In a minute I will discuss AM reception in general but first let
me discuss how you can pick up Beethoven.com programming on your radio in
Connecticut
.
First, if you are in the Greater Hartford area, you can listen
by tuning your radio to our AM 1290, WCCC-AM which provides a good signal
within about a 10 mile radius of downtown
Hartford
. (See link to coverage map
below). WCCC-AM also operates with HD
so if you have an HD radio the 1290 signal should sound even better.
Second, by using an HD radio you can pick up Beethoven.com on
the HD-2 signal of our sister FM station, WCCC-FM 106.9. This signal provides even better fidelity
and covers all of central
Connecticut
and
parts of south central
Massachusetts
.
The cost of HD receivers has come down greatly in the last few
years and there are dozens of models to choose from. If you are looking for a car radio the JVC
KD-HDR1 is highly recommended. It is available on line from multiple vendors
for between $140 and $180. If you are
looking for a home receiver there are two models that are highly
recommended. The Radiosophy HD100 is a
table radio with build-in speakers as well as a headphone jack. The Sony XDRF-1HD is a component tuner that
plugs into your stereo or home theater system. Both offer excellent analog AM
and FM reception in addition to HD reception and both have prices will under
$200.
NOW, ON TO SOME SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO
IMPROVE AM RADIO RECEPTION
AM radio reception is full of variables, some of which are under
the control of the listener and some of which are not. Please refer to the
coverage map of WCCC AM for the following discussion: COVERAGE MAP
First it is important to note that due to Federal Communications
Commission regulations, most AM stations have to change their power or the
direction they send their signal in at night in order to prevent interference
to other stations. This is because AM signals travel much farther at
night. WCCC AM 1290 has to reduce its power at
night so if you reception is OK during the day and not so good at night that
may be the problem and we recommend that you consider the purchase of an HD
radio so that you can hear our Beethoven.com programming on the HD-2 channel
of our sister station, WCCC-FM, 106.9.
It is important to note that the coverage of AM HD signals is
often much less than a given stations regular analog coverage, so purchasing
an HD radio will generally not improve AM reception at night.
If you live or travel within the smallest circle on the coverage
map map, than you are in our prime coverage area and in theory you should be
able to hear WCCC AM 1290 fairly well during the day. On a practical
basis, listeners within this area should not experience too many reception
problems and HD reception is possible.
If you live within the second larger circle, you are in what is
called the secondary coverage area and you may have to do some experimenting
to optimize your reception of Beethoven Radio 1290.
If you live outside the second largest circle, but within the
largest circle, you are in what is called the fringe area and while reception
of 1290 is possible, it may be difficult.
Reception outside the larger circle is possible. The coverage of
AM radio stations can be quite unpredictable and we have heard from listeners
in several neighboring states but such propagation is sporadic at best and is
effected by such things as the season of the year and the sunspot count,
believe it or not.
DAY, NIGHT OR CRITICAL HOURS?
Everyone knows what day and night are, and if you have read this
far you know that many AM stations reduce their power or change their
directional pattern at night. In
addition, at night distant stations often cause interference to local
stations through a phenomena known as “sky wave” propagation. But most people don’t realize that the
changes that take place in the AM band at sunrise and sunset each day take
place very gradually, often over a period of 2-4 hours or more. “Critical
Hours” (abbreviated “CH”) is a term used by the Federal Communications
Commission to describe reception conditions during the period two hours after
local sunrise and the period two hours prior to local sunset when AM band
conditions are particularly unstable. Note that in the winter months morning critical hours can extend until
9 am or later, and afternoon critical hours can start as early as 2 pm. Keep this day, night, CH concept in mind as
you read on about AM reception.
ARE YOU
MOBILE OR FIXED?
When discussing ways of improving AM reception, we must
distinguish between fixed location reception, such as in a home or office,
and mobile car reception.
Some of the best AM receivers can be found in cars. Although not
true in every case, the average car radio will pick up more station than even
an expensive home receiver. Most home stereo receiver manufacturers skimp on
the AM section of their equipment because they know from studies that not
many people listen to AM on high-end equipment. Another reason for the
difference in performance between most home radios and those that are used in
an automobile is that the car receiver has one very important advantage over
the typical “fixed” radio; an outside antenna! This often makes a huge difference in
reception.
A common complaint about car reception is that the signal is
plagued by a loud buzzing or humming sound.
Intermittent buzzing or whooshing noises on the AM dial as you
drive along are often coming from noise sources in the environment. Power
lines, traffic light controllers, neon signs, overhead cable and telephone
data lines and factories can all add noise to AM reception. Objects such as bridges, gas station
canopies and parking garages tend to block AM reception as well. There isn’t
much that can be done about this kind of noise in a mobile listening
environment. However, unless you live
an in urban area these noises are often not very frequent and are often
easily tolerated.
