"hi-end" AM tuner
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1tumbleweed
Kozmik Kowboy
You're probably thinking of the McKay-Dymek. Yes, they were far superior to the average AM tuner - but nobody much cared.
mhardy6647
Lunatic Member
The late 1950s/early 1960s "AM-FM simulcast stereo tuners" had excellent AM sections in terms of audio bandwidth - the good ones also had good front-end performance. These tuners had completely separate AM and FM sections.
This one (attachment) isn't one of those, but it is the direct descendent of one... with built in MPX stereo, in this case...
The McKay-Dymek was one of the best-ever (although I guess if you're really serious, it's hard to beat a Collins R-390!)... try something like a Sherwood S-2000 if you want an inexpensive but excellent AM tuner (with excellent mono FM, to boot).
This one (attachment) isn't one of those, but it is the direct descendent of one... with built in MPX stereo, in this case...
The McKay-Dymek was one of the best-ever (although I guess if you're really serious, it's hard to beat a Collins R-390!)... try something like a Sherwood S-2000 if you want an inexpensive but excellent AM tuner (with excellent mono FM, to boot).
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dr*audio
Fish fingers and custard!
The Sansui TU-X1 has a wonderful AM tuner in it, but they are extremely expensive. If you want really good AM reception (can't imagine why) you are better off buying an antique radio. Those were designed for excellent AM reception, and some of the better ones were very sophisticated.
Another alternative is to get a am/fm "simulcast" tuner from the late 1950s or early 1960s, right before FM multiplex was introduced. In that period, some stations broadcast stereo by having one channel on an FM station, and the other on an AM one! For this to sound even halfway decent, the AM tuner had to be very good. In addition, in those days there weren't all that many FM stations, so AM capabilities were a lot more important. You can tell one of these tuners by the ability to completely independently tune for AM and FM.
I have a Scott 330 designed for this system, and its AM section is first rate. But keep in mind that all the tuners made like this are now over 50 year old tube units, so expect to have to have work done on one unless you know it's had a recent refurbishment.
I have a Scott 330 designed for this system, and its AM section is first rate. But keep in mind that all the tuners made like this are now over 50 year old tube units, so expect to have to have work done on one unless you know it's had a recent refurbishment.
Sandy G
Retired Member
R-390s, while they can pick up INCREDIBLY well, are also noted for SOUNDING like @zz. They were designed basically for receiving either CW or voice transmissions, & EVERYTHING above a rather narrow band is filtered out. There ARE ways around it, but if you're into "Fidelity", a military receiver ain't gonna cut it. But...The R-390's longwave/medium wave brother, the R-389, is capable of some incredible feats. In 1995-96 during the winter, an R-389 in Denver received medium wave signals from France... Now, transatlantic DX is not that unusual, but its generally done in New England or in the maritime provinces....Virtually UNHEARD of 2/3 across the continent..
My Scott 333b has an excellent AM tuner as well, separate dial and all in spite of being FM multiplex natively. I used to listen to CBC Radio One on it and it sounded surprisingly good. Then they decided to move the station over to FM. It sounds even better (if still mono), but the range isn't what it once was.
KentTeffeteller
Gimpus Stereophilus!
The Fisher tuners and receivers pre 1970 had superb AM sections. HH Scott tuners and receivers pre 1973 likewise. McIntosh MR 74 has superb AM. Most if not all modern AM tuners are not overly good sounding. Wideband is what you want.
Actually an R390A can sound pretty darn good if you know how to set it up. On the back to the right of the speaker terminals there is a bridged set called Diode Load. Remove the jumper add a impedance matching transformer to the connection points run this to an audio amplifier. Make sure you have an impedance match!!!!!!!!! You will be surprised as to the sound. The Diode load is tapping into the audio stream before it gets to the final PA section. I do this on my R390A with an ELDICO SBA-1 SSB adapter which uses this signal for it's 14 watt into 4 ohm out there is a big improvement, I once hooked it to a Stereo system and into my Polk M 10B's and I was stunned, it sounded like an old console radio. Totally unusable for utility monitoring and I have other radios that do AM Broadcast, but still.:yes: I believe the R389 has a diode tap as well. As has been pointed out domestic AM broadcasting is a waste (as in feces) land kind of takes away the incentive.
I will say it yet again the very best AM receivers made are the one installed in the high end cars of the 1960's. They are butt ugly out side of a cars dash board but they sound fantastic and can pick up a weak AM Broadcast station better most anything made now. There are incredible numbers of the Delco Wonderbar radios out there. Mine came out of a 1967 Cadillac.
Go to a junkyard and ask about car radios tell them you are looking for a Wonderbar radio if the place is like the one in Cheyenne they will have piles of the an shelves. They will be untested but cheap, pick up two or three of them chances are very good they will all work these are some really tough radios
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Sandy G
Retired Member
Actually an R390A can sound pretty darn good if you know how to set it up. On the back to the right of the speaker terminals there is a bridged set called Diode Load. Remove the jumper add a impedance matching transformer to the connection points run this to an audio amplifier. Make sure you have an impedance match!!!!!!!!! You will be surprised as to the sound. The Diode load is tapping into the audio stream before it gets to the final PA section. I do this on my R390A with an ELDICO SBA-1 SSB adapter which uses this signal for it's 14 watt into 4 ohm out there is a big improvement, I once hooked it to a Stereo system and into my Polk M 10B's and I was stunned, it sounded like an old console radio. Totally unusable for utility monitoring and I have other radios that do AM Broadcast, but still.:yes: I believe the R389 has a diode tap as well. As has been pointed out domestic AM broadcasting is a waste (as in feces) land kind of takes away the incentive.
