AM Radio Antennas

Lost in the 20+ years of ever-shrinking radios is the importance of the antenna.

Remember the antenna? Yeah, that wire that comes out the back? Looks ugly? Usually you stuff it behind something else?

Sigh Yeah, that's the antenna. And it's at least half the equation when it comes to static-free listening. Ever wonder why your walkman, or your clock radio, has such crappy reception? There you go...there's almost no antenna whatsoever in those things.

So today I'll share with y'all a great list of AM radio antennas I saw on the wonderful PUBtech listserv. If you've always thought of AM as a vast wasteland of static, consider some of these antennas. Many you can make yourself for less than $10, or contact your local SBE chapter and some engineer will likely make you one in trade for a cool, refined libation. Some you can buy for less than $50, too. Virtually all of them will make SOME improvement to your AM reception.

Even if you don't have connections for an external AM antenna, some of these models (like the Select-A-Tenna) will improve reception even sitting next to your radio. Nifty, eh?

http://beradio.com/notebook/radio_shieldedloop_am_antenna_2/

http://www.mindspring.com/~loop_antenna/amloop_calc4.htm

http://www4.tpgi.com.au/users/ldbutler/Loop18MHz.htm

http://www.selectatenna.com/

http://www.ramseyelectronics.com/cgi-bin/commerce.exe?
preadd=action&key=SM100

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

http://www.hard-core-dx.com/nordicdx/antenna/loop/hulaloop.html

http://home.datacomm.ch/hb9abx/loop1-e.htm

http://www.frontiernet.net/~jadale/Loop.htm

http://entropy.brneurosci.org/loopantenna.html

http://www.io.com/~n5fc/loop_ant.html

http://www.schmarder.com/radios/misc-stuff/loops.htm

http://www.wellbrook.uk.com/


Don't forget to connect that ground wire, too!