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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ส.ค. 2024
- Improving AM Radio Reception w/ External Antenna and Loop Connection
I can't recommend enough putting up a decent, outdoor antenna for your portable radio. There's so much more enjoyment to be had with nice, clear, low-noise signals. But how do you realize those effects on a radio without a provision for an external AM broadcast band antenna?
Here's a simple way to do it. Antenna is a 100 ft random wire, through a 9:1 transformer into about 60' of coax. This video describes a simple wire loop that effectively couples a portable radio to an external antenna.
When I was a teen in the late 60s, I ran 50 ft of antenna wire (from Lafayette) in a spider configuration in the attic and down the stairs into my room. It connected to my elderly aunt's old 1940s era tube AM radio. From central PA, I could listen to NYC and Chicago stations with acceptable clarity in daytime and perfect reception at night.
with a 1996 Suntone RR3000 I'm able to reach mexico city and Toronto from Denver. wish I could reach Cuban stations but just not quite.
Clear, Precis, Simple language, No Waffle, Inexpensive solution.. That is what I like.
Thanks Matey
For daytime DX on AM I used to make a 80 to 120 turn coil of 24-26 awg magnet wire on a paper towel tube connected to two 250 foot longwires. Place coil near radio. You could also use one longwire and ground the other side of coil but I always used two longwires. You'll get amazing daytime DX with a setup like this. I went from three stations to around fifty.
I'm an absolute novice to this hobby but I've just ordered a simple analog SW capable Tecsun!
I live in a rural area and can get fairly listenable AM signals through a 90s Sanyo hifi but it could be improved. I'm considering buying the Tecsun An-200 loop but then, I have lots of wire and electronics components here so I may just solder my own. Thank you for your video. The difference is astounding.
you have such a nice voice, I started getting into radios over quarantine and your videos have helped alot, hope you are doing well
Agree me too it was so boring I got into radio which obviously changed my life 📻
Not much help when there are no details on how you did it
a great demo of inductive coupling, the signal coming through the outdoor antenna is concentrated slightly by the small diy loop & he puts that portable loop next to the MW antenna on the radio, which connects them via induction. This would work very well with a radio like this with the included MW antenna mounted outside of the cabinet. With other radios where the MW antenna is inside, it might be more difficult to get the loop close enough to couple that easily, or find the sweet spot. Bottom line is, you're always going to get more/better signals with an outdoor antenna, especially in a basement
The difference is simply amazing.
That’s a great video. You demonstrate both the value of an antenna and a way to interface that antenna to any radio a person might have. I’ve seen videos three times longer that aren’t half as clear.
Interesting side note: What you’ve made there is a tiny loop antenna. Build one the size of a hula hoop and you’ll be shocked at how well it will work (90+ % as effective as a Wellbrook loop for about 5% of the cost.) Turns out that the aspect of this hobby which interests me most is antenna design and making them on the cheap.
Thanks for the comment! Tell me more about your loop. Is it tunable? Do you have plans? I'd love to get one of those nice Wellbrook loops, but I think I've blown all my radio funds for a while!
@@Radiodog I had originally set out to build a tuneable antenna with a main loop and a little loop and all that but upon further reflection I decided to start with the simplest loop antenna I could make and see how it would perform. I bought a hula hoop (with a 35" diameter), a broomstick, and a bag of tie wraps for under $10 from the dollar store and then went to Lowe's for a T conduit junction [1] and a 10' roll of copper tubing. I don't remember exactly what it cost but it was under $25. I cut the hula hoop, fed the copper tubing through until it came out the other side, and then I drilled small holes in the copper tubing on either end. Then I fed some copper wire through the holes, twisted it to secure the wire to the tubing, put one end into the left side of the T junction and the other side into the other and lastly connected the wires to a two terminal to BNC connector I had kicking around (they cost about $2), fed it through the bottom part of the T junction, and sealed it up. I stood the broom stick up in a patio umbrella holder, connected a feed line, and I was off to the races.
Does that all make sense? It's more difficult to describe this than I expected. Regardless, the antenna works shockingly well. I'd say it's about 90-95% as effective as my MFJ-1886 ($250 + shipping) and maybe about 80% as effective as my Wellbrook 1530LN ($325 + shipping) but at a fraction of the cost. I also built a variation using 14 AWG wire looped three times through the hoop rather than copper tubing but it isn't quite as good. I also tried adding a balun since looped or not, this really is just a random length wire antenna -- it made no difference.
You should construct one and give it a try. I have as much fun comparing antennas as I do actually DXing. :)
[1] www.lowes.com/pd/CANTEX-1-in-Schedule-40-PVC-Cap/3234068
Yep, that makes sense. No capacitor? Interesting. I'll give it a try. Like you, I am unafraid to try something different and see if it works. How's the noise level on the loop you describe?
