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Tips
Tips

FM radio antenna-ish

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NutmegCT

NutmegCT

Great Pumpkin
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The 20 foot long "speaker wire" antenna on my Radio Shack FM receiver came loose, so I reconnected and tightened the screw.

But as I did this, I realized that the reception is *much* clearer - and pretty much free of hiss and background tone sound - if the antenna remains unconnected ... and I just hold the screw between my thumb and index finger.

The wire antenna always gave a light background "bonus" 500 Hz tone and hiss.

Why would my dumb-ol' body provide better reception than a 20 foot long wire? And of course, how can I remove the hiss and background tone when using a wire antenna?

Inquiring minds want to know!
Thanks.
Tom M.
 
Just a WAG….. you become the antenna.
Put on your aluminum foil hat and your reception will get much better.
 
Well ... I'd rather the *radio's* reception would get better.

:angel3:
 
Lots of "voodoo" goes on with radio reception. The old "hold the TV antenna for clearer picture" adage is true for radio as well - impedance and capacitance all come into play and cause different effects at different frequencies. Human bodies are conductive - how much so depends on vast numbers of veriables like temperature, skin condition, sweat, humidity, etc...

FM radio and old school analog VHF TV used almost the same frequency spectrum. A good quality "rabbit-ear" TV antenna will often outperform a single rod or wire. North Country Public Radio actually had a pretty easy to understand article about FM reception stuff here:

Good FM reception tips from Radio Bob | NCPR

How to get the best fm reception from home equipment. Hardware and strategy tips from NCPR station engineer Radio Bob Sauter
www.northcountrypublicradio.org www.northcountrypublicradio.org

Also keep in mind that some of the noise you hear might be power-related, and diminishes when you touch the antenna screws because your body becomes part of the capacitance/impedance noise filter circut.
 
I once hooked up a large portable radio to our TV antennae on the roof
& got really great reception (more distant stations).
 
Put a dipole on the roof (or in the attic)!
 
Holding you key remote to you head lets you unlock car farther away, too.
 
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