Car radio antenna booster diy8/10/2023 ![]() ![]() The down lead is connected to the other wire of the lamp cord. The wire was originally cu stranded antenna wire but replaced by 0.032 SS safety wire after snow load limb breakage. The far end is about 150′ away and oriented NW/SE for the desired distant stations, WA is the NW corner ‘ya know, and is connected to a piece of monofilament way too big to fish with and it runs over a limb of the tree and to a swinging rock near ground…keeps it tight and allows the wind to blow the trees around. will work in moist ground, the river is 59f’ away… My antenna is strung between 2 trees about as high as I could pitch a rock with fishing line attached… for mountain AM, height is good…and the cabin end is connected to the down lead and an insulator. The twin wire lamp cord was separated and one wire clamped to the power pole ground stake….any clean pipe, rod. The 2 ends of the coil are soldered to a convenient length of lamp cord…it was handy and I had a whole roll of it….and the lamp cord went through a drilled hole in the outside wall of the cabin. In a mountain cabin in a river valley (Chewuch) in Eastern WA, 2oo miles from Seattle, is a coil of 21 turns of #22, stranded cu, insulated hook-up wire that was wound on a Quaker Oats package and taped to keep it together. ![]() Please feel free to contact us or leave a comment. There are probably some discoveries to be made in the future with loop antenna research.Īs always, we value your opinion and encourage questions. Loop antennas can work on other frequencies also but need some modification because of the frequency property differences. This antenna works great on the AM band because of the properties of these frequencies. We would love it if you send a comment and/or picture that we can post. If you want to see some other great AM antennas try searching am loop antenna DIY. You can experiment with the diameter of the coil, the number of turns and the length of antenna wire you use. Please let us know of your successes or failures so fellow listeners can benefit from your experiences. A 1400 KHz station in our area went from “no discernible signal” to “full power”. The coil intensifies the signal which is inductively picked up by the ferrite antenna inside the radio. You don’t actually attach this antenna to the radio. Move the coil near the radio until you hear the station improve. You don’t need a signal meter but it is fun to watch it register the gain. Grand Magic Test: Tune your radio to a very weak station. If you have bone dry soil you may have to dump quite a bit of water on the dirt to make the soil more conductive. This is also important to make the ground work. What you can’t see is that the dirt is damp. Our antenna did not work on the pipe we used until we sanded the rust away on a small section under the clamp. You really don’t need the alligator clips, but it is much more reliable than twisting wire together.ĥ. Bare the end of the antenna wire (I use a knife or diagonal pliers) and clip it to the coil. ![]() You can mount the wire at any height, but consider eight feet for safety.Ĥ. That means if you draw a make-believe line toward the station, you want to lay the antenna wire out 90 degrees to that imaginary line. For maximum reception, stretch the antenna wire out perpendicular to the station you want to listen to. The ground stake can be driven into a convenient and safe place nearby.ģ. The other end (not shown) of the coil will go to the ground stake so leave enough wire. Generally the longer the antenna wire the better so if you have a 100′ antenna wire, that’s good.Ģ. The attached alligator clip shown below will be connected to no less than 60′ of your antenna wire. Secure into a round shape with ties or tape. (1) adjustable pipe clamp that fits around your metal stakeġ.(1) three or four foot ground stake (any metal stake or 1/2″ diameter or greater pipe).(2) alligator clips (available online or at most electronics stores).Twist or Zip ties or tape to hold the shape of the coil.100′ or more of any type of insulated wire you can easily work with.It amplifies all weak AM signals, so a powerful local station might be heard over your entire AM radio dial. This DIY AM antenna is best used outdoors but you can make it work inside by somehow re-routing the wires. There are few truly magical things in this world that are practically free.
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