I had baught a FM radio, but due to low signal it is not working properly, could u plz, suggest me something?

Question

Plz could u give me some ckt ideas or some electronic gadget to improve the signal strength of FM. The FM i had baught is Navtech's 2100W PMPO.

Answer 1

You need an antenna.

There may already be an antenna on your radio, but you aren't using it or must try pointing in a different direction until you get a better signal. The higher you are in elevation, the better the reception.

If there's not an antenna on your set, they are readily available at most stores that sell radios and televisions. Most FM antennas are circular and will attach to the back of your set.

If not, there should be a small screw on the back of your set (it might say "ant") that's where you'll attach your antenna. If you can't get to a store, but have the small screw available, just put a long piece of wire on it. that will be better than nothing. You can also try changing positions and putting the radio in different rooms or near a window.

Good luck
-a guy named Duh

Answer 2

The best and least expensive solution is an FM antenna. You could probably get one where you bought your radio, and the higher you install it the better your radio will work. Outside antennae work best, but make sure you ground it.

Other suggestions, including signal booster, could be good. You may find a battery-powered radio will pull signals better than one that runs on AC wall current. (Direct Current usually pulls a signal a little better than Alternating Current--for some unknown reason.)

Most of your better radios should come with a connection for an antenna.

Answer 3

Well i think it will be very expensive to buy an equipment to enhance the signal. It will cost more than ur fm radio. :). Ur location could be far off from the receiver transmitter. nothing much can do. Maybe u should go to a high ground and try it.

Answer 4

FM needs antenna unless you live less than 1km near an FM station. if your radio does not come with a telescopic antenna, you must put one into the radio's antenna input.

Answer 5

Dud yu baughted an neu antena four yur neu radoi?

Seriously... Please use the spell checker. You can buy a FM antenna signal booster if you are too far away from the radio station.

Answer 6

Hello!!!

Answer 7

Improving FM Reception
If you are reading this, you must probably are in a fringe area, where
reception is either poor or variable. The bulk of the following
information
is centered on low cost ideas for improving your individual reception.

There is no substitute for a high quality radio or component receiver
though, many boom boxes were designed for large city reception areas
and are
simply not able to pull in distant signals with ease.

Factors Affecting Reception
FM radio waves can be affected by many factors ranging from terrain to
equipment. In general, FM transmissions are lines of sight — similar to

light waves. Unless an object (building, ridge, mountain, etc) is
between
you and us, you should have clear reception from the transmitter.
Reception
becomes a factor of the strength of the signal, as much as your
location in
relation to the transmitter. KEDU-LP is a low power community station
by
definition and is licensed for sixteen watts of stereo power from an
elevation of 7,560 feet on Pikes Peak Road, opposite the Swiss Chalet
Hotel
on Mechem.

The following are some suggestions for improving home reception through
the
addition or adjustment of receiving antennas. These methods may or may
not
work in all cases, but improving your antenna is the single best
solution to
reception problems (short of moving or installing a translator). The
solutions offered here range from things you can do almost for free, to

equipment you can purchase. We are not selling equipment, just passing
along
tidbits of verified reception lore for your listening pleasure.

Antennas: Some General Concepts
An antenna is a “collector” of radio signals that improves your
reception by
providing more signal than would be otherwise supplied to the receiver.
An outdoor antenna is preferable to an indoor antenna.
A high location is better, whether it be the roof, a hill out back, or
the
top shelf of a bookcase.
Many things in a house can affect reception, so as a first step, try
your
radio or antenna in different spots in the house.
YOU are an antenna! If you improve reception by standing near or
touching
the radio or antenna, your system is telling you it needs a better
antenna.
A rotorized (pointable) antenna is preferable to a stationary antenna.
Your Radio
Determine whether or not your radio has antenna terminals for
attachment of
an antenna. These would appear as:

Screws on the back labeled “ant. 300 ohms” or

A coaxial cable connector labeled “coax/ant. 50 ohms”

Otherwise, your radio has either an internal antenna that you can’t see
or a
telescoping antenna. Either way, skip ahead to the section “No Antenna
Terminals.”

Connecting an Antenna to Your Radio
There are two different types of antenna cable, flat two-conductor wire

known as “twin lead” that is 300 ohms, or round plastic coated wire
that is
known as “coaxial” or “coax” that is 50-75 ohms. Coax is what cable
companies use. It is a much better cable, but it is more expensive.
You’ll
have to decide which to use if you are installing a new antenna or
cable.
Other than conducting a stronger signal, coax is useful in situations
requiring the elimination of interference cause by nearby electric
motors,
computers, etc. We’d be glad to advise you.

If you have a TV antenna already installed, purchase a “FM Splitter” at
our
local Radio Shack Store. Follow the instructions, hooking up the “FM
output”
of the splitter to the radio and using the “TV output” to restore the
connection to your TV. Experiment attaching wires to one screw and then
the
other to see what gets the best reception; the only rule is “do
whatever
works best”.

If you receive your TV signal via a cable system and your TV antenna is

unused, then just hook it up to your antenna terminals on the radio and
you
should have dramatically better reception. If your cable system has an
FM
service, find out if KEDU is carried. If it is, you may want to
subscribe to
the FM service and eliminate any antennas, or use them in conjunction
with
the cable service; if it is not carried you may want to lobby your
cable
company to add KEDU to the FM service. Often cable companies are able
to
furnish very good signals at great distances from station transmitters.

