Build a powerful antenna for a home radio
September 24, 2009 by Admin
Filed under Radio Antennas
I have a normal home radio. There are a lot of good radio stations around my area, but I can not hear them clearly.
Can somebody tell how to build a more powerful antenna for my radio? I already tried to use wires and metal objects but none of them worked for me.
AM or FM — it makes a difference!
For FM, you can use a TV antenna on a mast with a rotor. The FM band is in the middle of the VHF TV band (Channel 6 is actually in the low part of the FM band, and you can hear it if you live near a Channel 6 station). You can get antennas that will work up to 150 miles with a tall mast and rotor to pinpoint the station. Not easy to build your own antenna for these frequencies.
For AM, you can get a loop antenna that couples into your existing set without having to find where to wire it in. The link to Radio Shack shows one that could do the job. It rotates easily so you can change stations easily.
If you have an AM antenna connection into your radio, you can use a long wire antenna. It is just what it sounds like — a long wire of several hundred feet, suspended above the ground at least 3 feet. You’d want to put it so the long wire is at 90 degrees from the station you want. Of course, this is nearly impossible to rotate and change the direction of the best reception. But it is relatively cheap (especially if you can find some free or cheap wire)…