"Mak Wilson" wrote in message
oups.com...
I have a relatively new hi fi stereo reciever. I also have regular
(properly grounded) TV Antenna (because I'm too cheap to afford cable).
The reciever has a hookup for an FM Antenna into which I run my
regular TV antenna and it works great for FM radio.

Now, I'd like to pick up AM stations. For some reason there is a
different hookup on the reciever for AM stations. Also, there is an
outgoing ground hookup on the back of the reciever which is supposed to
be just for AM Antenna ground.

I'm curious as to why there are separate antenna hookups for FM and AM,
but mostly I just want to know if I can safely and effectively use my
regular TV antenna for both FM and AM, ignoring the AM ground because I
know the antenna is already properly grounded.

Any help? Thanks.

Antennas have to be designed for the kind of radio frequencies and
modulation that are quite different for am and fm. It just so happens that
tv and fm signals need very similar antennas, so you can hook up your fm to
the tv lead in. You can buy a small desk or sill mounted AM loop antenna
that hooks up to the am antenna connections on the back of your receiver.
Often stereos have no internal am antenna, as most folks use them for fm,
due to better sound, low noise, and stereo reception. Sometimes I have
found a separate ground does indeed help reduce interference typical of am
reception.