Stellar Labs’ Outdoor FM Antenna is a top choice for its rugged build, making it suitable for outdoor use. The four-element directional antenna is designed to provide outstanding reception for all broadcast FM stations, including HD radio. It is easy to install, RoHS compliant, and comes with pre-mounted aluminum elements and polished-surface aluminum tubes.
AM/FM antennas are simpler than TV antennas due to their wide range from 100 to 800 megahertz. The Digiwave ANT8001 Superior HD FM Outdoor Antenna offers strong performance across AM and FM, easy installation, and RoHS compliance. DX Engineering’s AFHD-4 Outdoor High Definition Radio Antenna is easy to install, omnidirectional, and designed for optimal performance.
The 75 ohm FM Antenna, Outdoor FM Antenna WiFi Stereo TV Antenna Indoor, 1.5m SMA-Male Connector Magnetic Transmitter Antenna Cable, 16.4Ft Antenna Extension Cable, and the Winegard Omnidirectional FM and HD Radio Antenna (HD-6010) are also recommended for outdoor or attic installation.
The AFHD-4 long-range high-performance AM FM radio antenna kit and the AFXSM-5 and AFXSM-6 SiriusXM® AM FM combo antenna kits are also available at Parts Express. Top brands like Terk, RCA, Winegard, and more offer quality antennas at great prices.
The Twin Coil Ferrite AM Antenna is ideal for improving most AM radio reception problems, while the CC Shortwave Reel Antenna and FM High Power Dipole Antenna outdoor FM Base Antenna are also available for far-range radio broadcasting.
📹 How to Improve your radio’s AM FM & SW Reception
In this episode of Tuner Tips I explore three items to help extend the reception of your portable radio. (paid links below) As an …
How to boost FM radio signal at home without an antenna?
Radio signals can have sweet spots even in the same room, so it’s important to move the radio around and try different rooms. Location is crucial for radio reception, with steel and concrete having a noticeable effect. It’s best to have the radio higher up, without obstruction, and closer to the transmitter. If an outdoor antenna is intended for an outdoor area, it should be on the roof. Car radios are used when driving at high speeds, and they must be built to high standards to avoid interference on the road. They typically see farther than home radios and must be powerful enough to resist engine interference. If a roof-mounted antenna is needed, it’s likely time to consider it.
Can I use FM antenna for AM?
An FM antenna should be designed to operate within the frequency range of 88-108 MHz, with the capability of capturing signals from AM broadcasts (54-1. 7 MHz) and shortwave transmissions (up to 30 MHz). However, it should be noted that the effectiveness of such an antenna may be limited when compared to a more comprehensive solution.
Will an outdoor TV antenna work for FM radio?
The FM broadcast band is located just below VHF channel 7, and if your antenna is designed to receive VHF reception, it will also receive FM. Some antennas may have an “FM trap” built in that stops FM reception, but these are rare these days. If your antenna is old and has a flat wire, you may need a transformer to convert it to coaxial or replace the connection point with a balun. UHF-only antennas can also perform decent FM reception, as they don’t block the FM band by design but don’t pick up the FM band. FM radio doesn’t require a complex antenna for reception, so if you have an antenna on your roof, it’s worth trying it.
How long should an AM FM antenna be?
FM antennas are more convenient to build, install, and adjust to a desired pattern due to their difference in frequency. In AM, a single wavelength is 984 feet for a 1MHz signal, while in FM, one wavelength is about 12 feet. This means that a quarter-wave antenna might be 246 feet high, while FM antenna elements would be around three or six feet long. Directional AM stations require large ground areas to mount multiple antennas, while FM antenna systems require a single tower to mount any number of radiators.
The desired radiation pattern can be obtained using one FM antenna unit, and additional similar units can be stacked to obtain gain. However, as the gain figure increases, the radiated beam narrows considerably, and high gain antennas can beam the signal over closer receivers.
Will a UHF VHF antenna pick up FM?
The UHF band has different elements and spacings than the VHF FM band, but a VHF TV antenna could work well for FM radio in a reasonable signal area. The best reception occurs when intercepting exactly 1/2 the wavelength of transmission, as the transmission frequency has voltage peaks at the apex of each sine wave and maximum current at its center. Radio waves in a vacuum travel at 299, 792, 458 meters per second, and the 11th letter of the Greek alphabet Lamda is used to calculate wavelength relative to frequency. Variations like discone antennas can also be successful, but most will be successful with a dipole, which has each element 0. 7498 meters in length.