Electrical interference generated by the car itself is a big
problem in AM reception. New cars are
full of microprocessor controllers and electric motors which generate
electrical noise. If the noise changes along with engine speed, the
problem is caused by an engine component, such as the alternator or the
ignition system. If the noise is constant, it may be caused by the fuel
pump or blower motor (in most new cars the air conditioner blower runs
continuously). If the noise is present intermittently, than it might be
caused by the windshield wipers, the air conditioning system, the speed
control system, power windows, the defroster or even a cell phone or
navigation system.
Often the electrical noise generated by the car makes it appear
as if all stations appear to be weak since it is often hard to tell if the
designed signal is truly week and therefore noisy or is strong but covered by
locally generated electrical noise. A
good way to check to see if you car radio is working properly is to park your
car outdoors with the engine and radio off, and try picking up the desired
station on a good portable radio while standing outside the car. If you can hear the station you want on the
portable radio turn the car on and see if you can hear it on the car radio.
If all of the stations on your car radio are weak, or if stations
get stronger and weaker as you drive as if you were throwing a switch, the
problem may very well be with the antenna or the wire going to it. With
the car parked in your driveway and the radio tuned to a weak station, try
touching the antenna. The there should be a change in reception
(probably for the worst). If not, the antenna may not be working. Next,
try gently snapping the antenna back and forth. If the signal cuts in
and out the may be a bad connection at the antenna. In either of
these cases, or if reception is uniformly bad across the dial, a qualified
automotive electrical technician may be able to help (always have the antenna
checked before buying a new car radio!). Speaking of antennas, make
sure that that it has not been damaged and that it is extended to its full
length since this is very important for optimum reception.
If you are considering purchasing a new car radio, you may want
to check out HD radios. WCCC was the first AM HD station in the state of
Connecticut and more and more stations are switching to HD. HD provides
greatly improved fidelity and stereo reception on AM stations so equipped,
along with song titles on the radio display! But keep in mind that HD radio
signals often do not cover as far as analog signals, so upgrading to an HD
radio will not improve reception
which is bad to begin with. Switching
to HD makes sense if the reception is good but you would like better fidelity
and a stereo signal.
Home or office reception of AM signals can be
problematic. Certain building materials, such as aluminum siding and the
metal and tinted glass often used in modern office buildings block AM signals
quite effectively. To see if it might be possible to pick up a given
station at your home or office, try to listen to the station in your car
parked as close to the building as possible. Since car radios are
generally far superior to any other type of AM receiver, if you can’t get the
desired station in the car you may not be able to get it inside no matter
what kind of radio you use. One alternative in this case is to listen to
us on the internet at Beethoven.com.
People use a variety of radios for home and office reception,
ranging from clock and table radios to boom boxes to component stereo
receivers. Unfortunately, the manufacturers of these devices often
install inferior AM tuners inside their equipment, making good AM reception
difficult.
DON’T FORGET THE ANTENNA
For proper AM reception an antenna is required Most portable and table AM radios have a
bar or ferrite rod antenna built into the case. These antennas are very
directional so the first thing you should try to do when attempting to tune
in to 1290 for the first time is to physically rotate the radio to see if the
reception gets better or worse. You may be surprised at the difference this
makes. If possible, leave the radio in the position that provides best
reception.
Many newer home radios and stereo receivers come with a small
plastic AM loop antenna which is often never installed. Check the back of your receiver to see if
anything is connected to the AM antenna terminals. If not, you’ll either need to find the
little loop antenna (usually a small black plastic rectangle about 4” in
diameter with two twisted wire leads coming off of it) and connect it to your
radio.
Electrical devices in the vicinity of the radio can cause
interference so if your radio is near a TV, answering machine, telephone,
charger, fluorescent light or cell phone you may want to try to move it
farther away.
If your radio has a whip antenna, it may or may not be used for
AM reception (the rods are much more common). Try extending the antenna
to its full length and then try various positions of the whip to see if it
makes a difference. Keep in mind that
with most AM/FM portable radios the whip antenna is only used for FM
reception. An internal rod antenna is used for AM.
Some home stereo and AV receivers have detachable AM antennas,
and these are often never installed when the system is set up. These
often take the shape of a plastic loop approximately 3” in diameter and they
should be connected to the AM Antenna terminals on the back of the set and
adjusted (moved) for best reception. Some older sets have rod antennas
attached to the rear panel. If these are adjustable, make sure they are pulled
as far away from the back panel of the radio as possible and keep speaker and
power cable wires away from them. Trial and error will be required to find
the best position for the antenna and this will vary from station to station.
Believe it or not, some high-end receivers don’t come with any
AM antennas but provide a terminal on the rear panel marked “AM Ant” or
similar where a wire antenna can be connected. Your first thought may be
to hook up a very long piece of wire to this terminal but you will probably
find that doing so results in hearing on or more station across the entire AM
dial! This is because the long wire is overloading the AM tuner’s
input. If you are going to use this AM antenna connection, start with
20’ or so of wire and be prepared to trim it back in 2’ lengths until the
overload disappears. Remember, just as with portable receivers, the
keeping this antenna away from possible sources of electrical noise is
important.