@@Radiodog The tuning capacitor and the baluns I purchased for the project sit unused in my parts box. Go figure.
Wish that you had made a TH-cam video to show how you made it. It’s a little bit confusing to me…
Wow, wow, I did not imagine what simple and good it is!
Very impressive! I've tried several radios I own and am only able to receive one or two staitions (in daylight hours). I will definitely give this a try. Thank you!
Jimmy Towns .... I used to only get three AM stations in the daytime but got fifty with a similar setup. I used two 250 foot longwires stretched out over the lower tree limbs connected to a coil made from 24-26 awg magnet wire wrapped on a paper towel tube. 120 turns. Put the coil near the radio. I live out in the country though with lots of space. In NW Louisiana I could hear New Orleans, Dallas, Oklahoma City and Houston just to name a few...during the day.
This is why I love radio tech. Thanks 👍🏽
Makes me wish that I could throw a 100 foot long wire outside my condo. What a difference in reception.
Yes, I am very thankful for having the backyard space. My main limitation is my wife!
I am upgrading, you might be interested to know. "Investing" in a MFJ 1886 loop antenna...might be a possibility for your condo. (Attic maybe?) I'll be sure to post videos on it once I get it and use it. Thanks for the comment!
Tom, the MFJ 1886 looks like a pretty impressive antenna. If you did obtain one, doing a video on it would be great. I have about a 40 foot wire wrapped around the top perimeter of wall in my study hooked up to an MFJ-1020C active antenna that I use with an SDR play connected to my laptop. It foes a good job but I still enjoy tuning a regular antenna. Thanks for the suggestion.
Wow! The audio is very loud and clear. Fantastic!
Good video, helpful, wish it had a quick shot of the outside antenna setup and the "9 to 1 transformer" for those of us unfamiliar with these things.
me too exactly my thoughts
Thanks, man. Inductive coupling from the outside random-wire to the internal ferrite AM antenna. I've done it dozens of times.
I did a test like this in a caravan while holidaying in 1989 at Forster N.S.W. , Australia with very good results with a National RF B 20L .
I see in the background a couple of my favorite GE portables - P-780 and Super Radio. I also have a couple Zeniths and a Philco I use to listen to music late at night from a Canadian station. I use an antenna booster coil that was available a couple decades ago. (Round, sealed, with a tuning dial to zero in on the station desired. There were 2 versions - one just plain for loop and ferrite antennas and one with a jack on the front that could do that plus be connected to really old radios that just used a wire lead.)
It's great that you demonstrated this as many younger hobbyists are not aware of this idea.
Lovely presentation & splendid setup !
The outdoor antenna and 9 to 1 transformer should have been also in the video.
I like this yellow clock.
Made in China
All I wanted was some extra info on using an external loop for MW DXing, so I watched this video. Seemed innocent enough.
WHY, I ask, do I now possess my very own Panasonic RF-2200 (or more accurately, a “National Panasonic Cougar 2200” b/c I’m in Japan)?? Probably going to have to get a full alignment done on it, maybe replace some caps to get it in full working order-who knows what rabbit hole I’ve opened up?
I just wanted to make some loops out of wire…
Thank you for the information and a video that can be easily heard.
So I built a rocket ship and here it is, watch it blast off to Pluto. And their you go folks so now you can build one to.
Wow, love all those details on building this antenna and those great details on why and how it works. Great job Dr. Obtuse.
Thanks for the kindness, friend. Peace.
Beginner here. Where did you connect the far end of the black wire? I must have missed that. I would like to listen to AM more. I have a C Crane Skywave with external antenna.
I bought a Tucson loop antenna with a built in tunning knob and on some radios it can be hard wired with supplied connector which I dont use It just set it next to my radio when I get a weak signal I can tune it to make it better but your loop works well.
Interesting radio device. I own a Tecsun S-2000, another brand one can barely get over here in Germany.
Back in the late 1910s ,early 1920s,my late father(B 1911) would hook his crystal set to a water pipe with copper wire to get good reception. I wonder how that would work in the modern era.
Good demonstration and idea. I would have loved to see a test with the radio placed outdoors, at ground level. Having it sitting in the basement it's already cutting severely the reception.
Nice but still don't understand where the 2 ends of the coax go. A schematic would be nice. is one pole grounded? Does the other just extend outside to anywhere? If there's a straight length, how is it oriented?
pretty good! Keep up the good work. I'm enjoying your channel.
That is Awesome Thanks, I'm going to try it to night.
Great video. Please show the external part of the antenna.
My reception massively increases when I set my radio near my water heater in my basement
Beautiful Radio , does anyone produce this radio or similar and in today's 2024 radios which one's do you recommend , Thank's .
