Have you ever wished (when you were actually listening to AM, that is!) for something better than the loopstick antenna that was buried in that AM radio? Here's a quick tip to strengthen the incoming signal...please note, however, that it increases ALL signals, including lightening static, so be careful. Also, TOO much signal could possibly burn out the "front end " of your receiver. However, here goes!:
An external antenna is almost always preferred when listening to far-away stations and weak signals. One thing a listener could do is to obtain a thin stranded insulated wire, 22 gauge or so and at least 25 feet- 40 or 50 feet is even better, since the AM band is very low in frequency- the longer the better! An insulated stranded wire is desirable, in that it's more flexible and is harder to short out on supports. It is also more invisible, if there are neighborhood covenants against outside antennas....
You may do this in any order you wish, but I prefer to hang the wire high outside while leaving enough wire to come into the dwelling, and to wrap several times around the radio...three or four times is enough. This inductively couples the signal to the radio's internal loopstick antenna without having to make physical or more permanent connections to the radio. You can just unwrap the wire and take the radio with you, if/when you wish....
This is a quick-n-dirty way of getting more antenna up and works if you're at home or on the road travelling. If you have no access outside, you can just hang the wire around the perimeter of the room- over pictures, across couch backs, what-have-you- but, you MAY pick up various noises from consumer appliances and defeat your purpose, or tempt the family cat to realize a new toy!
BE AWARE that local thunderstorms could cause, at the least, painful noise with the increased signal or, at the worst, garner a direct lightening strike. If you have ANY doubts about the weather, REEL IT IN....
One other note: do you remember the Lazy Susan? Some young folks may not! It was a manually revolved mini-table that one could put food on, so's not to reach all the way across the table (what I call a "boarding-house reach"). A few years ago, I saw a mail-order outlet offering these to sit the AM radio on and turn it for better signal. Of course, it was at an outlandish price! I may try and find one at a yard sale sometime, to put my big ol' Sony on....
ADDENDUM: Almost forgot this...if you opt for a more permanent installation, you may want to experiment with putting the wire up in a laid-down "L" pattern, part running north-south, part running east-west. Wire antennas such as this receive on the broad side of itself, so a wire running north-south will capture signals from the east and west, etc.
Also, wind the antenna wire around the radio top and bottom, not around the sides, for best reception....
Bud S. (staceys4@hotmail.com)
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