Seeking recommendations for an a.m. radio antenna

I want to improve my a.m. radio reception and am seeking advice on purchasing a new antenna (do you own one? Is it effective?) as well as how to improve the signal in my home. I figured this would be a great place to ask!

PrettySquareGal said:

I want to improve my a.m. radio reception and am seeking advice on purchasing a new antenna (do you own one? Is it effective?) as well as how to improve the signal in my home. I figured this would be a great place to ask!

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The most effective AM radio antenna is about fifty feet of 22 gague bare copper wire, with insulators at each end, strung as high as possible on a rooftop or between the edge of the house and a tree or pole. Solder the lead-in wire before the insulator at the closest end to the house, run it down the side of the wall with nail-and-knob insulators and thru a small hole drilled in the corner of the windowsill to the set. Be sure to connect a grounded lightning arrestor before the lead-in wire enters the house!

Most every pre-war console radio used this type of aerial, and it's still the best choice for permanent installations.

Failing this, you can make your own loop antenna using insulated wire and a wooden or cardboard form, and get reasonably good results. A good illustrated plan for making one can be found here.

There are also pre-made "active" antenna units which usually use some type of whip or loop antenna connected to a small RF amplifier. These can be effective too, and might be the best bet if you don't want to mess around with making your own. Do a search for "active antenna" and you should find several options -- but be sure the one you like covers the medium-wave band, 540 kc to 1700 kc, and not just the shortwaves.

The biggest problem facing AM reception in modern homes is spurious RF emissions from florescent light ballasts and miniature power supplies. The common "wall wart" power supply units used for computer peripherals are notorious for hashing the AM band, and if you have a loud buzz interfering with your reception you should, one by one, unplug every modern electronic device in your house until it disappears. I had this problem for a long time, and finally tracked it down to my DVD player -- which now, I simply keep unplugged unless I'm actually using it. End of problem.

A lot of this noise travels along the AC power lines, so you might be able to avoid it by ensuring the offending device and your radio aren't plugged into the same line. Experiment with your fuse or breaker box to determine this.

"Smart Meters" are notorious for causing loud, violent interference with AM radio signals. I know you don't have one, but you can still pick up the static from neighboring meters if you live in a closely-spaced neighborhood. I have this problem, and there isn't much I can do about it except complain to CMP at every opportunity.

Bad transformers on an electrical pole can cause static as well -- if you've eliminated every possible source of interference in your home, call the power company and have them check their nearby transformers. They're required by law to respond to such complaints, so if you don't get immediate action, make a pest of yourself until they do.

Thanks, Lizzie!!

My house (built in 1952) has an antenna on the rooftop, but it must be some or all of the things you stated, one of which I'm certain is neighboring smart meters. However, most of my a.m. radios are battery operated, so that would, I assume, rule out the noise coming from the lines? But I had no idea fluorescent bulbs gave off RF?!? I have them in my kitchen (circular bulbs). I will try the process of elimination as you suggested to be sure. I was thinking of buying this:

http://www.amazon.com/Brookstone-AN200-Grundig-Antenna/dp/B003SVGJ9Y

Thanks for the tip about nearby transformers, too!

Yep, battery radios would be free of AC line interference unless, of course, you plug them in with an AC adapter. Flourescent lamps themselves don't create hash -- but cheap Chinese ballasts do, and that's pretty much all you can get nowadays.

Try throwing the breaker that runs to your kitchen and see if the hash disappears from the radio. That's the easiest way to be certain that it's coming from that light.

That antenna is basically the same thing as the homemade loop in the link I posted, just in a fancier design. "Passive" means it doesn't amplify the signal like an active antenna, but those can be be very effective in a good signal area because you can move them around to try and null out static.