stereo antenna - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

redrover · 07-26-2003, 11:17 AM

hi, i have a stereo receiver in my room, and it hooked to an FM antenna in my attic via a coax cable. it does not work right, i have tryed adjusting the connections on the receiver and the antenna. it will only pick up stations about 20 miles away (at the most).

the terrain in this area is generally flat, with a few plateaus, with most of the stations to the north in the flat area. i also have my PC in my room, is that causing alot of interference?

tinfoil · 07-26-2003, 11:21 AM

Hrm.. How is it hooked up, coax input or double spade? Have you checked the resistance of the antenna + coax?

soccerchamp76 · 07-26-2003, 12:11 PM

The stereo in my room isn't hooked up to any antenna, just plugged straight into the outlet for electricity and every station comes in clear. You could try that.

seethreepo · 07-26-2003, 05:47 PM

you can also try cable many \ most \ all cable companies offer some fm stations usually in the best quality reception you can buy a cable adaptor at the local radio shack.

Me So Horny · 07-28-2003, 09:28 PM

Maybe it's the coax cable? I don't know if you need the shielding.

sunstone · 07-29-2003, 11:09 AM

redrover, I assume that you do get better reception with the antenna connected than without. If you haven't tried this, check it just to make sure that the problem is related to the antenna and not something internal to your receiver.

As someone has said, your cable could be shorted. Try touchiing or attaching a simple piece of wire (at least a couple of feet long) to the center conductor of the input jack for the coax cable to see if you get halfway decent reception. Move the wire around, orient it in different directions (FM is very directional). If you find that this is as good or better than the FM antenna, you probably have a bad cable. Those are easy to replace at Radio Shack.

Also, your antenna has to be pointed toward the stations you want to receive - you've probably tweaked with this already. And what is around the antenna? Is it shielded or blocked by metal objects around it or on roof? If it's not in a "clear" spot, it will definitely affect the signal reception.

One last question -- have you had good reception and performance with this setup before? In other words, do you know that there is nothing wrong with the system?
Hope some of this might help.

redrover · 08-01-2003, 01:37 PM

the cable is not bad, and the antenna is not directional, it is one of those radio shack ones that points in 4 directions.

sunstone · 08-10-2003, 09:06 AM

redrover, did you ever get anything to work??

alaskaguy · 10-16-2003, 07:13 PM

How close is the stereo to the computer? RF interference could be bossible, but not likely, as most modern machines are pretty well shielded. Does the reception vary at all if the computer is off? You could also try some rabbit ears (if you could borrow some from a tv set or friend's tv). I would also play with the antenna, as the designer's concept of 'multi-directional' and ours may differ.

supafly · 10-20-2003, 06:41 AM

Maybe the plug on that connects the coax to your radio is not fitted in the right way or isn't shielded.

07-26-2003, 11:17 AM	#1 (permalink)
redrover Upright	stereo antenna hi, i have a stereo receiver in my room, and it hooked to an FM antenna in my attic via a coax cable. it does not work right, i have tryed adjusting the connections on the receiver and the antenna. it will only pick up stations about 20 miles away (at the most). the terrain in this area is generally flat, with a few plateaus, with most of the stations to the north in the flat area. i also have my PC in my room, is that causing alot of interference?

07-26-2003, 11:21 AM	#2 (permalink)
tinfoil Fucking Hostile Location: Springford, ON, Canada	Hrm.. How is it hooked up, coax input or double spade? Have you checked the resistance of the antenna + coax? __________________ Get off your fuckin cross. We need the fuckin space to nail the next fool martyr.

07-26-2003, 05:47 PM	#4 (permalink)
seethreepo Addict Location: outer reaches of space	you can also try cable many \ most \ all cable companies offer some fm stations usually in the best quality reception you can buy a cable adaptor at the local radio shack. __________________ rub it and see.

10-20-2003, 06:41 AM	#10 (permalink)
supafly Psycho Location: Rotterdam	Maybe the plug on that connects the coax to your radio is not fitted in the right way or isn't shielded. __________________ Thumbs up

07-26-2003, 12:11 PM	#3 (permalink)
soccerchamp76 Go Cardinals Location: St. Louis/Cincinnati	The stereo in my room isn't hooked up to any antenna, just plugged straight into the outlet for electricity and every station comes in clear. You could try that.

07-28-2003, 09:28 PM	#5 (permalink)
Me So Horny Tilted	Maybe it's the coax cable? I don't know if you need the shielding.

07-29-2003, 11:09 AM	#6 (permalink)
sunstone Upright Location: Pacific Northwest	redrover, I assume that you do get better reception with the antenna connected than without. If you haven't tried this, check it just to make sure that the problem is related to the antenna and not something internal to your receiver. As someone has said, your cable could be shorted. Try touchiing or attaching a simple piece of wire (at least a couple of feet long) to the center conductor of the input jack for the coax cable to see if you get halfway decent reception. Move the wire around, orient it in different directions (FM is very directional). If you find that this is as good or better than the FM antenna, you probably have a bad cable. Those are easy to replace at Radio Shack. Also, your antenna has to be pointed toward the stations you want to receive - you've probably tweaked with this already. And what is around the antenna? Is it shielded or blocked by metal objects around it or on roof? If it's not in a "clear" spot, it will definitely affect the signal reception. One last question -- have you had good reception and performance with this setup before? In other words, do you know that there is nothing wrong with the system? Hope some of this might help.

08-01-2003, 01:37 PM	#7 (permalink)
redrover Upright	the cable is not bad, and the antenna is not directional, it is one of those radio shack ones that points in 4 directions.

08-10-2003, 09:06 AM	#8 (permalink)
sunstone Upright Location: Pacific Northwest	redrover, did you ever get anything to work??

10-16-2003, 07:13 PM	#9 (permalink)
alaskaguy Upright Location: anchorage, alaska us	How close is the stereo to the computer? RF interference could be bossible, but not likely, as most modern machines are pretty well shielded. Does the reception vary at all if the computer is off? You could also try some rabbit ears (if you could borrow some from a tv set or friend's tv). I would also play with the antenna, as the designer's concept of 'multi-directional' and ours may differ.