Does a AM FM radio antenna need to be grounded?
This guide explains the importance of properly grounding a mobile radio antenna for safety and performance. Grounding not only prevents static buildup but also protects the radio from power surges. It is easier than you might think, and involves securely attaching the antenna to the car’s metal frame to divert unwanted electrical charges. With simple tools and supplies, you can ground your mobile antenna and be ready to broadcast loud and clear.
Proper grounding is critical for mobile radios as it prevents electrical damage caused by power surges and voltage spikes. The antenna acts as a lightning rod, and the ground provides a path for the electrical current to escape. Without a proper ground, energy can fry the radio’s components.
What is the best antenna for FM radio?
A 1/2 wave vertical design is ideal for indoor FM reception due to its high gain, twice that of a bidirectional dipole. Cable FM service, provided with some cable television services, often has inferior signal-to-noise, cross-talk, and RF intermodulation distortion compared to properly installed antennas. Most areas can achieve good performance with a simple folded dipole antenna, but specific characteristics of the area may require more drastic measures.
A multi-element outdoor antenna on a rotor is usually the best answer, but in some cases, it may not be viable. The Magnum-Dynalab ST-2 half wave omnidirectional antenna is a practical option for many situations, making it a practical choice for indoor or outdoor FM reception.
Do AM and FM use the same antenna?
The antennas utilized for AM broadcasting are of a considerable length, enabling the capture of long radio waves. In contrast, FM antennas are of a shorter nature, and those employed for Wi-Fi are even shorter due to the higher frequency and shorter wavelength of the electromagnetic waves they transmit. Another category of antenna is the parabolic antenna.
Can a CB antenna be used for AM FM reception?
The length of an aerial or antenna is contingent upon the frequency of the transmission, rather than the modulation employed. In the event that an AM radio transmits on the same frequency as an FM radio, the aerials may be constructed of the same material.
Why is FM signal better than AM?
FM radio stations have a bandwidth of 150 kHz, which is 15 times larger than AM stations, resulting in better music sound. Both AM and FM use electromagnetic waves to transfer data, with the amplitude of the signal changing based on the information being sent. FM technology encodes information by altering the frequency of the wave while keeping the amplitude constant. Frequency modulation adjusts the intensity of the broadcast signal in response to the data being provided on a regular basis.
FM radio uses frequency modulation, which adjusts the intensity of the broadcast signal in response to the data being provided. The frequency of the transmission remains constant or unmodulated as it passes, resulting in a signal with relatively little data.
Can I use my TV aerial for FM radio?
Television antennas are designed to receive high Very High Frequency (VHF) and low Ultra High Frequency (UHF) signals, but they can also detect broadcast frequencies in the FM range. It is common practice to wire TV aerials to dual FM/TV faceplates, thus enabling users to connect a flylead to their FM receiver/tuner.
📹 Sky Blue Long Range Outdoor FM Antenna from Ness Electronics
This is a sponsored video featuring the Sky Blue Long Range Outdoor FM antenna from Ness Electronics. It features a massive …
I live in a tin box. The AM wavelength won’t go through the windows. FM radio does. I made a coil of 22 GA insulated stranded wire one end to a 102″ CB whip I had for years. The other end to earth ground. I am able to pull in stations as far North as Seattle and far East at Omaha. The key to any radio reception is a decent antenna.
When I was a kid back in the early to mid 70s I ordered a Spy Pen Radio, I think either from Honor House or Johnson Smith. Germanium diode, with a clip I could attach to the window frame or anything grounded, the “pen” tip slid in and out for tuning. Great late night listening from Boise I could pick up Night Sounds from Elgin Illinois. Came with a crystal earphone piece that was popular in many devices and you could also buy at Radio Shack (remember them?). Sparked a healthy interest in electronics for many of my generation. Hard to find a good walk in electronic parts store these days. And the ferrite loops…..turn a cheap radio into a power house instantly. Highly recommend C. Crane Company.
