FM antenna for the shop...OT

[Fred Werring]

Need an antenna, I can only get 1 station in my shop, and now with the noise from the LED's, that's out too.

Because I don't mind and enjoy messing with stuff, was wondering how well a folded dipole as shown would work, or should I just go buy an antenna.

Was figuring on putting it on a T made from 3/4 PVC conduit, on the corner of my shop, maybe 5' up from the gutter.

And will THHN wire work? Can I use coax between the antenna and my radio? Do I need to use a balun
transformer at the antenna and the stereo? My radio has 2 screw terminals for the antenna.

Wanting to use coax for the shielding, and so it's there if this doesn't work and I buy a real antenna.

I'm 50 miles east of Cincinnati, thats where some stations are I'm wanting to get

Thanks

 

[RBoots]

Can't help you on your antenna, but what noise do you get from LED's? Do you run LED's for your shop ceiling lights? Only reason I ask, is I was thinking of switching from my fluorescents to LED lighting.

Ross

 

[Janicholson]

That will be fine. The coax needs to have the balun to convert to coax. then a converter from coax to the twin lead to hook it to the screws on the radio. Jim

 

[Spudm]

For those you don't know: A dipole antenna is the simplest type of radio antenna, consisting of a conductive wire rod that is half the length of the maximum wave length the antenna is to generate. This wire rod is split in the middle, and the two sections are separated by an insulator.
I suggest buy an antenna or switch to AM.

 

[guido]

Hello Fred Werring,

Have you tried a car antenna? Cheap one at the junk yard?. It may work well enough inside the shop, or you can mount it outside ,


Guido.

 

[Rons b]

I needed a cheap radio for my shop after the fire and put it near the door. It wouldn't get any signal until I moved the power cord away from the metal building only buy a foot. There are no places to attach an antenna. The power cord is the antenna.

 

[hrRoss]

i get more interference on the radio with flourescent lights than the led lights. the last 16 flourescent fixtures i put on the cieling casused a lot of noise on the radio. some of the other lights were converted to led, didnt notice any niose

 

[Fred Werring]

AM=talk radio around here.

No thanks

Fred

 

[onefarmer]

I've never had any noise off my leds. sound or rf

 

[Fred Werring]

RBoots

Keeping in mind I get a very weak signal in the shop...steel walls inside and out...the LED's throw a hiss that pretty much drowns out the 1 station I can get. Only have a wire antenna hanging in the shop on a wall now.

And it's just the radio, I've been streaming lately from the puter through about 20ft of audio cable to the phono input on the stereo, no noise there.

Here's a link to a post showing my lighting upgrade. I really like the light, and hopefully wont be changing any bulbs for a long time. And the price was right.

Fred
LED upgrade

 

[coshoo]

I made an FM antenna out of twin lead (used to be used between TV antenna and the TV, before coax) for my mom when I was a kid- put it outside, came in through the kitchen window, and it worked great for stations 90 miles away. It needs to be mounted outside your shop, and "tuned" by having someone hold it and turn slowly while you listen to the radio for maximum signal, then mount it with that orientation.

 

[MarkB_MI]

I recently put an FM receiver in my shop that has a coax antenna connector. With no suitable antenna on hand, I just grabbed some 16 gauge wire, hung it from the wall and stuck the end in the coax jack. Works surprisingly well, although I do need to get something better. (My walls are plywood, BTW.)

 

[Hay hay hay]

I just bought the antenna you have diagramed, on Ebay, for $5 free shipping. Not worth the effort to make one
that is only half as good.

 

[Ultradog MN]

I have a 64' tower on my rental property up north.
Will sell you that cheap.
The old guy who lived there before I bought the place loved his games and had it installed to get better tv reception. Was long before satellite tv.
What's aggravating about the satellite dish installers is they wont attach a dish to it. They'd rather drill holes in a new roof to put the dish on.
Grrr

 

[CenTex Farmall]

Go with an mp3 player or set up a playlist on windows media player. Then you music you want and no commercials.
If you want big sound you can run the output from the computer to the tape or phono input of a regular stereo head.

 

[dr sportster]

That is how they told you take make an antenna for a Heathkit stereo build. Not sure about those dimensions ,I thought the top cross wire was 6 foot but anything should work. You used the flat antenna cable.

 

[Blue Jay]

The dipole you have pictured there will do a good job, I would run the twin lead all the way to the radio. Just center it in the center of a piece of PVC thru the siding. This will be a ballenced antenna and that will stop a lot of noise.

 

[Geo-TH,In]

My FM antenna is a green wire attached to an L shaped metal bracket, the over head garage door track. Works well even with 4 ft LED lights.
geo

 

[RBoots]

Hmm, never heard of that, but looking at the other post, that looks just like I want to do