07-11-2012, 03:25 PM
Well, it's the same old story, isn't it Joe? In my experience, unless you can (almost) see the transmitter mast from a given location, and you require a good quality stereo reception on VHF / FM, an outside aerial, fairly high up and away from obstructing obstacles, is the answer. (See next paragraph). And the same argument applies for UHF TV - in fact, even more so. And then then there is the question of aerial polarisation: most VHF broadcast stations radiate a mix of vertical and horizontal polarisation, but the polarisation at the receiving aerial can become tilted during the propagation path, so some experimentation is necessary. Of course, there are many other factors to take into account - but my experience tells me that the above is the most effective solution. Other factors include the type of cable in use (co-ax 75 ohm or balanced 300 ohm) and how that cable is connected to the set. And then there are the large differences in the sensitivity of VHF radios: your bathroom reception demonstrates that.
My outside workshop (which once was a garage
) has a simple dipole cut for 98 MHz that is 3 feet above the flat roof of that garage; the garage roof is about 7 feet above the ground. Not exactly 'well-up in the air', but it 'works'! That aerial has a clear 'take off' in all directions: nearest obstruction in the required receive direction is at least 50 feet away. I receive strong signals (read: no 'mush' on stereo) from the Sutton Coldfield transmitter which is 30 miles away. The aerial itself was manufactured from bits of an old scrap VHF band II T.V. aerial.
Indoors and upstairs, I have one of those wide-element, metal-coated cardboard-backed FM aerials (horizontally-polarised) that one usually associates with sets of West German manufacture. It is fitted to the picture rail, uses 300-ohm balanced feeder, and feeds a Marantz VHF stereo tuner - 1970's vintage. Stereo reception is hissy: so I use it in mono. So it's a good deal higher up than the garage aerial, but it is indoors.
Al.
My outside workshop (which once was a garage
) has a simple dipole cut for 98 MHz that is 3 feet above the flat roof of that garage; the garage roof is about 7 feet above the ground. Not exactly 'well-up in the air', but it 'works'! That aerial has a clear 'take off' in all directions: nearest obstruction in the required receive direction is at least 50 feet away. I receive strong signals (read: no 'mush' on stereo) from the Sutton Coldfield transmitter which is 30 miles away. The aerial itself was manufactured from bits of an old scrap VHF band II T.V. aerial.Indoors and upstairs, I have one of those wide-element, metal-coated cardboard-backed FM aerials (horizontally-polarised) that one usually associates with sets of West German manufacture. It is fitted to the picture rail, uses 300-ohm balanced feeder, and feeds a Marantz VHF stereo tuner - 1970's vintage. Stereo reception is hissy: so I use it in mono. So it's a good deal higher up than the garage aerial, but it is indoors.
Al.
