Getting the best radio reception on my home stereo?

Question

I have a vintage 1992 Kenwood reciever [model KR-A4040], and even though it's performance is phenominal, could never get diecent radio reception out of it. I live in a rural town, so I'm far from the radio towers, but not too far away to be able to recieve radio reception. FM isn't too bad, but it could be better, but I can only pick up one station on AM. Right now I'm using a long piece of speaker wire for FM, and a UHF bowtie-style loop antenna for AM.

If I connect the TV arial on the roof to the stereo, would that create any distortion since it still would be hooked up to the TV? I don't wanna try that out just to find out it gives or gets distortion from the TV because it would be a pain in the *** to tap into the arial that way. Would that work for FM? and for AM..... How could I improve the reception? I tried everything.

Answer 1

Well you definitely need a better antenna - most anything will do. I'm not sure about tapping into your TV antenna - but other than the safety issues, it probably wouldn't hurt. The audio of TV is broadcast on bands that are usually not picked up by ordinary radio receivers (yours may be an exception since it was made in the days when they really made them well).

If you are in a rural area, I'd give it a try. Or search the internet for various types of antennas especially designed for FM. Or go to gearbox's link.

For AM I have an interesting device that I bought years ago that really boosts the antenna power of your AM radio. It's a big, round plastic device called a "Select-A-Tenna."  You put it next to your radio and - wow! What a difference. this would also be a good device for those kids who have written in about bad reception on Radio Disney. You can reach them at www.selectatenna.com/

-a guy named duh

Answer 2

two good answers, but to combine them,  Use a splitter on the TV coax to bring the TV antenna to the Radio.  It will only be effective in the direction the antenna is pointed.  For the AM signal, the UHF bowtie is no more than a short piece of wire.  use a long piece of wire, the longer the better.  The select-antenna or any of it's brethren does a good job if  oriented right.  There are fancier RF amplifiers, but any good long piece of wire will help a lot.

Answer 3

Am no.... best way on am is about 200 foot wire :-)

FM, there are converters that used to be sold to fit in back of TVs to split FM as well as TV and could be found at Radio Shack..they should still be sold actually.

Reception depending upon the radio can become great.

Most these days on the radios (as I've got radios from the 1970s that did it) that can take 75 ohm coax line that has been unbraded and bolted tot he terminals once you split the signal from the tv with one like this

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index....

Any other question please ask....