise generators, and too much steel to make indoor reception work well.

df
 
By the way, noise blankers won't help with the type of noise you are probably experiencing. Those are really only effective on impulse type noise, such as the ignition system in a vehicle.

df
 
I was in a situation where I needed an AM monitor inside an atrium hotel. The 850 watt station with a bad antenna system had trouble penetrating the steel frame, rebar, neon trim, computers and other part 15 demons. The solution was placing a receiver where the interference was minimal. I set up a Sony AMAX walkman in an unoccupied office where reception was good. The headphone output was padded and fed a wireless mic transmitter pack. The receiver fed the headphone amp and the host and guest heard a wideband AM signal.

In your situation, an outdoor antenna might push enough signal voltage to overcome the noise. The best advice is to move the receiver away from the part 15 demons.
 
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