car radio for AM dxing

[rbrucecarter5]

Interesting observation about my car radio in my 2002 Saturn.

Back when I went to Daytona Beach to do some daytime AM DXIng, it didn't pick up a trace of any signal on 880 when I listened in the parking lot but on my Sangean PR-D5 near the beach (without the loop), I could hear a faint WZAB with what I think was likely WCBS behind it.

But here in Tampa, my Sangean PR-D5 can barely pick up 740 WORL Orlando during the day but it has a listenable signal on my car radio.

Weird.

I can confirm the WCBS daytime. Daytona Beach was fascinating because virtually all NYC clears except WOR would come in daytime. Especially during winter.

 

[formula72]

I hate to resurrect an old thread, but I must ask, What would be a good car radio today for Dxing both AM and FM.

I currently have a Kenwood KDC-X998, and DXing on this radio is absolutely bad, I mean really bad. I got it for some of the other features. I recently rented a Dodge Challenger, and the stock radio was fantastic on both AM and FM. I could pick up stations over 120 miles away on FM. I drive a 2002 Camaro, and I'd be lucky if I picked up a radio station 40 miles away on the Kenwood, without getting all sorts of noise. I mostly use my ipod for music, but it would be so fun to DX in the car ( if I could ).

As some of you already know, I have a few great portable radios for Dxing, but I want something for the car. I think I'm done with Kenwood. Are the double din units any good. Help...

 

[Steve Green NEPA]

One of t he engineers on the NYRMB says that he saw a few monitoring places that used Chrysler radios. He didn't specify the years of the cars they once occupied. But he swears by them.

My car is a 2008 Chrysler Sebring. When I was in Florida and it was parked in their garage, I was getting better AM reception off *it* than off the GE Superadio II and loop antennaI hauled along. The SRII was directional, of course, while the car wasn't. But this radio is real, real quiet on AM.

 

[crainbebo]

Relative just got a 2005 Chevy Equinox a few months ago. It has an aftermarket Pioneer DEH-150MP in the dash. WOW!!!

- 91.3 KGTS Walla Walla is weak to fair right next to super-local 91.1 KYPL.
- 92.1 KUMA-FM Pilot Rock was LOUD and clear in parts of Yakima last time I borrowed the car. Right next to the local KDNA.
- 89.7 KWWS Walla Walla does quite well next to local KSOH.
- Had a very weak KFNY-102.9 Centralia next to KYKV-103.1, but of course it didn't last long on the road.

Again, need I say more? Portables won't pull these in during regular cx. That's a Supertuner IIID for you.

 

[bulwnkl]

I'm also looking for a replacement for my factory radio, and wondering about aftermarket tuners. The factory radio in my Honda is actually pretty impressive, particularly given how HORRIBLE the factory antenna system is (on FM anyway).

Are the current Pioneer Supertuner IIIDs better than current Sony tuners? The specs one can find (from manuals rather than informational sales pages) list the following comparisons:

Pioneer DEH-X8800BHS
--FM tuner Usable sensitivity: 11 dBf (1.0 μV/75 Ω, mono, S/N: 30 dB)
--Signal-to-noise ratio: 80 dB (digital broadcasting) (IHF-A network)
--Signal-to-noise ratio: 72 dB (analog broadcasting) (IHF-A network)

--AM tuner Usable sensitivity: 25 μV (S/N: 20 dB)
--Signal-to-noise ratio: 80 dB (digital broadcasting) (IHF-A network)
--Signal-to-noise ratio: 62 dB (analog broadcasting) (IHF-A network)

Sony WX-GS920BH
--FM Tuner Usable sensitivity: 8 dBf
--Selectivity: 75 dB at 400 kHz
--Signal-to-noise ratio (mono):80 dB (Conventional broadcast), 80 dB (HD Radio™ broadcast)
--Separation at 1 kHz:50 dB (Conventional broadcast), 79 dB (HD Radio™ broadcast)
--Frequency response:20 Hz – 15,000 Hz (Conventional broadcast), 20 Hz – 20,000 Hz (HD Radio™ broadcast)

--AM Tuner Sensitivity: 26 μV

Not much info about the Sony's AM tuner at all, but in any event it would make things _seem_ as though the Pioneer and Sony would be basically equal on AM sensitivity, with no info about selectivity or much else. It would also make the Sony's FM tuner would pull distant stations better, but again there's a lot left out.

Thoughts?

 

[SquonkHunter]

Back in the late '70s, I had a 1960 Chevy Impala with the pushbutton AM tube radio. I would regularly drive out away from the built-up urban areas of Dallas and park on a hill in the country to DX. One of the more distant stations I remember receiving then were Netherlands Antilles on 800 AM, loud and clear. If I waited until about 3:00 AM I could usually receive KFI 640 AM from Los Angeles. It also worked very well for daytime DX-ing of low powered locals around Central Texas. That was the best car radio I had ever seen for DX work. Those were the days.

 

[bulwnkl]

I forgot to mention that the Chrysler radios of the late ‘80s and into the ‘90s were about the best AM (and FM) receivers I’ve used. Definitely as good as, and generally better overall than, the GE Superadio (as much as I appreciate mine).

 

[channel99]

Back in the late '70s, I had a 1960 Chevy Impala with the pushbutton AM tube radio. I would regularly drive out away from the built-up urban areas of Dallas and park on a hill in the country to DX. One of the more distant stations I remember receiving then were Netherlands Antilles on 800 AM, loud and clear. If I waited until about 3:00 AM I could usually receive KFI 640 AM from Los Angeles. It also worked very well for daytime DX-ing of low powered locals around Central Texas. That was the best car radio I had ever seen for DX work. Those were the days.

Nearly all the older GM Delco radios worked very well on AM. Around 1960 Delco and others found a way to greatly reduce the size, battery power draw, and cost for tube radios. Tube radios up until then required 150 volts or more, which was produced by a vibrator connected to a step-up transformer. Tubes were released that needed only 12 volts, with the exception of the audio output tube, and to work around that, Delco and others began making radios with those new 12 volt tubes, plus a single, rather large power transistor, mounted on a heat sink on the back of the radio. Your Impala radio very possibly was one of those.

The Netherlands Antilles station would have been PJB in Bonaire running 500 KW. It is still on the air, and has been up and down in power, but now runs 500 KW at least part of the day, but with directional antennas that avoid the US.

 

[SquonkHunter]

Nearly all the older GM Delco radios worked very well on AM. Around 1960 Delco and others found a way to greatly reduce the size, battery power draw, and cost for tube radios. Tube radios up until then required 150 volts or more, which was produced by a vibrator connected to a step-up transformer. Tubes were released that needed only 12 volts, with the exception of the audio output tube, and to work around that, Delco and others began making radios with those new 12 volt tubes, plus a single, rather large power transistor, mounted on a heat sink on the back of the radio. Your Impala radio very possibly was one of those.

The Netherlands Antilles station would have been PJB in Bonaire running 500 KW. It is still on the air, and has been up and down in power, but now runs 500 KW at least part of the day, but with directional antennas that avoid the US.

Yes, it had the large power transistor. It could run all night without drawing the battery down very much. It also had a trimmer capacitor that could be adjusted to tune the antenna length for maximum reception. The 1959 Chevy cars had an identical radio since they shared the same dash assembly. I have never seen a car radio since then that could quite match it in overall DX performance.

I do remember the vibrator type car radios from the early 1950s and the distinctive buzzing sound they made from the vibrator. I know that Rambler used this design at least into 1958 on their lesser models. A friend of mine had one he took from a junked car and had it playing in his garage. Some of the other independent car companies may also have used vibrators that late.