Posts: 3
Threads: 2
Joined: Feb 2012
Can anyone tell me if this antenna would be a good investment? I just had a Philco 70 restored and can only get one channel and not very good. Thanks Jim
http://cgi.ebay.com/280825116854
Posts: 7,248
Threads: 266
Joined: Dec 2009
City: Roslyn Pa
Hi and Welcome to the Phourm!!
I think not. The best antenna is outdoors, and as long and high as you can get it.
Don't know what your situation is but an indoor loop works pretty good too.
Is your set working up to it's full potential? Has it been properly serviced and aligned?
I'm listening to a 370 now (chairside model of the 70) Jack Benny is coming in loud and clear from WNAR
Terry
When my pals were reading comic books
I was down in the basement in my dad's
workshop. Perusing his Sam's Photofoacts
Vol 1-50 admiring the old set and trying to
figure out what all those squiggly meant.
Circa 1966
Now I think I've got!
Terry
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Threads: 2
Joined: Feb 2012
Hi Terry
The guy that rebuilt it for me has been in business a long time, he's going to look at it again. How can you tell if a radio is aligned properly? I really don't want to have an outdoor antenna, that's why the one on Ebay appealed to me. Can I just wrap a 100 feet of wire around something? Your chairside sounds nice, I'd like to get one of those :-) Thanks, Jim
Posts: 1,400
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Joined: Oct 2007
City: Linn Creek, MO
I'm with Terry on this one. The description sounds good until you get to where it says "Antenna is non amplified requires no power and totally passive". A non amplified whip is not going to do much good. Experiment with 20 or 30 feet of wire running along the floor or draped over a curtain rod. Also check out this thread
http://philcoradio.com/phorum/showthread.php?tid=4066
Steve
M R Radios C M Tubes
Posts: 462
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Joined: Jun 2010
City: Lehighton
State, Province, Country: PA
You could build yourself one of these. Four dowels and a door trim block from Lowes, 100' of thin insulated wire, and a matching air capacitor. Any old thing for a base will do. I have rudimentary instructions I can email if you're interested. Google "AM loop antenna" for lots of options. The one on Ebay is junk, don't waste your money.
[Image:
http://i863.photobucket.com/albums/ab191...s/la-2.jpg]
Larry
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Joined: Jan 2011
I am no expert, but after I have restored my radios and aligned them, I usually get stations from the low end of the dial to the high side, and that is with a two foot test lead clipped to the antenna terminal. And did I mention my work space is in the basement.
However, one thing I have seen in some sets when performing an alignment and adjusting the trimmer capacitors, the loop antenna used or length of wire used seems to affect the adjustments. It could be that what he used and adjusted the radio for worked, but when you hooked up something different, the antenna load was different and is causing your poor reception.
Posts: 24
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Joined: Dec 2011
make sure you use copper wire I had an aluminum wire on one radio and switched to copper and really solved everything perfect reception where I was getting very poor reception the thicker the better