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AM/FM Antenna Recommendation (1 Viewer)

Joined
Feb 10, 2001
Messages
48
I don't listen to the radio on my Onkyo 989 too often, especially because only a few stations have decent reception. I use a Parsec LS-4 powered indoor antenna, which I've had for many years, but it's not good enough. My J&R catalog shows several Terk powered antennas. Should I shell out $50-$100 for one of these, should I consider other brands of indoor antennas, or should I put up a small (homeowner restrictions actually don't allow any "visible" outdoor antennas other than a small satellite dish) AM/FM antenna when I get a DirecTV dish in a couple of months?
With Xmas just around the corner, I'm looking for ideas to give my wife :)
 

Brian Corr

Supporting Actor
Joined
May 10, 1999
Messages
535
I have the fanfare and it seems to work better than the amplified terk's. I tried many.
I think the best antenna would be the FM outdoor antenna that radio shack sells. It's too big to use inside so if that is a problem then the fanfare would work. I have the fanfare mounted on the wall behind my drapes.
I ended up with 2 of the fanfare antenna's. If you are interested in my extra, let me know. [email protected]
 

Alex F.

Second Unit
Joined
Aug 29, 1999
Messages
377
In our area, about 25 miles from NYC, the unamplified Fanfare (fanfare.com) FM2G clearly outperformed the Terk Pi amplified antenna (the Terk is now relegated to a closet). The Fanfare can be hidden easily behind a curtain or piece of furniture. Try orienting it vertically or horizontally for best reception.
 
Joined
Feb 10, 2001
Messages
48
The Fanfare FM-2G looks pretty good. If I want to put an antenna in my attic instead of hiding it in the TV room, I wonder if a Radio Shack "outdoor" antenna would be a better way to go (better performance and cheaper??).
 

Chuck Kent

Supporting Actor
Joined
May 29, 1999
Messages
983
David: I would think that if you can accomodate the attic solution, that it would yield better signal strength than an antenna much closer to the ground plane. But the FM-2G has a very good reputation.

(BTW, I'm convinced that in many cases, staying passive (IOW, using a non-active antenna) can give noticeably quieter backgrounds. There's nothing fundamentally wrong with amplified models per se, but they also amplify any background noise too.)
 

Alex F.

Second Unit
Joined
Aug 29, 1999
Messages
377
A quality directional "outdoor" antenna will outperform any indoor unit by a huge margin. I utilized the excellent Finco FM-4G (still manufactured?) in my attic for many years before I moved to my present location.

In general, the more antenna elements that cover the FM frequency band (88-108 mHz), the better the gain and the more directional the "focus" of the unit. Greater directionality yields better multipath ("ghost") rejection.

I haven't shopped for an outdoor antenna in several years, and I'm not aware of what firms are still in business, but in the past the very best performers were made by Channel Master, Winegard, and Finco. Maybe they've improved recently, but Radio Shack's outdoor antennas performed poorly (i.e., substandard multipath rejection) in my area compared with the Channel Master and Finco models I owned.

Note that Fanfare offers specialized outdoor FM antennas on its website for very little money. When I move into my new house (under construction) in the spring, I intend to purchase one of the Fanfares.

Good luck!
 
J

John Morris

I'm with Alex on this one. I tried all kinds of powered and FM specific antennas (I'm 20-50 miles from transmitters), and got the best performance from using a huge passive Radio Shack antenna in my attic. I also tried adding a Magnum Dynalab signal sleuth to the mix, and got some slight improvements, but decided it wasn't worth the increased cost.
 

JeffGrimes

Auditioning
Joined
Nov 28, 2001
Messages
3
I had similar reception prtoblems in the Dteroit area.
I tried indoor powered antennas from $20 to $100 dollars, none offered significant improvment.
Headed for Radio Shack...Bought their $16 FM antenna, stuck it in my attic (1 story home)..and
Wallah!!! :D
I'm getting rock solid reception for ALL detroit stations, most Ann Arbor Stations...and Even pulling some in from 100 miles away (nothing worth listening to...
Good Luck!
 

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