Improving AM reception on a Tangent Cinque?

[american lockpicker]

Hello everyone, I know this probably a fairly simple question but I'm truely a newbie to radio(until fairly recently my idea of listening to "radio" involved cassette tapes of radio shows from over 50 years ago...) and I found an AM station(840KHz) I like to listen to but I have bad reception at times and none during the day. I was originally using a Sony and a no name consumer grade radio and reception was constantly fading in and out so I upgraded to a Tangent Cinque and reception has greatly improved but occasionally I'll get static(switching to 810 KHz seems to bring in the same signal half of the time. ) Anyway heres my radio and heres the AM antenna I'm using.

**broken link removed**

**broken link removed**

Also I'm assuming an antenna upgrade will help so I went to Radio Shack today and found a Grundig antenna but it seems to be wireless. I tried asking there but unless your question is about a phone they can't help you.

**broken link removed**

 

[Menticol]

EDIT
Post Deleted by myself

Reason: The technical data I've written was inaccurate

 

[RadioRon]

You would be surprised and impressed with how much you can improve a signal with an external loop antenna. These have been popular since the dawn of radio many decades ago. They are quite easy to build as long as you have the key ingredient of a tuning capacitor and these are easily torn out of an old scrap portable transistor radio (or, for that matter a new one. The last time I built one of these antennas, I bought an AM radio from radio shack for $8 just for the capacitor). Here is a link showing how to build a classic tuned loop antenna:
How to build a tuned loop antenna - Ham Radio Library

I've built antennas like this many times and they always work well. There is no need to interconnect such a tuned loop antenna to your radio with wire. This is because the external loop antenna couples magnetically to the antenna in your radio and this coupling is powerful and reliable. The net affect of the external loop antenna coupled to the antenna with the radio is that signal strength is increased while selectivity is actually enhanced.

 

[transistor495]

Quite true. A tuned loop antenna will improve your reception to a much acceptable level. I've built a medium sized(2ft diagonal) one and it do wonders! Build one and realize it

One problem was cut off part on the upperband MW that I think can be solved out using switchable loops, but I didn't try it because in my case it was above 1200KHz. So yours(840KHz on the middle of band) should definitely be covered on the antenna. Go for it.

 

[american lockpicker]

I ordered the Grundig loop antenna for $16 on newegg and it should be here next week.

 

[RadioRon]

Please let us know how you like it. That price seems very fair to me, since it looks a lot better than any loop I ever built.

The performance of a loop antenna is directly related to its diameter. This one is on the small side compared to ones I have used, so I hope it works as well.

 

[transistor495]

Usually commercial ones are of same size like this...my PHILIPS set has one external loop antenna like this(corded). My 2ft magnetic loop antenna outperforms all...I got plenty of distant stations(over 500miles) during night the dial fully loaded!!..and the performance is really unbelievable hm

 

[american lockpicker]

Well I got the antenna and hooked it up(the cord it came with was useless but luckily the radio came with a 3.5mm male to male cord)and it slightly improved reception but does very little during the day. I may have a go at building a larger one.

 

[RadioRon]

Does your Tangent radio have an internal ferrite bar AM antenna?

 

[american lockpicker]

Does your Tangent radio have an internal ferrite bar AM antenna?

Not sure I've never opened it up.

 

[RadioRon]

The easy way to tell is if it receives any AM at all without an external antenna. If it does, you can be sure there is a ferrite bar antenna inside.

 

[american lockpicker]

I just tested it and I get nothing without an antenna hooked up.

 

[RadioRon]

In that case, you won't be able to do the "no wires" connection that I described before. Bottom line is that a larger loop antenna will give you more signal.

 

[american lockpicker]

Just out of curiosity whats a radio that gets good AM reception? I've been looking at Grundig and Roberts but I might consider a Sangean.

 

[RadioRon]

Many dx enthusiasts swear by the GE SuperRadio III which has been around a long time. The product line was acquired by RCA and is now sold as an RCA RP7887. General Electric Superadio III, RCA RP7887 Superadio III It is available through Amazon from various sellers. It is inexpensive. Although I don't own one, I'm pretty sure that one major reason why it is sensitive is because it has a very large Ferrite bar antenna inside. There is direct relationship between the sensitivity of a portable AM radio and the size of its ferrite bar. For example, one experimental model that I made some years ago used an 8 inch long ferrite antenna. That one worked very well.

Over the years there has been a few other notable contenders. The C.Crane company sells a line of radios purported to be sensitive. I understand that these radios are made by Sangean for C.Crane. Sangean is well known in AM radio circles and their models are popular and not expensive. The Sangean PR-D7 gets good reviews. I also see good things about the PR-D5.

Sony is well known for their radios, but not very many Sony radios are particularly sensitive. The ICF38 may be good.

This site has a pretty good summary of the situation. **broken link removed** They mention these radios as good for distant reception:

GE Superradio III (aka RCA mentioned above)
Radio Shack [FONT=&quot]OPTIMUS 12-603A
C.Crane CCRadio Plus

I have been through a few radios. I used a Grundig G5 for a while but mainly because of its short wave features, and I liked it. My favorite table radio at home is used mostly for AM and that is a Boston Acoustics Recepter. The Recepter is aimed more at those who want great sound quality rather than the most sensitive AM receiver, much like the Tivoli One and Cambridge Soundworks models. I particularly like the Recepter because it has really nice controls and a high quality feel to it. I don't think it has outstanding AM sensitivity, but its not bad.

In general, the brands that seem to put some effort into sensitivity are Sangean, Sony (they have a lot of models and many are nothing special), C.Crane, Eton/Grundig. A lot of these radios are low cost and often the controls, user interface and build quality reflect that. Another approach is to buy a serious DX receiver like the ICOM IC-R8500 for example. This type of receiver is for serious enthusiasts and is expensive. Plus, there is no internal antenna and you are expected to supply your own. Other makers in this semi-pro market are Sony and Kenwood to name a few.

Icom R8500 Wideband Receiver IC-R8500

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[american lockpicker]

Is the Grundig Satallit 750 any good?

Grundig Satellit 750 Radio Receiver

 

[transistor495]

Go for the review on https://www.eham.net .

As far as I know now receivers are not made anymore by good old Grundig company!

I use a Degen 1103

It is a very sensational RX, but not upto my intended taste though