FM Antenna

D id you have a favorite radio frequency you just love to listen to, but it disappeared overnight? A cause of that might have been the change in frequency. But fear not, as you can still access it with just a few minor changes to your equipment, like upgrading your antenna. Confused about where to start? Too many options and you can’t decide? Don’t worry because we got you covered with our best recommendations that are guaranteed to get you out of your pinch

Top 11 FM Antennas Compared

Photo	Product Name	Antenna Type	Signal Range	Connector Type	Reception Pattern	Built-in Amplifier	Price
Best Overall	1.ANTOP AM/FM Antenna	Indoor	50 miles	FM ‘F’ Female, AM spring clip	Multidirectional		Check Price
Our Choice	2. Fancasee FM Antenna	Indoor	N/A	FM ‘F’ Male	Linear		Check Price
	3. Stellar Labs 30-2435	Outdoor	50 miles	RG6 Female	Linear		Check Price
Best Antenna Range	4. Audiovox Accessories Corporation Terk FM+	Indoor	~60 miles	FM ‘F’ Male	Omnidirectional		Check Price
	5. Ancable OCA-7XH	Indoor	50 miles	FM ‘F’ Male	Linear		Check Price
Best Outdoor FM Antenna	6. Winegard HD-6010	Outdoor / Indoor	60 miles	Yagi Style	Omnidirectional		Check Price
	7. ANTV Radio AM/FM Antenna	Indoor	50 miles	FM ‘F’ Female, AM spring clip	Multidirectional		Check Price
	8. DHCHAPU 12 Section	Indoor	N/A	FM ‘F’ Male/ DAB	Linear		Check Price
	9. Wlaniot 6543847912	Indoor	N/A	FM ‘F’ Male	Linear		Check Price
	10. Bose 17817368599	Indoor	N/A	1/8-inch jack plug	Linear		Check Price
	11. Axis PET 880-1100	Indoor	N/A	Forked connectors	Linear		Check Price

1. ANTOP AM/FM Antenna

Check Price at Amazon

Versatility and Improved quality

With a large spectrum of broadcasting waves, you can stay connected to both FM and AM frequencies, thus giving you the opportunity to always stay connected to your beloved music podcast. Ranging from AM 54 up to AM 130, and going from FM 88 to FM 108, it gives you several chances to keep yourself entertained with press, music, and traffic.

Its solid size permits you to place it nearly everywhere in your home, as it supplies a wide reception range. Quick to connect and install, you will not have to worry about not being a connoisseur of electronic equipment. Stylishly designed, it will make your housework more interesting while keeping you company, and providing you with additional information and news. It incorporates an inner-built amplification mechanism that boosts signal reception, strength, and clarity, as it is able to receive a multi-directional wave. Thus, it can reach over a 50-mile AM/FM range while keeping noise away. With a well-balanced reception, there will be more channels to access, as well as fewer blind spots, as well.

---

2. Fancasee FM Antenna

Check Price at Amazon

It enhances the signal power, thus offering a larger and wider reception area. A great help in enhancing and stabilizing your 75 Ohm FM radio signal, the 4.9 ft. long cable swiftly connects to your radio. Created in the shape of a cable, however, it has an F-type male plug, so you have to check if it fits. It can accommodate several brands, like Panasonic, Denon, Sangean, Pioneer, Yamaha, Sherwood Harman Kardon, Onkyo, Sony, Luxman, and Samsung. However, it does not work nor does it fit with Bose Wave. Although it is ideal if you place it on high-ground, it does include several installation places it is compatible with. It can work when placed on your tabletop when installed in your office, and even if placed in your garage or basement without losing the clear quality.

---

3. Stellar Labs 30-2435

Check Price at Amazon
It has a recognition ability to detect only omnidirectional waves, which enables it to be installed outdoors, providing excellent reception for several FM broadcasting posts. It can detect frequencies that go from 87.5MHz to 108MHz, ensuring you can enjoy more channels to listen to music, press, sport reports or radio talk. Even more, if your house is situated in a remote area – at the foot of the mountains or near woods – it can obtain signals from about 20 miles away. It also supplies the ability to stack more of them together, if you wish to raise the signal’s power and clarity. Simple to install, due to its fully-assembled state, it can be utilized immediately. It offers versatility in its location, as it can be placed on an already existing mast pipe, or in the attic. According to the station location in connection to your house, it might require for you to rotate it to catch the highest quality.