The beat way to setup a receiving antenna is a random wire if you can. get it off the ground at least to 20 feet. 30 feet is best. I would target 40 feet. That will work from 160 meters to Noaa radio frequency Then a piece of R 59 coax run into the home. This will help to insulate the house hold noise coming from tv’s or lights etc. Then if you want to improve even more use an antenna tuner. Use a manual tuner. This can greatly improve your reception on individual bands. You will need to adjust for the highest noise level on the band. It’s not rocket science. Your coax connector (pl-59)will connect to the antenna tuner. Then just a single wire to your receiver from your antenna tuner will work. Don’t sell the farm. Just get a small tuner. And you’re in business. this will increase your reception by 70 percent or even more. During lightening make sure to disconnect the antenna coax. Statice electricity can build and discharge into your receiver. Not good! Thanks for the article.
I Like that AM loop, Do you run that loop to a ground? I use a AM antenna Grounded Loop, What it is. simple description you have a Loop with one end of the wire going to Ground the other end gets extended out to a attachment point, Tree, or a fence, some where off of the ground. I have two sizes a home unit and also a smaller mobile sized am antenna. that is the simple description. I take a length of wire, can be 20gauge copper wire, on one end I wrap it about 5 times making 5 each loops about 6″ inch diameter loops, I then put three wraps of tape around the Loops to keep the loops together and hold them in place. There should be two ends of wire with the loops some where in the middle of the length of wire, One of the wires coming off of the loop I have enough wire to run that to a ground, that can either go out a window to a ground rod pushed into the earth, Or I can also use the Houses existing Ground wiring, I have a wiring Checker that plugs into the receptacle that checks that the receptacle that it has been wired correctly and that it has a good ground. This tells you if your house, one) has the receptacle been wired correctly, and, two) if the houses wiring has a ground in the receptacle. Older houses may Not be wired correctly or my not have a 3rd prong grounded receptacle wiring in the house, or could have the 3rd prong But No ground wire. I think 1965 or later, maybe OK but some don’t, have a separate ground any way you still need to make sure the wiring has been done correctly.
Folks in North America are fortunate in Radio twiddling at least – In southern England anyway the ‘ medium wave ‘ now only consists of just BBc Radio 5 on 693 & 909, Talksport on 1053 1089 & 1107 frequencies, Classic Rock on 1215 & 1224 and BBC Radio Wales on 882. Oh – and the Gold ( same tunes from the 60s & 70s on repeat ) station on 828 . Nothing else in English is even broadcast . Even the homogeneous BBC ‘ local ‘ radio stations have ceased AM transmissions. So there’s not a lot to fish for anymore ( until I learn Spanish,Portuguese, French or Dutch for when the Ionosphere kicks in after dark. ) This will help my reception of said BBC Wales though and because we’re bang centre between the national transmitters of above stations it may help the awful fade-out or same frequency battle between the masts 100 miles in either direction. ( London & Devon ) 😁Regards from Wessex
I got this radio delivered today. I took it outdoors tonight and wow! It did extremely well on FM, AM and SW. It sounds great for it’s size and honestly in my opinion it outprformed my Retekess V115, at least in my location. The headphones sounded great as well. For the price, I highly recommend. It might not compete with a higher end radio more expensive but I am very pleased. It would be nice to have a lighted dial, but otherwise it’s a win for me.
The Tecsun loop has helped me null out horrible static from our satellite receiver box and improve my listening considerably on my favorite daytime and nighttime AM stations! Thank God! Early evening listening has been very frustrating lately but now the problem is solved. It boosts the weak daytime station a lot when I go into another room away from the static so these things do work very well for their size. It also helps to null the static and make the daytime station listenable in my room when I turn it at an angle and tune it off frequency. I was also able to pull in 710 KEEL out of Shreveport today and normally I can`t hear it at all here near Alexandria over 100 miles away and this was INDOORS!
I’ve had the Grundig version of the AN-200 for years. Works a treat, but it can overload the antenna inputs of some radios when the included wire lead is attached. Inductive coupling, however, works fine. Did not know about the other two antennas. Will keep an eye out for them. Same with the Tecsun 9012 SW receiver. It gets good reviews online and is available at the usual sources for under $25.
