Re: Dash radio reception
Reply #2 –
Gregory,
AM radio has limited wattage during the day. The length of it's reach has a lot to do with atmospheric conditions so a longer antenna, etc. won't do any good in the daytime. At night, some "clear channel" stations will reach a couple thousand miles. KNX in Los Angeles is a good example. In Southern California, we could listen to Chicago or San Antonio at night. At night, a couple of wires strung between trees and connected to the radio can really bring in the distant stations, short wave stuff too.
FM radio is another thing. The electromagnetic radiation in this spectrum is pretty line of sight day or night with 100 mile (or a bit longer) possible with a specialized antenna. The problem is that a good FM antenna is good sized and is not practical for driving down the road. The best reception is also limited to full or exact fractions of a wave length so just adding a little length to the antenna won't do much. Check out FM antennas online for something that might work better for you. I have put an amp in-line with a roof FM antenna with good results. A smaller FM antenna off of ebay could be put up at a campsite or RV park plus it will get HDTV also (if close to stations).
FYI: If in a city or close to a TV station, an antenna will always get a better picture and sound for your HDTV than using HDTV Dish Network or Direct TV.
Topic: Dash radio reception