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  1. #1
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    Question In search of a quality FM Antenna, even a DIY solution...

    So tell me, do any of you guys have experience with DIY antennas?

    As I mentioned in the tuner thread, I'm just using a simple folded dipole "T", and in fact just ordered another one that will be here this Friday along with the new to me Yamaha TX-1000 which is also arriving Friday. Yes, I ordered another one of these simple dipoles for now, but this one that I just ordered has the PAL F-connector built onto it. I was going to buy a 300 to 75 ohm adapter at RatShack which costs $6.99 + tax. I ordered the entire antenna on Amazon with free shipping for $5.99, and no tax! Yes, it's only one dollar, but it's also one less connection required.

    Anyway, I'm getting sidetracked here...

    For starters, the wall I have the dipole on faces north and south which is a good thing, as the two major cities the radio stations are coming from are to the east and west of me (Tampa & Orlando), and since these dipoles are directional, that works out to my advantage as my town in equal distance between the two, about 50 miles each way. Plus the fact of being roughly 25' above ground, being on the 3rd floor also helps.

    The reason I'm asking about DIY antennas is because even though some of these stations come in strong and clear, some of them come in strong but with a bit of static. Two of which come to mind, both in Tampa and not too far from each other either, as in literally right down the street from each other. Probably just a mile or two. One is 88.5 WMNF, with radiated power of 6,650 watts and elevation of 1539 feet. I get a full strength signal and it comes in crystal clear. Then right next to it is 89.7 WUSF with a radiated power of 69,000 watts and an elevation of 1033 feet. Again, a full strength signal, but with a bit of static.

    I'm guessing that maybe because my tuner (Yamaha TX-540) has no way of de-tuning and/or attenuating the signal, it's overloading the poor thing and causing distortion and such. I know for a fact it does that on a few of the other stations, but I could care less about them because they are only rap and hip-hop. Then again, since this is actually hiss/static and not distortion, I'm not too sure what the cause is.

    I eventually want something better than these standard, cheap dipoles, and possibly with a little gain without the use of amplification. I was considering the Magnum Dynalab ST-2, but I keep getting mixed reviews about it. It's omni-directional, so automatically it has less gain than the dipole. A lot of people say they get better results with the folded dipoles!

    I'm looking into something like a full bandwidth loop antenna, or even a cubical quad antenna, both of which can have an average gain of 3+ dB. That's supposed to be the equivalent of double the radiated power output of the station. This is good since an even stronger signal is a quieter signal in theory, and the TX-1000 has very high overload rejection. Plus, it has the ability to de-tune and/or attenuate the signal. Building one of these types of antennas would also help me pull in a couple of desirable yet weak stations that I used to listen to a long time ago. Oddly enough, I can pick them up in my car fairly decently, so I know they still play good music.

    BTW, being in an apartment, there's no option for an external antenna as much as I'd like one.

    So, if anyone has any suggestions, please feel free to pitch in!
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  2. #2
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    Re: In search of a quality FM Antenna, even a DIY solution...

    When I had my tuner set up (a restored Sansui TU-717), I first used the dipole T. I switched to one of those aluminum FM / TV antennas that are normally installed on a rooftop, but kept it indoors; the room had a high ceiling, so basically, it was like installing the antenna in the equivalent of an attic space.

    It had no gain, but I rigged it so that it could be turned, which made it directional, and that definitely helped with some stations. Other than that it wasn't a ton better than the "T". Just mentioning it because although you said you can't install an external antenna, it is possible to use one indoors (if you have the height and don't mind the looks).
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  3. #3
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    Re: In search of a quality FM Antenna, even a DIY solution...

    Chops,

    I was a Magnum Dynalab dealer back in the 80s. Their antenna was a mixed bag, at best. So was the Terk IIRC, although it was marginally better than the MD at the time.

    Never heard any indoor antenna that really got the job done.

    Back in the 70s, I was a tuner junkie, and had several high-end tuners and an antenna with rotors. On Sunday nights, the local PBS station would broadcast 15 ips copies of my master tapes and my LPs. I made the copies on my ReVox 15 ips half-track machine. The engineer was a friend/client of mine, and he carefully bypassed the compressors and gain riding circuits for that weekly broadcast.

