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In need of a super FM antenna for an urban environment.

Chuck The antenna that you are using may be a big part of your problem. It is a vertical antenna. It picks up signal from every direction including the "ghost" or multi path signal. I would try a simple dipole. It will take a little bit of work but it's cost is very low. It the link they tell how to make a optional balun which in your case is very important as you need to keep the multi path signal away from your antenna. Make the lead wire "coax at least 10 ft long so you can move the antenna around.Since your lead is not very long you can use small inexpensive very flexible coax. Here is the link.

Ed


http://www.northcountryradio.com/Articles/fmdip.htm
 
Unless you want to build an array, which is preposterous,you will not do much better than the commercially available yagis.You could make it a little more precise by dropping to one driven element,but you probably wouldn't notice the difference.Boom length is the biggest factor. You cannot make a 10 foot yagi have as much gain as a 20 foot yagi.Anybody who wants can buy the ARRL handbook and get the software they need to design most anything.But,you can't beat the laws of physics,and you can't grab a signal if it is not there.
 
I'm in a similar situation: an apartment on a low floor, surrounded by high-rise buildings, with many skyscrapers of Hong Kong between my apartment and the broadcast towers.

The best solution I've found was one recommended by the owner of a shop here that sells mostly to hams and DXers. I don't remember the manufacturer or the name of it, but t's a nearly ROUND sort of dipole thing made from aluminum tubing --like a regular dipole that got bent into nearly a complete circle-- that comes from France. I had to play with positioning for a while to get the best reception. The multipath meter built in to the receiver was very helpful in doing this. In my case, the best position happens to be at about a 45 degree angle, near a window, on the inside wall (surprisingly not on the outside corner, which would be more exposed). I use about six feet of shielded coax to connect it to my receiver.

I have no idea why this works well. I would have THOUGHT that a highly directional antenna would be more desireable, and that a round one like this would pick up reflections from everywhere, but that is not the case. This works MUCH better than any of the directional ones I've tried. I do still get my favorite FM station at two locations on the dial, but they are far enough apart to not cause any problems: I listen to the stronger signal. You might want to try an antenna like this.
 
Arkay,

Please do. I'm at a loss. Since i can get my syatins in mono i still hope
I can do something.

Everyone, thank you for all the help, I would like to try these suggestions. Jeez I already spen a hudred bucks on the whip!

Chuck
 
I hope you find a solution to your FM problem soon.
I bought a BIC Beam Box back when I bought my SX-980 in 1978. I was living in the barracks(Army) and they frowned on outside antennas or anything hanging on the walls so something on a pole or even a T-type was out of the question. It worked great but this was in central Texas and I had good line of sight reception. In the mid 80's I seen an ad for the Terk (pi) FM antenna. These are a powered, amplified antenna. It was a lot smaller so I thought I would give it a try. It worked so much better I sold my BIC. Lately I have read reviews for the Terk and they were not good so I did a little looking and found the design has changed so I cant vouch for the new model. See if you can find one of these on that trading site and try it. It is a small round disc with a green LED on the front.They shouldn't cost much, or at least I wouldn't pay a premium price because they were under $100 new.
Sorry about the low res images.:beer:
 

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Super antenna:

w5un.jpg


:D
 
EasyRider, I'm here in Atlanta in a ground floor condo with lots of other buildings and trees around so its multipath jungle for my favorite low-dial stations. Like you there's no outside antenna solution but I did bite the bullet and tried the Fanfare antenna hanging in a window. This works about as well as Rabbit Ears, most times. A far less costly alternative to the Fanfare is the Silver Ribbon, the SR 100 for about $30, which was suggested earlier and lets you focus on a reflected signal. Try it. Hey, you're not out of luck until your wallet is empty.
 
similar problem i had and my solution was...

twin lead around windows...actually i think it was 18 ga. stereo wire
start with 8' and go up, there is a magic length i found and had the wire taped unobtrusively around windows in a giant T formation.

worked great
but you prob. already tried this?
 
I have not tried this. Picture?

brownplus said:
twin lead around windows...actually i think it was 18 ga. stereo wire
start with 8' and go up, there is a magic length i found and had the wire taped unobtrusively around windows in a giant T formation.

worked great
but you prob. already tried this?
Click to expand...
 
This one:

http://www.fanfare.com/fm-2g-c.html


billgill said:
EasyRider, I'm here in Atlanta in a ground floor condo with lots of other buildings and trees around so its multipath jungle for my favorite low-dial stations. Like you there's no outside antenna solution but I did bite the bullet and tried the Fanfare antenna hanging in a window. This works about as well as Rabbit Ears, most times. A far less costly alternative to the Fanfare is the Silver Ribbon, the SR 100 for about $30, which was suggested earlier and lets you focus on a reflected signal. Try it. Hey, you're not out of luck until your wallet is empty.
Click to expand...
 
Downtown Atlanta: FM hell.

billgill said:
EasyRider, I'm here in Atlanta in a ground floor condo with lots of other buildings and trees around so its multipath jungle for my favorite low-dial stations. Like you there's no outside antenna solution but I did bite the bullet and tried the Fanfare antenna hanging in a window. This works about as well as Rabbit Ears, most times. A far less costly alternative to the Fanfare is the Silver Ribbon, the SR 100 for about $30, which was suggested earlier and lets you focus on a reflected signal. Try it. Hey, you're not out of luck until your wallet is empty.
Click to expand...

Urban areas can be awful. I have a weekend condo in downtown Atlanta, 21st floor facing north. I have a JVC tuner and a Bose Wave radio there and I have tried all sorts of antenna's down to no antenna's. It is hit or miss because of all the strong signals bouncing around blasting out channels all over the dial. I finally gave up and set the presets on whatever stations I could get with little or no distortion.

I usually take my XM radio stuff and set the antenna pod on the window ledge. Works great.
 
EasyRiderNYC said:
Am i **** out of luck?
Click to expand...

I have an Audioprism 6500 which worked well here in Boston. Unfortunately, they do produce this product anymore. I also have the Magnumdynalab whip. The audioprism out performed the whip because I could dial in the audioprism.

They make the 7500 and 8500 indoor antennas. They are pretty big but they work very well.

http://audioprism.com/
 
EasyRiderNYC said:
Am i **** out of luck?
Click to expand...
None of the vertical poles will work well and I doubt the M/D Signal Sleuth will work 'cause it will amplify the noise as well as the signal.

Your best bet is to try a directional Yagi and hang it from the ceiling near the top of the window where you get the best reception. Won't look nice, but some people do it if they want to snag a signal bad enough.

In the world of FM reception, over 95% of what you hear on a distant station is directly related to strength of the signal the tuner gets. I hate to use the "B" word, but a Bose Wave Radio on an outdoor dedicated FM antenna will pull in mucho more stations than a $5,000 Accuphase T1000 tuner on a folded dipole. :cool:
 
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