Improving range of portable radio?

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PPM6
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Improving range of portable radio?

Post by PPM6 »

Apologiesif this is a stupid question - I know little of radio technology.

I have a small batt operated radio, which gets FM/MW/LW. Is there any way of extending the range or making it more sensitive so it picks up more stations?

It just has a normal aerial, no BNC or anything like that. If I gaffa-taped a wire coat hanger to it?... :D Or are there no options?

Cheers,

PPM6.
M1bto
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Re: Improving range of portable radio?

Post by M1bto »

An external antenna would be better,but a wire near a window may make a lot of difference have you got an old tv antenna still connected to a socket In the house if you have switched over to sky that may be an option,you won't damage it with wires etc so suck it and see the worst that can happen is it doesn't improve.
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wind in the antenna
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Re: Improving range of portable radio?

Post by wind in the antenna »

Which band are you interested in? Each requires a specific type of aerial

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JohnB57
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Re: Improving range of portable radio?

Post by JohnB57 »

It's almost certain that AM/MW/LW broadcast reception is via an internal ferrite rod antenna. The external telescopic aerial will be for VHF/FM only so if you're looking for extended range on AM, you have no way of connecting an external aerial. An external FM aerial would need to be resonant, so a random increase in the length of the aerial is very unlikely to gain very much - could even make it worse.
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Farty
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Re: Improving range of portable radio?

Post by Farty »

Are you handy with tools?

Take some wire, connect it to the battery terminal and coil it around the ferrite bar as much as poss. Install a plug/connector/terminal on the rear case of the radio, and attach the other end to this. Hey presto, you can no attach a long wire antenna, though if you're into it enough to use a beverage antenna you'd probably have a more upmarket set anyway.
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pwmonkey
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Re: Improving range of portable radio?

Post by pwmonkey »

Also beware hanging a large wire antenna onto a small radio receiver, it may not enjoy having so much signal being available at the front end, you might get a lot of distortion and cross modulation.

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Re: Improving range of portable radio?

Post by Farty »

I should've said negative batt terminal.
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ceto
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Re: Improving range of portable radio?

Post by ceto »

I know this is an old post now, but I use a a few different MW/LW loops & the Tecsun AN 200 is an excellent MW loop antenna. For about £15 including postage you get a decent looking antenna that works as almost as well as any home made job twice the size.
I have a couple of different home made LW / MW antennas & they are much larger & made out of Litz wire, so about as good as it gets & they may out perform my Tecsun, but I can't pop them in a suitcase & I can't leave them sitting out for all to see.
To be honest, unless you are going to make a loop 4 foot square, or larger, then these Tecsuns are going to do the same job. I gave up on small 2 foot square loops after my old Anoraks UK loop went to that great antenna farm in the sky following a accident whilst moving house a few years ago, but this Tecsun has got me hooked on small portable loops again.
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Admiral
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Re: Improving range of portable radio?

Post by Admiral »

Sadly the OP hasn't logged on for nearly two years so your wise words will pass him by.

But I'm seriously considering a loop antenna for 500khz as the local noise is killing Navtex recently, I don't know what's causing it, but it's screwing things up big style, I'm thinking a directional loop may cut some of it out ???
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ceto
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Re: Improving range of portable radio?

Post by ceto »

Hi Admiral. Where the noise is coming from is important, if it's electrically generated. As you will need to be in the near field of the QRM source for the loop to be able to tune it out. But the lower down the MW you go, the more difference the loop will make, as the near field is defined by a measurement in relation to the wavelength. The other problem is that some sources of electrical noise have two points of radiation, so they can be almost impossible to null.
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owza
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Re: Improving range of portable radio?

Post by owza »

Google 'FSL Antenna' and 'RGP3 antenna' MW monsters!
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