ARCHIVED FORUM -- March 2012 to February 2022READ ONLY FORUM
This is the second Archived Forum which was active between 1st March 2012 and 23rd February 2022
I've been listening to the radio through my cable TV plugged into my Beocentre 8000, which is great in that it gives me access to all the DAB channels, but just somehow feels wrong. I'd like to be able to use FM, but it came with no aerial. My previous system did pretty well with just a single core wire coiled round a plastic loom thing, so I guess a t shaped ribbon would do, but I wondered if y'all had any recommendations?
I've found a flexible T wire works very well, but with the aerial fixed vertically rather than horizontally. Those external circular non-directional aerials do not actually give any dB gain at all. I've got two aerials that appear to be copper loops embedded in translucent plastic ribbon about 15mm wide. Can't remember where they came from but they are like this one from Maplin. I've actually fixed one on an outside wall.
I think I've read somewhere that FM broadcasts used to tend to require horizontal aerials, but most broadcasts in the UK are now not so polarised and the vertical aerial is less directional so general reception of a range of stations is better.
Graham
vikinger:I think I've read somewhere that FM broadcasts used to tend to require horizontal aerials, but most broadcasts in th UK are now not so polarised and the vertical aerial is less directional so general reception of a range of stations is better.
Over here, the national networks are horizontally polarized, while local stations usually are vertical (apparently for better mobile reception with their limited transmission power - a horizontally directional antenna isn't a good choice in a car, for example).
Try both orientations and choose the one that works best for the stations you listen to.
The wiki page is hopefully somewhat enlightening.
--mika