At Forster , the Sydney AM stations were quite listenable during daylight hours , 250km away with the radio inside the caravan with 20 ft of wire hanging near a power turret outside connected to the high side of the radio's internal antenna .Without the external wire only 2BL 702 at Preston's was listenable with the reciever in my hand outside the caravan . . The commercial AM stations around Homebush Bay were audible but not listenable .
That was clear as mud.
You showed I need better antenna but I still don't know how to connect it to my radio.
I think I perhaps understood what you did, but I’m a newbie so trying to learn. I have just purchased a Tecsun pl-680 and have tried it inside my home with the telescopic Ariel or the wire Ariel that came with it, plugged into the Ariel port and clipped to a point near the ceiling. All inside the house and the wire Ariel did improve the reception, but I get hardly and channels either during the day or night. Grateful for your detailed advice on what I need to do exactly to improve the number of stations I can receive. Many thanks. p.s. I an in England, UK.
Ariel is a character in a Disney movie, NOT a radio term. Obtain a refund from the school you attended.
Alignment can help .
👍 Very good ant, could you please explain how your ant made?
Similar antenna works great for FM as well. Found that out by accident!
What differences are there, if you could tell us please? :-)
Mmmmm... Well, now I know what I'm doing this weekend..lol. that's actually pretty damn cool. Pardon my french. But seriously... awesome.
Please show how the coil is to connect to the cable
Thank you so much my dear. I like this
Great video
Brilliant! Thank you!
Assuming that no antenna is connected to the radio, why the reception improves so much (or at all) when you place the loop on top of the radio?
That's an amazing radio tuner you got, where to buy
i still don't understand: how can i build an AM anthenna? i have a Sony HCD-GTZ3i and the AM anthenna is missing. how can i replace it?
I tried your loop as suggested. Did not have any impact. Can you elaborate? I see your loop as 7 loops. The only difference was I kept mine in line, bundled. Would that make the difference?
What kind of reception when you pull out the telescoping ariel on the right top of the radio? I'll bet if you put the loop over THAT you would get even BETTER reception!
The telescoping antenna is for the FM band and a marginal function for SW reception. AM (MW) broadcast receivers rely on an internal antenna which is part of the receiver's front-end stage. The coil/ random-wire shown couples the signal into the built-in AM stage. The telescopic is N.W.A.S. for MW reception.
@@rickvia8435 hi rick, i always thought i could just take a random wire with an alligator clip soldered on and connect to the telescoping antenna.. but thats not best for SW???
@@micjam1986 A random wire connected to the whip is likely to benefit SW (probably not so much for FM because the whip is more tuned for FM reception). The whip by itself is marginal for SW. Any time you can increase the level of signals (random wire), the better for SW. AM (MW) may benefit as well from the wire through indirect parasitic coupling to the MW circuitry. Better SW receivers provide an RCA jack or screw terminal for connection of a wire antenna.
@@rickvia8435 👍👍👍Thank you Rick, learnt something useful today.
Excellent tip.
How would you use this in my truck, cant get any AM stations? Thanks
Where did u connect the other end of the antenna coil ?? I couldn't understand sir ..pls clarify if u can ..thanks a lot..
I'm from india..
Q U E S T I O N --- Please clarify! Regarding the loop antennas for AM - ads on Amazon: Our AM radios have electrical cord, adapter, 4-D battery optional connectors. No jack for external antenna. So how and where must we connect the loop antenna to help diminish the crackling on AM 1150? (FM stations = no problem). Are copper wires the best material for AM/FM antennas? Thanks.
Hi by the looks of it you don't connect it to the radio, you just place it on top.
How is it wired outside? One wire goes to long wire antenna and? What's the ,9 to 1 transformer for? Thx I'm new
How is your external 9:1 transformer wired?
Same, it'd help where from the other end gets a reception.
The Tecsun model is very prone to overload images on AM at about 27khz out from the strong signal received . The Sony ICF SW 35 also has this problem .
good see you made antenna but in movie you didn't show the other end of the coil that where it is attached
Did I miss it? Did you ever show us the antenna on the outside of your house?
I really need to set myself up a mast and a few antennas tuned to various bands with the wiring coming in the home...
Did you say how to connect the loop to your radio?
So is that wire loop hooked up to power somewhere?
is it plugged to the reciever or just put over?
Hey buddy what fm/am portable Radio would you recommend?? Sony? Panasonic??
That’s brilliant
thank you for this video
Wrap an extension cord horizontal around radio. Be amazed how it will pick up am.
Question: could you connect your outdoor longwire antenna to the tunable loop I noticed on your bench in the background? I have one of those. In other words, could you substitute the tunable loop for the coil you made?
