Ask the Zone: FM Radio Question
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Whenever I'm trying to figure something out and dont know the answer, its always good to come to the zone for some good input. Here's my situation. My brother owns a cabin in the middle of PA, close to the Allegheny National Forest, out in the middle of nowhere. He has an old boombox with a broken antenna that we use to have the radio on for tunes while out by the fire. So he rigged a bunch of wire as a substitute antenna, just stuck into the hole where the antenna was, and the reception is horrid with lots of static. Now my first thought was just buy a new radio or even a receiver and some outdoor speakers to upgrade the system, but I cant spend a bunch of money on something that only gets used a couple times a month in the summer and barely at all in the winter. The next thought was just to replace the antenna, but I'm thinking reception is still going to be terrible, so I started looking at an upgrade to the antenna with something like this Digiwave ANT8001, for $35.00 it might be worth it. The only problem is it looks it uses coax cable and I'm wondering if that will be compatible when I try to wire it to the boombox. What are your thoughts?
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Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: I rang a silent bell
Not sure about antenna advice
Not sure about antenna advice but if you have phone signal at the cabin and a phone with Bluetooth you can get an inexpensive Bluetooth speaker to use by the fire. Most FM stations stream online so you could not only pick up the stations that the antenna could but hundreds of stations worldwide.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Sycamore Slough
Another possibility is
Another possibility is running a wire to a set of powered "Rabbit Ears" or even an old rooftop TV antenna. (If you can locate those items).
In one of my Barn stereos I ran wire (basically double +/- copper) to a roll of old chain-link fence and that makes the FM come in better.
Plain old lengths of copper wire coiled up might help, or even a few coat-hangers taped to a stick.
Check out the many antenna databases on Ham radio sites. They have formulas for building antennae to bring in specific wavelengths.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Mice elf
Coax is still really just two
Coax is still really just two conductor wire. ( co = two, axial = in-line). If you can find a way to cut the plug off and strip the ends, you should be able to wire the boom box wires and the antenna together. Yeah you could rig a bunch of metal shit together with bailing wire and tinfoil and probably get a decent signal at some point, but the most straightforward bang for your buck and your labor will be had by getting a better antenna.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Sun so hot, clouds so low
I believe a true fm antenna
I believe a true fm antenna works with two points of contact. Two wires. So a radio with a telescopic antenna likely has the second contact inside the housing.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Sycamore Slough
http://cyberpoet.net/writes
http://cyberpoet.net/writes/web/infwiz/spant.html
This guy spells it out. Personally I'd stick a coat hanger in the broken telescopic antenna.
It's an old article -- "Radio Shack" is no longer in business.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: DEDHED
Thanks everyone for your
Thanks everyone for your ideas... not sure how I will proceed yet, but Thanks!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: skyjunk
My music app allows me to
My music app allows me to download shows or songs, so I do not need to use my WiFi. that and a wireless Bluetooth speaker, commercial free, probably about $100 for a decent Bluetooth speaker.
or run some wire into the trees, strip back so only copper is showing for a few feet, and strip the other end into that antenna hole
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Thumbkinetic
Someone needs to keep a
Someone needs to keep a fingertip on the radio at all times.
At least, that's how it works with our little 4"x6" transistor w/r/t certain radio stations on the FM digidial.
Or . . . if you prop it it the window with the broken antenna end touching the window-frame metal, just so....
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Ken D.
Good luck. I have a little
Good luck. I have a little hand held transistor radio in my camping stuff and can't tell you how many times I have been way out in the sticks and picked up local GD radio shows seemingly out of nowhere. And yes, I have had to prop up the antenna on something metal to get a clear signal from time to time.
Weird shit on the AM dial late at night.
You can find used boomboxes at Goodwill for under $20, but alas Goodwill is not an "essential business" at least in these parts.