Darn Radio

Forums › Off topic › Darn Radio

kiwis

832 posts

Ultimate Geek

#154809 8-Nov-2014 12:28

So I've got a very old stereo and I want to play FM radio on it. Easy it's got the right bandwidth on it and i can pick up all the common stations but the quality of reception is just rubbish - if i hold my left hand in the air with the aerial and touch the window with my right hand it works but when i let go - all i get is static all over again. no issue with where i am, the car gets radio fine.

what's the best way to sort this?

gzt

17160 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#1171302 8-Nov-2014 12:41

Do you have an old vhf tv aerial on the roof you can hook it to?

gzt

17160 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#1171307 8-Nov-2014 12:55

A second option, these old things usually had a 300ohm ribbon twin cable connected with two screws into the back of the unit. If no ribbon was available then any old two wires connected to those two screws and taken to the top of the wall then spread out away from each other in a 'T' usually did the trick.

richms

28199 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1171319 8-Nov-2014 14:04

Cant really blame the stereo as rubbish when you dont give it an antenna to work with.

Check what inputs are on the back, there will usually be some screw terminals, but some have a socket.

Your car is outside, away from any framing and wiring and has an amplifier on the antenna so that is why it works, it is not in the same place at all.

Richard rich.ms

kiwis

832 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1171326 8-Nov-2014 15:00

here is the back of my unit

kiwis

832 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1171327 8-Nov-2014 15:00

my FM looks like a TV plug - WTF?

rscole86

4980 posts

Uber Geek

Moderator

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1171331 8-Nov-2014 15:21

That is pretty normal, plenty of stereo's use a Belling-Lee plug to a single wire around 1m long.

RunningMan

8963 posts

Uber Geek

#1171332 8-Nov-2014 15:24

kiwis: my FM looks like a TV plug - WTF?

It uses essentially the same frequencies as VHF TV, so often uses the same connector and same antenna.

Sharesies

Trade NZ and US shares and funds with Sharesies (affiliate link).

robjg63

4100 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#1171357 8-Nov-2014 16:41

Pretty sure I have seen just a wire plugged into the middle bit of that sort of plug work ok.
Have you tried that?

Edit: just checked the back of my marantz tuner and it has a TV aerial sort of connector (belling).
Its a 'male' prong in the center. The supplied FM aerial is a little wire that just slips over that male prong. The wire is probably 1m long. Seems to work OK.

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

richms

28199 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1171360 8-Nov-2014 16:56

Yeah, a meter or meter and a half of wire will do. You might have problems getting it on the pin without it touching the shield.

If you have an old RF cable from a VCR or something lying around one end will fit that, chop the other end off and strip off the center core and attach a wire there.

Richard rich.ms

gzt

17160 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#1171553 9-Nov-2014 01:29

kiwis: my FM looks like a TV plug - WTF?

Yep. It's not as old as I assumed.