Build yourself a better indoor FM Aerial

[decanterlime]

Hi all
I went along with this

http://mikestechblog.com/ubuntu-antenna/build-an-indoor-fm-antenna-with-these-plans/

I used single strand cheap speaker wire and some left over MDF offcut and 12mm Dowling. Guess what? Fabulous reception driving 2 Tuners and no drift as yet. Better than T ribbon aerial by miles.


Its a tad unsightly atm another bit of pondering where to locate it in the near future. And where ever I place the big diamond shape its still good FM
sound!!!!
Mark

[pde2000]

Brilliant.  Can you put it in your loft?  My grandad's first proper job was installing radio for HMV, going all over the country, and rigging up antennae in lofts was part of that.  No wonder he settled down working for western electric cinema; they just had him schlepping all over ireland (before the war) with his wife and baby (my dad) installing their previously silent cinemas with sound.  Before HMV he was apprenticed to eveready. 

[needlekiller]

it is a single-quad for fm 80 to 110 mhz and a 240 ohm ariel input. it is adjustable in the horizontal plan for max sig. to connet to a 60 ohm, a little transformer 240,sym to 60 asym ohms should be used.

[Sk8Ter]

Fm when done right can sound down right fantastic!

more pictures please

Lawrence

[decanterlime]

Hi Paul and Uli,
We live in a ground-floor maisonette with very thick walls. Alas no loft!!
Even mobile phone signal is very iffy so we go outside for incoming/outgoing calls.

Uli, its obvious to me you understand the physics of this aerial more than I. Yet after years of drift, snowing of the signal and crackling interference thus so so far so good.
Kind Regards,
PS Lawrence Yes, FM signal seems to be the best on all my amps verses phono, aux and tape. I will do a few more pictures tomorrow and post.
Mark

[pde2000]

You could hide it behind a wall covering (curtain).  One thing I love about radio is the variety; you hear things you would never have thought to buy.  And radio 4 does very funny comedy.  Its a shame commercial radio is so compressed.

[mred]

Fm when done right can sound down right fantastic!

more pictures please

Lawrence

I agree,
I now live were there are no FM stations worthy of listening and after a year and a half here sold my cherished Sansui tuner on ebay.

Great job on the antenna, Mark.

[decanterlime]

Hi Paul, yes behind a curtain would be the best place for it. We have a bay window which I think will contain the aerial and this means getting hold of some say 30' of coaxial chord to commision that idea well.
And yes commercial radio channels seem inferior to the BBC ones.
Thanks mred!!  
For Lawrence I have done a few more pics. Basically its a 44" square cross with 1/2" indentations for the wire path and some coaxial/with improvisation 75 Ohmns items and chord.
One member did say maximum reception is from sideways coaxial feed and he is correct as it says in the link narrative.
Any one heard from Richard? He seems to have gone quiet.










On google there are AM aerials you can make which I am studying a few of the easy ones.
Mark

[floppybootstomp]

Hi Mark, nice job with the aerial.

I have some offcuts of 75 ohm coax cable and I'm sure at least a couple are more than 30'.

If you'd like a suitable length for postage cost only I'd be happy to send some.

Let me know by PM if you're interested.

[Sk8Ter]

Thanks for the pix Mark 



Lawrence

[decanterlime]

Hi Tony,
thanks for your kind offer. I happen to have what I need with co-axial cable ( I try not to throw anything away if I can help it)
Mark

[ZZMoko]

Does bring this to mind.....costings of build appear similar as well 

[pde2000]

That's another way of doing it;  http://www.sotabeams.co.uk/antenna-lifting-kite/

don't do it in a thunder storm

[decanterlime]

Does bring this to mind.....costings of build appear similar as well 

http://youtu.be/BA-g8YYPKVo

 

[decanterlime]

That's another way of doing it;  http://www.sotabeams.co.uk/antenna-lifting-kite/

don't do it in a thunder storm