I listen to WABE (public radio) and now I cannot pick them up clearly even though I could listen to them static-free 2 years ago. I have called the station, but they will not give me a definite answer. Could it be cell-phone towers?
I am about 35 miles away from the originating source and I have a TERK antenna, supposedly the best. Also, all the other Atlanta stations come in fine with no static. I use a KOSS MODEL 88 radio. (Similar to the BOSE WAVE)
Thanks for any information, because I really miss my static-free classical music!
I don’t think it’s a cell phone tower unless you are real close. I would guess that either some construction project blocked the signal or you are near another radio station that is interfering.
Another though is they moved their transmitter for one reason or another.
maybe you will have to listen to them over the net if possible.
I’m assuming you’re listening to FM radio, i.e. something
with a frequency between 88 and 107 MHz. Cell phones operate in two main bands, one between 880-920 MHz and one at a whopping 1,100-1,200 MHz or so.
Now, it’s possible the cell tower operator is a dumb-bell and has screwed up their equipment so it causes interference in radio bands it’s not supposed to. If you think this is the case, you can try and call up the FCC and maybe they’ll send a guy with a RF meter out and see what the readings are like.
Is your antenna one on top of your house, and is it directional? You know, picks up signals better in some directions than others? You can try and point it at approximately where the transmitter is and see if that helps. If it’s one of those cheapie 6" loop antennas, the orientation probably isn’t so important.
-Ben
Is your antenna amplified? It may be that a nearby signal (most likely a pager signal, which may be located on a nearby cell tower) is so strong that it swamps the amplifier, which then dumps all its power into amplifying the signal you don’t want and leaves the others much weaker. This is the magic of receiver desensitization. You could try putting an FM bandpass filter before your antenna amplifier (but since it’s probably all one unit, that would probably be impractical). If you can switch the amplifier on and off, try turning it off and seeing if the signal improves. I know that seems counterintuitive, but it often works.
Your best (and cheapest) bet is to set up an outdoor FM antenna. Get it as high as possible and don’t bother with an amplifier. Use good feedline (the cable between the antenna and the radio). Even if you’re not using an amplified antenna and the problem is caused by new construction or some other factor, you just can’t beat an outdoor antenna way up high.
The antenna is not amplified, and it sits in my apartment.(I can’t put an antenna on top of the roof because it is an apartment) Regarding the cell-phone towers, they are all over my little town, and some are definitely in the “toward Atlanta” range where there weren’t any 2 years ago.
A further word about my TERK antenna: It functions exactly the way it should, and the station has promised me they do not drop their power, so I gotta think that something’s in the way. But even in the car?