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Need advice on FM Antenna

B

Bobarazzi

Active Member
I've been considering getting an FM antenna lately. I find myself listening to FM more and more and the Radio Shack cheapo di-pole just isn't cutting it. One that I've considered is the Terk FM-50 or something along those lines and price range. What are you all using and might recommend?
Any advice would be appreciated!
 
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Hi Bobarazzi, there are all sorts of things you can do to get better FM reception, but I personally just use a very long wire that runs up into my attic.
 
HQ FM reception, especially FM STEREO, in which case the FM signal coming to the tuner’s antenna terminals must be 10 times (!) stronger for nominal stereo sound quality indicated in the tuner’s Owner’s Manual, always means a good, and well oriented, DIRECTIVE FM antenna (giving much more amplification of FM signal coming from its axial direction than of unwanted signals coming from aside) with its downlead made of shielded cable. Especially when interference signals are strong, not wire fragments, indoor “small T flexible cable antennas” etc.

With outdoor antennas, don’t forget a lightning guard / protection well organized for your antenna. With a lightning rod as high as possible and well grounded! It’s very important.

An instructive site:
http://www.magnumdynalab.com/fm-antennas.htm
 
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Hi,
I am using a speaker wire 1/2 wave (for middle FM wavelength) dipole that runs up the side of my house and sits on the roof on the shingles taking care, of course, in keeping it far from metal objects. Heck, I did not even use nails to hold the ends in place; just plastic christmas light clips (designed for hanging them on gutters) to hold the dipole to the shingle. As I understand it, the ends are the most sensitive place for metal to be, so I opted...
 
Bobarazzi said:
I've been considering getting an FM antenna lately. I find myself listening to FM more and more and the Radio Shack cheapo di-pole just isn't cutting it. One that I've considered is the Terk FM-50 or something along those lines and price range. What are you all using and might recommend?
Any advice would be appreciated!
Click to expand...
The right antenna, correctly mounted and aligned, often makes a lot of difference to listening. A 3- or 4-element Yagi array at roof height is usually a good standard to aim for. Eschew 'omni-directional' designs that introduce distortion. But every situation is different, and the advice of a local specialist familiar with the conditions is very desirable, though one can try to do it oneself. A good installer knows which design is likely to work well, and how to get the best from the stations that a customer is interested in. He measures the signal with a meter, and does not guess, so when getting quotes, a good question is, "Do you use a signal meter?" If the answer is "No," move on.
 
I recommend a small $20 Winegard FM antenna mounted in your attic. You will be shocked at the difference it will make. Stay away from Terk.
 
Omni designs do NOT induce distortion. They are the perfect antenna for one who is centrally located in the middle of several fairly local stations. I know. I have been using one for years.

But, they are not good for use in the boonies where all stations are far away in one direction. For that you would want a directional Yagi.
 
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This one works great for me. I bought another for the patio system again with excellent results. It's a Terk but I can't remember the model.
 
I saw this one (C. CRANE FM DIPOLE FM ANTENNA) on ebay and did some research. The reviews were all excellent but I'm not sure I trust some of the reviews I read. I think the companies get their own people to do reviews. That's why I ask here on the forum. I know I'll get unbiased opinions here.
Has anyone had any experience with the Crane?
 
C. Crane co. has been plugged by Art Bell, host of (a few years back) coast-to-coast AM. I bought one of those wind-up radios with the built in spring generator and it works like its supposed to, but has a tiny 3 inch speaker so its not hi fidelity, but its awsome for places like camping or travel where there is no plug ins or batteries available.
 
I mounted the cheapie dipole in the attic and it works great. Placement and direction make a big dfference.
 
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nickv41 said:
I recommend a small $20 Winegard FM antenna mounted in your attic. You will be shocked at the difference it will make.
Click to expand...

Agreed, I bought a Winegard HD-6000 and it works great. I just need to find a cheap rotor now although it's not a big deal since I primarily listen to one station.
 
Another vote for the HD-6000, best bang for the buck. If you can make room for one even indoors it is the best way to go. I also found a fixed location was perfect for all the stations I wanted.

I used to sell Terk and never had great results with them.

There are other options but we would have to know what your situation is. Are you far from the stations and you need a stronger signal? Are you in a location where the stations are interfering with each other? Is multipath your problem? How is your dipole mounted currently? The more infor we have, the more useful the advice.
 
Bobarazzi said:
I saw this one (C. CRANE FM DIPOLE FM ANTENNA) on ebay and did some research. The reviews were all excellent but I'm not sure I trust some of the reviews I read. I think the companies get their own people to do reviews. That's why I ask here on the forum. I know I'll get unbiased opinions here.
Has anyone had any experience with the Crane?
Click to expand...

I use the Crane, its my favorite indoor antenna. Search the tuners forum for "Crane".
 
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