Radio

I have an FM radio but the signal isn’t very good because my house has lead paint, how can I improve the reception? It is a Panasonic radio from the 1970’s if that helps any. Thanks.

It depends on the aerial (antennae), a cheap solution is pop down to a dollar shop and buy one of those aerial’s for a TV/radio then connect a wire soldering, crocodile clip or plain old sticky tape
(tv cable is best) and extend the aerial as high as you can get it and screw it there.

There are special aerial’s that can be mounted on the outside of the house, these can be from $10 to $50 depending how big they are, you will still need to run a cable from your radio, where the current aerial is.

I would like to make a normal FM radio into a radio that can hear air traffic, VHF, also, with the design that you give, could you tell me how far away from an airport you could be to hear things good?

It would be extremely difficult to alter an existing radio because all the circuitry is made for normal FM frequencies.
You would have better results by looking up a circuit for the shortwave bands you want to receive and building it from scratch. You can then build the right size antenna you need and you will pick up the communication many miles from the airport.
If you know how to build circuits on printed circuit boards you should be able to make your own receiver.
There is lots of info online about basic and advanced electronics on this subject.
You can also look for someone selling a multiband shortwave radio.

I am looking to buy a phone and I need to know what they both mean because some phones have the FM radio for it.

A phone with FM reception tunes into the same signal that a home, car, or portable FM radio does – and whether it’s Stereo or Mono depends on the station transmitting the signal (though if the stereo signal is weak, then the radio will probably switch to mono automatically as it will improve reception).

The good reason for having it on a phone is that it does not use any internet data – so does not affect your download usage.

If you’re going to use it regularly, it’s best to be in an area with a strong signal, as the antenna is often not very good – they often rely on using part of the headphone cable.

I am looking to buy a phone and I need to know what they both mean because some phones have the FM radio for it.

A phone with FM reception tunes into the same signal that a home, car, or portable FM radio does – and whether it’s Stereo or Mono depends on the station transmitting the signal (though if the stereo signal is weak, then the radio will probably switch to mono automatically as it will improve reception).

The good reason for having it on a phone is that it does not use any internet data – so does not affect your download usage.

If you’re going to use it regularly, it’s best to be in an area with a strong signal, as the antenna is often not very good – they often rely on using part of the headphone cable.

I am looking to buy a phone and I need to know what they both mean because some phones have the FM radio for it.

A phone with FM reception tunes into the same signal that a home, car, or portable FM radio does – and whether it’s Stereo or Mono depends on the station transmitting the signal (though if the stereo signal is weak, then the radio will probably switch to mono automatically as it will improve reception).

The good reason for having it on a phone is that it does not use any internet data – so does not affect your download usage.

If you’re going to use it regularly, it’s best to be in an area with a strong signal, as the antenna is often not very good – they often rely on using part of the headphone cable.

I have a portable mp3 player but it only plays FM and the only radio station that I know that passes it(97.5) doesn’t work. Help would be very appreciated. Thank you.

Try to watch it on TV

Okay so the ipod touch doesnt have fm radio…but i would really like it. but you need internet connection. Im not gonna sit on my couch and listen to the radio…i have a stereo for that. is there any apps or whatever that doesnt need an internet connection?

I’ve used Replay Radio (now Replay AV) on my Windows computer for years to record streaming (over the Internet) radio programs, it will automatically if you choose convert to MP3s and import into iTunes. From there you just sync to your Touch. There are free recording solutions, but Replay doesn’t cost that much and has lots of nice options, including links to many many radio programs.

Also some radio programs are put up on iTunes as podcasts. The really nice thing about that is they usually remove the commercials, the most annoying thing about commercial radio.

Let’s say 3000w or more…
I have aquired a frequency in my town (In Honduras) and I don’t know anything about fm radio equipment. Can someone direct me as to what equipment I need for the broadcast room, trasmitter, antenna, etc.?
This will be a Christian radio station and I want to cover about 300 miles radious, in a mountainous area…
Tahnks and Blessings,

Do you have a construction permit to build the station?

If so, it will specify the power level.

I would recommend this site:

http://www.ccbroadcasters.com

This is a site for Christian LPFMs, but you will be able to get an idea of what you need from the equipment lists they have. You will be looking at a transmitter at higher power levels than LPFMs.

You will need a broadcast console (mixer) and components for audio sources, such as computers, CD players and such. Most Christian stations have a satellite dish and receiver for bringing in Christian programming from networks.

You will need an engineer. The voltage on this size transmitter is dangerous and can be fatal if you don’t know what you are doing. The FM set-ups genarally require a device known as an FM exciter, and an audio chain for processing and monitoring.

Best wishes to you!

I would like to start an FM radio station? Something small and local. What equipment do I need? Where can i find it?

I suggest doing a google search for "fm station equipment"
many sources out there

I built an FM radio transmitter (if you need the schematic I will scan it) and every once in the while use to broadcast some music. The problem is it only broadcasts within a very (I mean very!) short distance. How could I increase the distance?
I am pretty sure it is not the power, it is connected to a 3 foot wire, that is how it works.
HERE IS THE SCHEMATIC:

http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/9977/schematicgs1.jpg

1. Use a directional antenna to increase the output signal in the desired direction.
2. Adjust the impedance of your antenna. The circuit you describe does not include an output impedance adjustment, so you have to use/make an antenna that matches this circuit. If you have the antenna connected directly to the output, and the length of the antennae is 1/4 the wavelength of the frequency that you are transmitting at, you should get maximum signal transmission.
3. Get an RF amp. (But remember, the FCC limits the broadcast power you can legally transmit without a license.)