What are the limits of a simple wire antenna setup for these portable SW radios? I currently have 60 feet on my PL-606, but half is indoors so I’m continually experimenting. Probably need a coax cable for indoors to reduce noise and the rest outside of my condo. Can dipole antennas work ok on these SW portables?
I’m trying to get better SW reception inside my apartment. I’ve got a mass market (Kaito maybe?) plug-in wire antenna on my Tecsun PL-880. It’s strung across my big window facing outside. I asked some radio people on reddit how I could improve indoors SW reception; theys aid something about a “magnetic loop”. I assume that is different from the Tecsun MW loop antenna featured in this article?
Hi Todderbert . I enjoy very much your shows with radios . Regarding 3.5 Jack out from de base of Tecsun AN-200 antenna. I have found that signal out jack can also work asa an input signal from an external antenna with substantial signal improvment. Practicaly you tranform AN-200 in to a virtual AM imput Antenna on an radio without this future . I have made a short article with this future and uplode on my Youtube account . Best regards
Would the AM LOOP antenna ( an200 ) work with an SDR dongle. I’m getting an upconverter for my noelec SDR to be able to listen to MW and SW ( my dongle only handles 25Mhz upwards ) . I don’t knowif I’ll be able to hear anything with the SDR once I get the upconverter ( its a ham it up clone I think ) so I’m looking at things I might need to get hold of.
Hello. I’m not sure if you could help me. I just got the AN-200 antenna. The wire that I got with the antenna that would plug into the antenna at one end and then plug into the radio at the other end has only one plug at one end and two wires at the other end. If I were to order another wire/cable would you know what I should look for as a search? Thank you for any help! 🙂
I solved the satellite box static in the house. It was the box in my room. I unplugged it. Now I have no more static to deal with. I can hear 710 out of Shreveport now (over 100 miles away) and New Orleans 870 at 168 miles away using a Tecsun AN-200 loop. Anyone who`s serious about AM radio should get one of these. They have all sorts of uses from boosting signals to nulling out static in the home to nulling out other strong stations that interfere with weaker ones. They also kill display interference when using digital radios.
I’ve used the AN200 loop for over a decade. The only complaint I have is that this really needs a 3:1 reduction tuning gear (or a trimmer capacitor tuner) and some sort of backlash prevention. A heavier base wouldn’t be bad either. Something like a wooden lazy susan with a removable mount and a compass would be a great addition as well.
Where and how do you stretch the cm antenna.out,I live in a apt.I open for any ideas,now the loop antenna for am is a lot easyer to work with I bought both from your recommendation,and both seem to work,I am still trying.different ways to use the fm.antenna.both of my antennas are under the tecsun label,I seen others use the name .I bought one of the th antennas.,on Ali express for about a third of the price,it only could clip to the antenna.
Good article, you covered a subject seldom tackled. There seems to be at lease three “reel” type antennas, the one you demo’ed, along with one by Sangean and another by C. Crane, the C. Crane is somewhat more $$ and claims to have a capacitor in it to improve reception on parts of the band, do you have any experience with the C. Crane reel type antenna?
After hunting down…and not eliminating….all the am noise sources in my house and street (found a few noisy led bulbs, swapped for quieter led bulbs). I took an interesting tack: A 4x4foot tent (kids teepee, walmart, $20) 40 ft outside the house, in the woods. With Sangean DT-200X: major improvement in sound quality (which is already very good). With SONY ICF-P26: better audio quality, many more websites……and the in-radio antenna/bar was more directional (??). So…add a bug-proof/rain-proof pup tent to the list of things to improve AM reception (near the woods)!
Thank you TB for your great review and demonstration. Just lovely! REALLY fun. I am very inspired to get one. Just a couple of (after-the-fact) suggestions: a) Put Tecsun AN-200 in the title for search purposes here on YouTube and b) demonstrate using the external jack / plug-in feature of the antenna with either a clip to the whip of a radio or to a radio that has an external MW antenna jack. But again: Great review, and very easy to hear the difference, and also the additional things you can do like notching in/out nearby stations etc.
. Just ordered the FM extender for a “problem” radio I’ve been dealing with for MANY years. LOVE the very simple “installation”, and even if it ends up not being the exact solution to my problem, WELL worth the “risk” at only $6.99, including shipping! THANK YOU very much for making me aware that a great (from all indications) product like this even exists! .
