I have a Panasonic FM stereo amp ( runs off the inverter), but all it has is the O.E. silly "T" wire pushed behind it where it sits above the nav. station on my H42- can anyone tell me how I can best improve my reception please?
improve my FM radio reception
- Thread starter eianm
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Perhaps you mean an FM stereo receiver and amplifier. The FM signal does not travel far and boats do move around so the quality of reception will largely depend on your location in relation to the transmitter antenna. I have had improved FM signal reception with the use of the VHF TV omnidirectional antenna 2/3 up the mast. Amplifiers can be power hogs and as such not boat friendly. Perhaps in Sidney you get good programing but here in our area quality programing has declined to the point that I only listen in the car stereo while driving. Digital has taken over and for the boat we acquired an XM digital radio which we connct to our AM/FM/CD radio through the auxiliary input. Excellent reception even off the coast and good programing. It also runs on 12V with just a small draw on the system.
thanks Benny, but digital radio in Aus is only beggining and reception is poor, maybe I should just wait until DR improves down here!
Try a VHF/FM splitter on your VHF radio antenna. If you VHF antenna is at the top of your mast reception will improve greatly
http://www.wholesalemarine.com/p/SHA-4357-S/
On the topic of "digital" signal reception. There is absolutely no difference between an "analog" and a "digital" signal as far as the antenna is concerned. As long as it has the same frequency it WILL work. Saying they are different is kinda like saying an AM antenna is different from an FM one or country signals need a different antenna than Rock-n-Roll signals. They are just radio waves that excite the receiver.
The receiver IS different though and you certainly do need a digital receiver to decode the signal
http://www.wholesalemarine.com/p/SHA-4357-S/
On the topic of "digital" signal reception. There is absolutely no difference between an "analog" and a "digital" signal as far as the antenna is concerned. As long as it has the same frequency it WILL work. Saying they are different is kinda like saying an AM antenna is different from an FM one or country signals need a different antenna than Rock-n-Roll signals. They are just radio waves that excite the receiver.
The receiver IS different though and you certainly do need a digital receiver to decode the signal
Bill's right on. If you already have a VHF ant on your mast, you have most everything you need. You'll get more bang out of adding hieght to your antenna over most any other improvement. If your VHF isn't high on the mast, putting one up there is still reasonably cheap.
It sounds like there's a little confusion on digital radio. In the US, there is what is called HD radio which is free and broadcast on the regular AM &FM frequency bands. You do need a compatable receiver or converter though. XM is a satellite service that operates at a different frequency using satellite and some ground based transmitters. You need a different receiver for it. Satellite radio is a paid for service that would improve your choices since there are hundreds of channels including talk, news, & every music genre ever thought of. I had it in my pickup for a while and there was a 24hr Elvis only channel, loved it. It cost $14 a month and it wasn't worth it to me, but could be for others. Don't know what's available in Austrailia satellite-wise, so I would recommend the same device Bill did. If something like HD radio becomes available there, and I suspect it probably already is to some degree, you would still use the same antenna and performance would be more reliant on a good antenna system.
Regular AM & FM, to some degree, are affected by static interference that sort of rides the signal. You hear static or scratchy noise but you also can hear the original transmission much of the time. Digital radio will lose packets of data and just go silent so portions of the audio will be muted. The plus side is the method used to send the digital audio is less prone to being interfered with by outside static noise.
It sounds like there's a little confusion on digital radio. In the US, there is what is called HD radio which is free and broadcast on the regular AM &FM frequency bands. You do need a compatable receiver or converter though. XM is a satellite service that operates at a different frequency using satellite and some ground based transmitters. You need a different receiver for it. Satellite radio is a paid for service that would improve your choices since there are hundreds of channels including talk, news, & every music genre ever thought of. I had it in my pickup for a while and there was a 24hr Elvis only channel, loved it. It cost $14 a month and it wasn't worth it to me, but could be for others. Don't know what's available in Austrailia satellite-wise, so I would recommend the same device Bill did. If something like HD radio becomes available there, and I suspect it probably already is to some degree, you would still use the same antenna and performance would be more reliant on a good antenna system.
Regular AM & FM, to some degree, are affected by static interference that sort of rides the signal. You hear static or scratchy noise but you also can hear the original transmission much of the time. Digital radio will lose packets of data and just go silent so portions of the audio will be muted. The plus side is the method used to send the digital audio is less prone to being interfered with by outside static noise.
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