I have a radio in my office that I listen to
most days, but the reception is none too good. So why is it that when I walk over to
the radio to try to tune it better, it gets better all by itself, then when I go back to my desk the static returns? If having a person stand near the radio makes the tuner work better, then how can I make the radio behave as if there were someone standing there so it will sound better? My company
won’t allow me to hire a professional radio-stander.
Also, why is FM reception so much worse in
stormy weather (NOT necessarily electrical storms).
Your body can act as an antenna when you’re near the one on your radio. It’s called the Therimin effect and is even used in a pre-synthesizer electronic instrument of the same name. If you ever heard the cheesy “woo-ooo-ooo” sound in a cheap horror movie you’ve heard a Therimin.
Get a better antenna for your radio and your problems will be solved.
When I used to work in the consumer industry and I suggested that people improve their antenna for better reception, I’m sure I must have heard
About 50% of the time.
Your body can also act as a damping field, partially shunting or absorbing an electrostatic broadcast. some waves are less affected, depending on their polarization (broadcast angle). If it’s an older tuner with a mechanical tuning dial (the plates in which collect dust & gunk over the years), it’s time to heave it into the trash and get yourself a new one. Some small portable radios are just cheesy and only pick up the strongest stations (these probably have a telescopic antenna that you can’t change). If your tuner has a local/dist switch, make sure it’s set to dist to help the weak or distant signals come through.
Tuner troubles are tough to troubleshoot; the symptoms can be influenced by many factors.
For a quick fix you could try rotating the radio a bit (45° or so) and step back. After a few tries you should get at least marginal improvement. Works on the crappy little portable I sometimes take into the field.