I don't know if that wire is "fancy" or not, but it certainly seems like a pretty decent price, based on what I have seen around at the local Menard's and Home Depot. I might end up going with that. Thanks
(Another) Speaker Wire Questions
- Thread starter McInRantz
- Start date
I don't know if that wire is "fancy" or not, but it certainly seems like a pretty decent price, based on what I have seen around at the local Menard's and Home Depot. I might end up going with that. Thanks
Thanks for that. I'll quash that idea. Too bad, though. Wonder if I'll ever have any use for that wire. I think I used to use it for car audio jobs.
Yeah, I'll probably just break down and buy a 100ft roll of some 12 or 14 gauge wire, either zip or speaker wire, and get the job done. Better than messing around and having to redo everything. Thanks
Bugler
Super Member
from Amazon I bought Monoprice 14 AWG, oxygen free. 50 feet cost $22. If you need 100 feet I'm sure they have that at an equally good price. It's good quality stuff. Not sure if this will work but here's the link from Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003L1AFC8/ref=oh_details_o08_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003L1AFC8/ref=oh_details_o08_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
JBL GUY
Addicted Member
FM Fool can give you a rough estimate of the signal strength of various stations at your location.
FM Fool
The FCC data base can give you the output power of the station and HAAT of the antenna and the polarization of the station's antenna. Some stations may be just vertically polarized and some just horizontally polarized and some will be both. If you use an antenna with the incorrect polarization you may loose 20 dB or more signal.
An outside antenna may prove to be what you need to receive your low power FM station. A directional antenna will provide some added sensitivity (gain) above a dipole or rabbit ear antennae, but will favor signals from the direction it is pointed.
Use low loss RG-6 cable and balun impedance matching transformers.
If you want to try an antenna mounted inside your garage, dipole or directional antenna, the higher the better and the antenna should be mounted at least a quarter wavelength from any metal and or conductors.
Of course all of this is most important when trying to receive low power stations with their antennae possibly not all that high above average terrain and located at a distance.
If you happen to be just past the fringe of line of sight to the FM station antenna, then having the antenna a little closer to the ground may result in a stronger signal, for a number of technical reasons, one of which is called "knive edging".
With all things antenna related it is location, location, location.
You may be able to find RF hotspots where the reception of certain stations is better than other locations.
Keeping all of the external wiring of the audio system away from sources of electrical noise may help with the reception of weak signals.
Try your portable radios with all of the power to the garage turned off and compare it with power on and lights and other things turned on.
This will give you information about radiated noise and if you have a radio that you can plug into AC power and compare it to your battery operated radios, it will give you an indication of any noise that is being conducted on the power line. For this, trying both, AM and FM may provide some information.
This may be more effort than you want to go to for the reception of your weak signal station.
Of course the NEC has requirements for outside antenna installations regarding proper grounding and local codes may have additional requirements.
The picture below would be an example of an antenna mounted on the outside your garage.
Attachments
Personally, I think a straight run of low voltage wire, away from conduit and it's junction boxes, can be made to look far neater than zip tying to conduit.
I think it looks messy when low voltage wire is tied along conduit (ya, NEC, that too).
I think it looks messy when low voltage wire is tied along conduit (ya, NEC, that too).
Thanks. Good information. I'll check that out.
FM Fool
What does "Quarter Wavelength" mean and how is that measured?
That's a good idea. All I use are AC, no batteries.
You may be right about that. I can't see running #6 cable to my detached garage from my house just for an antenna ground. I can see running a ground rod from the antenna should I decide to put up something someday. Hopefully, it won't take much to "improve" the signal, since I can already receive it quite clearly on my car's stereo.
Wonder if I can go to the junkyard and get a automobile antenna and hook it up to my garage stereo to see if it makes a difference? Is that possible? Would it work? Is there an adapter (transformer) for doing that?
Thanks for the great info.
I'm already using a bender for all the conduit for the electrical work. I don't know if I want to put speaker wire in it's own conduit. If I did that, I think running plastic would be easier, though.
JBL GUY
Addicted Member
Technically it refers to the length of the RF electrical wave at a specific frequency.
In this case about 31 inches measured from the antenna elements to any larger pieces of metal or any conductors or conduit.
If the antenna elements are closer than that it will begin to degrade the pick up pattern of the antenna and begin to detune the frequency of the antenna.
In general since most of the population lives in strong signal areas this is not perceived to be much of an issue, but when one delves into weak signal reception, every little bit may help.
Is there a breaker panel in your garage? If so, it may have its own ground.
