WMcD Posted December 4, 2001 Share Posted December 4, 2001 Does anyone here track FM receiver performance? I have a tough reception problem. My office is in Chicago's Loop. I'm about two blocks from Sears Tower and 2 miles from the Hancock. Both house major transmitters. I like to listen to WDCB, the PBS station in the suburbs. Low power and far away. So far, I find that a 1970 table radio picks it up with some problems. Walkman types don't. The old home receiver doesn't. The local showrooms are really not set up to allow demos for this problem. I read about good performance from older McIntosh equipment but they are are really out of the question because of price. For all the advances in HT and the like, I've not seen manufacturer discussing FM reception in difficult conditions like this. Probably adjacent channel performance is the grail. My guess is that these days, most manufacturers throw in a common chip which is enought to pick up the local rock station. So I'm looking for something optimized. Any observations would be welcome. Two channel is all I need. Gil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avman Posted December 5, 2001 Share Posted December 5, 2001 sorry to hear that you're having reception problems, it seems some of the older-much older-tuners/receivers actually had better tuning characteristics than today's offerings...marantz used to have some great tuner sections, but i don't know about today's product,and the best route to take is to get the right antenna for your application. there in lies the challenge...trial and error. try radio shack and keep the receipt, you may have to try several antennas. a 'beam-and-element' type antenna can give you exceptional gain, AND is somewhat directional, but for best reception should be attic mounted, or outside. TERK makes a variety of antennas w/powered boosters, and some of those can be used in a directional manner. hoping you find a solution,avman. ------------------ 1-pair klf 30's c-7 center ksps-6 surrounds sony strda-777ES receiver upgraded to v.2.02 including virtual matrix 6.1 sony playstation 2 dishnetwork model 7200 dishplayer satellite receiver/digital bitstream recorder pioneer dvd player sharp 32"tv and sharp xv-z1u lcd projector panamax max dbs+5 surge protector/power conditioner monster cable interconnects/12 gua.speaker wire a 'teens' sub coming!(RSW-15 LOOKIN'GOOD!) KLIPSCH-So Good It Hz! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avman Posted December 6, 2001 Share Posted December 6, 2001 ------------------ 1-pair klf 30's c-7 center ksps-6 surrounds sony strda-777ES receiver upgraded to v.2.02 including virtual matrix 6.1 sony playstation 2 dishnetwork model 7200 dishplayer satellite receiver/digital bitstream recorder pioneer dvd player sharp 32"tv and sharp xv-z1u lcd projector panamax max dbs+5 surge protector/power conditioner monster cable interconnects/12 gua.speaker wire a 'teens' sub coming!(RSW-15 LOOKIN'GOOD!) KLIPSCH-So Good It Hz! This message has been edited by avman on 12-06-2001 at 05:27 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted December 7, 2001 Share Posted December 7, 2001 if you have your own attic, you should be able to string a whopper of an antenna from one end to the other, though reception will depend on the axis of the line to the transmission direction of the station ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arco Posted December 7, 2001 Share Posted December 7, 2001 William, I think that your problem may well be solved by a good antenna contractor. What you need is a multi-element motorized directional FM antenna. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted December 7, 2001 Author Share Posted December 7, 2001 Thanks for the responses. This is an office, hence no attic. Making things worse, the big, only, window faces east and the station is to the west. Therefore I think it is simply a matter of adjacent and alternate channel filter performance in the receiver. I'll have to poke around the internet to discover such parameters for receivers. Regards, Gil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boa12 Posted December 8, 2001 Share Posted December 8, 2001 gil, i remember a a lil indoor FM antenna box made by BIC a while back but after looking on the web looks like they're discontinued. saw this though http://www.antennaperformance.com/fm.html interesting, & some people think those cylinder subs are obtrusive ------------------ My Home Systems Page Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olaf Posted December 8, 2001 Share Posted December 8, 2001 Several years ago I bought an indoor ampified antenna called a 'Pi.' I can't remember the exact specs on it but it increases the reception by xxx amount of decibels. What it looks like is a pie pan about 8 inches across and about 1 1/2" thick that swivels and moves back and forth. It has a pair of rabbit ears that you can adjust