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This is the second Archived Forum which was active between 1st March 2012 and 23rd February 2022

 

FM antenna suggestion

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This post has 6 Replies | 1 Follower

Piaf
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Victoria, British Columbia Canada
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Piaf Posted: Sat, Oct 18 2014 3:23 AM

I am looking for a really good FM antenna.

 

Interestingly enough all my B&O receivers (there are 6 of them) have superb FM reception, with no exceptions.

 

However my McIntosh MR-78 tuner struggles to get distant stations and is not really wonderful with the local.

 

I am using the factory offered T-type wire antenna.

 

What would be better?

 

Jeff

Beogram 4000, Beogram 4002, Beogram 4004, Beogram 8000, Beogram 8002, Beogram 1602. Beogram 4500 CD player, B&O CDX player, Beocord 4500, Beocord 5000 T4716, Beocord 5000 T4716, Beocord 5000 T4716, Beocord 8004, Beocord 9000, Beomaster 1000, Beomaster 1600, Beomaster 2400.2, Beomaster 2400.2, Beomaster 4400, Beomaster 4500, Beolab 5000, Beomaster 5000, BeoCenter 9000. BeoSound Century,  S-45.2, S-45.2, S-75, S-75, M-75, M-100, MC 120.2 speakers; B&O Illuminated Sign (with crown & red logo). B&O grey & black Illuminated Sign, B&O black Plexiglas dealer sign, B&O ash tray, B&O (Orrefors) dealer award vase,  B&O Beotime Clock. Navy blue B&O baseball cap, B&O T-shirt X2, B&O black ball point pen, B&O Retail Management Binder

 

Søren Mexico
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Mexico City
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Best you can get is an outdoor antenna, to test, extend the T antenna you have and hang or place it outside a window.

Collecting Vintage B&O is not a hobby, its a lifestyle.

Cleviebaby
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Exeter, United Kingdom
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Hi Jeff

I would agree with Soren. If you can fit an external aerial it would improve signal strength.

I listen to FM radio a lot, both speech and music, and have an 8 element aerial on the roof. It offers exceptional reception, with no hiss. I did a comparison with the standard B&O 'rabbit ear' aerial on my Beomaster 4400 some years ago and the external aerial was noticeably better.

Cleve

Søren Mexico
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Mexico City
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I have a corner in my house where reception is half bad, but placing the antenna on the top of a cupboard, just 2 meters away, does it.

Collecting Vintage B&O is not a hobby, its a lifestyle.

Piaf
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Victoria, British Columbia Canada
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Piaf replied on Sat, Oct 18 2014 5:29 PM

Hi Søren and Cleve,

 

In my ridiculously tiny “media room” I have a Beomaster 4500, BeoCenter 9000, and a McIntosh component system. Both B&O products use the standard T-type wire antenna and have excellent reception. The McIntosh also uses a similar T-type wire antenna.

 

In the room next door, the master bedroom as it were, I have a Beomaster 2400 and Beomaster 4400, the former using the same T-type wire antenna while the latter uses a “fancy” device that supposedly is “the best thing since sliced bread.” (It isn’t, about the same as the T-wire antennas.) However, both have excellent reception.

 

The McIntosh had perfectly fine reception when it was located more sensibly in the downstairs living room.

 

I hadn’t given too much thought to the antenna replacement when I set up the system, but the antenna wire did manage to wrap around more than a few connecting wires. I addressed this minor shortcoming and then draped the antenna under the non-functional Beomaster 1000 which sits atop the McIntosh vertical cabinet. (The BM 1000 looks rather grand on top of the sleek black lacquer component cabinet.)

 

Using the Beomaster 1000 to secure the spread out antenna greatly improved the FM reception which was terrible.

 

Now the reception is acceptable for local Canadian stations, but trying to bring in KING-FM 98.1 from Seattle is spotty. Standing in front of the cabinet  the reception is OK, but walk a few feet away (a meter for Søren) and the reception has hisses, crackles, AND the STEREO lamp flickers, which is beyond annoying when watching television at night.

 

The solution is clear either I buy a proper outside antenna or tune the radio to a Canadian station. J [I hope that Martin is paying attention, when I compose a post in MS Word, I can produce a simple black and white smilie.]

 

Thanks for the input guys!

 

Jeff

Beogram 4000, Beogram 4002, Beogram 4004, Beogram 8000, Beogram 8002, Beogram 1602. Beogram 4500 CD player, B&O CDX player, Beocord 4500, Beocord 5000 T4716, Beocord 5000 T4716, Beocord 5000 T4716, Beocord 8004, Beocord 9000, Beomaster 1000, Beomaster 1600, Beomaster 2400.2, Beomaster 2400.2, Beomaster 4400, Beomaster 4500, Beolab 5000, Beomaster 5000, BeoCenter 9000. BeoSound Century,  S-45.2, S-45.2, S-75, S-75, M-75, M-100, MC 120.2 speakers; B&O Illuminated Sign (with crown & red logo). B&O grey & black Illuminated Sign, B&O black Plexiglas dealer sign, B&O ash tray, B&O (Orrefors) dealer award vase,  B&O Beotime Clock. Navy blue B&O baseball cap, B&O T-shirt X2, B&O black ball point pen, B&O Retail Management Binder

 

Søren Mexico
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I have excellent reception on all my BMs, (Except for the "black" corner) but with my Onkyo not so, I have to be very careful about placing the T antenna, and even so it takes in less stations than the BMs.

All these indoor antennas, that promise music from heaven, are like the high end cables and wires, SNAKE OIL

Collecting Vintage B&O is not a hobby, its a lifestyle.

Piaf
Top 50 Contributor
Victoria, British Columbia Canada
Posts 2,639
OFFLINE
Founder
Piaf replied on Sun, Oct 19 2014 7:20 PM

Hi Søren,

 

Snake oil? Yep pretty much describes my super-duper FM reviver, which is no better than the T-wire antennas.

 

Jeff

Beogram 4000, Beogram 4002, Beogram 4004, Beogram 8000, Beogram 8002, Beogram 1602. Beogram 4500 CD player, B&O CDX player, Beocord 4500, Beocord 5000 T4716, Beocord 5000 T4716, Beocord 5000 T4716, Beocord 8004, Beocord 9000, Beomaster 1000, Beomaster 1600, Beomaster 2400.2, Beomaster 2400.2, Beomaster 4400, Beomaster 4500, Beolab 5000, Beomaster 5000, BeoCenter 9000. BeoSound Century,  S-45.2, S-45.2, S-75, S-75, M-75, M-100, MC 120.2 speakers; B&O Illuminated Sign (with crown & red logo). B&O grey & black Illuminated Sign, B&O black Plexiglas dealer sign, B&O ash tray, B&O (Orrefors) dealer award vase,  B&O Beotime Clock. Navy blue B&O baseball cap, B&O T-shirt X2, B&O black ball point pen, B&O Retail Management Binder

 

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