I used the Tecson Loop with mixed results. I used the CCrane Twin-Ferrite with amplifier using the bar instead of the antenna hook up. I connected the Tecson loop directly to the CCradio using the Tecson cord. I laid the CCrane bar in the middle of the loop. What I found – you get more adjacent signal rejecting using this set up; however, a direct connect to the radio with the amplifier alone provides a louder signal overall.
You bet. I tend to get a clip. And add 5 meters of hook up wire. Not as good as a reel. #2 I get a bfo and mix it’s signal and it gets SSB real easy. Last night our first night out. The R9012 went to town. Calls from northern Canada and the Carolinas., Ohio to oklahoma, so an investment in a out board antenna is cheep and smart. Tks for good show.
Returning to MW DX and used a Tecsun PL-310 on a recent camping trip. Being summer there was some static, but brought back the fun enough for me to purchase a PL-360. I discovered a Radio Shack passive loop in an old desk. I live in Chicago suburbs with a house full of TV’s, cable boxes, computers and power lines running along the back lot line. On MW, day nor night, frequencies other than local stations are simply hash, day or night no matter the season. Anyone have any solutions or maybe I fan park by the park in winter? Thanks for very interesting article and pdf file!
I bought this same induction field antenna back in the 80’s. Radio shack made it. Exactly the same only it was blue. I mean exactly. With tunable capacitance. How things stay the same. I used to bread-board my circuits with components from the shack. It was the only place I could go. Very old technology. I’m 55 years old now. Fun to see a young guy get excited over what has gone before 😆 nothing new. WWII used such things. How funny. All things change except for the electro magnetic spectrum. Haha
Hmmmmmmmm… I have a Retekess V115 AM/FM/Shortwave radio, and the Kaito retractable antenna intrigues me. My radio doesn’t have an external antenna jack, so (unless it uses an internal antenna for shortwave reception) I could use that antenna to boost reception. This would be awesome, as I don’t pick up a damn thing inside my apartment.
This antenna you shown the telescopic one is good for small radios.i use to work on them old to new.untill I moved still have some the rest gone.but some new ones don’t work well since they are cheap and go around a way to make it not work well.i have a realistic radio that works well and picks up good maybe someday a picture of it to you if I can send it.
Glad I saw this! Great quick review of an interesting product. 😁👌👍I have a silly little old early 80’s clock radio that has NO antenna. 🚫📡There are no ports, jacks or leads on the back either. I have to fiddle with the dang thing, turning it in strange positions hanging it with wire and it has to be juxtaposed to the extension cord just right too. Then when I walk away it gets better for about a minute then it’s like ‘rinse and repeat’ ( I guess I’m a sucker, I could use a better radio, probably should, I need to ask myself, am I really having fun?🤔🤙 maybe this thing would work with this but the question would be where to attach it. I should get one of these for my stereo and try it out.
Hello. I viewed your article after looking at the Sangean ANT-60 Short Wave Antenna on amazon. I have a Tecsun with a wire antenna that I’ve attached to a window. The more I look at it, this product seems the same as that antenna, only that the wire is on a spool. Am I missing something? My reception is poor to average much of the time, which makes it hard for me to enjoy my SW, so I’m looking for any improvement short of buying a more expensive model. I’m in the Midwest. Thanks.
That looks a lot like the C Crane Skywave I have. I’m trying to learn how to improve the Skywave’s FM reception. So I could take some 18g wire, put it on my roof, run it through my window where the radio is, and use a gator clip to clip the wire to the antenna. Does the wire have to be in a loop or can it be just a single wire going up to the roof?
Thank you for the demonstration and tutorial. I just bought one of the Tecsun AN-200 antennas to use with my Realistic DX- 392. I had read that the connected wire type antennas could send a static electricity jolt to the internals causing damage and I want to avoid that if possible. Would I be taking a chance of that happening with the AN-200 hooked up to the antenna jack?
what can one do to connect an antenna to one of these newer type portable am/fm bluetooth radios that have the black wire ‘antenna’ coming out the back? i thought maybe i might in some way attach the wire ‘antenna’ to a small steel 24″ retractable antenna, and tape it to the back of the radio. or get a more expensive ($93) model that comes w/ nice little legs to set on the table beside the radio. are these wire ‘antennae’ on radios these days actually better than the old steel retractables? the same? or not as good? thanks! : ) btw, i have been unable to find ANY info on these wire antennas coming out from the back of radios of late!
