Are all radios the same strength ? (station, listened, music, AM)

[nancy thereader]

In my car (an eleven year old Honda) , I enjoy listening to NPR radio. Two of these stations come in very clearly & neither is close by. In my house, I can not pull in either of these on my rather small radio. I am sure that this is a kind of dumb question, but are some radios stronger than others? Are more expensive radios able to get stations that others can not ? Why do these stations come in on the car radio even when it is parked outside ?

Thanks for any help.

[Nodpete]

The answer is yes, there are different quality of radios. Ask yourself this, how much did you pay for the radio in your home, now price a radio for you car. I think you'll see a huge difference.

[nancy thereader]

It's just that the salesmen (kids) in several stores told me that all radios were basically the same strength .

[Nodpete]

Nancy, Nancy, Nancy you didn't get all those good reps be being naive, surely you don't believe those sales people?

[Rob Allen]

Also, there's likely to be more interference in the house than in the car.

[RadioSilence]

Car radios are stronger and more sensitive, since you're listening while in motion.

[AksarbeN]

Originally Posted by nancy thereader

In my car (an eleven year old Honda) , I enjoy listening to NPR radio. Two of these stations come in very clearly & neither is close by. In my house, I can not pull in either of these on my rather small radio. I am sure that this is a kind of dumb question, but are some radios stronger than others? Are more expensive radios able to get stations that others can not ? Why do these stations come in on the car radio even when it is parked outside ?

Thanks for any help.

Most car radio antennas are vertically polarized and can receive broadcast signals from any direction. Small portable radios typically have a built in antenna that is horizontal and are directional when receiving a radio station signal. You can try turning the radio 180 degrees to see if you can get a better signal from the station. You might find you only needed to turn the radio 90 degrees to make an improvement and get a stronger signal to listen to.

Also try setting your radio near the outside wall or a window while in the house to get a better signal to eliminate some problems caused by electrical wiring and appliances.

[RayinAK]

Originally Posted by AksarbeN

Most car radio antennas are vertically polarized and can receive broadcast signals from any direction. Small portable radios typically have a built in antenna that is horizontal and are directional when receiving a radio station signal. You can try turning the radio 180 degrees to see if you can get a better signal from the station. You might find you only needed to turn the radio 90 degrees to make an improvement and get a stronger signal to listen to.

Also try setting your radio near the outside wall or a window while in the house to get a better signal to eliminate some problems caused by electrical wiring and appliances.

Good points.

I will add the following: some radios and home receivers have provisions for connecting AM/FM indoors and outdoors antennas. Most receivers come with a compact antenna for indoors use.

That said, for the best portable radio reception there are a few radios out there that are designed for such. C. Crane has some, but the problem I have had with the CC radio is that it just goes through the battery power in a very short period of time if you have the radio on 24 hours a day. The reception and voice (or music) clarity is outstanding. A set of D cells (4 to 6 if I well remember), should last from three weeks to a month if you don't keep the radio on all day.

Another AM/FM with weather alert radio that I really like is the Sonido Portable Digital Receiver that was being sold by C. Crane not too long ago. This radio is made by Sangean. Model PR-D4VW. It uses 4 D-size cells, but you can use an AC power adapter just like the other C. Crane above.

Just keep in mind that all portable digital radios use a lot of battery power compared to radios that don't have an LCD screen and manual tuning, alarms, and other bells and whistles.
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The best AM/FM and multi-band receivers I have ever listened to were sold by Radio Shack decades ago under the Realistic name. I have no idea where the radios were made, but they had the "Cruiser."..something model name. A friend of mine has one that is perhaps 8" across x 4" deep x 6" tall. In addition to the built-in antennas inside, it also has two retractable antennas at each end on the top. It also has a port for an outdoors antenna. A set of 4 C-cells last three or four months (maybe longer) with the radio running 24 hours a day. And the reception is second to none. We use this radio at remote locations in our tents while hunting. The color of this radio is olive drab (military OD green), just in case you are lucky enough to find one at a garage sale (don't buy one of another color, just the OD green one)

[AksarbeN]

Another good way to help improve AM radio reception when in some areas like a large building is to place the radio on the floor instead of a desk or table. It’s amazing how much of an improved signal strength can be acquired.

[nancy thereader]

Thanks for all this great advice. Can you believe that the last time I went to Radio Shack (last week), the young girl said , " Radios ? We don't sell those here...."