    It was really interesting to compare various antennae & high-end tuners reproducing the broadcast of a source that I had in my listening room.

    Back then, the best antenna overall was probably the FM-4.

    Don't think it's available now.

    You might want to visit this page:

    http://www.pnwvhfs.org/articles/beyo...eyond_fm4.html

    While they focus on outdoor antennae, they are super knowledgeable about FM and one of their other articles may help.

    I had the apartment issue once, and was fortunate enough to get my FM-4 antenna mounted on the roof and the cable down several floors into to my apt. Couldn't rotate it, though....

    Good Luck!

    Jim
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  4. #4
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    Re: In search of a quality FM Antenna, even a DIY solution...

    Hey Charles, I am trying to find a good in door antenna choice myself. I tried a basic Terk, not good enough... a Magnum Dynalab SR100... pulled station ok, but was weird.. sharp wire strip edges, center rod had to be adjusted, but most importantly, really cheaply built... then I tried the Terk FM50, their top FM antenna. Works fine, but bulky, BIG, and will be hard to hide. Works fine behind window shad, but no place to put in new house. A Godar is suppose to arrive todäy, , maybe tomorrow... Dan and others rated it well in the past, but we will see. They advertise it as a top notch in doors antenna. We will see...
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  5. #5
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    Re: In search of a quality FM Antenna, even a DIY solution...

    Yeah, that probably wouldn't go over too well with my other half. Then again, I wouldn't like it much either myself. Even if we do have a 12' tall vaulted ceiling. Don't think that the thought hasn't crossed my mine at least once though. Haha

    Quote Originally Posted by Mrppv View Post
    When I had my tuner set up (a restored Sansui TU-717), I first used the dipole T. I switched to one of those aluminum FM / TV antennas that are normally installed on a rooftop, but kept it indoors; the room had a high ceiling, so basically, it was like installing the antenna in the equivalent of an attic space.

    It had no gain, but I rigged it so that it could be turned, which made it directional, and that definitely helped with some stations. Other than that it wasn't a ton better than the "T". Just mentioning it because although you said you can't install an external antenna, it is possible to use one indoors (if you have the height and don't mind the looks).


    Jim, that's similar to what my father used to do when we lived up in East Hartford, CT. An NPR station up there (don't know where it was located) used to broadcast a show called Pipedreams, which of course all they played was pipe organ music from all around the world. At the time he had a Technics ST-8077 tuner and their broadcast quality was excellent, so he used to record them on his one of several Nakamichi 680DX or 682DX cassette decks. To this day, I still listen to those cassettes, and they still sound excellent, like they were recorded off of vinyl. And there's well over 50 of those tapes, all Maxell UD XL II's.

    I'll look into that site and see if there's anything of any value towards what I want to do. Thanks!

    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Smith View Post
    Chops,

    I was a Magnum Dynalab dealer back in the 80s. Their antenna was a mixed bag, at best. So was the Terk IIRC, although it was marginally better than the MD at the time.

    Never heard any indoor antenna that really got the job done.

    Back in the 70s, I was a tuner junkie, and had several high-end tuners and an antenna with rotors. On Sunday nights, the local PBS station would broadcast 15 ips copies of my master tapes and my LPs. I made the copies on my ReVox 15 ips half-track machine. The engineer was a friend/client of mine, and he carefully bypassed the compressors and gain riding circuits for that weekly broadcast.

    It was really interesting to compare various antennae & high-end tuners reproducing the broadcast of a source that I had in my listening room.

    Back then, the best antenna overall was probably the FM-4.

    Don't think it's available now.

    You might want to visit this page:

    http://www.pnwvhfs.org/articles/beyo...eyond_fm4.html

    While they focus on outdoor antennae, they are super knowledgeable about FM and one of their other articles may help.

    I had the apartment issue once, and was fortunate enough to get my FM-4 antenna mounted on the roof and the cable down several floors into to my apt. Couldn't rotate it, though....