I will say it yet again the very best AM receivers made are the one installed in the high end cars of the 1960's. They are butt ugly out side of a cars dash board but they sound fantastic and can pick up a weak AM Broadcast station better most anything made now. There are incredible numbers of the Delco Wonderbar radios out there. Mine came out of a 1967 Cadillac.
Yep, the "Diode Load" was what I was talking about...Again, however, w/TODAYS broadcasting, you're trying to Polish a Turd..
There is/was a Ham radio Op in Ft Collins that mod's the AF modules for hifi sound. Never could see the point.
G'day all, thankfully in this part of Australia we still have AM broadcasting worth listening to. :yes: I listen when I'm in here (Ham Radio shack), with my DIY 'crystal set' double tuned front end feeding my DIY 'tweaked' FET 'infinite impedance' AM detector into my audio system in here, and the audio quality is unbelievably good. :yes: Regards, Felix (vk4fuq) aka catman.
musichal
poet emeritus
Hi Felix. It's funny, how I think of Australia due to movies and TV. I imagine you stepping out of your hamshack to cross a wide field populated by a few dozen kangaroos hopping from bush to bush doing kangaroo things in kangaroo ways as you enter a jungly outback where unseen aboriginal eyes with tribal-painted bodies monitor your crossing of a croc-infested stream with the roar of an upstream waterfall drowning out all other sounds. I'm betting the reality in your neighborhood is vastly different to my stereotypical musings, though.
Actually, due to reading your posts, I have come to think of your part of the world as perhaps one of the last bastions of decent radio programming, and was wondering: do you get any good jazz music stations, and, if so, what bands/frequencies? (Are any of your favorite stations streamable?)
Sorry somewhat OT, but perhaps not wildly so.
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G'day mate, Australia is much like anywhere else now... mostly crap! Not much Jazz on AM but FM, yes. Try here: http://abcjazz.net.au/ Jazz Up Late is a personal favourite. Regards, Felix aka catman.
Hey I've been to Fort Collins Co, in the HP days.
I do not understand why so many people do not get with the times, look at a Si4735 or Si4770, they are the cats a$$. This is what is used in a new mobile devices, so it is only good for new mobile device? and no good for any other use.
The problem these days is mfg's do not really want to promote what HW they use so most will never know what is inside, unless they reverse engineer the equip.
I designed a Si4735 radio and it is just as good sounding as my Pioneer Sx-950 and I can store as many stations as I desire, have RBDS display for FM. Even going to work on a antenna rotor interface, so the list goes on. Anyone know of a tuner that will automatically adjust your antenna for you? I realize this is not a AM tuner feature.
Processing RF signals in the digital domain really can eliminate many of the atmospheric issues that a analog tuners can or never will manage to accomplish.
It is over for analog tuners, period!!
These digital tuners shin with FM signals.
I do not understand why so many people do not get with the times, look at a Si4735 or Si4770, they are the cats a$$. This is what is used in a new mobile devices, so it is only good for new mobile device? and no good for any other use.
The problem these days is mfg's do not really want to promote what HW they use so most will never know what is inside, unless they reverse engineer the equip.
I designed a Si4735 radio and it is just as good sounding as my Pioneer Sx-950 and I can store as many stations as I desire, have RBDS display for FM. Even going to work on a antenna rotor interface, so the list goes on. Anyone know of a tuner that will automatically adjust your antenna for you? I realize this is not a AM tuner feature.
Processing RF signals in the digital domain really can eliminate many of the atmospheric issues that a analog tuners can or never will manage to accomplish.
It is over for analog tuners, period!!
These digital tuners shin with FM signals.
KentTeffeteller
Gimpus Stereophilus!
AM tuners are being discussed here. The Carver AM Stereo tuner was the only decent modern unit on AM. If an AM tuner is not wideband and can do 10Khz bandwidth, it is not High Fidelity. What works for mobile devices does not necessarily work for high fidelity. If I can not manually tune an AM station for best sound, another issue which makes AM sound worse. And few FM digital tuners worth their salt when 50 miles and more reception is needed. I need less PLL noise and display hash and more selectivity and less than 1.6 uv for full quieting in Stereo. And none of the high blend and not staying in Stereo. HH Scott could do that in 1967. On less signal strength than any modern unit I ever lived with. And be selective enough to get a 50 mile away signal in Stereo, hold it and be within 150 Khz of a 100 KW FM blowtorch which is local. Do that, give me RBDS which I do like, adaptive IF selectivity, AM Stereo and wideband, and we'll order some for work. Until then, analog tuners will be in use in many homes and in broadcasting work. Not everyone has what they want to listen to on FM. AM has some minority formats of value and some great local stations. AM is not dead.