What is a 9:1 transformer?
aka 9:1 balun, please Google for more information.
vk6ysf.com/unun_9-1.htm
me too what is it
What model of radio îs?
Thank you.
Hi great vid, I'm definitely going to try this. 1 question, when you say 'ordinary, insulated junk wire' could you be more specific? Thanks
Does't it work with SW ??
Exact details of the connections are absent
That's nice, but how big of an improvement is it over the radio antenna itself. You did this and compared it to No antenna at all!?
What's the purpose of the 9 to 1 transformer? Awesome video by the way.
Thank you! Amen!
Super radio...
Great video, very informative! ...quick question, How did you manage to make your dial light stay on permanently on your 2200? Id like to have the same option
But you don't explain where it attaches? I guess I missed that lesson or this is not for beginners.
Well happy Thanksgiving . Question does the super fringe radio compare to the panasonic rf 2200. Thanks. Best regards. Ron z.
Do you have any advice for a portable radio with an external antenna connection? I already have an SMA antenna on my vehicle and would like a portable radio that can be connected to this.
I use my magnetic loop with the ferrite bar attachment that came with the cheap degen DE31MS active softloop... works exactly the same.... I am curious which radios you have that disconnect the internal ferrite bar with the use of an external antenna
great vid and greetings from the Netherlands
Thanks for the comment, and greetings to you from New Jersey! The Sangean 909X disconnects the internal ferrite, I believe. The C Crane CCRadio EP is off-switchable, as is the Realistic DX440.
Yes the ferrite bar with the Degen works great. I keep meaning to order the Tecsun AN200 for MW but the Degen is doing fine on that front.
Jason Bateman
Ben eatin them moon pies
How is your external 9:1 transformer wired? Does the external wire go to a ground through the higher impedance winding?
Nic3vresults. Goes to show that the antenna is equally if not more important then the radio receiver itself. I bet if you took a small cheap low-end portable radio you would hear similar stunning improvements.
Two questions:
1. You mention a coax wire going outside but is that necessary? Couldn't you just use 2 separate wires; one end of your coil connected to ground (copper pipe in ground or a grounding rod in your basement), and the other end of coil connected to your outside antenna? It looks like you have the coax shield connected to one wire on the coil and the coax core wire connected to the other wire on the coil and then the coax wire goes outside. But once it gets outside, don't you have to cut into the insulation on the coax and then tie a wire that connects the shielding to a steel or copper pipe in the ground?
2. You mention a 9 to 1 transformer. Can you please explain that? Thanks
What brand of audio are you using? Thank you
WOW, amazing
i have a sony component radio with built in and Option for external antenna 75/ 300 Ohm and coax, how do i get a sharp reception on AM 1130 in canada pl advise, i can hear noise and interfearence some times, i dont think its harmonics, but i havent tested yet. Tx
Comprei esse rádio, mas estou com algumas dúvidas. Quando ligo ele na rede de energia, ele só funciona se as pilhas de lition estiverem nele. É normal?
Your loop should be 7 turns if the diameter of the loop is 3 inches. It looks to be about that.
Very interesting. Could that be adapted to a car AM radio? If so. how? Thank you.
You'll just need enough shielded coax to stretch from his outdoor antenna to your car.
@@aviandragon1390 lol and enough to get around town
Would that work on vintage MW radio?
You can also fool if you just going to use wire as an antenna you can just plug it into the same outlet that you know the radio is being used on at least it works for me when I do it
Can i use normal spool of soldering wire and use a cable with alligator clips and attach to the radio atena ? I’m poor lol
I have a 150' antenna connected to my radio but I get a lot of noise with weak signals as well. I am not using a 9:1 transformer (unun), do you think it would greatly reduce my noise and increase my signal if I do use a unun?
Are you using a 150' wire attached directly to your radio, without a feed line? If so, your antenna is capturing signal and noise all along the length of the wire, including the part inside and close to your radio. The unun enables you to connect a long wire to coax; the coax will help shield your antenna from some of the noise and help your signal. (The unun provides an impedance match between your antenna and your coax.)
@@Radiodog so the wire is between a tree 150’ away and long pole by outside my room is connected to a regular TV coax (to the middle copper wire) to a 18 aug wire so I can slide it through sliding door to my radio
The exterior of coax is grounded to a 2’ copper pipe in ground and the ground of mini jack is also grounded to the same pipe
I get a loud of noise in half of the bands approximately. And to be frank it’s performance comparing to my indoor 27’ wire in my room is marginally better if any
I also pick up a lot of noise from my indoor antenna as well. I just bought a MA loop antenna which I will install and compare to the long wire.
What I believe I must have ( please correct me if I don’t need to) is unun 9:1??
Btw grounding did not help noise or reception at all.
I wonder if this would work in a vehicle?