AM Radio Reception

[Steve Bennett]

I have noticed that virtually every bus we have had, including my own have very poor AM reception. Jim, I think you could plumb in an amplifier into the antenna on the radio. I know Radio Shack, and others sell AM booster amps?

[Jerry Winchester]

Mel,

I hate to tell you but Bill Mack is on XM Radio - Willie's Place. Not quite the "Midnight Cowboy" show, but I don't miss the Rip Griffin's commercials.

[mike kerley]

One major problem with the AM band is the potential for interference that exists at those long wave lengths, low frequencies. It will pick up the computers in the overhead, behind the dash, in the galley and even in the engine compartment. I heard the SMX (cruise air) controls on a portable AM receiver. So, as you improve the antenna to "pick up a better signal", it also picks up more noise. There are filters and better receivers that can minimize the problems, but I doubt anyone will ever be happy with AM reception in a steel shell full of microprocessors.

Try your AM radio in or near a big hospital sometime.

Just my 2cents.

[sawdust_128]

http://www.ccrane.com/library/am-rec....08.25.03.aspx

I grew up outside NYC when AM was king and FM was for the staight pinkey crowd.

I missed it when I moved to NC. However, I noticed at the coast, I could just get a "glimpse" of my old favorite AM signal. I got one of these Twin Coil Ferrite AM Antenna and low and behold AM magic at the coast from over 550 miles away.

[gmcbuffalo]

Mike
how can you tell it's the SMX?
Greg

[stevet903]

I get good AM reception with this antenna:

http://www.germanautoparts.com/Volkswagen/Golf/Body/7/2

It's amplified on both AM and FM. It's short so there are no clearance issues. It's black and angled back (you see it on many VW products) which might not be your taste, but it works...

Without getting too much into antenna theory, the issue is that the roof is not solid metal and is a poor ground plane. Your current antennas might work better if you could put 6 or 8 rods connected together or a large piece of sheet metal and connected to ground underneath them - I think the optimal size for AM radio is about 18" long - getting shorter as the frequency gets higher.

Sort of like this:

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l1...plkaneside.jpg

You'll see a lot of marine antennas designed to be used on fiberglass boats that have the rods sticking out from the bottom to act as a ground plane -

http://www.etronixstore.com/servlet/...ANTENNA/Detail

For $65, I thought it was easier to replace the antenna....

Steve

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

Mike
how can you tell it's the SMX?
Greg

Greg, you can do the search the same as you would in a house or building, but easier.

Pick up a cheap sensitive battery powered radio.

Drive the bus to a clean area, that is out in the country side away from power lines and other electrical devices that might possibly cause RFI (radio frequency interference) park the bus and turn all electrical and electronic devices off.

Systematically scan the bus with the portable radio listening for static.

If the bus is clean then begin to turn on different devises one at a time and eliminate them or confirm them as RFI sources, by scanning around them.

The SMX control would be one such thing.


JIM

[mike kerley]

What Jim said. Also, the older CC conversions have a small computer located in the overhead (just under the antenna and next to the cable) that monitors the doors, tanks, basic house functions ect.. It creates all kinds of RF noise. Even our cell phones (and now we have range extenders/amplifiers) to add to the noise. LCD televisions create lots of noise. AM radio is on its way out, not soon, but its fading away. Several new receivers dont have the am band on them.

[gmcbuffalo]

Too bad, the only way to get a talk radio station is on AM.
Greg

[CAPT MOGUL & Sandy]

I think that if you contact RUSH LIMBAUGH he would take care of the reception problem!!
Sandy