bsacco Posted July 5, 2004 Share Posted July 5, 2004 I'm wondering if there is a difference between the Radio Shack High-Gain Amplified AM/FM Antenna for $25 or say a Terk or any other more expensive brand. Does any Forum members have any suggestions or experience with these brands? THanks- bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted July 5, 2004 Share Posted July 5, 2004 I think you would do as well with a folded dipole for the FM and a long piece of wire for the AM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milton10 Posted July 6, 2004 Share Posted July 6, 2004 Hi Bob, Unless you put a large outside antenna up, I have found that a simple dipole works as good as anything. I have tried the expensive Terk antennas with no luck. There is no magic here, your best options are outdoors, as high up as you can go, and pointed in the direction of your source station. Milton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bsacco Posted July 6, 2004 Author Share Posted July 6, 2004 thanks, that makes sense...now I'm trying to choose among three different brands, Fanfare Omni directional whip, Terk FMPRo (FM-50), or just a regular FM antenna on top of the house (TV antenna type). The Fanfare is non-amplified (http://www.ccrane.com/fanfare-fm-antenna.aspx) the Terk is amplified http://www.terk.com/pdfs/FM50.pdf. I was wondering if amplifying the antenna really works? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted July 6, 2004 Share Posted July 6, 2004 If an outside antenna is an option, then I would definitely recommend that you go with that for the FM. Amplifiers do increase the signal level. And you can use an amplifier with an outdoor antenna as well as an indoor antenna. But they also inject a little noise of their own into the signal. Best to avoid one if you can. If the stations you want to listen to are in different directions, you will need an omnidirectional antenna, or a directional antenna and a rotor. If you already have a TV antenna, it may be designed for FM as well. If not, one option would be to replace it with one that is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milton10 Posted July 6, 2004 Share Posted July 6, 2004 I have had my best results using a directional antenna that is non-amplified. Amplification will also make noise more apparant. I have never used one, but a nice directional antenna that is motorized seems ideal. Good luck! Milton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted July 6, 2004 Moderators Share Posted July 6, 2004 someone gave me a Terk Edge it does NOT WORK,OUT SIDE standard tv type with coaxial cable picked up stations 100 miles away.I just unplug in bad weather< lightning >. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelman Posted July 6, 2004 Share Posted July 6, 2004 Do not buy a terk! A complete rip off at half off the price on ebay or free even. You would have better results with just a thin wire dangling down than one of those piece of junks. They should be sued. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bsacco Posted July 6, 2004 Author Share Posted July 6, 2004 Yeah, I heard that about Terk... The Tuner is a major part of a HT system and getting a good signal is imparative. It's a slippery slope when researching antennas, manufactures of these indoor solutions don't give you the truth. Terk is distributed at all Target stores...nice distribution...targeting women buyers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelman Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 I get phenominal fm reception. I live on top of a hill plus I use my old outdoor tv antenna thats about twenty feet high give or take to pull them in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elgrillo Posted July 9, 2004 Share Posted July 9, 2004 I just went throught the antenna fiasco and found that the best antenna were the cheapo radio shack ones. Well at least for indoors that is. I tried the expensive amplified ones, and the Zenith silver sensor, but no dice. I live in an apartment and couldn't use an outdoor antenna, but the best combo I found was a double bow tie for UHF and the rabbit ears for VHF. Actually I only needed the rabbit ears for ABC, the rest came in fine with the bow tie. I then got the $5 combo thing to connect both antennas and perfect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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