for best reception. About 6 weeks ago I bought an old 'Sherwood'tuner off e-bay for $30 because I was buying a new integrated amp. I hooked to my old Onkyo just to test it and it blew the Onkyo's tuner away. Check e-bay for older tuners. I got that one for a song and I'm sure there are more tuner bargains to be had. An indoor ampified antenna could be all you may need. The 'Pi' works really well but I don't know if they still make them. There must be other alternatives A. A.s though. I enjoy lisyening to PBS too because one of our local stations plays a lot of jazz. Even though the it is about 60 miles away,it used to come really good. Then about a month ago they decided to improve it by increasing the wattage and going all digital. Now it's nothing but noise and static and unlistenable. I wish they would have left well enough alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huhuru Posted December 8, 2001 Share Posted December 8, 2001 Gil I live in the Western Suburbs and listen to WDCB 90.9 allday. You are really missing the good jazz. I can hear WNUA 95.5 but at times there is static interference. I recently emailed Terk Tech Support and they indicated that their Terk FM Pro Indoor/Outdoor antenna would solve the problem. They are mailing additional information to me. Suggest you email them at zgarsik@terk.com. ATTN: Zac Garsik, Tech Support Manager. Good Luck/Klips This message has been edited by Huhuru on 12-08-2001 at 05:16 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted December 8, 2001 Author Share Posted December 8, 2001 Thanks for the responses. This morning I bought a Sony mini-system at the showroom on Michigan Avenue. An RB-5. The main unit is about the size of a shoe box and is a receiver plus CD player. One clincher was the its speakers are rated 4 ohms. I hooked it up to the Forte II at the office. The distant PBS station comes in well. It is a bit touchy about antenna placement. The antenna being a hank of wire. It drives the Forte II s very well. I can't imagine audio gets better than this unless you figure in HT. Regards, Gil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clint Phare Posted December 9, 2001 Share Posted December 9, 2001 Many years ago there was alot of talk about how good C. Crane antennas were. I can't remember if it was there AM or FM which was considered very good. Browse through their site and see if there is anything that can help you http://www.ccrane.com/radios_and_antennas_index.asp Is Studs Terkel still doing a show on Public radio in Chicago? He is a great story teller! ------------------ Just who is Dylan's Jokerman anyways? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cc1091 Posted December 9, 2001 Share Posted December 9, 2001 Given that Audio Advisor (www.audioadvisor.com) sells a lot of quirky and factory rehab equipment, they also sell a few good (and hard to find) FM tuners and analog turntables. Though it sounds like you have already found somewhat of a solution, the word that I have always heard was that Magnum Dynalab mad the absolute best FM tuners (Magnum Dynalab was to FM tuners what Nakamichi was to stereo cassette recorders). Even if you have already purchased a tuner or have no desire to spend the $1000 plus dollars on a Magnum Dynalab tuner, they also offer a device they call a "Signal Sleuth" that is supposed to clean-up and amplify Fm signals (including multipath distortions). I've never tried the device, but it sounds like it is just what you need. Only $350. Not sure what AA's return policy is in case you're not satisfied. hey also list FM antennas on their website. I wouldn't recommend purchasing any equipment from them though. Most of their Adcom stuff I can get from my local high volume dealer for less. I did buy my MIT speaker cable from them though because it was about a third of what my local high-end stereo store was selling it for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted December 9, 2001 Author Share Posted December 9, 2001 Thanks for more antenna suggestions. Right now I'm as happy as a clam at high tide. This is a very nice unit. It drives the Forte II very well, no hiss. FM performance is good enough for my application. I'll have to find another use for the Sony speakers. Gil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted December 9, 2001 Author Share Posted December 9, 2001 Oh, I forgot. Yes, Studs is still around. He shows up from time to time. I like his stories and discussions, with some exceptions. One time, it sounded to me like he had dubbed in some comments after his interview of a guest to show superior wit. It seemed to me that Groucho used to do the same. (I love my cigar . . .) That sort of thing is annoying. None the less, his a good recounter of history in general and social history in particular. Gil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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