If you are still experiencing reception problems after connecting an
antenna, consider:

installing a motorized rotor to move your antenna from inside,

dedicating an FM antenna to permanently point to Pikes Peak Hill or,

dreaming up some unique arrangement allowing for pointing the antenna.

Using a Di-Pole Antenna
Di-poles are T-shaped wire antennas made for indoor use. You can buy
them in
many hardware or radio supply stores, and they are very inexpensive.

Attach the bottom leg of the T to the antenna terminals of your radio
(experiment while attaching) and then play with the location of the T.
The
placement of the T is critical to the performance of the di-pole.

If you are really bold, or crave KEDU reception on a budget, you can
make a
custom di-pole. The advantage is that you can greatly increase a
di-pole’s
effectiveness by its size and/or placement outside! You’ll need some of
the
twin lead cable we mentioned earlier.

The custom di-pole you make will be a T just like the ready-made you
might
buy, except you’ll be able to tailor it to your needs. However, you
need to
abide by these, or multiples of these, dimensions; the top bar should
be
5'1" or 10'2" or 15'3" or 20'4", etc. and the bottom leg must connect
at the
middle of that top bar (2'6", etc.) You can drape custom di-pole over
the
roof of your house, or climb the tree in your front yard and tie it to
the
appropriate branches (of course, experimenting tirelessly to find the
proper
orientation of the di-pole for best reception). Twin lead is so cheap
that
you may find yourself quite proud of the dramatic improvement in
reception
for a bit of time, but very little money. However, don’t kid yourself
about
the effectiveness of a custom di-pole versus a traditional metal TV/FM
antenna.

Cut an appropriate length of twin for the top bar. In the middle of
that
length cut one of the two conductors and strip back the plastic
coating. Now
connect another length of the twin lead to the two bare conductors of
the
top bar. The other end is connected to your radio antenna terminals.

If a custom di-pole sounds like too much trouble, you can make a
cut-and-split di-pole. Take some twin lead and split it down the
middle.
Attach the other end to the radio. Very simple, though not as effective
as
the custom di-pole.

No Antenna Available? Make a Wire Antenna
Homemade antennas can work very well. Often a piece of wire becomes an
antenna without much fuss at all. It can be thick or thin wire, and
free or
cheap is the best wire around. Wire with a plastic coating is safer
(remember to strip any coating away to allow connection of the wire to
the
antenna terminals), but bare wire is fine.

Use any piece of wire. Attach it to an antenna terminal. Run it over
drapery
rods and window casings. Throw it out the window and into the nearby
tree.
Toss it onto the roof. Do the same with two wires. Spend some time
experimenting with the placement of these wires; often opposite
directions
work well. If this is strictly an inside job make sure that you arrange

these wires so that you’ll be proud to point them out to visitors. “See
my
antenna; I get KEDU loud and clear!”

No Antenna Terminals
Clock radios normally don’t have any antenna terminals or telescoping
antennas. Try wrapping lots of wire around the radio; don’t connect the
wire
to anything. The idea is to get a thick loop of wire near the radio.

Almost any large metal structure above ground can act as antenna.
Aluminum
rain gutters, air conditioning and heat ducts, metal window frames,
aluminum
siding and metal roofing are great antennas. NEVER USE an electrical
outlet
as an antenna. Using an alligator clip, attach one end of a single
strand
piece of wire to one of the above items to the previously mentioned
massive
loop of wire surrounding your clock radio by simply wrapping the loose
end
around the massive wire loop of wire around your radio. You should
notice a
good improvement in reception.

Other portable-type radios have telescoping antennas that may be
improved by
wrapping a “flag” of aluminum foil around the top, or attaching a
length of
wire to the telescoping antenna.

Other Ideas
1. Rabbit ears are cheap and they can be very effective. They do
allow
you to conveniently move them in many directions for best performance.

2. Select MONO on your receiver. For reasons beyond the scope of
this
brief information, MONO signals travel farther and have less noise in
them.

3. Buy a booster or amplifier for your existing antenna. Sometimes
they
work wonders, sometimes they just work. Boosters need a certain amount
of
signal to work with, otherwise they end up amplifying noise rather than

audio.

4. Here is an “attic solution”. You can install a standard
radio-TV
antenna (sometimes called a yagi) in your attic. You can position it
for the
best KEDU signal and gravity will simply hold it in place on top of the

ceiling joists.

Purchase a Custom-made Antenna
Our local Radio Shack Store sells a variety of antennas designed for
both FM
and Television reception. James and Eric Stephens are very helpful in
assisting you in the appropriate choice. They are also very patient
listeners. Call them at 257-7865 or visit their store next to State
National
Bank at 102 Whitlock Drive just off Sudderth.

Directive Systems, a small antenna manufacturing company in southwest
Maine,
produces an antenna that some listeners may find to be a worthwhile
investment. For more information contact David Olean at RR#2 Box 282,
Dixon
Rd., Lebanon, ME 04027 or 207-658-7758.

A Last Word from KEDU
We are happy to try to help you become a regular community radio
listener.
Please call the station if you have questions about reception or
technical
solutions. And let use know about your experiments and successes that
might
be included here for future would-be listeners.