Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!emory!athena.cs.uga.edu!mcovingt
From: mcovingt@athena.cs.uga.edu (Michael A. Covington)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: AM Reception
Message-ID: <1991May19.044706.7967@athena.cs.uga.edu>
Date: 19 May 91 04:47:06 GMT
References: <1991May7.191543.15285@mccc.edu> <1991May9.163507.406@keinstr.uucp> <1991May13.154141.3583@mccc.edu>
Organization: University of Georgia, Athens
Lines: 25

To get good AM reception in a car...

(1) use all the standard anti-noise techniques described in The ARRL Handbook
for the Radio Amateur.  An RF choke in the 12-volt power supply lead for the
radio can sometimes work wonders.  Also, there are things that can be done
to make the engine and the other electrical components less noisy.

(2) Most car radios are very good on AM. The exception might be some that
are designed for good sound quality rather than narrow bandwidth and good
sensitivity.

The real problem is that you are trying to use an AM radio in a place where
there is a powerful RFI source (the engine) and a *highly* unsuitable antenna
(a whip that is about 1/300 wavelength, ideal would be 1/4 wavelength).

Ask in rec.radio.shortwave. There are people who successfully use shortwave
radios in their cars. They have the same problems as with ordinary AM,
but to a greater extent. They probably have some rather good solutions, or
at least, they can tell you the state of the art.

-- 
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Michael A. Covington | Artificial Intelligence Programs
The University of Georgia  |  Athens, GA 30602   U.S.A.
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