How can I get better reception with my AM radio.?

Question

Our local high school football team plays the game on an AM radio station. We have tried everything to get the game on the radio. What is the secret to getting a radio station on AM?

Answer 1

Tara:

The secret to getting better AM reception is the antenna.  Just run a small diameter wire as long and high as you can. The best orientation is when the "side" of the antenna, not the end, faces the transmitting station.  Use any trees or poles available.  High is good, but do not do any dangerous climbing or get near power lines.  For receiving the wire can be small gauge like #22 or #24 or even smaller.

Once you make the antenna you must then couple the radio energy into the radio.  If the radio has provision for an external antenna then just connect it to this input and you are finished.  

If it does not have an external antenna input then wind a bunch of turns (maybe 30 or so) at the radio end of the antenna around something like an oatmeal box then put the radio beside it when you want to hear the game.  Wind the turns side by side. Even a little space (like one wire diameter) between turns would be OK.  Now you have to complete the circuit from the coil to ground.  After you wind the wire coil around the oatmeal box you will have a loose end of wire.  This wire needs to be connected to ground.  The best way is to connect it to a copper water pipe.  Just be sure that the water pipe you connect to goes to the city water connection with copper not PVC.  Make a good electrical connection.

If you really want to make it work well wind 100+ turns of wire around the oatmeal box then find a 365 pico-farad variable capacitor from an old radio and connect it in series with the coil to ground.  Adjust the capacitor such that the signal peaks up in the radio.  This may be more than you wanted to know.  On the other hand you might be talented enough to do this.

Oh, one other thing.  A long wire antenna will conduct lightning into your house.  If there is going to be a storm disconnect the wire and leave the wire outside.  

Good luck and have fun.  - 73 from the Fisherman

Answer 2

You could build yourself a Loop Antenna.  I build one for my AM radio and it really works good.  No need for any long wire type antennas.  See website below.

http://www.mindspring.com/~loop_antenna/

Answer 3

With AM, you gotta have a LARGE antenna.