---

4. Audiovox Accessories Corporation Terk FM+

Check Price at Amazon

It measures 7.8 inches in height, 6.3 inches in width and 1.6 inches in depth, thus it is extremely thin and compact, and it weighs 8 ounces. It has a frequency of 88-108 MHz, and it is only able to get FM radio signals, thus you won’t be able to use it for AM signal. It does come, however, with HD radio signal, so you won’t experience any type of interferences while listening to your favorite post, while thanks to its 360 degrees, omni-direction reception, you won’t have to worry about interferences. It is made to be used only indoors, and it comes with two additional accessories, a 6-foot 75 Ohm coax and a 75 Ohm transformer. Its range is around 60 miles, so you will easily be able to access different types of channels.

---

5. Ancable OCA-7XH

Check Price at Amazon

Designed as a cable, rather than in a more ‘substantial’ form, it is an F-type male connector. Although it is a bit pretentious when it comes to what radio models it can match – Yamaha, Onkyo, Panasonic, and Pioneer, in addition to Sony audio and stereo systems – just to name a few, it doesn’t mean it any less effective than others. On the contrary, by receiving FM signals, it supplies excellent sound quality and reception, boosting the overall experience with the channels you listen to. Just make sure it fits your radio model prior to its acquisition. Additionally, place it as high as it allows you to, since this will enhance its signal. With no extra noise or other surrounding signals standing in its way, it will offer you crisp reception. Moreover, the 1.5 m long cable will be enough to reach most tuners.

---

6. Winegard HD-6010

Check Price at Amazon

Suited mostly for outdoors, it needs to be installed on a 2″-diameter pipe for better signal, or mounted in the attic if you don’t want to change the exterior of your house. It is intended to get signals from all directions, while thanks to its turnstile construction it features simple and easy installation. It measures 67 inches in width and 10 inches in height, with the element diameter of 3/8 inches. It has a turning radius of 41 inches, and it weighs 1.5 pounds. It is able to receive all types of radio signals, including the newer, HD ones, and it doesn’t need programming. It has 2 active elements, with screw terminals, and an output impedance of 300 ohms, or 75 ohms with a transformer. It has a boom length of 10 inches, and although you live in an urban or semi-urban area it can make a difference. It is warranted for a period of 90 days, beginning the moment you acquire it.

---

7. ANTV Radio AM/FM Antenna

Check Price at Amazon
Designed with a slick and fashionable form, made to fit all places as it stands up, it includes a series of benefits that will enhance your overall radio experience. It incorporates two signal recognition patterns, as it is able to distinguish between FM and AM frequencies. With its 50 miles reception range, you can receive several HD stations with great music, interesting press, and radio talk. The inner amplification mechanism ensures excellent quality through and through. By lowering the noise but magnifying the signal, it boosts the radio reception with just a cable plug-in. No matter the model or the radio brand you use, it is a perfect match with it, as it has several ports and connectors like screw-type, 2-pin, or 3-pin. With its multi-directional pattern reception and its 6 ft. cable you can move it wherever you want, in order to take advantage of your room’s space. However, be sure to put it as high as possible to prevent any kind of external interruptions, like trees, tall buildings or mountains

---

8. DHCHAPU 12 Section

Check Price at Amazon
It is easily attachable to your radio, giving you more variety in what broadcasts you can listen to. When fully extended, it can reach up to 28.5 inches, with the F-connector length incorporated as well, made to fit lots of radio and TV models. Some of the main brands it can accommodate include Sangean, Tivoli, Music system, Sony, Pioneer, Yamaha, Denon, Panasonic, Onkyo, and Sansui. It is quick to utilize and hassle-free to install, but the device’s plug should be a match to the antenna’s, so check pit prior to purchasing it. It offers you the freedom of selecting how you with to attach it, as it is, or by employing the installation tool. Due to the groove’s ability to extend up to 12 sections, you can simply enhance the signal by expanding it, as a higher-placed antenna will catch more waves.

