This is it, perhaps the webs most extensive set of tips on AM radio reception.
First, if you are having trouble bringing in a talk radio program and your radio has controls for treble and bass then turn the treble all the way down and the bass all the way up. If you have a control for tone then turn it all the way down. Many inexpensive radios do not have these controls, but if your radio does have these controls this is a cheap, easy solution that can eliminate much of the static.
Second, reception works better near windows. Avoid areas covered by metal, brick, or concrete. There is an exception to this rule. If there is a source of interference you may improve your reception by moving away from it. I found that moving away from a window that was close to a power line improved reception. More on interference later.
Third, slowly turn the dial to look for the station. If it is difficult to find you can mark its location with a little invisible tape, which is really near invisible tape. You can also memorize exactly where one side of the needle lines up on the dial. It also helps to memorize the stronger stations that are near to the one you are searching for. This can help you explain where the station is to your friends.
Fourth, properly orient your AM antenna. The telescoping antenna that sticks out of your radio is for FM, not AM. The AM antenna on a portable radio is usually a ferrite rod with a thin wire wound around it. The AM antenna is inside the radio and normally runs across the back of the radio parallel to the ground. To get the most signal either the front or back of the radio should face the broadcast tower so the antenna is perpendicular to the signal, like a sail spread out to catch the wind.
If your problem is another radio station that is right next to the one you want on the dial you might be able to find out through experimentation, or the Internet where its signal is and then point either end of the radio at the offending stations broadcast tower to largely eliminate its signal.
Note, that the interference is always a radio signal, whether it is a signal from another channel or a buzz from a florescent light. You minimize the signal by doing the opposite of what you would do to maximize a signal you want.
You can find buzz interference with a radio. If you have a portable radio you can move it around looking for the buzz. If you put the radio up close to a source of interference, for example, florescent lights, it should buzz loudly, the buzz will decrease as you move it away.
Also the buzzing will increase if the front, back, top or bottom of the radio faces the interference, and decrease if the left or right end of the radio faces the interference. This is because the interference decreases when either end of the ferrite rod antenna points at the interference, and increases when the length of the rod faces the interference.
This can allow you to determine almost exactly where the interference is coming from in your neighbor's apartment. For example, by playing with the radio in various places in my apartment and finding out at what angle the buzz disappeared I was able to determine that a television set in my downstairs neighbor's apartment was the source of interference. It was a matter of looking for the intersection of several straight lines.
You can also look for interference by turning individual appliances on or off. Or turn all the electricity in part of your home off with the switches at the fuse box. This will allow you to narrow down the search for your problem.
The lucky thing is that the interference often disappears if the radio is not within a foot or two of the interference. Often, but not always. At any rate, here is a list of interference sources that you can simply turn off is the source is in your home.
Unfortunately, there are many other interference sources that can not simply be turned off. Here are some of the more common ones with suggested solutions.
Touch lamps, the type you turn on by simply touching the base, have to be unplugged not just turned off.
Light dimmers can cause interference even if they are in your neighbor's apartment. If you have one in your home, you can have it replaced with a regular switch. I have not had to deal with a dimmer switch built into the wall but I have dealt with dimmer switches built into lamps. I have found that if I turned the light off completely the interference was eliminated, which is contrary to the normal story. Perhaps this is only true of dimmer switches built into lamps.
Hard wired smoke detectors cause interference, they can be replaced by battery powered models.
Aquarium heaters, particularly some cheaper models, cause interference. You can upgrade to a better model. The key point is the way the thermostat turns the heater on and off. In cheap heaters the electricity can arch when the heater is about to turn on. In the more expensive models little magnets pull together and complete the circuit in a quick way that prevents arching.
Automatic on/off night lights and outdoor yard lights which come on automatically also generate interference. This point was confirmed by a note from my guest book, "Have had interference from an radio shack adapter that screws onto a light bulb, for automatic turn off at dawn; at great distances"
Dirty or faulty insulators on utility poles can cause interference, you can phone the utility company and ask to have them repaired or replaced.
A faulty electric switch in your house can cause interference. You can have it replaced. This might be a good idea even if you are not concerned with AM reception.
The interference maybe coming through the electric socket that powers the radio. If the problem disappears when you use a battery-powered radio then you have found the source of the interference.
