I live in a raised house in Bush, and my FM reception is horrible. I am thinking of mounting an antenna under the house and connecting the cable through the floor. Any ideas on best antenna or if this will work? My next idea was an attic mount.
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Best FM Antenna?
- Thread starter KerryfromBush
- Start date
radio shack use to have a good fm antenna.i would do a roof mount or mast(pole) unless you have covenants restricting those.might try the attic first.years ago i had one mounted on a 50 foot mast.got real good reception.
KerryfromBush said:
For FM reception, you want the antenna up as high as you can get it. FM is essentially a line of sight medium, so if you put your antenna under the house you'll get poorer results than if you place it in your attic, or even better, on your roof. One of the best antennas you can use is a standard TV antenna, as the FM band is in between the TV 2-6 and 7-13 bands. These antennas are somewhat directional, so you would want to orient it in the direction of the station(s) you most want to receive. Be sure to match the antenna to the receiver with a matching balin.
Yeah, let's see... "covenants", "Bush (LA)"... those are not two words you expect to see in the same sentence.
Hey I only kid because I care. Kerry, what area are you trying to pick up, and on what receiver? You're a pretty 'fer piece' from most any FM transmitter, which actually is a good thing in that you can put up a good antenna and even throw in a gain section without fear of overload.
Radeo and Oldies are right: height is everything. Don't waste your time on goofy "HD-ready" antennas or any indoor antenna that looks like a Frisbee, Gullwing or other expensive exotica. If you want to pick up signals from all directions, one of these placed as high (and as clear) as you can get it -- fed to your receiver with proper coax and matching transformers -- will fix you right up: http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?prod=SPR6010. We use them to monitor our FM network, and might I add that the one on top of my house did *not* blow off during Gustav.
If you are more into the FM "DX" hobby and want to sniff signals from a specific direction, then go with a directional antenna and even a rotor. All can be found on the same site, which also has tips on installing an outside antenna. Just make sure to be mindful of safety, please!
Hey I only kid because I care. Kerry, what area are you trying to pick up, and on what receiver? You're a pretty 'fer piece' from most any FM transmitter, which actually is a good thing in that you can put up a good antenna and even throw in a gain section without fear of overload.
Radeo and Oldies are right: height is everything. Don't waste your time on goofy "HD-ready" antennas or any indoor antenna that looks like a Frisbee, Gullwing or other expensive exotica. If you want to pick up signals from all directions, one of these placed as high (and as clear) as you can get it -- fed to your receiver with proper coax and matching transformers -- will fix you right up: http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?prod=SPR6010. We use them to monitor our FM network, and might I add that the one on top of my house did *not* blow off during Gustav.
If you are more into the FM "DX" hobby and want to sniff signals from a specific direction, then go with a directional antenna and even a rotor. All can be found on the same site, which also has tips on installing an outside antenna. Just make sure to be mindful of safety, please!
I agree on the tower and a good outside antenna preferably a fringe rated antenna as the best way to pull signals short of a transmitter antenna cut for the frequency of question ;D. Also the radio is a main difference as I find older 1970s tuners that haven't dried the capacitors out yet usually will out do many newer radios on sensitivity..selectivity is a different story 
... Usually a DX rated radio (such as a supertuner 3) unless you want fidelity is your best bet.
Now you can go with a attic mount if the neighborhood or the other members of the household don't want a tower or an unsightly antenna outside. I've had some luck with scanner discones in the past as they can be hidden to a point and have no gain but cheap antenna that most won't notice on a pole with a 10db amp inside the house (best to buy a pre-amp for any reception).
There is a company for those who are totally stuck due to restrictions, I saw a company a few years ago called ventenna that makes antennas that clamp to the vent pipe for your plumbing and looks just like a pipe that is overly big that it's supposed to but most except the really pesky neighbors would notice.
http://www.ventenna.com/
But Bush is weird as I find car stereos usually give a good sellection from the coast,local, NOLA, and the Pine Belt (went to Bush a few times for visiting and scanned the band there)
RFLA
... Usually a DX rated radio (such as a supertuner 3) unless you want fidelity is your best bet.Now you can go with a attic mount if the neighborhood or the other members of the household don't want a tower or an unsightly antenna outside. I've had some luck with scanner discones in the past as they can be hidden to a point and have no gain but cheap antenna that most won't notice on a pole with a 10db amp inside the house (best to buy a pre-amp for any reception).
There is a company for those who are totally stuck due to restrictions, I saw a company a few years ago called ventenna that makes antennas that clamp to the vent pipe for your plumbing and looks just like a pipe that is overly big that it's supposed to but most except the really pesky neighbors would notice.
http://www.ventenna.com/
But Bush is weird as I find car stereos usually give a good sellection from the coast,local, NOLA, and the Pine Belt (went to Bush a few times for visiting and scanned the band there)
RFLA
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