Total ignoramus with one simple question!

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Hi everyone! I am brand new to this forum. I know it is intended to be for things like swapping design ideas and getting feedback from fellow experts...I don't know if any of you ever get any clueless people requesting help, but that would be me. I am so sorry to bother you if that is not ok I think I have just one very simple question that I need an answer to!

I have just bought this stereo shelf system:
RCA RS27116I Digital Music Studio with iPod Dock at TigerDirect.com

I am happy with the sound quality and it plays my CDs beautifully, but it sure makes for a poor FM/AM radio. I got this to replace my old AIWA unit which was hooked up to a TERK Edge antenna (it shorted out in a power surge, unfortunately). The reception is incredibly scratchy, so I am unable to listen to my beloved NPR! (FM 89.1 Gainesville, FL)

This is the only radio station I listen to, but I sure would miss it if I couldn't hear it. I know I can probably hear it through my computer, but I'd rather not...

Here is my question:


How can I improve my FM reception on this unit? It comes with a simple piece of wire, it looks pretty much like the same wire that the speakers use. I have already extended the wire as far as it can go and pointed it north, taping it to the edge of the cabinet. This makes it work somewhat (it won't work well at all coiled up next to the stereo, of course) but it's very scratchy.

What can I attach to it to improve the reception? I am willing to buy anything, I just don't know what it is I would need to get. I have a mad scientist uncle who can probably whip me up something DIY if need be ;)

I honestly don't know anything about this stuff. I don't know how many Ohms it is. On the back of the stereo where the wire sticks out, it says simply "FM/AM ANTENNA" and nothing else. No other info on the instruction manual either. Hopefully it is a common enough setup that most of you on here will know what I am talking about!

Thank you soooo much in advance for your help...I would be ever so grateful if someone here could help me get my NPR back, I miss it terribly!

Nicole
 
naputnam said:
I don't know if any of you ever get any clueless people requesting help
Yes, no problem. That is what we are here for. Clueless people offering help also happens sometimes!

A better antenna will certainly help, but a fairly cheap all-in-one audio unit is unlikely to have a decent FM section. Do you know whether the station you want to listen to uses vertical or horizontal polarisation, or mixed? How high can you put the antenna - generally the higher the better for long distance FM reception.
 
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You might get much better sound (much less background noise) if there is an option to switch the radio to MONO rather than stereo as that works with far less aerial signal.

Indoor reception of FM is problematic, the answer is always a better aerial higher up if possible.

Does this thing have a socket for an external aerial ?
 
I've attached a picture of the back of the unit to make it easier. In case you can't read everything, it goes as follows from left to right:

1. Headphone jack
2. Right speaker connection
3. Left speaker connection
4. Power source (connected to AC adapter)
5. AUX IN jack

And then, as you can see, the "FM ANT." is where the wire sticks out, and that's all it is...just a wire, which sticks out about 34 inches when fully straightened.

DF96, I will try to find out the answers to your questions about the station and reply back to this thread. I do not know off hand, unfortunately.

Mooly - there is no MONO option, unfortunately. There was on my old AIWA unit (rest in peace!) but the FM/AM antenna on this is just an afterthought, it looks like. It comes with an iPod dock so they are probably not expecting anyone to listen to the radio on it...that is so 20 years ago, right? ;)
 

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It has no provision for a proper external antenna, but it may be possible to fit a suitable socket. Maybe a job for your uncle? The 34" wire is a quarter-wave monopole, so the antenna conection inside should be lowish impedance and unbalanced - OK for attaching coaxial cable.

Having said that, a decent FM tuner or radio with a proper antenna socket might be better than fiddling around with this item, as it clearly does not take FM seriously.
 
Having said that, a decent FM tuner or radio with a proper antenna socket might be better than fiddling around with this item, as it clearly does not take FM seriously.

Hah, you can say that again!

The price was right on this unit though - $60 with another 10% off with my employee discount. I mainly use it for playing CDs, and that's one thing it does beautifully. It's only one CD at a time, but that suits me fine. It looks great where it is compared to the old AIWA boombox (which I was still very sad to lose, feel bad I did not have it on a surge protector...hindsight's 20/20) so I don't mind too much if it can't work as a radio, too. I realized when I bought it that it was going to be form over function. That being said...

Do you (or does anyone) have any recommendations for a good radio? I would rather keep it under $100, I like the Tivolis an awful lot but they are pretty pricey. The cheaper the better (to a degree) and I don't mind if I need to use a whip antenna either. I would like something besides a weather radio, though, because it would be intended to be stationary on a shelf or table.
 
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It doesn't look too good from the pics I'm afraid.

I see four screws holding the cover where the wire comes out. Curious to know what is under that connection wise.

With radio sometimes unexpected things work although I think you could be on to a loser here unfortunately. I suppose we are all assuming it isn't faulty (it probably isn't).
Does it work OK anywhere, different room/house/upstairs etc ?

Was your Aiwa a portable or a small music/midi centre ? If you know the model number of it we could see what you were used too.
 
Usually there is not that much difference in sensitivity between good and bad radio's, the main difference is how well they can handle interference from strong undesired stations. So unless Nicole lives close to an undesired FM station, I expect that the problem is the crappy aerial rather than the radio electronics.

I think DF96's idea of having the uncle place an aerial socket is a good suggestion. The actual aerial should be placed high and far away from digital electronics, such as the Ipod dock itself.
 
Regarding stereo/mono switching, you could also turn it into mono externally with a circuit like this, consisting of two resistors and a four-pole turnover switch. Disadvantage is that when you switch to mono with this circuit, the bass becomes boomier and you loose some volume. But maybe that's still better than the hiss.
 

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Passive couping

If you have a roof aerial(antenna) or cable provided feed of FM radio, it may be possible to couple this to your receiver.
A little empirical testing will be needed, but essentially you will be adding a transmitting (or re-radiating) antenna close to the receiver.
Try this:
Assuming a coaxial feed: Connect a short length- maybe 20cm of wire to the coax inner conductor and tape this across the rear or base of the receiver. Then tape a similar length of the coax to the mains lead [no electrical connection!].
Assuming a balanced 300 ohm feed: Connect 1 leg to the 20cm wire and connect the other to another 20cm wire and tape it to the mains lead.

If the above does not give sufficient improvement you might invest in a signal booster (amplifier to fit in-line).

It might also be possible to use an indoor antenna but a signal booster will more than likely be required.

This kind of system works because often cheap equipment uses the attached cables - power lead; earphone cables as part of the receiving antenna.

To all the rf aficionados: I know there will be a serious mis-match but one of the the antenna standing waves may well hit a standing wave node of the receiver's antenna...
 
You better buy another receiver. Search for Degen DE1103, it is like a powerful military grade communications receiver in a civilian case. 10 times cheaper than worth.

I'll second Wavebourn's suggestion. The Degen brand, also sold as Kaito brand, offers excellent receivers for a fair price. I have this one and the tuner section is excellent. It has external antenna connections as well as stereo line out.

KA2100, Table Radio for super sound quality

I have no affiliation with Kaito or Degen.
 
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