Some older radios have plugs that are not polarized. If you can flip the plug over then the plug is not polarized. Sometimes the interference can be cut by turning the plug over and putting the prongs in the opposite socket holes.
The chlorine in swimming pools can generate interference, the source I used gave no suggestions for reducing this. I have checked a couple of pools with a radio and I have not been able to hear this interference.
First, minimize the interference by pointing the ends of the ferrite rod toward the source of interference as explained above.
Second, move the radio as far away from the source of interference as you can. Most interference problems disappear if the radio is a couple of feet away from the interference so this can work wonders.
Third, sometimes there is interference for only part of the day. You can record programs, even while you are not at home, and listen to them at your convenience. I discuss this below as part of this summary, but I also have a web page with my original ideas and some links on timed radio recording.
A cheap way to do this is with one of those anti-burglar timers used to fool burglars into thinking you are home by turning the lights on and off. You can set the anti-burglar timer to go on and off when the program begins and ends. Set a radio tape player to the radio station and to record. Insert the cord from the radio tape player into the anti-burglar timer and the anti-burglar timer into the wall socket.
You can also rig at least some, perhaps all, VCRs to record programs. This has the advantage that you can record up to six hours in slow play mode. The disadvantage is that you will have to use the VCR to play the tape back. This works well at home but you cannot listen in the car.
I have a more detailed web page on timed radio recording with both tips and links. The links can give you more detailed instructions on using your VCR to record programs.
There used to be several special recorders that you could buy to do timed recordings, and perhaps can still buy on eBay, but now we are talking money. But as I have finished the free suggestions this is a good time to make the transition to solutions that cost money.
There are several types of equipment you can buy, a better radio, antennas, and a little less obvious equipment for timed radio recording so you can record when the signal is strong and play it back when it weak. Also less obvious is equipment that will rebroadcast an AM signal on a FM channel so you can put an AM radio and antenna where the building you are in does not block the AM signal and rebroadcast it to an FM radio where you can listen to it. But first, a couple of points about buying equipment.
The average American adult spends about a thousand hours a year listening to radio according to government statistics, which are probably over estimated. The majority of that time is spent with FM, but hundreds of hours are spent on AM. As much of this equipment will last for many years, the cost per hour is close to nothing, if you use it.
That if, (if you use it) is where the cheap and free solutions can be very useful. They can give you a chance to try before you buy If you find you are really into listening to Catholic radio on a regular basis you can easily justify buying the equipment.
On this note let me mention one last free solution that can help you determine whether you want to spend that money. Many radio stations can be heard on the Internet. EWTN can be heard at ewtn.com. If you have broadband you may well be able to simply listen to Catholic radio there.
If you do not have to the Internet at all you may still be able to check out EWTN on the public access computers at your local public library. You need ear buds or other ear phones to do this at my public library. My library sells them or you can bring your own.
While they limit your time on the public access computers they also have free WiFi that is unlimited. This works even when the library is closed. Of course there are many other places with free WiFi, my bank, some public buses, some fast food resturants. All provide opportunities to try out EWTN or most other stations you might be interested in.
There are a couple of radios that have been widely recommended for AM talk radio for decades. The cheaper one is the RCA RP7887 Super Radio 3 which is about 80 dollars. This radio was formerly called the GE Super Radio. In the past this was commonly carried at a local super drug store or department store, now it is available from Amazon.
A better option for about the same price might be C. Crane CCRadio - EP PRO AM FM Battery Operated Portable Analog Radio with DSP which is also available from Amazon. This radio seems to be very similar to the RCA Super Radio, and I believe was a copy of the RCA Super Radio. The difference is that it has a special antenna invented by an employee of Crane, which used to cost a hundred dollars built in. So I think this is currently the best option in this price range.
The other radio recommended for decades is also called the CCRadio and is also by Crane. An older version that is currently being replaced is avalable from Amazon. It is the CCRadio-2 for about 170 dollars. Or you can buy latest CCRadio 3 from Crane for 200 dollars plus shipping. Both include include a built in twin coil ferrite antenna just like the one included in the cheaper CCRadio mentioned earlier.
When I tested the older versions of these radios side by side I found that the reception was pretty much the same. The CCRadio had a digital tuner, which is better if you plan to switch between stations. The CCRadio is specially tuned to listen to talk radio, which makes it good for a lot of Catholic radio. But it may not bring in music as well. Furthermore, my first suggestion about turning the base up and the treble down may do much the same thing. This test was done without the twin coil ferrite antenna that all three of the Crane radios mentioned above have.
