Newb trying to get AM stations, only able to get 2

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holysmoke

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I have a very cheap radio from walmart for 5 bucks I think. I live in cape coral florida lee county.

I can only get 2 stations on AM.

I fall asleep each night with radio on my head. I would love to find a radio to get maximum stations in. I heard shortwave was 95% static and foreign talk. Not interested in FM at all, mostly AM and any other alternative.

I love alternative media, hate the MSM and looking for talk radio that is NOT foxnews related.

thanks.

any suggestions appreciated
 

af5rn

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N. Tex / S. Fla
Sounds like your tin-foil hat may be blocking the signals. :lol:

Seriously, it's all about antenna. A high quality receiver would definitely help, but antenna gets you the most bang for the buck.

You might start reading here ----> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MW_DX

There's a lot more "alternative" media on SW than you think. Sure, as wide as the SW bands are, the static does outweigh the good stations. But there are still a lot of stations out there that you might enjoy monitoring. And the really good radios for AM monitoring usually have the shortwaves also, so might as well give it a shot.
 
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holysmoke

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holysmoke

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I went with this one because of AM reception

Sangean PR-D5 Portable Radio with Digital Tuning and Rds

# Hands down one of the best performing portable radios you will find today. With its whoppingly large 200mm ferrite antenna, its dual 2.5" speakers, and the RDS text function you would be hard pressed to find another portable radio that offers so much for so little. This lite and powerful radio is capable of being powered by the included AC adapter, 6 x 'C' batteries, and optional DC power you have the flexibility a portable should have. We could talk all day about its features and performance, but think that you are the best judge. Listen and learn what good radio is. Features: PLL Synthesized tuning system.
# 200mm Ferrite AM antenna - provides unmatched AM reception
# 10 Memory Presets (5 AM, 5 FM).
# Rotary Volume Control
# Rotary Tuning Control
# Auto Seek Station
# Stereo/Mono Selector Switch
# Headphone Socket
# 3.5mm Aux-in Socket.
# DC Jack (Adapter not included)
# Backlite LCD.
# Sleep Timer
# Radio Data System (RDS) function with radio text, station name and auto clock time.
# Alarm with Humane Wake System (HWS).
# Battery Life Indicator.
# AC Power Adapter (Included)
# Dimensions ( W x D X H): 10 3/4" X 5 1/3" x 2 2/3"
# Weight: 2 lbs.
# Batteries: 6 x 'C'
 

KC0QNB

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well I think you did ok Sangean is a good product, but it has to be over 8 to handle that 800mm antenna, but no external antenna jack, if it had that you could string a long wire in your back yard, or build an MW loop antenna, the reception will blow you away. let me know how it works for you? I trust you also got the ac adapter?
 

holysmoke

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these reviews at eham.net

DXTUNER Rating: 5/5 Jun 24, 2008 19:54 Send this review to a friend
Wow! Time owned: 0 to 3 months
Just 20 minutes out of the box and already I'm impressed. The PR-D5 exhibits phenomenal AM reception. Distant AM stations I usually receive fair-good (if at all, or when I can) on desktop general coverage receivers using external antennas come through with excellent/local quality on this PR-D5.

I've merely removed the radio from the box, placed it on my table & powered it on -- no turning or rotating of the radio position, no sequestering from electrical outlets or sources. Nothing special done at all. Detroit, Cleveland, New York -- and some spanish-language stations I've never received before -- are booming-in as though they are local.

Not much more needs to be said, except that the PR-D5 easily matches or beats the Kaito KA2100/Redsun RP2100 on AM reception. No question about that. The sound is nice & rich also.

W4DST Rating: 5/5 Mar 13, 2008 08:34 Send this review to a friend
Super value and performance Time owned: 3 to 6 months
I was very surprised at both the AM and FM performance of the PR-D5. It apparently uses the dual coil ferrite antenna circuit for AM, same as the Sangean made CCRadio, and this accounts for the excellent AM sensitivity. The AM reception of the PR-D5 is second only to my vintage Radio Shack 12-655 TRF AM receiver. This is quite an accomplishment as the 12-655 is one of the most sensitive AM portables ever made.

