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Radio Antenna

abw1987

abw1987

Shredder extroardinaire
I've just started using my receiver a lot more, and would like to use it for listening to radio. I'm just wondering if there's any special type of antenna I should be purchasing, or if regular speaker wire or something will be fine. The receiver (specifically a Pioneer SX-737) has a bunch of antenna connections on the back, including:
- (Under FM) 75Ω UNBAL (which looks like something specific is supposed to plug into it, it's got a screw and a sticking-out U-shaped strip of metal)
- (Under FM) Two labeled 300Ω BAL (I have a Y-shaped wire attached to these)
- GND
- AM
And then, separate from the antenna hook-ups, there's a similar attachment knob below, also labeled GND (I assume this means, Ground, but I can't say why there would be one here and another GND up in the antenna connection area).

Anyway, probably a stupid question, but I'm just wondering if there's anything special I should be using.

Thanks!
 
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A cheap dipole that can be found everywhere from Radio Shack to Home Depot hooked to your 300Ω balun works quiet well. To improve on that you need a roof antenna, ot at least one in the attic.
 
I assume a dipole antenna is like the one I already have hooked to my 300Ω? It splits into two wires about halfway up, with little plastic circles at the end (presumably for nailing into the wall).

What about AM?
 
The separate GND screw is likely for attaching the turntable ground wire.

I'm curious about other antennae short of a roof mounted one as well. I found a description for one made with regular wire formed into two square loops of specific dimensions. It is simple to build and I keep meaning to do so, but I haven't got around to it yet. There was also a thread recently about a J pole antenna, looks interesting but more work to build than a wire type. I posted the wire loop antenna details in that thread.

For AM, usually the receiver has a rod type antenna mounted right to the back of the case, sometimes with a little bit of a pivoting bracket to move around for better reception.
 
JonL said:
For AM, usually the receiver has a rod type antenna mounted right to the back of the case, sometimes with a little bit of a pivoting bracket to move around for better reception.
Click to expand...
Oh yes, it has one of those as well. Although, no matter what direction I point it, it doesn't seem to receive any AM stations. Is it supposed to be used in combination with something else?
 
abw1987 said:
Oh yes, it has one of those as well. Although, no matter what direction I point it, it doesn't seem to receive any AM stations. Is it supposed to be used in combination with something else?
Click to expand...

It may have a wire that should be attached to the "AM" terminal on the receiver, though sometimes the wire is attached internally and the terminal is only for a different antenna. It is possible that the wire broke off.
 
I noticed you referred to your dipole as "Y-shaped." Of course, it is actually T-shaped and that is the way it should be mounted, you might find it works better if you spread it out, if you currently have it in a "Y".
 
You may actually find it better to hang the FM dipole vertically. As for the AM, you mention you get no AM stations at all. That is a bit odd. Can you get anything at night? Do you have any local AM stations? If no to the first and yes to the 2nd it sounds like you tuner may have an issue provided the AM rod antenna on the back does not have any broken wiring. It acts independently of any external antenna and generally an external wire is not needed unless wanting to do some DX'ing.
 
Yes the dipole has been hung in a T-shape. Not sure why I used the letter 'Y'. I've never tried hanging it vertically, but I'm in a city (not far from the radio towers I suppose) so I get good reception as it is.

As for the AM rod, I really do get no stations at all. Not even any hiss or static, and the tuning needle doesn't move at all when I try to turn the tuning knob. I seem to remember getting AM stations on this thing years ago, so maybe the wires got pulled out during one of my moves. (Nothing happens when I connect the dipole to the AM connector in the back, either, by the way.)
 
abw1987 said:
I've just started using my receiver a lot more, and would like to use it for listening to radio. I'm just wondering if there's any special type of antenna I should be purchasing, or if regular speaker wire or something will be fine. The receiver (specifically a Pioneer SX-737) has a bunch of antenna connections on the back, including:
- (Under FM) 75Ω UNBAL (which looks like something specific is supposed to plug into it, it's got a screw and a sticking-out U-shaped strip of metal)
- (Under FM) Two labeled 300Ω BAL (I have a Y-shaped wire attached to these)
- GND
- AM
And then, separate from the antenna hook-ups, there's a similar attachment knob below, also labeled GND (I assume this means, Ground, but I can't say why there would be one here and another GND up in the antenna connection area).