Great info, I’m a Amateur Radio operator. I recently got a Sangean ATS-909X2, I also have a GP-5/SSB from Countycomm. I can also use my Yaesu 991A HF rig to listen to shortwave via my 80-10 meter end fed half wave antenna. I was curious if you can plug in the AM loop antenna to the radio rather than sitting it next to it for tuning.
I would like if you did reviews of stereo antennas and how-to vids like you do tv antennae. When I bought my range experts 1500 based on your recommendation I picked up an FM rooftop antenna for like $20 on Amazon and it’s been awesome. I’d like to see what better options are out there and I think others would love to see the reviews as well.
If you are going for good long range on FM radio mount the antenna vertical not horizontal since many FM radio stations concentrate on vertical polarity for mobile reception not horizontal polarity like they once did back in the 60’s 70’s and early 80’s. In some cases you may get a very good signal on vertical polarity but nothing at all on horizontal polarity with some radio stations.
My dad had a 12ft paralog FM antenna years ago on a rotor up 20 ft. We had a flat terrain with no interference. Fantastic product when you’re in the fringe and need to pick up distance stations well. Worked like a champ. But it doesn’t work well in my current location with many local transmitters. I wanted good reception from a station 70mi away. The big antenna, even at 30 ft, didn’t work because of signal overload by local stations. I got one of those cheap S shaped antennas and walked around my yard and found one area, where the station came in noise free. I mounted it on a small pole, 3ft elevation where the signal was the strongest. It was a great signal for years!! It worked there ONLY because I have many 100 ft. pine trees which CAN reflect signals from higher levels right down into my yard! IF you have tall trees between you and the station try to find a reflected signal with a small antenna by just roaming around your yard before spending a lot of money on a big antenna. Back when I was in a dorm, I was one of the few students to pick up stations 110 mi away fairly well. Many years later I realized I was getting a signal bounced from the top of a high water tower. My dorm room was in the RIGHT spot for that reflection! I had to run coax to the other students that were at the same elevation, but couldn’t get the stations. I use the same trick for a TV station I enjoy that also comes from 70 mi away. My TV antenna for that station is roughly 10 ft high and positioned for a reflected signal from a distant tree.
Back in the 1970’s &80’s the music content on FM was so much better, I had bought and put up a 6 element FM beam antenna, no problem getting local and more distant FM stations. Today with all the low power stations on the air having a good beam FM antenna is an excellent Idea! You chances of finding good stations is too.
I have a Radio Shack 6 Element directional Antenna connected to an Optimus STAV 3570 Receiver. It still works great I got it off eBay, but I had one like it years ago. I lived in town and had to get permission from the HOA. Then we moved out away from town I then had a Tower with a website Master 1160 I think was the model. I wish you could get that model and test it out that would be grate.
Given the lack of premium grade FM stations, some would say why bother. There are those who still listen to FM despite it’s shortcomings. This review was a bit short on content. I would have appreciated a more in-depth review. Come on guy. Give us a real review and not just an opinion. Your reviews matter to those of us who still do the antenna thing.
Back in 1978 I bought Radio Shack’s 10 element FM yagi. Growing up on the shore of Lake Erie, 17 miles west of downtown Cleveland, I would experience tropospheric ducting across the water in warm weather months. When conditions were right Detroit would boom in. Sometimes Buffalo and even Toronto FM. That about 200 miles. I would say when the conditions were not enhanced (most of the time) it was rock solid 75+ miles on your better class B FM stations. Unfortunately, that part of the country has no class C stations. It was too band crowded for class C.
Tyler. I am for the first time EVER giving you a thumbs down. I understand creators need sponsor. You make a article and get a sponsor. This is not that. Thos is a commercial. There is no content. There is no review. There’s no testing. There’s no opinions. I am disappointed in you. I have been a big fan of your website. On the CDVR forums we love sharing your articles. This sucks. Please delete thos article off your website. It’s just a commercial. Please delete thos article amd remake it with a proper review.