---

9. Wlaniot 6543847912

Check Price at Amazon

It is made for indoor use, and it comes with a 22AWG, UL certified, cable, which has a length of 6 feet, to allow you to extend it as much as possible in order to get more FM radio channels. It has an impedance of 75 ohms UNBAL, and it has a dipole style, with 2 thumbnails, each measuring around 31 inches in length. Thus, you can easily spread it in a ‘T’ shape for more coverage. It has a male connector type, and it can work with several radio models including several tabletop stereo and radios. Additionally, it has a PAL female F Jack RF coax adapter, so its model range can be extended. It is warranted for a period of 1 month for any required replacing, as well as a satisfaction warranty, beginning the moment you acquire it.

---

10. Bose 17817368599

Check Price at Amazon

It will help you improve the FM radio frequency, so there will be more channels you can listen to. It features a 1/8-inch plug, which looks like a headphone jack, so you can easily connect it to your system. It measures 9 feet in length, so you can easily stretch it up as high as possible, and it has two 2-1/2-foot Y-extensions. As soon as you create the ‘T’ shape with all the sides extended as far as possible from one another, then your signal will be enhanced and the quality of your reception will improve. Additionally, it is compatible with any Wave Music System, any Acoustic Wave Music System or Wave Radio II. However, the signal length is highly dependent on your location, so make sure you place it as high as possible, so it will not have any obstacle or building in its way.

---

11. Axis PET 880-1100

Check Price at Amazon

This dipole 300 ohm antenna will enhance your FM radio reception, ensuring you’ll be able to listen to even more radio stations than before. It has a versatile placement, allowing to you put it either behind your entertainment center, on your wall, or on the floor. ‘T’-shaped, it measures 5 feet from where it splits, each arm reaching up to 22 inches. Additionally, it requires an RCA converter, especially if you wish to use it with a 75 ohm radio. However, it is location dependent, thus make sure you set it up as high as possible, with as little obstacles in its way as you can manage

---

Radio Waves and Their Use

As technology evolves more and more, new gadgets appear. Making our life easier with smart appliances, we tend to take them for granted, as they are, without understanding the concept on which they operate.

Radio waves, for example, are almost everywhere in our life, without us even noticing them, but using them on a daily basis. AM and FM radio broadcasts, garage door openers, wireless networks, radio-controlled toys, GPS receivers and cell phones, all are just a few examples of the technology we use every day, based on radio waves. It might seem extremely difficult to use these waves, at first. But the concept behind it is so simple, that you can make your own radio just with a few, cheap, electronic components.

Do It Yourself

To make your own ‘radio’ is easier than you might think, since it requires easy-to-get materials, like a coin, and a 9V battery. Turn any AM radio to static, while placing the battery near the antenna. By quickly tapping both battery terminals with the coin, they will link, for just an instant, a crackling from the radio signaling the battery got connected or disconnected from it.

made item is called a transmitter. While you can’t transmit anything useful with it, just statics, as it is not optimized to do more advanced things, you can use the Morse code to transmit your message in a range of a few inches. This might not be useful in a city where other, more modern and efficient methods of communication are around, but in dire situations when a radio signal might be the only thing keeping you alive, it might show its usefulness.

Practical Use for Radio Transmitters

• Baby monitors – a transmitter is put in the baby’s room while the parents, using the receiver, listen to the baby.
• Cell phones – an almost indispensable item nowadays, they come in different shapes, sizes and colors offering a wide range of features according to their models and brands
• Compasses – using the electromagnetic waves, they will always point north. Extremely useful when you go hiking, traveling or exploring, it is a trusty friend in need as long as other magnetic waves do not interfere with it.

The Difference between AM and FM waves

While both are ways to broadcast radio signals, and both of them transmit the information in the form of electromagnetic waves, they work in different ways. AM (audio transmission) is the ‘carrier wave’ modulated in amplitude by the signal which is going to be transmitted, while the FM (frequency modulation) is modulated in frequency.

With poorer sound quality compared to FM, AM is cheaper and can be transmitted over long distances. In addition, AM is more susceptible to noise, as it affects amplitude whereas FM is transmitted through a varying frequency, making it prone to less noise.

