On Fri, 13 Oct 2017 08:18:13 +1100, Trevor Wilson
wrote:
On 13/10/2017 6:39 AM, wrote:
On Thu, 12 Oct 2017 15:31:26 +1100, Trevor Wilson
wrote:
On 12/10/2017 2:44 PM, MOP CAP wrote:
Does anyone have a recomendation for a quality AM receiver? I have a
cabin in the low Sierras and have trouble receiving AM. I would prefer
one that would not require an outside antenna.
Thanks,
CP
**Assuming you have no internet capability (the best way to receive AM),
then your next best option is to find an old, 1960s vintage, solid
state, car radio. Since few car radios had FM capability back then, the
AM qualities were excellent. If you have lots of cash, then one of these
will provide superb AM performance:
http://classichifi.info/SansuiTU-X1.shtml
I had one on the bench last year. Surprisingly impressive and quite
sophisticated (even has a synchronised detector!) AM section. A bit much
for a cabin radio though.
I was thinking about using a car radio too. But why limit yourself to
AM. Get an AM-FM. AM radios these days are mostly talk shows and
religious programming. You;ll get more music on FM. If you know someone
who has a junked car, offer them a few bucks for the radio. I'd get the
antenna too. Then all you need is a 12V power supply. Those can easily
be found. In the 70's nearly everyone had one of them, so they could use
an auto CB radio in their house.
**Almost ANY radio that has an FM section has a really crappy AM section
(excepting the Sansui I referenced earlier). Since the early 1970s,
manufacturers have pretty much ignored AM radios. There are exceptions,
of course, but they are very rare. Here in Australia, for instance, FM
transmissions did not begin until the mid 1970s. Hence, there was a
thriving business for manufacturers building high quality AM tuners. And
trust me: They were very good indeed. Back then, it was possible to
deliver sound quality that rivaled FM (mono) under ideal reception
conditions. In fact, I have such an AM tuner in my workshop. I never use
it, of course. For good AM, you need to find an AM only tuner that was
built before FM was really popular.
FWIW: The best AM radio I ever heard was my very own, valved, 4 stage
TRF, radio, which used an infinite impedance detector. The design was
taken from a long-departed New Zealand electronics magazine. I built it
as a teenager and the thing sounded glorious. So good, in fact, that I
called my local radio station to complain about their 'B' turntable,
because I could clearly hear that the stylus was worn/chipped. They
thought I was nuts, but swapped out the faulty stylus anyway.
I can understand what you're saying, but to enjoy it, you first need
radio stations worth listening to. You may have it completely different
in Australia, but where I live, AM is just talk radio (mostly
politics), or religious stuff. For that, who needs quality sound?
I do have to compliment a local station though. For years there were
about a dozen FM stations that all played country music. (It seems that
when you live in a rural area, they think everyone listens to country
music). That station recently started an AM station that plays oldies
rock, pop, and some country too. All from the 50s thru the 90s. Thats
the first time I listened to AM in many years.
Since wer are talking AM radio. I recall back in the 90s or was it the
early 2000s, they were working on AM Stereo. What ever happened to that?
I have not heard anything about it in years.
Ok, now i have to ask..... What kind of music do the kangaroos prefer to
listen to in Australia?
They claim that cattle prefer country music in America, but when I was
working for a dairy farm, I changed the radio to a rock station and the
cows seemed happier..... (However, the owner of the farm was not real
pleased).