[JamesBsheppard]

Will extending the wire antenna on a FM/DAB radio improve the reception?

[dannyboy uk]

never has in my experience

[spiney2]

Might. Depends. For best chance use a long piece, several yards ..........

[kev]

If by extending you mean pulling it out from the tangled ball it's in - yes.

If you mean adding more length to it - depends. I have tried before and it's only worked once - that's on my alarm clock which thanks to it's placement means the inital stretch is between the radiator and wall - the extension is the bit of wire from my AV Amp and goes up the window frame - this doesn't seam to make any difference on FM but has turned DAB from No Signal to 15/16 bars.

[niall campbell]

if you attached it to a farmers field fence it will

[spiney2]

Be careful the fence isn't electrified !

[JamesBsheppard]

Thanks for the response, it's for a bed side radio alarm, when it's next to the bed it only gets good DAB reception for the BBC multiplex but moving it to the window improves the reception of the commercial multiplex. Will try extending the wire.

[Nigel Goodwin]

Try it and see - but it possibly won't improve things, aerials need to be a specific length, making it longer can make reception worse, not better.

However, because you might be getting the wire in a better position when it's longer, this might overcome the extra losses, and improve things for you.

[niall campbell]

is there a specific thickness of wire for it

the gaffer has just hoovered a wire radio out of an alarm clock !!

[spiney2]

DAB wavelengths approx 70cm, but I'd forget that and go for a long wire at least several wavelengths long, then twiddle the end part round a bit until it all works ...........

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Random_wire_antenna

..... as antenna length cycles through 0.5, 1.5, 2.5 etc times wavelength, gain increases cyclically, the effect u want for WORST DAB mux .....

It's halfway to being a Beveridge antenna, although forget the termination .......

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beverage_antenna

Contrary to urban myth, half wave resonant dipoles & Yagi arrays are NOT the only posible antennas!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhombic_antenna

[niall campbell]

sorry forgot to mention its just FM , but i get the idea

cheers

dozy mare

[spiney2]

Just twiddle it a bit more ...........

[JulesandSand]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spiney2

Contrary to urban myth, half wave resonant dipoles & Yagi arrays are NOT the only posible antennas!

Eh?

Quote:

Originally Posted by spiney2

Just twiddle it a bit more ...........

Ah.............