One last point on buying radios. If you have an old radio you may not be able to get some stations. In 1991 the FCC expanded the AM band to include 1605 through 1705. Radios sold before then do not have these frequencies on the dial and therefore can not pick up some stations.
However, the CCRadio has built in what I have read in the past is the best AM antenna, the twin coil ferrite antenna, which used to be called the Justice Antenna after its inventor Chris Justice, who is or was the head engineer at Crane.
Nevertheless, the twin coil ferrite antenna is still available as a seperate purchase from Crane. It about 120 dollars plus shipping.
The Hardware Maniac asked for a free antenna in exchange for writing the review. His first impression was that it did not help much with a good radio, the CCRadioplus. It did wonders for cheap radios. This is what I have found, antennas only help with cheap radios.
The Hardware Maniac contacted Crane and Chris Justice told him that the antenna would not help much inside his house because his home was cement block construction with steel reinforcing rods. Following Justice's suggestions he tried it out doors and got impressive results. He pulled in stations a thousand miles away. You expect that with shortwave or on rare occasions with AM, but The Hardware Maniac felt it was pretty easy.
This leaves me with some questions. Does the Justice Antenna work inside in most houses. Was the problem limited to the Hardware Maniac's cement block house with steel reinforcing rods?
The Maniac solved the problem by putting the antenna outside on top of his house and using a cable to bring the signal inside, but many people do not want an outside antenna for various reasons.
There is an article by James Careless on the Justice Antenna.
I would be very interested to hear what other people thought of the Twin Coil Ferrite AM Antenna. If you have had time to test it you can leave a message in my guest book.
Loop antennas do not have to be wired to the radio. You can place the antenna next to the radio, experiment with it to find the best position.
The directions usually recommend that you simply experiment, but here is another clue. Place the loop so it could be rolled if it were a wheel toward the station. This is perhaps not obvious because you would think the loop should be positioned like a dish to catch the signal, but this is what works.
The ferrite rod antennas are often oriented to minimize interference rather than maximize the signal. The same is true of loops. Orient the loop toward the interference as if the interference was an axle and the loop was a wheel. This should reduce the interference.
Some web pages recommend what are called long wire antennas, which I mentioned several paragraphs above. These are long wires strung up outside to catch radio signals. They are cheap, but can attract lightning strikes, which can destroy equipment, burn down your house, and perhaps kill you. There are other safe solutions for Catholic radio listeners, so there is little reason Catholics should take this risk, nor would I recommend the risk to anyone else.
Both of these Degan radios are sold by Amazon, but are not currently in stock. One is called the DE1126-Ultra_thin-Player-Recorder. and the other is called Ma href="https://www.amazon.com/DEGEN-DE1129-Stereo-Digital-Recorder/dp/B00AYPSBO8/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8">Degem-DE1129-Stero-Digital-Recorder. Amazon does not mention any problem with shipping the battery, but once again they do not have either radio in stock and do not know if or when they will.
There are a number of discontinued prodcuts that might help you do timed radio recording. Perhaps you can buy them used. I have included some on my page of discontinued equipment.
A reader offered a suggestion for improving AM radio reception using eithernet. I turned it into a web page.
On August 26, 2004 the Cleveland Plain Dealer ran an article "Tips for tweaking your AM radio reception" based on tips gleaned from the Internet. This web site was sited as one of the sources. I was very pleased to see so much from this page in the article. I would like to thank the writer, Lammers, for using this material and invite other writers to follow his example.
This file is now up to 23 thousand bytes, almost all of it text, that should be about 11 type written pages. I have tried to provide you with almost all the cheap, easy, or reasonably priced tips. There is more information on some of the other AM radio pages which you can access on my links page on AM radio reception
In the future I hope that other AM radio stations or networks will link to this site. Why not provide your listeners with the best information on how to bring your station in?
Original tips and links for middle wave or AM Radio reception
Links for AM reception in cars, trucks, autos
A page of links and tips on FM radio reception tips
Answers to questions on AM radio reception
Tips for improving UHF TV reception
A vast collections of commercial free music is included with Amazon Prime. This is how I use my Prime.