    Good Luck!

    Jim


    One of my brothers had a Parsec LS4 on his Carver TX-11a tuner. One of my other brothers had a BSR 16/2 which was basically a rebadged Parsec for his old Pioneer VSX-4400 receiver. And my other brother had a a Magnum Dynalab SR100 for his Sansui TU-D99x tuner. Throughout the entire time, my father on the other hand only used a very basic "T" dipole thumb tacked to the back of this stereo cabinet. None of them seemed to outperform the other.

    Oh, I almost forgot to mention, as all of this took place back in the mid to late 80's, I too was in on the game. At the time, I had my oldest brother's hand-me-down Technics SA-5170 receiver. Since I didn't have an antenna when I was handed that receiver, I found an old 15' white extension cord, cut both ends off, split it about half way down the middle and tacked it up on the wall, stripped the other end and connected them to the receiver. I obviously didn't have a clue what I was doing but figured that if it was bigger, it was going to be better. I was only 10 or 12 at the time... What did I know?! LOL

    Quote Originally Posted by Randy Myers View Post
    Hey Charles, I am trying to find a good in door antenna choice myself. I tried a basic Terk, not good enough... a Magnum Dynalab SR100... pulled station ok, but was weird.. sharp wire strip edges, center rod had to be adjusted, but most importantly, really cheaply built... then I tried the Terk FM50, their top FM antenna. Works fine, but bulky, BIG, and will be hard to hide. Works fine behind window shad, but no place to put in new house. A Godar is suppose to arrive todäy, , maybe tomorrow... Dan and others rated it well in the past, but we will see. They advertise it as a top notch in doors antenna. We will see...
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  6. #6
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    Re: In search of a quality FM Antenna, even a DIY solution...

    So the Godar FM-1A arrived. Within a few minutes it was obvious that it is not going to work . Way too directional, to a point where it is hard to get stations I have been receiving. AD taking it back no questions asked of course ... but dang i wanted it to work. No one seems to have the ST-2 in stock, or the Fanfare for that matter.... may have to try the Godar version of this type of antenna...
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  7. #7
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    Re: In search of a quality FM Antenna, even a DIY solution...

    With help of friends and research determined that Metz Communications builds the ST-2. I was able to order their model 288 which appears to be the same unit as the ST-2 with the Metz name on it
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    "You can't use reason to convince anyone out of an argument that they didn't use reason to get into"
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  8. #8
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    Re: In search of a quality FM Antenna, even a DIY solution...

    I use the T antennas from CCrane Co. They cost $39.99. I use them on my Rotel tuner from the 90s and a McIntosh MAC6700 receiver. I get great reception. I live in metro Detroit so I get stations from Detroit, Toledo, Windsor, and out laying stations in Canada with no problem.

  9. #9
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    Re: In search of a quality FM Antenna, even a DIY solution...

    I'm going back on a couple things here...

    First off, a correction. My oldest brother that had the Carver tuner, I said it was the TX-11a. Actually, it was just the TX-11, bought new in 1983 at the PX when he was stationed in Germany. However, I now have a mint TX-11a showing up this Friday!


    Secondly, even though I said the Magnum Dynalab ST-2 gets mixed reviews, I still ordered one anyway, which will also be here this Friday!


    Lastly, I ordered just a few minutes ago not one, but two C.Crane FM Reflect antennas. They seem to get pretty good reviews plus C.Crane is running a special on them for 43% off, making them $19.99 each! So why not?! LOL
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  10. #10
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    Re: In search of a quality FM Antenna, even a DIY solution...

    I have seen fairly much universal praise for the ST-2.
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  11. #11
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    Re: In search of a quality FM Antenna, even a DIY solution...

    The C.Crane FM Reflect antennas came in, and I got them temporarily installed. They look tacky with the tape holding them up! LOL

    With that said, I put the first one up on the front wall, just above the standard folded dipole so I could get some direct comparisons of the two.




    Even with the C.Crane antenna being nearly a full 12" shorter, the results are pretty good. More so than I was expecting!

