I'm looking for some help with regards to a simple indoor FM antenna I plan on making. I live in an appartment and would like to be able to receive my favorite station on 100.9 Mhz. The station broadcasts from Brussels in Belgium which is 125 Km (78 Mile) from where I live. I have no problem picking it up locally in my car, but I get no signal with my Marantz SR4320 receiver. I currently use a simple 'T' type antenna which is attached to the back of a cabinet.
Does anyone have some tips on how to construct an antenna specifically for my problem?
P.s. I'm a complete novice when it comes to DIY audio, so forgive me my ignorance
Does anyone have some tips on how to construct an antenna specifically for my problem?
P.s. I'm a complete novice when it comes to DIY audio, so forgive me my ignorance
The antenna you currently have on the back of your Marantz is a simple dipole, it seems odd that your car can pick up this station at 78 miles distant & your Marantz can't. Perhaps the terrain in your neighborhood is "at fault". If the terrain is convoluted with gentle hills & valleys your residence may be in a 'null' area, making reception a hit or miss affair.
Can you pick up this station in your car while parked close to your residence?
I'll assume your Marantz is picking up some stations but just not your preferred station of choice.
Of course you can erect an external antenna at your residence that has enough 'power' to draw in stations from at least 100 miles distant but if the terrain IS problematical & "low lying" you wouldn't get the full 100+ miles distant stations. Look up Yagi-Uda antennas & "multi-element" antennas.
It maybe a pain to do this but it's not at all that expensive but you will gain a full FMs dial worth of stations.
While living in Portland Oregon, I put up a Ten-element directional antenna to pick up a favorite station at the University of Oregon in Eugene Oregon almost exactly 100 miles away, It was as if it was right next-door, perfect reception.
_________________________________________________Rick...........
Can you pick up this station in your car while parked close to your residence?
I'll assume your Marantz is picking up some stations but just not your preferred station of choice.
Of course you can erect an external antenna at your residence that has enough 'power' to draw in stations from at least 100 miles distant but if the terrain IS problematical & "low lying" you wouldn't get the full 100+ miles distant stations. Look up Yagi-Uda antennas & "multi-element" antennas.
It maybe a pain to do this but it's not at all that expensive but you will gain a full FMs dial worth of stations.
While living in Portland Oregon, I put up a Ten-element directional antenna to pick up a favorite station at the University of Oregon in Eugene Oregon almost exactly 100 miles away, It was as if it was right next-door, perfect reception.
_________________________________________________Rick...........
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In RF everything matters, but is not always too significant.
You will have better performance if the antenna is built the way I drew it...called a folded dipole.
There will be information on the 'net for making a folded dipole from 300 ohm TV antenna flat lead...probably better than what you have.
Although if you can put up an antenna as Richard suggested then you will get MUCH better performance.
Probably information on that build on the 'net as well.
You must put it horizontally. In Europe, in opposition to American broadcasting stations, is used horizontal polarization, that's why, in portable FM radios we get better reception with the aerial out of vertical position and almost horizontal...
When I started to look into the polarization situation, I started to see circular polarized antennae for FM broadcast.
But I could not find something (even wikipedia) that stated as such.
I am not surprised, though.
So it should not matter whether it is vertical or horizontal.
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