Radio Road

• using a 'scope - Bill Way 09:43:24 07/21/23 (2)
  In Reply to: RE: External FM signal strength meter? posted by ltman on July 15, 2023 at 19:22:08

  If you have one of the McIntosh tuners with the "TP1" and "TP2" RCA sockets, connect them to your dual-trace scope to see all sorts of info on your signal, including relative signal strength, multipath, etc.
  
  WW
  "Put on your high heeled sneakers. Baby, we''re goin'' out tonight.
  
  

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  • RE: using a 'scope - ltman 19:57:39 07/22/23 (1)
    In Reply to: RE: using a 'scope posted by Bill Way on July 21, 2023 at 09:43:24

    Sold my MR77 last year. It never really did for me what I had hoped. Perhaps because I never used a good directional FM antenna with it.
    
    Now I have a yagi that is providing much better signal to my tuners than the omni ever did. The yagi is on the 2nd floor porch sitting on boxes. I can get away with that now since I gave the wifey the heave-ho :)
    
    And I use manual antenna direction rotation when neccessary.
    
    
    
    

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    • RE: using a 'scope - openmind 11:04:45 01/18/24 (0)
      In Reply to: RE: using a 'scope posted by ltman on July 22, 2023 at 20:57:39

      The Hitachi FT-007 has an excellent digital signal-strength meter, displaying the strength on the tuned frequency in dB. Every tuner should have that feature! I have one station that is noisy on most tuners because the HD radio broadcast causes IBOC noise. The Hitachi is very quiet on my HD problem station.
      

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• Correct - stellavox 10:37:21 07/17/23 (8)
  In Reply to: RE: External FM signal strength meter? posted by ltman on July 15, 2023 at 19:22:08

  You are down in the microvolt level - plus you have to be able to "tune" to a single frequency of interest (rejecting everything else) and covers the relative bandwidth of the (150Khz or so) signal whose strength you want to measure.
  
  Many companies made portable, tunable Field Strength Meters. Most covered the TV and maybe cable TV bandwith(s). Used ones are pretty cheap on the market now. And the commercial FM band is within a lot of these units' capability.
  
  Charles
  

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  • RE: Correct - ltman 14:42:10 07/17/23 (7)
    In Reply to: RE: Correct posted by stellavox on July 17, 2023 at 10:37:21

    

    Thanks, I am giving this one a try.
    
    

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    • Is there anyway to tune that thing to the frequency that you want? )MT( - J. S. Bach 16:42:04 07/17/23 (6)
      In Reply to: RE: Correct posted by ltman on July 17, 2023 at 14:42:10

      
      
      Later Gator,
      Dave
      
      
      

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      • RE: Is there anyway to tune that thing to the frequency that you want? )MT( - ltman 18:37:20 07/17/23 (5)
        In Reply to: RE: Is there anyway to tune that thing to the frequency that you want? )MT( posted by J. S. Bach on July 17, 2023 at 16:42:04

        I don't think it can be tuned. I can try to sell it to some other idiot if it doesn't work for FM band (lower end of which is where my NPR stations are).

        I did find a map showing Potosi Mountain where the transmitter is located for KCNV. And I have eyeballed with good result the 4 element Yagi I am now using (flimsy thing but it is providing much better reception than the Crane dipole). Easy to see the mountain from my location although I am considered on the fringe of their reception.

        However I have two other tuners in the house I am working on restoring, so it would be nice to have a reliable way to aim an antenna while working on those.
        

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        Edits: 07/17/23

        • RE: Is there anyway to tune that thing to the frequency that you want? )MT( - stellavox 04:11:10 07/18/23 (4)
          In Reply to: RE: Is there anyway to tune that thing to the frequency that you want? )MT( posted by ltman on July 17, 2023 at 18:37:20

          Does/does'nt one of your tuners have a signal strength meter? If so use that to aim the antenna. If you can see the mountain / antenna location, the tuners are probably "limiting" i.e "fully" getting the station with maximum Signal/Noise ratio
          

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          • RE: Is there anyway to tune that thing to the frequency that you want? )MT( - ltman 12:00:58 07/18/23 (3)
            In Reply to: RE: Is there anyway to tune that thing to the frequency that you want? )MT( posted by stellavox on July 18, 2023 at 04:11:10

            
            Unfortunately both the Sony and Pioneer only have led "steps", no analog meters.
            
            The led steps seem very crude, even with top level led lit, the Sony has some issue sometimes with reception using the omnis.
            
            And since I have multiple antennas and even the dipole and omni have some directionality, I would like to have some way to guide the orientation and gauge the gains.
            

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            • RE: Is there anyway to tune that thing to the frequency that you want? )MT( - 6bq5 21:22:43 07/18/23 (2)
              In Reply to: RE: Is there anyway to tune that thing to the frequency that you want? )MT( posted by ltman on July 18, 2023 at 12:00:58

              FM is in between channel 6 & 7 on the TV dial- so yes in the thick of it as it were-
              You should also try FM Fool- you can put in your zip code and height of antenna and it will map polars for available stations-
              This may well help as most antennas are directional - except the ST-2 from MD and analogues...
              but all others are directional...
              
              for signal strength to be meaningful you also need to look at center tune (and whether they are broadcasting accurately) and multipath - it can get complicated -
              is your MR-77 still extant?
              the tuning section is pretty good and it has a multipath detector - assuming that the tube is not tiered...
              I gave mine away also - but I have two MR-74s...
              
              Happy Listening
              
              

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              • RE: Is there anyway to tune that thing to the frequency that you want? )MT( - ltman 20:49:12 07/20/23 (0)
                In Reply to: RE: Is there anyway to tune that thing to the frequency that you want? )MT( posted by 6bq5 on July 18, 2023 at 21:22:43

                MR 77 is gone, sold, but then destroyed in shipping. I did get a partial reimbursement.
                
                I paid UPS to double box it, but they did only a cursory job, hence the damage.
                

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              • RE: Is there anyway to tune that thing to the frequency that you want? )MT( - ltman 20:47:21 07/20/23 (0)
                In Reply to: RE: Is there anyway to tune that thing to the frequency that you want? )MT( posted by 6bq5 on July 18, 2023 at 21:22:43

                that sounds (pun intended) interesting, will give it a try!
                

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