    Here's a few samples...















    And here's where I have the other antenna placed. It definitely helps in a big was on two or three stations where the one up front seems to not do too well.





    And the Yamaha in its final resting place.



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    Re: In search of a quality FM Antenna, even a DIY solution...

    Nice.... glad it seems to be helping.... I assume your wife will string you up if you have tape and antenna hanging all over the wall like that. My wife would definitely want it changed ....

    hopefully my ST-2 will be arriving tomorrow! Then hopefully this antenna thing can be put to bed.
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    "You can't use reason to convince anyone out of an argument that they didn't use reason to get into"
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  13. #13
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    Re: In search of a quality FM Antenna, even a DIY solution...

    She has all of her weird pictures and art that she hangs up everywhere else, and she knows how I am with stereo equipment and music, so she usually leaves me be. Granted, I don't even like the way this looks, so it will be tweaked. The important thing is, they work! And being that dipoles are somewhat directional, they may end up performing better than the ST-2. I guess I'll find that out Friday evening.

    Quote Originally Posted by Randy Myers View Post
    Nice.... glad it seems to be helping.... I assume your wife will string you up if you have tape and antenna hanging all over the wall like that. My wife would definitely want it changed ....

    hopefully my ST-2 will be arriving tomorrow! Then hopefully this antenna thing can be put to bed.
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    Re: In search of a quality FM Antenna, even a DIY solution...

    Cool beans.... let me know. I know the Godar that I have and am returning when the label arrives is directional. I do not like it because I had to constantly fiddle with it. I am hoping that the ST-2 pull in all I want at a high signal without having to mess with it. That is what everybody seems to say about it, so i guess we will see ....
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    "You can't use reason to convince anyone out of an argument that they didn't use reason to get into"
    ― Neil deGrasse Tyson

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    Re: In search of a quality FM Antenna, even a DIY solution...

    I was doing a little "DXing" about an hour ago, and picked up a country station (92.7 WAVW) which is 140 miles away in Stuart, FL!

    Granted, it was in mono with a little bit of static, but it would occasionally flicker the first segment on the meter. That was on antenna "A" which is the one that faces north/south over the sliding glass doors.
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    Re: In search of a quality FM Antenna, even a DIY solution...

    You are trying to get me to pick up a TM-1 and have two tuners with different antennas, aren't you .... That is very cool Charles... sounds like you are having fun with it... nice seeing you back into your audio... was starting to think those exhaust fumes were getting to you ...
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    Re: In search of a quality FM Antenna, even a DIY solution...

    Charles.......The differences in signal strength between the standard throw-away dipole antenna and the C. Crane FM Reflect antenna is substantial and impressive, especially on the 104.7 station. Every comparison clearly shows a superior antenna in use. I am going to order the C. Crane FM Reflect antenna for my Tandberg 3011A tuner in the vintage system. Now you have me buying stuff. .
    Dan

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  18. #18
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    Re: In search of a quality FM Antenna, even a DIY solution...

    Nice job Charles....
    McIntosh C49, MC152, MR85, R778 | T+A DAC 8 DSD | KEF LS50 Meta w/S2, KC62 (x2) | Rega RP8, Ania Pro, NEO PSU | Technics SL-1500C | Audio Technica VM750ML | Hexmat Eclipse, Yellow Bird, Molekula, Molekula Mini | Pro-Ject VC-E | Falcon NW PC Server (Roon Core & HQPlayer) | Microsoft Surface Pro 6 (Roon Controller) | Abyss Diana Phi | Schiit Jotunheim 2 | Astell&Kern SE200 | Oppo BDP105

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  19. #19
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    Re: In search of a quality FM Antenna, even a DIY solution...

    Randy, I didn't even know what a TM-1 was until just a minute ago. Thank you, Google! Haha

    That's pretty cool that you can add another tuner module like that. All I've gotta say is, it couldn't hurt. As for being back into my system, I guess I was content with it for a bit as I had just bought the Z, which I was spending money and time on... And things still aren't installed on the darn thing.


