Tuner aerial

JoelSim

New member
Aug 24, 2007
767
1
0
Visit site
Can anyone suggest a good FM aerial for an Arcam T61. Not great reception where I am and need something better than the T cable I have. I's also preder something that wasn't too big or ugly.
 

gregory

New member
Sep 9, 2007
45
1
0
Visit site
me too,just cant get glr or radio 2 very well.as for the ampilfied booster things i dont want to spend to much money,so any suggestions greatly appreciated.
 

Andy Clough

New member
Apr 27, 2004
776
0
0
Visit site
The best bet if you want to get a really good signal is to have a dedicated FM aerial installed on the roof. It's probably worth checking out the Yellow Pages in your area to find a professional aerial installer who can provide a quote.
 

Thaiman

New member
Jul 28, 2007
360
2
0
Visit site
[quote user="JoelSim"]Will my tuner plug into the rooftop TV aerial?[/quote]

YES...well I do plug my in. I mainly listen to radio through my sky box with a digital out in to Beresford DAC which then link to my main HiFi system, sound great :)
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
[quote user="JoelSim"]Will my tuner plug into the rooftop TV aerial?[/quote]
Yes. So long as the impedance matches, which in most likelihood will. Luckily for us, both TV and Radio antennas have same impedance. 75 ohms.
Btw, what is the length of cable run between the antenna and the tuner?
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
I've had problems like this before, you have my sympathy! Using the external aerial is definitely the best solution, even if you need a splitter and long cable to get it from another room.

Failing that, try:
http://www.russandrews.com/lookup/1/region/UK/product-ClearFM-Indoor-Antenna-5741.htm

Also, I highly recommend the QED award winning cable, or the Russ Andrews one (I've found these improve the quality, but won't give you reception if you didn't have it before). And a booster will also help.

I don't recommend DAB, i find it too compressed, except Radio 3 is okay as it is less compressed. However, bear in mind they will be switching off analogue radio in a few years i think
 

Andrew Everard

New member
May 30, 2007
1,878
2
0
Visit site
[quote user="ranjeetrain"][quote user="JoelSim"]Will my tuner plug into the rooftop TV aerial?[/quote]
Yes. So long as the impedance matches, which in most likelihood will. Luckily for us, both TV and Radio antennas have same impedance. 75 ohms.[/quote]

And as long as your radio comes from the same transmitter, or at least the same direction, as the TV. FM actually requires a rather different antenna to TV, and digital radio a similar aerial to TV but with vertically polarisation rather than the horizontal usually required for TV, but any rooftop antenna will work as a crude omnidirectional for FM radio and/or DAB, and will almost certainly be better than the wire T you're using at the moment.

(FYI, the roof here at home has a Sky dish, a TV aerial, and separate FM and DAB antennae, but I wouldn't suggest you go that far!)
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Agree with Andrew. There are differences in TV and FM antennas.
But generally a TV antenna serves a good purpose an an FM antenna because they are very similar principally. Also, vertical polarization is not an absolute requirement for an FM antenna. When FM broadcasts began (pre WWII), the transmission used to be horizontally polarized. But research later shown that vertical polarization could help a better reception in fringe areas. I "believe" UK government mandated the use of vertical polarization for FM networks ,subsequently. That may be why Andrew says "FM actually requires a rather different antenna to TV".
 

Gwyndy

New member
Jul 20, 2007
20
0
0
Visit site
In my opinion external is defiinitely the best way to go on this, when I moved to Wales I paid for a dedicated AM/FM aerial and two new TV aerials to be fitted, cost about £200 but the improvement in picture and sound quality is definitely worth it.
 

JoelSim

New member
Aug 24, 2007
767
1
0
Visit site
Thanks for all your replies. I'm very keen to get this cheaply at the moment as likely to be moving house in the next year and don't really want to spend money on the external aerial especially as I live in a ground floor flat in a big townhouse.
 

Andrew Everard

New member
May 30, 2007
1,878
2
0
Visit site
[quote user="ranjeetrain"]Agree with Andrew. There are differences in TV and FM antennas.

But generally a TV antenna serves a good purpose an an FM antenna because they are very similar principally. Also, vertical polarization is not an absolute requirement for an FM antenna. When FM broadcasts began (pre WWII), the transmission used to be horizontally polarized. But research later shown that vertical polarization could help a better reception in fringe areas. I "believe" UK government mandated the use of vertical polarization for FM networks ,subsequently. That may be why Andrew says "FM actually requires a rather different antenna to TV".[/quote]

No, but I did say 'digital radio'. DAB ideally needs a Band III aerial with vertical polarisation.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
[quote user="JoelSim"]Thanks for all your replies. I'm very keen to get this cheaply at the moment as likely to be moving house in the next year and don't really want to spend money on the external aerial especially as I live in a ground floor flat in a big townhouse.[/quote]

Hey mate, how about building a whip antenna with a
better gain yourself? Try this:
  • Buy a few meters of TV cable. The thicker the
    better. Specially pay attention to the main core. The solid wire at the center
    should be at least thick enough to be used as a contact point by itself. Also,
    don't buy the readymade pieces with conenctors at both the ends usually
    available in the market (as they are mostly twisted in order to get packaged).
    Buy loose cable because the inner core should not have any twists etc (or at
    least as less as possible).
  • Buy a connector and fit it on one
    end.
  • Dont peel the other end. Just leave it smoothly
    cut.
  • Connect it to the tuner and lay down the free end
    on the floor in way it is as straight as possible. Some parts would be gone
    inside the rack/furniture. Once the cable has come out, try to keep it as
    straight as possible.
  • If possible, try to point it towards the TV
    transmitter, if you know its position (may help a bit more). Or play with the
    direction till you get the best reception.
This will not boost the reception by a huge margin
over the whip antenna that usually comes budled with the tuner but this will
reduce the multipath problems resulting in a cleaner
signal.
 

JoelSim

New member
Aug 24, 2007
767
1
0
Visit site
Thanks Ranjeetrain, but I think I'd prefer a good value off-the-shelf solution, possible spend up to £25. Any thoughts anyone?
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
I know that people always say that external aerials are best, but I went for a large 5-element one from Maplins (I think it was £20-30, but it was more than 10 years ago) and put it in the loft - it's much easier to install and adjust, and you don't need to worry during thunderstorms.

One of my other thoughts was that if roof tiles attenuate the signal, then they'll also reduce interference - I certainly get a Radio 3 FM signal that's as quiet as DAB, and much more pleasant to listen to!

If you do go for this option, though, do try the aerial both ways up - I prefer the sound with the aerial elements oriented horizontally, but not all transmitters broadcast signals that way round.
 

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts