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FM antennas.............Does ANBODY still make them?

Recently picked up a nice Onkyo 9090 II tuner. It’s reputed to be one of the better DXR’s out there, very good sensitivity. Haven’t hooked it up yet, but I’d like to connect it to a good FM antenna...................I spent much of the day online looking for one and basically came up empty. None of the big guys make them anymore, Channel Master, Winegard, etc............My location is problematic. I’m in the woods, surrounded by tall trees and there is a nice mountain rising several hundred feet above me to the East and South East, the direction most stations come from. There are a few small omni’s out there, but I really need something better than that for my location.

Today everybody uses cable and yes, I know that you can pull in a gazzillion stations and any kind of music that you want that way...........but I’m old school.......and old. I like tuning things in and playing with the gear..........cable is no fun.

Surely somebody has a source for good FM antennas.............or plans to build one.

I hate cable. Everything used to be free. Today everything costs $$ and you get a ton of stuff that you don’t even care about, for a price.

Any ideas out there??
shadowcat2016
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shadowcat2016 OP
132 posts
 
Interesting.................I've visited FmtunerInfo a few times and saw the link to Carver, but haven't checked it out yet............sounds worth while. Bob Carver was a pretty smart audio guy years ago, so his insight on antennas is certainly worth reading..........FmTunerinfo is where I first discovered that most all of the major players now only build TV ants.........Many of them will pick up FM also, but I'm sure it's an after thought......a whole lot depends on your particular location and topography relative to the stations you might want to pull in.

Funny, I spent my career working on super stealth radio gear for the military and intelligence agencies, but antennas were never part of my job, so I don't actually know much more about them than anybody else :).........never too old to learn..........Thanks mental..........
brayeagle
362 posts
 
I have a seven-element yogi mounted in the attic from a roof support beam. Use a 300/72 ohm transformer, and an RG 6 cable run. 

In addition to previous suggestion for a Mag Dynalab antenna, Magnum also makes a Signal Sleuth that helps isolate and amplify weak FM signals.  
shadowcat2016 OP
132 posts
 
Attic installation would get me up a little higher, keep the cable run a few feet shorter, protect the antenna from weather and tree damage.............AND I wouldn't have to worry about falling off the roof!!

I'll have to take a tape up there and see how much room I'd have to for rotation...................might be the best and safest option outside of a mast and I don't know if I want to go that far.
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cleeds
5,642 posts
 
mental
It seems the yagi style antenna is best, while another site suggested the old rca wabbit ears being worthwhile for the older FM tuners ...
There’s nothing magic about a Yagi-style antenna, and no inherent reason that it has any advantage over a log periodic design of similar gain. The proper FM antenna for a given location is really determined by the signal strength of the desired stations, the height at which it will be mounted, and the need for directionality to minimize multipath. Rabbit ears aren’t usually the best choice.

You can also do amazing things with a rhombic antenna, but that’s more trouble than many users are willing to endure.
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