    Quote Originally Posted by Randy Myers View Post
    You are trying to get me to pick up a TM-1 and have two tuners with different antennas, aren't you .... That is very cool Charles... sounds like you are having fun with it... nice seeing you back into your audio... was starting to think those exhaust fumes were getting to you ...


    Dan, the FM Reflect definitely is substantial and impressive. It doesn't make that big off an improvement on already strong stations, but stations that are moderately strong, the FM Reflect pulls them in for the win.

    I don't know what station 104.7 is up where you are, but here it's in Tampa (WRBQ - Q105), and I'm supposed to be well within the local range of it. I guess what I'm getting is a lot of multipath interference, with the meter swinging back and forth quite a bit. And when a song gets louder and louder, the signal gets weaker to the point of dropping to mono.

    Quote Originally Posted by jdandy View Post
    Charles.......The differences in signal strength between the standard throw-away dipole antenna and the C. Crane FM Reflect antenna is substantial and impressive, especially on the 104.7 station. Every comparison clearly shows a superior antenna in use. I am going to order the C. Crane FM Reflect antenna for my Tandberg 3011A tuner in the vintage system. Now you have me buying stuff. .
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    Re: In search of a quality FM Antenna, even a DIY solution...

    The only thing I don't particularly care for with these C.Crane antennas is that they are 54" long whereas the cheap dipole that I pulled down was about 64" long, if not a little more. So right now, 88.5 and 89.7 aren't as strong as they are with the cheap dipole. I mean, at least it's still in stereo and there's still no hiss, but the signal is going no higher than about 20 on the meter.

    And yes, I know the meter on the TX-1000 is a "signal quality" meter, but it still shows strength.
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    Re: In search of a quality FM Antenna, even a DIY solution...

    BTW, do you guys know about this site? It's pretty neat!

    http://radio-locator.com/
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    Re: In search of a quality FM Antenna, even a DIY solution...

    Nice!
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  23. #23
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    Re: In search of a quality FM Antenna, even a DIY solution...

    Well, unless someone has some kind of magical, voodoo secrete to the Magnum Dynalab ST-2 antenna, I'm either sending it back or selling to someone here if they want it. In our apartment, no matter where I put it, it's not picking up anything like the C.Crane. All of the stations are down on signal strength, and some are nonexistent.

    Highly disappointed. I know it's not the antenna's fault, and more my location. It just doesn't work here.
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    Re: In search of a quality FM Antenna, even a DIY solution...

    You said that the C.Crane is very directional, right? So it won't work for everything with just one hanging on the wall behind you system. Is that correct?
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    Re: In search of a quality FM Antenna, even a DIY solution...

    The C.Crane (or folded dipoles in general) are somewhat directional, but nothing like a Yagi. It "does" make a difference when you have a folded dipole facing one direction vs one facing 90 degrees in the other direction. Again, nothing huge, but it does respond to which direction you have it facing.

    Either way, the C.Crane is doing what I would have expected the ST-2 to do. However, in practice, the ST-2 is doing is what I would have expected from the original folded dipole... If that makes sense.

    Quote Originally Posted by Randy Myers View Post
    You said that the C.Crane is very directional, right? So it won't work for everything with just one hanging on the wall behind you system. Is that correct?
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    Re: In search of a quality FM Antenna, even a DIY solution...

    Well Charles, that kind of blows. I swear the antenna thing has been a ton worse than picking the tuner itself. The ST-2 is working for me, but it did take a lot more playing with than I expected,,, a lot more...

    I just read some reviews on the C.Crane on Amazon. Seems like very mixed reviews. Some people liked and just as many did not. The reviews on the ST-2 where almost all positive. 89% 4 or 5 stars, while 7% were only 1 star. I guess your's would be one of the 7%...

    Again I swear the antenna is more difficult than the tuner.

    Wow, I just found a Blues/Jazz concert on a NPR station that I was not able to get before... and it is full signal strength... kind of weird though... in stereo there is some static, but in mono it is crystal clear... kick in the spatial enhancement and very nice... I just found out that the tuner remembers these settings for this station also.... Excellent!
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  27. #27
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    Re: In search of a quality FM Antenna, even a DIY solution...

