Picking up long range AM radio

OK, so it's not your fillings picking up the signal...... just the usual voices in your head?


Don't want to burst your bubble, but the station in question is available on-line without resorting to Marconi-wireless-transmissions....


kgo810

Oh, well that answers that.

My thought was that am reception depended more on the condition of the ionosphere that the receiver.

Well, I don't have internet at home and I can't get internet in my car, so a radio will have to do.

I was also afraid that it may be more of a matter of the signal being unavailable instead of just hard to pick up when it fades out. The radio is expensive so I wanted to know more before I spend that kind of money for one station.

Alright, I will attack this one sensibly...


Apparently you can purchase a HD Radio Receptor to enjoy a very high-quality, interference-free sound.

Failing that there are some DIY alternatives:

Home-made radio booster



Hope it works!

That may be helpful, I will try it. I'd rather try a low tech solution first. They want over 200 for that little radio that i mentioned...

Do a websearch for the GE Superadio III - beware; RadioShack sells a down-featured, lower performance version of this product, you want only the GE-branded version. Price should be well under US $100, more like $60-$75. There really isn't a better low-priced long-range AM radio to be had. A simple long-wire antenna can be attached to it, further enchancing its long-range capability. Out-of-the-box its a very good performer (though GE/Thomsen quality control can be iffy - make sure whovever you buy it from has a reasonable return-for-exchange policy). A competent electronics repair tech can easily and cheaply "tweak" the radio's AM "front end" to achieve maximum sensitivity. A good tweaking guide for the unit can be found HERE - its not something most folks who are not very comfortable with electronics fiddling should try, but its pretty much a snap for someone with the skills and equipment to do it.

Thanks timberlandko, you seem to know a lot about long range reception. That radio looks like it got an excellent review at Amazon. I decided to buy a coil Ferrite AM antenna like the one someone mentioned in an above post. I probably paid too much for it seing as that I could have made it my self, but I've already ordered it. We'll see if it improves my reception with the radio that I already have when I get it. If not I'm leaning towards buying the radio that you've mentioned. It's a much better price than the CC Radio Plus.

Well 'Red-Rover Come Over' - any success?

Some, I bought the twin coil Ferrite antenna from C-Crane. I can get stations from San-Francisco, Las Vegas, Spokane, Salt Lake City and I even tuned in an AM station from Wyoming. There are more News/Talk stations out there than I thought there were.

It works great at home, but not so great at work because of the metal roof I suppose.

I plan on buying that GE radio when I get a little more cash. C-Crane also recommends a dual antenna setup, one to filter out background noise and the second to import a clear signal. I don't know if it's just a sales pitch to sell more antennas, but I want to buy a second one anyway so I'll try it and report back here.

That's great. If I ever decide this is what I want, I'll check back with you.

I bought a Sony HX 210 about 4 years ago (I believe its the number) and its got all the bells and whistles including a series of tunable antennae. I use it to pick up weak stations because its sensetivity and selectivity is really good. It has digital dialing but a "fine tuning" capability that can razor in on a signal.