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Walkmans question

J

jras20

Analog or Digtal tuners? What is the best tuner that I can get that wont be so multipath? That is my main problem with these walkmans is getting override on FM stations that are to close and others are far away. Will analog fix it? I havnt tried analog in a very long time. There was a radio at wal-mart I might get for 5$ to try out.
 
jras20 said:
Analog or Digtal tuners? What is the best tuner that I can get that wont be so multipath? That is my main problem with these walkmans is getting override on FM stations that are to close and others are far away. Will analog fix it? I havnt tried analog in a very long time. There was a radio at wal-mart I might get for 5$ to try out.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you need a DX/LOCAL switch for FM - I use the excellent $10 Sony ICF-S10MK2 hand-held, analog-tuned radio for AM DXing, but I read some reviews that it over-loads on FM, also:

http://www.radiointel.com/review-sonys10mk2.htm

I did read somewhere on the Internet, that mainly cheaper tuners have DX/LOC switches. I have a now-discontinued $25 Radio Shack model 12-898 digital radio and it has a DX/LOC switch for FM, but never tried it. I love the Sony, with the analog tuner, and never use my other digital radios; also, the Sony doesn't seem to drift, which is typical of analog-tuned radios. You could try Amazon, or something, and search for AM/FM + DX/LOCAL. Digital PLL radios are usually noisier, too.
 
Just about anything from GE or Sony is going to have decent reception.

The only thing that local / DX switch does is break the connection to the antenna (the RF input of the chip in your radio goes to the switch and stops). Cheap and effective.

I found out, though, that the way they make their antenna is to use the shield in the headphone wire. It is RF isolated by an inductor, but is still very effective as a ground at audio frequencies. They connect the shield to a bandpass ceramic filter that covers the whole FM band, and that goes to the local / distant switch. I was only interested in distant, so I just pulled the switch and ceramic filter, and connected a 31 inch wire to directly to the RF input of the chip. The thing came alive with stations - MANY more than the distant position before. The other thing that surprised me - NO images or overloading from locals when I was in the city. Apparently - something about the whole shield as antenna going into a wideband ceramic filter is causing those images. I have no idea why. I could care less that I have a wire hanging out of the walkman - its not a fashion statement.
 
I might try out that 5$ radio at walmart they got one up there, it has a telescope antenna, I would hope it recieves in stereo with the headphones. If anything I can also use that little radio for when I go out to the coast. Only problem it doesnt have weather bands. Yeah I agree sony has great reception, but sometimes it can be to great and a lot of multipaths are a problem.
 
I tried it out for you. I drove to Mom's house for dinner tonight and asked to borrow an analog Sony Walkman I know she had for years and gave it a try with fresh batteries. The stations that were "fringe" reception had a tough time with big time interference from a class B and a C3 station about a mile away. I then tried my Panasonic SL-SV570 with a good digital AM/FM tuner (one of the best for a portable radio or CD player) and the stations came in with much less interference.

Personally, I'm really keen on the Panasonic SL-SV570's. I own two that I use strictly for radio listening. I have traveled with one to places (New York, Atlanta, Miami, D.C.) where it compares to my car radio in terms of picking up out of town FM'ers. Only downside is that they dont sell them any more, though I got my second one from eBay and they are plentiful and cheap ($15).

Radio-X
 
you know what would be really awsome...but impossible...to have kind of like a magnetic antenna...that will pull signals magnetically, so if theres a station out there going through the air...you will not have to screw around with it.
 
They just dont seem to make walkmans like they use to. I havnt tried analog tuners in about 10 years now, but it may be fun just to try it out again. Heck 5$ you cant really beat that price! I just wish it had weather bands, but I gues that would be what the weatherchannel would be for. :)
 
eyg2181 said:
you know what would be really awsome...but impossible...to have kind of like a magnetic antenna...that will pull signals magnetically, so if theres a station out there going through the air...you will not have to screw around with it.
Click to expand...

Great idea, but it was already invented over 80 years ago, and is in every AM radio manufactured. AM loop antennas work by intercepting lines of magnetic flux. If they are large enough - several inches across, they work with air cores. Most AM radio loops are wound on sticks of ferrite, which concentrates magnetic flux into a loop that is far too small to be effective otherwise.

There has been one magnetic loop antenna sold for FM - Radio Shack sold it. Generally, though, loop antennas lose efficiency above 30 MHz, where E-field antennas are more effective.
 
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