On FM, my only complaint is that selectivity is a little wide for my tastes. Judging from my tests, it probably uses 230KHz filters in the IF section. It should be possible to replace these with 150KHz filters for a big improvement in selectivity. The sensitivity is excellent. I can receive FM stations from 5 different states here in the mountains of SW NC. The RDS circuitry is head and shoulders better than the pathetic performance of the Sangean ATS-909. The PR-D5 is also a much better FM, and AM, receiver than my Grundig Satellit 700. Both the '909 and '700 have been sold.

Like previous reviewers, I think the radio does need a carrying handle. Other than that, this is a well designed radio and, in my opinion, well worth the price. Whether you are an AM or FM DXer, this is an excellent portable receiver to add to your shack.

LRDHEAT Rating: 5/5 Jan 14, 2008 19:54 Send this review to a friend
added notes Time owned: 3 to 6 months
Perhaps this will replace my 1st review so as to not overweight my rating of 5. I feel that the set warrants a 5 rating (to the nearest integer), but can say that, while the sensitivity on the mediumwave band is similar to the SONY ICF-S5W, the PR-D5's noise floor is slightly higher than the SONY, and results in audio slightly less crisp than the SONY. The SONY is exceptionaly quiet. The PR-D5 lacks the simple tone control slider that the SONY has. The SONY amazes me sensitivitywise as it's ferrite bar is smaller than the PR-D5's. Most noticably, the ability of the PR-D5 to handle weak stations 10 KHz away from a nearby local (common circumstance in most urban settings...in my case, I am 5-8 miles away from the various local transmitters), is inferior to the SONY. While good (many locals can be nulled out over a very small sweep of a 360 circle 10 Khz up or down the dial), the SONY can achieve more nulls over a wider sweep of a circle. The SONY's edge is even more notable when locals sandwich a weak station. For example, in Laredo, Nuevo Laredo stations on 1340 Khz and 1370 Khz make a Mexican station on 1350 Khz (daytime listening) undoable on the PR-D5, yet, quite doable on the SONY. A Corpus Christi station on 1360 Khz is in the noise/hash on both sets, but can be retrieved on a SONY 7600 GR in LSB tuned utilizing ECSS. The PR-D5, of course, has digital display (but no capacity to tune with less than 9Khz or 10 Khz resolution), 5 presets, and mediumwave reception that reaches to 1710 Khz (The SONY, produced in 1980, can tune up to 1640 KHz). Battery life is advertised as about 70 hours on both sets; the SONY requires 3 C batteries, the PR-D5 needs 6.

If you are away from an urban setting, and the presence of local stations, the PR-D5 will produce outstanding results throughout the mediumwave band. In urban settings, the radio is still the best portable dedicated to medimwave set currently available (that I am aware of), but has the above "blemishes".

N2DY Rating: 5/5 Oct 18, 2007 20:04 Send this review to a friend
Nice Surprise Time owned: 0 to 3 months
I bought this radio for a little AM portable DXing. It was advertised as an AM DX specialty radio due to its decent size ferrite bar antenna (at least by today's standards). I was pleasantly surprised by its performance. Sensitivity is excellent and, as the previous reviewer noted, selectivity is very good. I compared it to a wide variety of portables that I have and none was better.

It is designed as a regular consumer radio and so it tunes in 9 or 10 KHz steps. Shorter steps such as 1 KHz or 5 KHz would have been nice.

FM broadcast reception is superb also. Selectivity is pretty good on FM as well. It has dual speakers and so stereo signals sound terrific.

Tone quality is good, although bass and treble controls would be useful.

It also would be nice if the radio had a carry handle. It can run on batteries as a portable, but it looks like more of a table top radio.

It is a little expensive for an AM/FM radio but it may just be worth it if you are an AM enthusiast. Is the radio perfect? No, not really, but since it meets my need for a good AM DX portable, I gave it a 5/5. I am really enjoying it.
 

holysmoke

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Jun 29, 2008
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well I think you did ok Sangean is a good product, but it has to be over 8 to handle that 800mm antenna, but no external antenna jack, if it had that you could string a long wire in your back yard, or build an MW loop antenna, the reception will blow you away. let me know how it works for you? I trust you also got the ac adapter?


what do you mean over 8 to handle that 800 mm antenna? what antennae are you referring to?

AC Power Adapter (Included) *
 
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