    Maybe the people who reviewed the C.Crane are just more honest because they didn't spend much on those antennas, and the ones with the ST-2 are just being positive to try and justify their purchase. Not saying anyone here is doing that, but a lot of people do have the tendency to do just that.

    I got home a little while ago from work, pulled the ST-2 back out and hooked it back up. Playing around with different locations some more. I really want to get it to work for me, darn it.


    Quote Originally Posted by Randy Myers View Post
    Well Charles, that kind of blows. I swear the antenna thing has been a ton worse than picking the tuner itself. The ST-2 is working for me, but it did take a lot more playing with than I expected,,, a lot more...

    I just read some reviews on the C.Crane on Amazon. Seems like very mixed reviews. Some people liked and just as many did not. The reviews on the ST-2 where almost all positive. 89% 4 or 5 stars, while 7% were only 1 star. I guess your's would be one of the 7%...

    Again I swear the antenna is more difficult than the tuner.

    Wow, I just found a Blues/Jazz concert on a NPR station that I was not able to get before... and it is full signal strength... kind of weird though... in stereo there is some static, but in mono it is crystal clear... kick in the spatial enhancement and very nice... I just found out that the tuner remembers these settings for this station also.... Excellent!
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    Re: In search of a quality FM Antenna, even a DIY solution...

    Quote Originally Posted by Randy Myers View Post
    Well Charles, that kind of blows. I swear the antenna thing has been a ton worse than picking the tuner itself. The ST-2 is working for me, but it did take a lot more playing with than I expected,,, a lot more...

    I just read some reviews on the C.Crane on Amazon. Seems like very mixed reviews. Some people liked and just as many did not. The reviews on the ST-2 where almost all positive. 89% 4 or 5 stars, while 7% were only 1 star. I guess your's would be one of the 7%...

    Again I swear the antenna is more difficult than the tuner.

    Wow, I just found a Blues/Jazz concert on a NPR station that I was not able to get before... and it is full signal strength... kind of weird though... in stereo there is some static, but in mono it is crystal clear... kick in the spatial enhancement and very nice... I just found out that the tuner remembers these settings for this station also.... Excellent!
    Wire and a 75 ohm resistor works in door for me .... full signal on but a few ... 4 bars out of 5 on NPR

  29. #29
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    Re: In search of a quality FM Antenna, even a DIY solution...

    I've found a spot all the way in the back of the room that seems to pull in most all stations pretty well, at least the ones that I care about, with the ST-2. It's propped up between a buffet table and the wall. I'll leave it there for a bit and see how it does. My main concern is that it pulls in 88.5 and 89.7 crystal clear, and right now, it is for the most part. There's just a tad bit of upper frequency distortion on loud vocals, like a slight grit sound. Kind of odd considering I'm getting full signal strength.
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    Re: In search of a quality FM Antenna, even a DIY solution...

    I still get some noise and static sometimes... think I may have to play with location just a little bit more. The tuner does sound fantastic, just want to get it as clean signal as possible...
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    Re: In search of a quality FM Antenna, even a DIY solution...

    I'm still running the ST-2 on my Carver, and playing around with location. I moved the ST-2 from the left side of the rear wall to the right side of the rear wall near the front door. Since we have a vaulted ceiling, this gave me the ability to raise the antenna about 2 feet. I have it taped up on the wall for the time being. I have to say, I think I've cleared up that slight grit on vocals, or at least about as much as I'm probably going to without going with an external antenna (which ain't gonna happen).

    And I know Magnum Dynalab says in the owners manual to not interchange coax cables, but I am anyway, at least for now. I'm using 12 feet of quad RG6 along with the stock RG59. Station strength seems to be the same, no weird anomalies. Would using all the same make a difference? Who knows. It doesn't seem like it so far, but just to be consistent, I might just get a run of quad RG6 to run the full length.

