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In Reply to: RE: FM Signal Amp - Any Help ? posted by djost on June 20, 2009 at 14:55:15
Thanks for the replies.DoorNail - You're right, the documentation doesn't mention FM at all. I didn't notice this. Since the Radio Shack salesman told me this is what I needed, I guess I just assumed it said "works with FM" somewhere.
TimboInOz - Yes, the antenna does point at this station. It took awhile, but I had a friend watching my tuner's signal strength meter while I was up in the attic with my compass positioning the antenna.
This evening I went back to my Radio Shack dealer and he told me I could try the signal amp for a couple of days and if it doesn't help, I could return it. So, I went for it. And, guess what. It seems to be doing the trick. Using the strength meter as my guide (this is only way I know of to measure if the signal amp helps or not), the strongest the signal ever got was 3 out of 5 bars. With the signal amp in place the signal strength reaches all 5 bars. And, the FM station does sound better with the signal amp in place than without it. With respect to noise, I don't hear any.
Sunday afternoon is my big day when I listen to my FM tuner. So, we'll see (or should I say hear) what happens tomorrow. But so far, I am pretty happy with the results.
One thing I didn't mention and I just thought about is the coax cable I used is about 2x the length I needed. I admit that I know nothing about how an antenna works, but I wonder if the cable length was causing part of my problem.
Edits: 06/20/09
It all depends upon the overall length of the coax cable and the construction of the cable itself. If we're talking a 50 foot cable, the lost is significant. If we're talking 100 feet, the loss is probably as much as you're gaining with the amplifier.
It sounds like your antenna is receiving enough signal, but it is being attenuated due to the cable itself. That's why your in-line amplifier is actually doing the job. It is taking the signal at the antenna and boosting it BEFORE it is attenuated in the coax. Since both signal and noise are attenuated in the coax, the result is a clean signal to the antenna terminals of your tuner.
Weather permitting, of course!
bill
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