OT FM Receiver Tuner

What is the best FM Receiver, Tuner that I can buy at E-Bay for my
lab/office. Best = Performance/Cost. I will use a "T" antenna. Looks and
size are not important. I just want to pull in FM music stations in a 60
mile range, loud and clear. I only want noise when my power supplies are not
ZVS.

TIA
Harry

 

If you are interested in good signals, ditch the T antenna. The
antenna is by far (repeat many times) the most important factor for
fidelity in any FM radio system. The single greatest cause of
distortion is multipath reception, and the best tuner in the world
won't cure it if your antenna lets it in.

When I talk about a good antenna, I don't mean one made of high
quality materials, that costs a fortune - I mean on that has loads of
elements to give the kind of directivity that provides you a signal
free from multipath.

Having bought your great antenna, put it on the roof on a tall pole so
it isn't nestling among the rooftops, denied line-of-sight to the
transmitter.

Having done all that you have a fighting chance of decent reception,
and you will be amazed how cheap a tuner gives you all the quality you
could wish for - they are about 90% integrated electronics now, and it
is hard to distinguish them other than by "features".

d
Pearce Consulting
http://www.pearce.uk.com

 

Probably need a rotator, too, if you want to receive more than one
station.

If you want to go over the top a mast-mounted preamp would help with
reception, but is only to be done _after_ the good antenna is acquired,
installed, and found to be slightly marginal.

Even more over the top, one could build a much better FM receiver than
what's on the market, but unless you're right next door to a rock
station and you want to listen to classical from 60 miles away you're OK.

 

I was astonished at the difference between an internal antenna, and
an outside omnidirectional half-wave antenna.
Simply constructed from wire and bamboo.

Currently trying to work out the best way to make a wearable FM antenna,
for devices worn around the neck.

 

That reminds me -- you may also want to call your favorite stations and
see if they broadcast horizontally or vertically polarized. I thought
they were all vertical and was _very_ surprised to hear that our local
classical music station was horizontal (they mentioned it during a fund
drive as one of the arcane things their engineers said they needed to do .

Getting lined up correctly would be worth anywhere from 3 to 20 dB,
depending on reflections, etc.

 

In the UK all our FM transmitters are mixed mode, so that pretty much
any orientation of antenna will pick up a reasonable signal.

d
Pearce Consulting
http://www.pearce.uk.com

 

I read in sci.electronics.design that Tim Wescott

We used to have horizontal polarization but now we have circular
polarization, at least for some transmitters, in UK; it gives better
reception in cars.

 

All the ones here are circular, too.

Allan.

 

I'm quite happy with my revox b760, built like a battleship, but will
probably need recapping....

eg
http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=3282&item=5709325953&rd=1


martin

Serious error.
All shortcuts have disappeared.
Screen. Mind. Both are blank.

 

Interesting Martin,
How old would that be? Does it have Fleming valves or the newer vacuum
tubes in it?
Regards
Harry

 

IIRC 1976 ish fully transistor and IC (lm301 IIRC), early 16 byte
static ram coax delay line for the FM demod, sounds fine. Mine in
storage at themoment, so is the service maunal


martin

Serious error.
All shortcuts have disappeared.
Screen. Mind. Both are blank.

 

GE Superradio. Excellent performance. External antenna connections.
Low on "features" if that matters to you.

Tim.