FM Antenna for Long Distant Reception

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gvgirish2901

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Hi Folks!
I live in a city called Hassan in Karnataka, India where the nearest Private FM radio station is 120 kms far; that is in Mysore, Karnataka. Hassan has its own AIR with 102.2 Mhz though. But I love listening Private FM Channels which are 92.7 Big FM and 93.5 RedFM which gives some variety.

I connected my 15 years old BPL Tuner into a car Antenna and mounted it on my terrace on a 5ft long Plywood strip. I managed to catch both signals of 92.7 and 93.5 FM but with some noise that is 60% signal with another 40% noise. So, I am planning to buy a Omnidirectional FM antenna in Amazon from Stellar Labs [Link: Buy Outdoor Omnidirectional FM Antenna Online at Low Prices in India - Amazon.in ] which sources from USA. So what is your suggestion guys? Is it worth sourcing the antenna which I feel will give better reception than present Car FM Antenna or Shall I improve this present Antenna by whatever means you folks suggest? Or Shall I invest on a better tuner.

In Hassan, the radio signals catch pretty decently in my Car Stereo without distortion and Noise. I am waiting for you advice guys.

Thanks in Advance :)
 
Maybe you should first search the Net for suggestions on building an antenna.
Like
http://www.wryr.org/Antenna_instructions.pdf

Try to search for the ARRL handbook . The old ones should be available for free download somewhere as pdf files. A Google search produces lots of results. Will have lots of information on building one.
https://archive.org/details/TheArrlAntennaBook
how to make a long range fm receiver? - Electronics QA
How to Build a better FM Antenna
Radio Bob's Reception Tips

Google is your best friend ! :)
Google for Ham Radio for Dummies.
 
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I use a 5 element terrestrial reception TV antenna that I picked up for about Rs 300 including all mounting hardware and about 30 meter of 300 ohm flat cable. It is fixed atop a 10 feet high pipe in our terrace.

If you use a modern tuner or a car tuner it may only have a 75 ohm unbalanced antenna input. In that case you will need a 300 to 75 converter balun. Balun = BALanced to UNbalanced.

You get Plugs with built-in Balun for about Rs 50. Or you can very easily wind one.
Since this is a directional antenna you will have to aim the short end towards Mysore from your home for best result.

There could be other drawbacks such as ghost signal pickup from your local TX but we can work on overcoming that should you decide to explore this cheap and cheerful route further.

Edit:
Just saw mishra jee's excellent tutorial on DIYing exactly what I have proposed. This could be an easier option as today finding a terrestrial reception TV antenna could involve a bit of legwork. They are still available in my mofussil town though.
 
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aks07 said:
I use a 5 element terrestrial reception TV antenna that I picked up for about Rs 300 including all mounting hardware and about 30 meter of 300 ohm flat cable.
Click to expand...

This is the cheap and best solution. Satellite television has all but killed terrestrial television, so the once ubiquitous Yagi-Uda TV antenna has nearly disappeared from shops. Fortunately DIYing one is easy and cheap.
 
Yes, Yagi's are your best solution and our FMs are spot on. I would believe that a folded 4-element yagi would suit your requirements - a folded dipole with a reflector and 2 directors. From my experience, I have noticed that car FM radios tend to be a bit more sensitive than FM radios/tuners meant for home use. If you use a good receiver like NAD 401 with a Yagi, you should be able to enjoy music. Using a design similar to FM OMishra's I have picked up steady FM reception from Neighbouring Tamilnadu and Srilanka, while in Trivandrum. The "Blend" button on the NAD helped cancel out the noise, while playing back in compressed stereo. On days of poor reception, the "Mono" button helped cancel out the noise. However I discontinued my experiments as the program content of these stations were not to my liking. I was only able to pick up vernacular stations from Srilanka while my aim was to tune into the English Service. Another factor is that the height of the antenna matters. My home in Trivandrum is located on a hill and the Antenna was on a 12 foot pole on the Terrace (which is 2 floors high). I remember I got all the parts including the folded dipole from Richie Street in Chennai.
 
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No. It is for GSM band not for FM.
BTW I ordered that eBay Yagi from USA. Fingers crossed till I receive it.
 
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Mishra Jee

Looking at your extraordinary effort in sourcing a simple Yagi from USA, I just now called up my electronic dukaan wala to find out he has one in stock.

He had a hearty laugh (he does that always considering my usual silly enquiries) and said the last unit he sold was to me 10 years ago ! Per him they are no more in production, but he can probably source an old stock "just for me".

Old man also advised me to keep up with the times (....???? ???? ?? ????? ??? ?? ?? ?? ??? ?? ?????? ??? ??? ???...) and go in for a digital box.

:rolleyes:
 
I wanted just the SS accessories of that antenna. Also i can compare it with my DIY antenna.

Yes we are the few people who lagged on time machine. Not his fault. He being trader only understands selling what current trends. But he can never imagine an experience when one pulls and enjoy radio from 150KM as a normal thing. Because he is not like us.
:)
 
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Ok its here. Okay but not great. Worth of 20USD not 60 which i paid.
2c4d868061b5a08606da10b915aa94e5.jpg
 
I am not going to install it right now. just tested the gain and folded back. Yes it is fully assembled and folded. You have to just unfold it, tight the element and fix on the vertical mast. Its weighing <1kg and study. Still good for normal weather not for windy area.

You can get tuners on SP Road. Keep watch online/offline resale stuff.
 
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Mishraji has gone to great lenghts to procure his antenna from USA. As another member suggested, the simpler solution is to get hold of an old VHF terrestrial antenna. This was designed for capturing TV channels 2 to 13 in the VHF band. FM radio - 88 to 108 MHZ is if I am not mistaken between channels 6 and 7. Thus the terrestrial antenna willwork well for the FM radio. If you have the time and look around, you may find an antenna along with a dish antenna on the same roof, then you can be sure that the old antenna is not being used anymore. I would suggest you look around your own town to get such an antenna. Hope this helps.
 
I am myself using DIY Yagi built within 700?. I bought this as I was expecting robust and rustproof accessories. But I find my wooden boom antenna electrically isolates all elements nicely. Making of DIY Yagi is easiest option than running after buying one.
 
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