---

---

How To Make An FM Antenna Booster

Depending on your location, the radio station you’re trying to reach might not be clear enough to listen to. So, to remedy this situation, you need an antenna booster. While you can surely opt to buy it, you might want to make it yourself. There are two types of boosters you can make at the leisure of your home. The first type resembles a dipole antenna, which once hooked to your radio’s antenna will increase the signal, while the second type requires a circuit diagram.

Tools Needed

For the first booster type, while there is no need to use any specialized electronic equipment, you will, however, need a few items:

• An electric cord made from two-conductor insulated wire
• Wire stripper
• Electrical tape
• A Phillips screwdriver
• Your radio

For the second booster type, there are other items you’ll have to acquire:

• 2 capacitors of 470 pF
• A biasing resistor of 1 megaohms
• A wire or a rod of 18 inches
• An inductor of 470 microhenry
• A 9V battery

Process

Type 1
Depending on how far your radio is, or where you wish to place the antenna booster, the length of the electric cord will vary. From one end of the electric cord, measure 28 ¾ inches and mark the place with some electric tape. Then, split the cord in two, from the end to the tape, and spread the two resulting wires as far away as possible from one another. These will represent the antenna poles and will help you achieve that ‘T’ shape.

Next, use the wire stripper and remove 1/2 –inch of insulation from the opposite side of the cord, to reveal the two wires. Then, using the screwdriver, loosen the screw terminals from your radio’s antenna. Depending on your radio model you have two options: wrap the wires directly onto the screws and tighten them back into the radio, or wrap each wire around the antenna’s wires and then back onto the screws.

For the last step, you’ll have to adjust the place and position of your radio. Change the location and orientation of the radio, its antenna as well as the two new poles, and search for the clearest reception. When you’ve found the place, secure the poles with additional tape or other hardware support.

Type 2
While you can use any type of circuit diagram you like, this diagram is simple and easy to make.

The heart of the entire circuit is the MPF 102 amplifier. To it, you will have to link the input section, which is made up of the 18-inch rod/wire linked with the first capacitor 470 pF and the biasing resistor. The output section, which consists of the 470 microhenry inductor linked to the 9V battery, and the output capacitor, will have to be connected to the MPF 102 amplifier, as well. Once the entire circuit is linked together, all you have to do is connect it with the antenna from your radio and it will boost its signal.

All in all, no matter which of the method you decide to try out, you can rest assured that your FM antenna signal will be boosted, and you’ll be able to receive clear and interference-free reception.

---

Conclusion

Suddenly losing your favorite radio station is not pleasant, but it might happen if your FM signal is too weak. So, to give your radio a boost, you’ll need an FM antenna. While all of the products we’ve gathered for you will aid you in reaching a wider FM-signal area, there are some differences between them which you should take into account:

Best Overall : ANTOP AM/FM Antenna
Placed indoors, ANTOP’s Antenna can boost your radio’s signal with up to 50 miles, allowing you to listen to several types of radio stations. Even more, it allows you to listen to both AM and FM types, and it features a multidirectional reception pattern, while its built-in amplifier will ensure a crisp, clear reception. Compact, and lightweight, you can easily move it around in your house.

Our Choice : Fancasee FM Antenna
Long enough to help boost the radio signal, it is also compatible with several types of radios. It’s not location dependent, thus you don’t have to worry about obstacles in its way or placing it high in your house. It features an easy way to set it up, thanks to its ‘F’ male connector, and it comes with a linear reception pattern.

Best Antenna Range : Audiovox Accessories Corporation Terk FM+
If you’re looking for a unit that can reach far around your house, you should consider Audiovox Accessories Corporation Terk FM+. With a range of around 60 miles around, and not being dependent on the location you place it, it features an omnidirectional reception pattern. Therefore, it will provide you with a large range of radio stations, as well as delivering the sound clearly, without interference.

Best Outdoor FM Antenna : Winegard HD-6010
Keeping an antenna inside the house might become uncomfortable, especially if you don’t have space for it. Winegard HD-6010 will help you resolve the space problem, as it allows you to install it outside. It can find any radio station around 60 miles from your house, ensuring that its omnidirectional pattern will provide you with a clear sound. It doesn’t need programming, and it is easy to install, so you won’t need additional help to set it up.