Several manufacturers make external AM antennas that can be used
with radios with and without AM antenna jacks.
Terk AM Advantage. This
is a nice looking, relatively effective AM antenna at an attractive
price. Available from: http://www.ccrane.com/antennas/am-antennas/terk-am-advantage.aspx
Twin Coil Ferrite AM Antenna. Although quite a bit more expensive than the above antenna, this
antenna has a lot of pulling power. http://www.ccrane.com/antennas/am-antennas/twin-coil-ferrite-am-antenna.aspx
Super Select-a-tenna. Some people say that this is one of the
best commercially available indoor AM antennas. I’ve used one of them and it worked great.
The only downside is the price. http://www.ccrane.com/antennas/am-antennas/super-select-a-tenna.aspx
All of the above antennas can be physically adjusted for best
reception and can also be used to reduce interference from distant
stations. How well an antenna works
depends upon a lot of factors including the type of building it is located in
and the radio it is connected to. I
suggest that you purchase your antenna from a vendor with a 7 day return privilege.
If you are handy with basic tools you might want to consider
making your own loop antenna. There
are several web pages devoted to this topic:
http://www.frontiernet.net/~jadale/Loop.htm
http://www.mtmscientific.com/loop.html
RADIO RECOMMENDATIONS
As mentioned previously, even if you have an expensive stereo or
home theater system most likely the manufacturer skimped on the AM radio
section. If you want the ultimate in
AM pulling power and/or audio fidelity, several manufacturers make radios
designed with AM reception in mind.
If you want a portable, the GE Superradio III is the radio to
get. Believe it or not, for the modest price of around $50 this radio
provides exceptional sensitivity (pulling power) and excellent selectivity
(the ability of a radio to separate one station from another). It also
provides some of the best audio quality OF ANY AM RADIO AT ANY PRICE! These
radios are available from numerous electronic emporiums as well as Amazon.com
for about $50.
Radio Shack (radioshack.com)
has tried to compete with the GE Superradio III by offering the OPTIMUS
12-603A. Selling for about $40, this radio works better than about 99%
of all of the other portable radios out there, but in my opinion falls short
of the Superradio, especially in the areas of selectivity and
fidelity. Keep in mind that many Radio Shack stores have generous return
policies, so it may be possible for you to try this radio in your home and
then return it for a refund if it does not perform the way you want it to.
The CC Crane company (http://www.ccrane.com/) offers the CCRadio Plus in
the $140 range. Most reviewers report that while this radio compares
nicely with the GE Superradio reception-wise, it lacks the Superradios
excellent audio performance on AM (it sounds great on talk radio and sports
broadcasts though).
If you are looking for a tabletop radio, there are several
to choose from.
The Radiosophy HD100 radio is a good performer on the AM band. It also offers
FM and HD capability and has built in speakers. http://www.radiosophy.com/store/product.php?productid=16144&cat=248&page=1
Tivoli Audio’s (http://www.tivoliaudio.com/home.php) Model One is
a very nice home radio, offering decent AM reception with good audio quality.
Cambridge Soundworks (http://www.cambridgesoundworks.com/store/category.cgi?category=aud_radio)
offers several models that have good AM performance.
I personally use a Kaito KA1103 which provides excellent AM
reception (as well as FM and shortwave) for about $80. It has a small internal speaker which
limits the audio fidelity but when connected to an external amplifier and
speaker this radio sounds quite nice.
Sangean and Sony also have very good component style HD tuners
available.
These are just a few of the high quality AM receivers we are
familiar with. There may be others. Don’t gamble, purchase your
radio from a vendor that has a good return policy.
Avoid expensive component stereo receivers and tuners, nearly
all of these units offer terrible AM reception and fidelity.
If you are looking for a radio that offers shortwave reception
as well, Sony and Grundig offer a large selection of portable and home
receivers. Since these receivers are designed for pulling in weak shortwave
stations that are often crowded together, they often work well on the AM
broadcast band. However, the audio quality that these radios offer is
generally no where near as good as the quality offered on most of the models
mentioned above.
For the ultimate in AM reception you need a McKay Dymek AM-5
high fidelity AM tuner. These haven’t been made in close to twenty
years, but they available from time to time on the used market, including
ebay.com. The AM-5 needs an outside wire antenna to work properly.
All in all, you can’t go wrong with a GE Superradio III which
offers excellent reception and extended AM fidelity at a very reasonable
price.
I would be more than happy to help you with your reception
problems. Contact me at jramsey {AT} beethoven.com.
At a later date I hope to add information about FM
reception. Until then I suggest you
refer to the information contained in this link:
http://wwuh.org/news/recep.htm
John Ramsey - Chief Technical Officer
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