How far will a typical dipole antenna pick up?

[jras20]

How far will a typical wired FM dipole pick up? The reason why I wonder this is because I think it does almost as good as my FM antenna from radio shack out side. I have a place 30 miles from Austin and I can pull in Austin/San antonio FM good with it. Out at my place in southern Lavaca county, I can pull in Houston/Victoria very good with one. So my guessing would be between 40-70 miles pick up?

 

[PhilJSmith67]

I don't think it's possible to say how far any given antenna can pick up signals without taking the environment into account. In the car, I've consistently locked FM signals across states like North and South Dakota at distances of 75 to 100+ miles from the transmitters on a whip antenna, while along the east coast distances were significantly less -- 40 to 70 miles.

I will go out on a limb and estimate that a dipole will outperform a whip enough to extend the range in a given area by maybe 25%. And, for the stations already in range, reception will be cleaner. A directional antenna helps the signal-to-noise ratio for stations in the receiving directions of the antenna, while cutting noise and interference from stations in all other directions.

 

[vibe]

I always wondered that myself having driven a lot in FLA with 100+ mi reception being the norm. I think the +25% estimate is well within reason but 150 mi + on a day to day basis is asking a LOT.

 

[semoochie]

I spent a couple of days at someone's cabin around Lincoln City, OR. It's on the beach with the Coast Range between it and just about anywhere. I had an old 70s receiver, hooked to a dipole and mounted above the radio. There was no local interference at all and just about everything that wasn't local sounded like fringe or deep fringe. I could hear everything from Portland, some strong enough to actually listen(with other people) but it all came in and that's no easy feat when you figure in the Coast Range! I also got everything up and down the beach from Astoria to Coos Bay plus Eugene.

 

[kd8hho]

them old 70's receivers kick a** there alot better for picking up "dx" stations then this new crap

my old kenwood 70's modle can pick up 102.3 the rocket down in jackson,tn perfect.
my new stereo 102.3 is dead
and im up by union city,tn

i have found the older FM rigs from the 70s do so much better for DX stations

 

[ddsparxx]

It depends on the surrounding terrain, height from ground and the location of the dipole. I used a Ccrane Reflect dipole on the second floor of a house on a hill in Waldport, OR, on the central Oregon coast and I could barely pick up Portland stations. Eugene and Corvallis/Albany came in OK and so did Coos Bay about 80 miles to the south. I'm now basement apartment in north central VA I could get the rather difficule rx from Richmond and better from DC with the same antenna. (the stations in mid east generally have less signal coverage area then those out in west)

 

[kc0ltv]

It all depends.

I don't have much experience with dipoles - but with whips I do. The farthest station that my stock Delco car radio can reliably receive off the whip in my driveway with "entertainment quality" audio is WIMI, Ironwood, MI, a 100 kw'er about 100 miles east of here. WOJB, Reserve, WI, about 80 miles to the southeast of here also usually comes in strong. Beyond those two I can usually hear some trace of the Shoreview (Minneapolis-St. Paul) stations and WHWC Menomonie WI 124 miles to the south.