Best AM radio

Discussion in 'The Good Life' started by Double Edge Dougy, Apr 11, 2016.

  1. DaveH

    DaveH Active Member

    You could try a tuned loop antanna, they work well and are easy to make, beats slipping of the roof in the rain and less likely to get hit by lightning.
    https://aa7ee.wordpress.com/2013/11/17/a-tuned-loop-antenna-for-the-am-broadcast-band/

    Dave
     
    Double Edge Dougy likes this.
  2. Double Edge Dougy

    Double Edge Dougy Well-Known Member

    I do indeed live in the fringe area....you think a more powerful radio might be my answer,
     
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  3. Double Edge Dougy

    Double Edge Dougy Well-Known Member

    Ill maybe first try the cheaper external antenna tricks being mentioned
     
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  4. DaveH

    DaveH Active Member

    Go for it I play abought with crystal sets from time to time, if you are using the radio from home you will be surprised how you can improve reception with little effort, try a long wire first, use insulated wire for the down feed and wrap it round the radio arial 2 or 3 turns leave the insulation on the wire to insulate from the radio or you will over drive the front end and get distorted reception, if that doesn't work then there are other ways to try.

    Dave
     
  5. 45auto

    45auto Well-Known Member

    If you can still get the radio shack dx440 go for it with a long wire antenna it works great it has a great weakness with overloading the circuit and damaging the system....I still think the Sony 2010 was best in its class for many years but harder to find.
     
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  6. Radiotube

    Radiotube RADInOverdrive

    I'd try to find one of those Sony portable radios on eBay. The SRF-59. I'm pretty sure you should be able to hear it with that radio and its built-in antenna. At night, you should be able to hear games on just about any radio since propagation improves exponentially after dark for AM.
     
  7. RaZorBurn123

    RaZorBurn123 waiting hardily...............

    The Sony SRF-59 information was very interesting, that radio seems to be the best option.
     
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  8. gorgo2

    gorgo2 geezerhood

    The only AM radio I still own and use is my trusty old Panasonic R-1397. I see them around time to time, usually with a red plastic housing vs the avocado that I have. Has a big sound (AM, yeah, but still) and can pull it a lot. I'm thinking about redoing the green in red or maybe black.
     
  9. RaZorBurn123

    RaZorBurn123 waiting hardily...............

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  10. Double Edge Dougy

    Double Edge Dougy Well-Known Member

    Still leaning towardd the sangean u3...i like the antenna specs and the job site/outdoor durability. At 100$ id probably have to wait till payday

    Sangean U3 AM/FM Ultra Rugged Digital Tuning Radio Receiver
    http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FA07NK/?tag=thshde-20
     
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  11. RaZorBurn123

    RaZorBurn123 waiting hardily...............

    Looks good! That's not a bad price.
     
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  12. Mr. Shaverman

    Mr. Shaverman Well-Known Member

    I'm a little late to this thread, but I'm going to pipe in anyway!

    I'd suggest skipping the radio right now, and get a tuned loop AM antenna like this one: http://amzn.to/1SpFCGG

    Tuned loop antennas are great for AM reception and can be used with even the worst radio. Radios have 2 antennas, the external one (usually a whip style) which is for FM and an internal one that's basically a ferrite bar wrapped in copper for AM. You generally don't get to see the specs on the AM antenna, and in most modern radios it's as small as it can possibly be. The main advantage to the more expensive radios listed in this thread, is just that they have a bit larger ferrite bar for an internal AM antenna. The tuned loop antenna I linked to is $25 and is a better antenna than any of those radios have internally. You just need to put your regular radio next to it. For distance listening, a good antenna is more important than the receiver.

    If for some reason you want a whole new radio, the already mentioned CCRadio gets my vote. I've owned a couple and they are good for distance and have a nice tuner. Kinda spendy though. They make a simpler analog version that's a fantastic AM radio for just $85 http://amzn.to/1XEEXPC

    And I'm sure some of you are going to come down on me for this, but I cares not! Want a cheap, amazing AM radio? This Sony transistor model is oddly amazing and less than $20. http://amzn.to/1SpH2Rl I've had this one for a few years, and I actually can DX with it, and I take it camping and I pick up stations from all over with it. The antenna is about the same size as the CCRadio's.
     
  13. '65 G-Slim

    '65 G-Slim Well-Known Member

    I had the paperbacks as a kid and now the complete series on CD (and copied to my hard drive). Great reading!
     
  14. Eeyore

    Eeyore Well-Known Member

    Something that doesn't really exist anymore in Europe, I'm afraid.

    AM is great when you want to cover long distances ... not an issue in Europe, with it's (relatively) small countries.
     
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  15. preidy

    preidy Just call me Dino

    I'm a radio guy too. I have A CC Radio that I have next to my bed. I've owned several over the years but I'm not convinced that they are the best (for reception) but are the best for hype and advertising. A nice looking unit and easy program and use but I don't get the far away AM stations at night that I used to get. I'm not sure if it's the radio or the changing conditions? Cheers.
     
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  16. markjnewcomb

    markjnewcomb Well-Known Member

    AM stands for "Advertising Medium" in other words, a method used to sell products. Personally, I like FM (Funky Music) better. ;)
     
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