Audio Systems: FM reception, fm radio reception, beam antenna

Question
Hello. I have a radio reception problem. I live in a canyon and cannot get decent FM radio reception. I cannot afford a large roof antenna. I have used a wall antenna before with good results but here it is worthless. How can I get better FM reception? Is there a home made antenna etc that I can throw over a pine branch or something? How do I know if I need a ground wire? I have a cheap FM receiver with a FM wall antenna that I drap over a lamp. Is there something better out there without getting a huge radio shack antenna? Please respond. Thanks. Larry. Quincy CA.

Answer
Dear Larry,

There are fewer things more frustrating than being stuck in a canyon without radio reception. Yuk.

What I would try is a powered beam antenna. Terk (www.terk.com) makes the most comprehensive line of them. They and other brands are carried by Radio Shack.

Powered beam antennas are directional. You plug them in, connect the coaxial antenna lead to your FM antenna input on your receiver, and point the antenna in the direction of the station you want to receive. They work well standing up (they're about 9" tall), or you can lay them on their side to zero in on a particular station.

While you're browsing through terk.com, check out their outdoor FM antennas. Some you can actually mount away from your house, say on a tree or a light post, and run a cable to your receiver. But if your rig is on the modest side, this may be overkill.

Try the powered beam antenna first. Make sure wherever you get it, that you have a time-certain, money back, NQA return guarantee: you want to be able to return it if it doesn't work. My guess is that it will.

Good luck. And thanks for choosing allexperts.com!

Kindest regards,

Kevin