How can I improve AM radio reception?

Factual Questions
1

Hey all. I live in an NYC studio, surrounded by my neighbors’ apartments, as well as large nearby buildings and other things that make my ability to receive AM radio pretty darn pathetic. I have a compact stereo system, a portable radio with an antenna, a clock radio, and a mini-TV/radio (also with an antenna). None get anything but the most powerful nearby AM stations – primarily WABC, which is basically nonstop rightwing blowhards.

Most of all, I want to get Air America/WLIB-1190AM and WCBS-880AM. (I know I can stream AAR and WLIB on my PC, but I’d like to listen even when I’m not online. As much of a web whore I am, I’m not online 24-7.) :slight_smile:

Can anyone recommend ways that will help improve my reception? Any radio or antenna brands that specialize in AM reception? Wrapping myself in tin foil? Help!

2

Try the C. Crane Company. They specialize in AM radios and claim they have radios and antennas which will improve reception. They’re not cheap though.

3

This might work and it’s only ten bucks.

Some people swear by wrapping their radio with bare 18 gauge wire. I haven’t tried that though.

4

Forget all the fancy antennas with weird gears and parabolic dishes and crap. Just get 10 feet of copper wire, figure out how to securely attach it to your radio, and make sure it’s as straight as possible.

5

I got a C Crane radio last year because I live in a rural area and wanted to improve my reception from the nearest radio station in Bangor (125 miles); but it wasn’t any better than my old portable. What has helped is some TV antenna wire that I stripped and put on the antenna with the other end out the window. But, I may try the copper wire idea. I still have a big problem with interference from other stations over the (Canadian) border.

6

I’ve always wanted to try this thing. It’s an active antenna that picks up on the magnetic field (as opposed to the electric field).

7

Correct.
To add:
Adjust the lenght of the wire to a harmonic of the station’s freq. I say harmonic because the actual correct length would be too long for an apartment.

Importantly: Turn the wire for best reception.

8

Let us know how you make out. Tinkering with antennas for AM broadcast frequency receivers is usually a waste of time unless you go to a really big and sophisticated system.

9

Thanks all for the suggestions! I will let you know if anything helps.

In researching the C.C. radio, I also found mention of something called the GE Superadio III, which is supposed to be good for AM reception as well. Anyone have any experience with this?

And to keep this in the GQ mode – why is AM so hard to access, anyway? (Sadly I know very little about how radio frequencies work.) What is there that’s worth listening to on shortwave radio? Heck, while I’m at it, why are AM frequencies in whole numbers such as 880, 770, etc., but FM frequencies listed with decimals such as 96.3, 102.7, and so on?

Thanks again guys. :slight_smile:

10

The distance from the transmitter for good reception at AM broadcast frequencies is limited by atmospheric noise, i.e. “static.” Static noise is much greater than the noise encountered at the higher, FM band, frequencies. AM doesn’t supress static noise like FM does. However, the bandwidth required for good FM static supression is so great that the number of such stations available would be severely limited in the AM broadcast frequency band.

As to the second question. AM frequencies are in kiloHertz while FM frequencies are in megaHertz. To the same scale as the FM frequencies, the AM would be 0.880, 0.770, etc.