If you're like me, lousy AM reception is so grating it's hardly worth listening to. And if you're like me, you're fed up with the majority of radios that stick a cheap internal AM ferrite antenna as if it's just an afterthought. Having said that, let us look at some strong AM radios and the environmental factors that determine their effectiveness.
Guideline #1: No radio, no matter how strong its AM, can overcome environmental impediments such as steel beams, concrete walls, foil insulation panels, computers, fluorescent lights, printers, scanners, cable boxes, modems, iPod speakers, etc. Don't judge a radio's effectiveness if it's being compromised by these factors.
Guideline #2: A good AM radio can be "too good." What I mean by this is that it can pull in so many AM signals that the station you're tuning into gets "crowded" and you'll need an RF grain and a narrow band option, as exists on the strong AM performer, the C.Crane CSW. In contrast, a strong AM radio, the Sangean PR-D5, works well for me but a mile down the road it is a complete failure because it's lack of a narrow band filter renders it useless next to the power generators. This leads us to our next guideline:
Guideline #3: A great radio may only be as great as its individual environment but may show completely different characteristics in another environment. Therefore, steer away from making absolute judgments about radios. For example, my Boston Acoustics Horizon Solo gives me great AM, but at least two readers are getting nothing static on their Solo's AM dial and they have to return them.
For the remaining guidelines, I must give grateful credit to Ed Strnad:
Guideline #4: AM reception at night will be weaker on some stations because their transmitter is set to reduced power, or the they change the direction of the their transmitter "beam." The FCC requires this of some stations. And as far as I know, AM-HD stations stop transmitting completely in HD at night. In fact, at night and in winter, distant AM stations (AM-DX) should be easier to get due to signal "skip" or bounce which results from the lowering of the ionosphere at nights and in winter.
Guideline #5: A good Earth ground on your radio may reduce static and give better AM reception. Attach a wire to the radio's "GND" antenna terminal and under the screw holding an AC outlet wall-plate, which is a ground.
Guideline #6: Use battery power not AC power for quieter reception.
Guideline #7: Use a signal amplifier like the "Select-A-Tenna" to increase signal strength. But remember a signal must BE there in order to be amplified.
Guideline #8: Operate your radio close to a window. Try different locations.
Guideline #9: A good radio should have a "DX/LOCAL" switch; an even better radio should have a "RF GAIN" control knob. Use the Gain control: too much RF will distort the signal, too weak a signal will be noisy/static-y.
Recommendations: The aforementioned C.Crane CSW (previously the Kaito 2100) and the Sangean PR-D5 are the best I've tested.
Caveat on the C.Crane CSW: The buttons are hard to press and the quality control is questionable. Mine got distorted after 3 weeks (Kaito version) and an Amazon reviewer has the same complaint for his C.Crane version. For a radio with similar performance but in analog form without presets, you might be better served getting the $55 RCA Super Port or the $99 Eton S350.
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Hi Jeff:
Regarding the use of an external antenna like the Select-A-Tenna or Terk Loop, I dug into how to use these and came up with some suggestions in "Using Passive Loop Antennas" at
http://www.dxer.ca/component/option,com_docman/task,cat_view/gid,87/Itemid,77/
Some may say I have too much time on my hands, but as someone who listens almost exclusively to AM, I found these passive loops can really help with both casual listening and serious DX.
Thanks - Kevin
Posted by: Kevin S | February 05, 2009 at 08:51 AM