    Quote Originally Posted by Randy Myers View Post
    I still get some noise and static sometimes... think I may have to play with location just a little bit more. The tuner does sound fantastic, just want to get it as clean signal as possible...
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    Re: In search of a quality FM Antenna, even a DIY solution...

    Just ran the full length with new quad shielded RG6, and permanently mounted the ST-2 to the wall. After I move one of the C.Crane antennas back there as well using the stock MD RG59 (running to the TX-1000), I'll sit down for a listen.
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    Re: In search of a quality FM Antenna, even a DIY solution...

    Just thumbing through the stations with "IF" set to wide, I'm picking up WSUN FM 97.1 in Holiday, FL. That's 70 miles away. There's a little bit of hiss/static, but easily removed once I turn on the noise reduction and multipath circuits on the TX-11. Sounds like it's right down the street minus a tiny bit of distortion in the vocals. Not bad at all considering I'm in the fringe range of that station.
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    Re: In search of a quality FM Antenna, even a DIY solution...

    Hi....It's perfectly possible and not difficult or expensive to build your own antennas - a member of the amateur radio fraternity would probably be happy to help you with it - but I think you'll have to compromise in order to balance your requirements.
    To achieve more gain, your antenna must be more directional. In the case of a Yagi array (the usual type for domestic FM), this is achieved by adding directors and reflectors, which increases the overall size of the antenna. The extra directionality will make it necessary to rotate the array to receive different transmitters.
    The only option I can think of is a switched pair of dipoles, one of which is dedicated to your DX station, perhaps with a VHF amplifier added.
    All sorts of designs have been tried - some of which use materials such as aluminium foil and cardboard, so cost virtually nothing - you can have a lot of fun experimenting once you grasp the theory.

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    Re: In search of a quality FM Antenna, even a DIY solution...

    Welcome to the forum, thank you for joining.

    Quote Originally Posted by CleveTripp View Post
    Hi....It's perfectly possible and not difficult or expensive to build your own antennas - a member of the amateur radio fraternity would probably be happy to help you with it - but I think you'll have to compromise in order to balance your requirements.
    To achieve more gain, your antenna must be more directional. In the case of a Yagi array (the usual type for domestic FM), this is achieved by adding directors and reflectors, which increases the overall size of the antenna. The extra directionality will make it necessary to rotate the array to receive different transmitters.
    The only option I can think of is a switched pair of dipoles, one of which is dedicated to your DX station, perhaps with a VHF amplifier added.
    All sorts of designs have been tried - some of which use materials such as aluminium foil and cardboard, so cost virtually nothing - you can have a lot of fun experimenting once you grasp the theory.
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  36. #36
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    Re: In search of a quality FM Antenna, even a DIY solution...

    double post
    Last edited by Speedskater; September 24, 2019 at 08:27 PM. Reason: double post

  37. #37
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    Re: In search of a quality FM Antenna, even a DIY solution...

    For others interested in FM antennas, commercial and DIY, this link has a ton of info:
    http://ham-radio.com/k6sti/index.html

    and even more info on commercial antennas:
    https://www.dtvusaforum.com/threads/...-reviews.4396/

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    Re: In search of a quality FM Antenna, even a DIY solution...

    Hi Chops, I remember Pipedreams on NPR always injoyed the program.

    I built a DIY FM antenna for my work shop about 10 years ago. I did an online search and came up with a site that had a number of options, though I have no idea what it was.
    I built one that was a cross frame out of 2" x 2" wood with a vertical piece of wood attached that would be a mounting post.

    They gave exact dimensions for the vertical and horizontal members of the cross. You would wrap 2 conductor antenna wire around it twisting each wire together and attach another antenna wire as the lead to equipment. You would have the two wires to connect to your tuner or receiver.

    Interesting part was one set of vertical and horizontal dimensions would get you commercial FM stations. If you changed the dimensions by 1/2" you would receive only FM college stations.

    There is clearly no WAF here though but it is outside my workshop and works very good. It is ready for a rebuild with 10 years in Florida weather though.
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In search of a quality FM Antenna, even a DIY solution...

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