Anyway, probably a stupid question, but I'm just wondering if there's anything special I should be using.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I recently got an indoor rabbit ear type FM antennae from FMDX Antenna, one of the sponsors listed below. It was less than $35.00 with shipping and it improved the FM reception significantly over the dipole antennae that comes with receivers or TV rabbit ears. Highly recommended


Bob W
 
Any other ideas about AM? What are the rest of those connections on the back of the receiver for?
 
I used to have a large rotatable rooftop antenna as a kid when listening to a lot of FM. I now have an RCA R/V antenna in my attic, and work's pretty good. Don't think they make thes anymore. Look's like a 36" plastic flying saucer. The inner gut's rotate, pre-amp circuitry and FM trap coil(that I bypassed). Very good for HDTV broadcast's, too. As for AM, a simple long wire antenna(usually for SW) stretched accross your attic seem's to work best. Be aware, most receiver's AM section's are an afterthought at best. Probably better off with a pocket radio, here.
 
Any reasonable length of wire (10-30') attached to the "AM" antenna terminal should give an improvement. Some receivers, however, can be subject to overloading by strong local AM stations. Experimentation is the key...attaching a wire may also help determine if there's a problem with the ferrite rod antenna. Grounding may also help reduce noise interference. FM runs the gamut from a 31" wire connected to the "hot" terminal of the 75 ohm input... to the classic "T" dipole...and on to outdoor FM antennas...either aimed in the desired direction of reception to one equipped with a rotator.
 
Brian said:
You may actually find it better to hang the FM dipole vertically. As for the AM, you mention you get no AM stations at all. That is a bit odd. Can you get anything at night? Do you have any local AM stations? If no to the first and yes to the 2nd it sounds like you tuner may have an issue provided the AM rod antenna on the back does not have any broken wiring. It acts independently of any external antenna and generally an external wire is not needed unless wanting to do some DX'ing.
Click to expand...


Most receivers have a ferrite core antenna coil on the back or inside that picks up the AM, and which should work for any reasonably nearby AM stations and high-powered ones at some distance. Some receivers have different connections for an AM antenna, for people who need one, and I have always thought that was because you wouldn't get much gain for the AM frequencies from the FM dipole.
 
abw1987 said:
I've just started using my receiver a lot more, and would like to use it for listening to radio. I'm just wondering if there's any special type of antenna I should be purchasing, or if regular speaker wire or something will be fine. The receiver (specifically a Pioneer SX-737)
Thanks!
Click to expand...

I had a similar issue with my sx-525. A standard antenna to the 300 ohm balanced works miracles. when I connected a old "bow-tie" antenna my radio reception greatly improved. About 2x more signal strength and 2x more stations. The am is a curious...are you shure there are receivable am stations in your area? I would check with a pocket radio or other receiver before I think somethings broken.
 
Need picture of back where the antenna leads hook up. Maybe we can figure out what is, or is not, hooked up right? Have you cleaned the selector switch? Can you hear anything on AM when you cycle the selector switch, or does it just go silent?
 
FM signals are horizontally polarized, so the arms of the FM dipole antenna should be horizontal for the strongest reception. Height above ground will affect distance reception, so you should have the dipole as high as possible. There was a double dipole antenna at radio shack with the arms of two dipoles crossing at 90 degrees for omnidirectional reception. I have that in my attic.
 
33&athird said:
. . . . The am is a curious...are you shure there are receivable am stations in your area? I would check with a pocket radio or other receiver before I think somethings broken.
Click to expand...

There are kinds of obstructions that will block AM signals. Perhaps you are situated in some sort of RF shadow. Your receiver isn't in a very deep basement or cave, is it?
 
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