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"Directed Electronics Misdirected Radio"

P

PocketRadio

"Directed Electronics Misdirected Radio"

"The Tabletop Radio's reception was slightly better than the Accurian's, picking up 18 HD channels as opposed to 15. Like many HD radios, this device relies on the tangled mess of a dipole wire FM antennae rather than a traditional telescoping antenna, which gets superior reception. Surprisingly, Directed's manual provides no instructions for properly setting up the antennae--which, it turns out, involves taping wires on the wall near a window. On all but a few strong-signal stations, the hiss and fuzz reminiscent of traditional radio was still present, albeit slightly diminished. It may not be fair to blame this on the Tabletop. In the month-and-a-half since I embarked on this series of HD radio reviews, there's been no indication that New York-area broadcasters are striving to improve their ability to produce an analog-digital hybrid signal that might deliver on the promise of "near-CD quality" pledged by the technology's creator, iBiquity Digital." :D

http://www.themilwaukeechannel.com/money/13403405/detail.html

It's all a big lie ! :D
 
Telescopic antennas are monopoles. Dipoles are, well, DIPOLES! If your antenna is a "tangled mess", then YOU ARE A MORON! Install your antenna CORRECTLY! I don't recall reading the instructions with my toaster, but SOMEHOW I FIGURED IT OUT!

A dipole has greater gain than a monopole. Go on...argue otherwise...deny physics...deny all science. You too can join the Bush Administration!
 
Mike Walker said:
Telescopic antennas are monopoles. Dipoles are, well, DIPOLES! If your antenna is a "tangled mess", then YOU ARE A MORON! Install your antenna CORRECTLY! I don't recall reading the instructions with my toaster, but SOMEHOW I FIGURED IT OUT!

A dipole has greater gain than a monopole. Go on...argue otherwise...deny physics...deny all science. You too can join the Bush Administration!
Click to expand...
:D

Ever have to tape a telescoping antenna to a wall nearest a window (i.e., "involves taping wires on the wall near a window") ? :D
 
Wire dipoles have been THE standard antenna for ac only fm tuners for as long as there have been fm tuners. And yes, I HAVE taped them to walls. But usually I have substituted an outdoor antenna and rotor, or in suburban locations where signals are stong (Hickory NC where I lived for four years...EVERY Charlotte station Booms in, as do the ones from Greensboro, and others from as far west as Asheville) an omni antenna in the attic.
 
Mike Walker said:
Wire dipoles have been THE standard antenna for ac only fm tuners for as long as there have been fm tuners. And yes, I HAVE taped them to walls. But usually I have substituted an outdoor antenna and rotor, or in suburban locations where signals are stong (Hickory NC where I lived for four years...EVERY Charlotte station Booms in, as do the ones from Greensboro, and others from as far west as Asheville) an omni antenna in the attic.
Click to expand...

Most dipoles are associated with tuners/recievers and component type devices, rarely if never do you see 'table top' clock radios with these 'add on' dipoles, if anything the clock radio might have a telescoping whip antenna, most of these table top clock type radios have the antenna either built into the AC cord or use the 'built in ferrite rod'.

Again most people will not attach a seperate dipole (unless the user is DX'g) to these portable table top HD radios and feel short changed when they don't recieve the expected results out of a radio that cost them 4-5 times the costs of a cheaper clock table radio.

Radiopilot
 
While the stainless-steel monopoles on my boomboxes do a darn good job of capturing signals and allowing many stations to be heard, the external dipoles on my other radios do an even better job, when they're uncurled and positioned properly, of allowing the radios to get many stations even more clearly, and to pick up some stations the boomboxes can't receive. 8)
 
"Non-curly" dipoles can be purchase for as little as five bucks at my local Walgreens. They're called "wabbit ears". Well maybe that's not what they call 'em. But they should!
 
Mike Walker said:
"Non-curly" dipoles can be purchase for as little as five bucks at my local Walgreens. They're called "wabbit ears". Well maybe that's not what they call 'em. But they should!
Click to expand...

Heck, I can get them for One Dollar at the local dollar store! 8)
 
scanman1 said:
Mike Walker said:
"Non-curly" dipoles can be purchase for as little as five bucks at my local Walgreens. They're called "wabbit ears". Well maybe that's not what they call 'em. But they should!
Click to expand...

Heck, I can get them for One Dollar at the local dollar store! 8)
Click to expand...

This works for FM reception and there is no way of getting AM to work better except adding an external ferrite antenna and how many non radio geeks are going to do that?
 
Quote: "...and there is no way of getting AM to work better except adding an external ferrite antenna..."

And, for AM HD reception even that doesn't always work. 8)
 
All antennas are dipoles. Typically you don't see the other half since it is either the chassis, or the ground lead on the power cord, or the earth.

In the single rod antenna vs the dipole debate, while the dipole will perform marginally better, the mounting of the diople has a lot to do with reception. Taping it against the wall has two issues. One, if you use the wrong wall and end up parallel to the waveform rather than perpendicular, then the signal will be at the minimum. Secondly, depending what the construction of the wall (or window for that matter) looks like, you can actually block the signal (stucco for example).

A single rod antenna gets away from that. It also allows positioning to get the vertically polaraized FM signal as well. Some table radios have a short length of wire hanging out the back which is a single 'rod' antenna. Not usually obvious.

Connecting to the AM ferrite antenna (if neccesary) can be done. It means opening the radio. But since the ferrite antenna is highly directional, sometimes just turning the radio is sufficient (and getting it way from flourescent lights and motors).

John
 
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