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I bought my mum a C Crane radio about 8-10 yrs ago. I can't find the exact model online (it was $159 at the time)... not sure if they make it anymore... but, it's AM/FM, has a weather band & she says she can only pull in 2 radio stations. If she moves it around the flat or pulls out the antenna, there's no difference. Only 2 stations come in... 1 is stronger & is from Philly & the other is more local... not sure if they're AM or FM. She's in Pottstown, PA & misses listening to talk radio all day/night.
So, do radios wear out after awhile & I just need to replace it? She only uses it by plugging it in, not by battery, so that's not an issue. She's on the bottom floor of a 2-story stone bldg... could there be something upstairs interfering with the signal or is there normally weaker reception in a cement bldg?
I live in CA, so have to troubleshoot via phone, but I know nothing about radio reception. She can scan through for a station & it only ever hits those 2. She can also manually turn the dial, but she swears there's nothing on any other number on the dial... no static or weak signal, just nothing. Is this possible?
Here is a chart of local stations, with 30+ stations. Shouldn't she be able to get some, if not most or all?
Is there anything I can tell her to try? I don't mind purchasing another radio for her, but don't want to bother if she's just in a dead air space & 2 stations are all that's possible.
So, do radios wear out after awhile & I just need to replace it? She only uses it by plugging it in, not by battery, so that's not an issue. She's on the bottom floor of a 2-story stone bldg... could there be something upstairs interfering with the signal or is there normally weaker reception in a cement bldg?
It could be any number of things, but the most likely explanation is just that she's in a bad signal area. Pottstown is over 25 miles from most of the stations on that list you posted. It's tough for radio signals to penetrate cement walls, and the fact that she's on the bottom floor doesn't help either. Also, in apartment buildings, there's often a lot of interference from WiFi networks and other electronics.
It could be any number of things, but the most likely explanation is just that she's in a bad signal area. Pottstown is over 25 miles from most of the stations on that list you posted. It's tough for radio signals to penetrate cement walls, and the fact that she's on the bottom floor doesn't help either. Also, in apartment buildings, there's often a lot of interference from WiFi networks and other electronics.
I understand, PC, thank you. Does the following make any difference? She was living in overly-crowded, inner-city Boston, when I bought the radio for her... on the 2nd floor of a 3-story bldg (albeit, a wooden bldg, but all butted up against each other) & brought in probably a hundred radio stations, some from Montreal, R.I., NY & even Philly. If you looked out of her window, it was a sea of satellite dishes & of course, WiFi connections were plentiful. Strangely, I had horrible cell phone service no matter which provider I used... I lived on the top floor of that bldg, but I digress. That's why I thought it could just perhaps be a radio needing replacement? Am I far off-base?
Also, if you feel the above doesn't apply, is there anything I can do to help her pull in good reception, like some sort of external antenna attached to the radio? Could I have her test it by battery out of doors? I just feel badly that she can't listen to talk radio... she's done so her whole life. She has basic cable, which brings in news stations & some old movie channels, which she likes, but I know she prefers radio, especially late night radio.
All other things being equal, the 3rd floor of a wood frame building is going to have much better reception than the ground floor of a multi-floor cement building. If the radio has an external antenna connection available (some CCrane radios do, some don't), an external antenna placed near a window could help. Even better would be putting the antenna outside if that is possible.
Testing the radio outside is a good idea too. If the radio doesn't get good reception outside, there might be a loose antenna connection inside the radio.
All other things being equal, the 3rd floor of a wood frame building is going to have much better reception than the ground floor of a multi-floor cement building. If the radio has an external antenna connection available (some CCrane radios do, some don't), an external antenna placed near a window could help. Even better would be putting the antenna outside if that is possible.
Testing the radio outside is a good idea too. If the radio doesn't get good reception outside, there might be a loose antenna connection inside the radio.
Cheers for your help, PC. I had her bring the radio to my brother's home, about a 10-min walk away. No difference. Now, he does live in a brick single family home, so I'm not sure if the brick is the issue? I'm just stunned that in inner-city Boston she could pull in stations from neighboring states & Montreal, yet she can't get stations close to where she actually lives in PA.
I'm not sure if she has input for an antenna. I forget what the radio looks like. But, she has tried it near a window & that hasn't helped. Oh, well... at least she has basic cable for news, which she listens to regularly. But, she misses talk radio.
Thanks again PC. I can't do troubleshooting from this end, so she'll just have to settle for cable news. Cheers for your help.
31 miles from Philly - probably flat terrain - she should be getting most of the FM stations pretty easily - as I ran a couple of FM station's contour maps to check reception.
My guess if that she is trying for talk radio - she is probably trying AM.
Numerous issues with AM. Often at night, stations are required to operate at a lower power, and may have to point their signal in a particular direction. This will decrease the possibility of good reception.
I looked up WEEU which is a news/talk station at AM830 in Reading. They operate at 20,000 watts in the day, 6,000 watts at night - big difference. The contour map shows that this is probably one of the stations she can get.
AM1370 in Pottstown is probably the other station she can receive since it is licensed to Pottstown. Maybe AM1060 (KYW) can be received also.
31 miles from Philly - probably flat terrain - she should be getting most of the FM stations pretty easily - as I ran a couple of FM station's contour maps to check reception.
My guess if that she is trying for talk radio - she is probably trying AM.
Numerous issues with AM. Often at night, stations are required to operate at a lower power, and may have to point their signal in a particular direction. This will decrease the possibility of good reception.
I looked up WEEU which is a news/talk station at AM830 in Reading. They operate at 20,000 watts in the day, 6,000 watts at night - big difference. The contour map shows that this is probably one of the stations she can get.
AM1370 in Pottstown is probably the other station she can receive since it is licensed to Pottstown. Maybe AM1060 (KYW) can be received also.
Thanks so much for your time DR. I believe you're right on the 2 AM stations she can hear & didn't know about the difference in night wattage, but she can't pull in other stations during the day either. BTW, would any kind of external antenna help her?
Ben... She's 82. I know some octogenarians are technologically savvy. Mum doesn't have a computer.
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