Using a metal pole shaped as a T to use as an antenna for fm radio?

Question

If i were to get a metal pole shaped as a T to use as an antenna for better reception,would that actually work?I want to wrap the antenna wire around the pole.Since it is a T shape i think im making a dipole antenna,i dont know if i am because im new to this stuff.But if i were to wrap the wire around the pole,is the pole actually turning into an antenna,or is it just a frame for the wire to go around with to improve the reception?

Answer 1

Wrapping an antenna wire around a  metal pole will actually hurt your signal.  Use a wooden pole or attach the wires to the wall.  Set up the antenna wire to form a "T" with two wires going up to the middle point then split the wires in opposite directions.  Actually most of us in the US use Circular polarization so the orientation should not really matter, but in some cases a vertical dipole works better for less multi path reflections, but not always YMMV.  The split ends of the antenna should be about 2.25 feet long to be a quarter wave on the FM band, but that's not that critical as long as you don't get much to short.

Answer 2

A dipole antenna has two opposing parts of the antenna.. all you are doing is feeding one side of the antenna. The more wire means more reception, however a directional in the horizontal is the best FM antenna for reception with a vertical or something like your T antenna as second.

In the US, Fm broadcasters do not broadcast vertically (up and down) it actually broadcasts horizonally.. direct a dipole to that station if best performance is wanted from one station