Some car radios are quite sensitive in terms of both AM and FM reception, others not so much.
What happens to the reception of your station of interest when you pull the car into your garage, with and without the lights and other electrical devices turned on?
It might be a good idea to use a linear 12 volt direct current power supply instead of a switching power supply. Some switching power supplies generate a fair amount of electrical noise (RFI/EMI).
BTW, I just tried the FM Fool station locator and received this error message as reported previously. I did send them an email to report the issue.
It has functioned correctly for my address in the past, hopefully it will be back up and running.
Frank Sol
Lunatic Member
How do you think this would compare ?
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_703142...-Conductor-In-Wall-Speaker-Cable-50-feet.html
At 4x the price
fpitas
Committed dilettante
I think I'd go with the Monoprice wire. I'm using the 12 gauge version for the horn section; good price, and nothing at all wrong with it.
Yes, there certainly is a breaker panel. I should know, I installed it myself. I ran #2 underground cable (3 conductor + ground). Plenty big. It was a big, big job. Did I say BIG job? So, yes, everything is grounded properly.
Can't the antenna just be grounded with its own grounding rod?
Yes, the reception diminishes when I pull my vehicle into the garage. I'm pretty sure I have pulled in with the lights all off at night and have experienced the same diminished reception as other times when the lights have been on. Even tonight, though, I came home late listening to the station and was still able to maintain reception even in the garage.
I, also, received that error on the FM Fool website. I'll try again over the next couple days.
What do you think about those solid, one piece, automobile antennas? Is it worth trying one of those to see if my reception improves? Is there an adapter (transformer) to hook that type of plug-in to the screws on my stereo?
Yeah, that AudioQuest stuff is WAY overpriced. I would never pay what AudioQuest cables and wires go for. However, I once got a great deal on a pair of AudioQuest Type 8 Hyperlitz cables. I found them in my area on Craigslist and the guy wanted $40 bucks for them. They were new in the box and 15 footers. They have the fancy covering on them and all that. Nice cables, but for more than $200, I would never pay that. They look pretty, though.
Schurkey
Well-Known Member
If this were me, and I was at the beginning of the process of connecting a garage system, I'd look in the mirror and ask the guy how long he's likely to be using that garage.
If there's a long term-of-committment, I'd put in much heavier speaker cable than 14-gauge, especially if there's a run of fifty+ feet.
Some time in the future, you may have speakers with a lower sensitivity, or lower impedance, or both. This will increase the current required. If the cables are marginal for 8-ohm nominal speakers, they'll be terrible with 4-ohm nominal speakers.
My garage speakers are connected to the receiver outputs with 12-gauge solid-core electrical wire--happily suitable for in-wall use, and not horribly expensive except that copper in general has increased in price. Copper purity may not be optimum, of course, so I'm not providing an unconditional recommendation. I can only say that the "Romex"-style wire is working just fine for me. If you prefer "speaker wire", that's perhaps a safer "audiophile" selection. If I had a 50-foot run, I'd have maybe used 10-gauge, or I'd reposition the amp/receiver closer to the speakers. Another alternative to conventional speaker wire is to use the center conductor of RG8U coax. Depending on the brand, the center conductor is specified as 11- or 13-gauge.
Of course, all this becomes more important when the wires are in-wall or even in-conduit. You certainly have the option to replace or double-up the speaker wires fairly easily if they're surface-mounted and tyrapped.
If there's a long term-of-committment, I'd put in much heavier speaker cable than 14-gauge, especially if there's a run of fifty+ feet.
Some time in the future, you may have speakers with a lower sensitivity, or lower impedance, or both. This will increase the current required. If the cables are marginal for 8-ohm nominal speakers, they'll be terrible with 4-ohm nominal speakers.
My garage speakers are connected to the receiver outputs with 12-gauge solid-core electrical wire--happily suitable for in-wall use, and not horribly expensive except that copper in general has increased in price. Copper purity may not be optimum, of course, so I'm not providing an unconditional recommendation. I can only say that the "Romex"-style wire is working just fine for me. If you prefer "speaker wire", that's perhaps a safer "audiophile" selection. If I had a 50-foot run, I'd have maybe used 10-gauge, or I'd reposition the amp/receiver closer to the speakers. Another alternative to conventional speaker wire is to use the center conductor of RG8U coax. Depending on the brand, the center conductor is specified as 11- or 13-gauge.
Of course, all this becomes more important when the wires are in-wall or even in-conduit. You certainly have the option to replace or double-up the speaker wires fairly easily if they're surface-mounted and tyrapped.
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