[BC] In The Sticks with the Receptor Radio

[Robert Meuser]

Mike:

Sounds like you did not get the original run. I just tuned (in analog) WLW (700) 
and WGN (720) with local WOR (710) running full smoke. Reception was quite 
listenable although not perfect. You also failed to mention WNYC which is easily 
receivable in digital.

  My receptor is a very good AM analog tuner, excluding overload with the loop. 
It also blows away the Bose wave radio on FM. This would be a fair comparison if 
you take features and price point into account.  There are no other home tuners 
at this point. That makes the question does digital work indoors (no one tested 
it this way) below city grade contours?  Only time will tell when other radios 
hit the market. I remember having problems receiving stereo from NYC on LI with 
an outdoor antenna and a good tuner.

Remember, FM has a quieting threshold and masks defects above that threshold. 
Digital is essentially AM transmission and maybe it just fails where FM does 
not, especially with the large power disadvantage.

R

Digital is a separate question.  There are no

Mike Erickson wrote:
> Actually got a demo at work and have it home.
> 
> Tried it a bit at work, in an office, WOR and WADO were fairly clean (very
> listenable) but no HD (even though the flashing HD symbol was there.. it did
> recover call letters, no digital audio).  This was around 3pm.  Hooked it up
> to the outdoor antenna for FM and all locals recovered digital (I would hope
> so, this was less than 4 miles from Empire).
> 
> Took it to the boondocks.  Have played with it awhile but not yet had a
> chance to see it at *home* during the day to evaluate the AM HD.  That will
> come Saturday when I can sit down with it.
> 
> First of all, my Grundig Majestic 1963 console, GE SuperRadio, Phillips Boom
> Box (even an Optimus portable) all put it to shame when you use the supplied
> FM "antenna".
> 
> My Grundig has a pseudo "T" strapped to the back of the console which has
> two barrier screws.  Disconnecting the Grundig leads and using this with a
> 300-75 ohm converter yielded better results, but the Grundig still performed
> much better on its own antenna than the Acoustics.  It was slightly better
> than the GE, noticeably better than the Optimus, but, believe it or not, the
> Philips Boom Box was still slightly better at sensitivity.
> 
> Selectivity on FM was hands down the best, with the Grundig a second.
> However, the noise floor on the Acoustics is troublesome.  In blended mono,
> it was about as noisy as my Philips boom box in stereo on weak stations.
> The noise on the Acoustics seems to sound like a processor in the unit
> making chatter.  I guess it likes to make music of its own.
> 
> As for the HD, from Holbrook LI, using the Grundig "T", only WEZN triggered
> HD with alot of fiddling and even that would blend back to analog on
> occasion (1-2 bars / 25 miles away / 50kw, but mostly one bar/analog).  None
> of the city stations triggered the HD at all (or the RDS).  Only local WALK,
> WBLI (both 50kw 2 miles away) and WSHR (6kw 1.5 miles away) triggered 3
> bars.  WBZO (9 miles away as the crow flies / 3kw) only triggered 2 bars.
> Same for WBAB (10 miles away / 6kw) and WMJC (approx 8 miles away / 3 kw).
> None of these stations are HD.
> 
> I want to get this on an outside antenna, and will over the weekend, but
> have a few comments about indoor use.
> 1) The supplied antenna hardware is garbage
> 2) When hooked up to a semi-decent antenna, it performs well for an ANALOG
> tuner
> 3) It has a hard time recovering HD.  You basically have to swamp the front
> end to get it to go to digital and STAY digital.
> 4) This really needs a good outdoor antenna for any realistic and reliable
> HD coverage.  How many people (average people, not us) are going to do that
> anymore?  Most will want performance out of the supplied hardware.  The
> Sangean table radio and Tivoli radio perform OK with the supplied hardware,
> this does not.  It is quite deaf.
> 
> Also, the AM was in totally muted at night and only open on strong
> stations.  A little better with the loop, this will also get an outdoor loop
> this weekend.
> 
> =Mike Erickson=
> W1WHN
> 
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