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Does anyone else like FM?

So I'm guessing those little sliders below the tuning dials are some crude form of "preset" indicators from Pioneer ?
I don't remember ever seeing it done that way before. :p
even less sophisticated than that! They're just markers to guide (re) tuning to a favorite station. :) Better than the then-common hack of using a wax pencil or a Sharpie! :facepalm:
It's been long time since I used a mechanical tuner dial. Being younger then and with lots of practice, I recall the hand eye coordination and muscle memory got so good, one could tune to one's favorite stations almost as quickly and accurately as a digital tuner with presets :D.

That 1939 Zenith had mechanical presets and car radios did, I wonder why they took them off later on or never included then in home receivers, just for cost savings?
 
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Is there a lot of airplane traffic ?
I think there is a bit. The int. airport is about 15 miles NE, but I seen a lot of airliners flying E-W sort along this freeway that is less than a quarter mile dead north of my listening room.
 
That 1939 Zenith had mechanical presets and car radios did, I wonder why they took them off later on or never included then in home receivers, just for cost savings?
Most all modern Receivers and AVR's do have presets, just not buttons on the front panel.
You configure them in the menu and usually have direct access via numbered buttons on the remote.

I think there is a bit. The int. airport is about 15 miles NE, but I seen a lot of airliners flying E-W sort along this freeway that is less than a quarter mile dead north of my listening room.
I've always lived in areas with large air traffic (Chicago and Orlando) and they can definitely cause multipath interference.
 
Most all modern Receivers and AVR's do have presets, just not buttons on the front panel.
You configure them in the menu and usually have direct access via numbered buttons on the remote.


I've always lived in areas with large air traffic (Chicago and Orlando) and they can definitely cause multipath interference.
Yeah, modern digital receivers have presets even if the latest ones took direct access preset buttons off the front panel which I like having. I mean older analog home tuners, receivers from like the 1970s and into the 1980s never seemed to have mechanical preset buttons like car radios or that old Zenith.

I don't have air traffic like those places but might be getting some airplane interference. I wonder if semis zooming past less than a quarter mile away could cause interference. I got plenty of semi traffic here.
 
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. I wonder if semis zooming past less than a quarter mile away could cause interference? I got plenty of semi traffic here.
I guess some minimal interference is possible, the closer they are the more so. ??
 
I think there is a bit. The int. airport is about 15 miles NE, but I seen a lot of airliners flying E-W sort along this freeway that is less than a quarter mile dead north of my listening room.
Probably on a hold or downwind for final. I doubt they're flying "IFR" (not Instrument Flight References, but what we jokingly used to call "I Follow Roads") within 15 NM of an international airport. Especially not airliners.

There's be lots of VHF/UHF back and forth between the aircraft and the ground controllers (IE: tower) that close to the airport (more so if it's a busy airport), so maybe that's bleeding through on you.

semi's will still use AM (IE: CB) but there's lots of VHF rigs (legal and not) out there too....
 
Rabbit ears with a tuning knob sounds like a good solution. I wonder if my reception problems are multipath and not signal strength too. Most of the stations aren't that far away and some are high power and it's like certain times of the day I get more noise.

One thing's got me confused is the recommended dipole length for the middle of FM is 5-6 inch and it's recommended it be horizontal. So for VHF which I think would be similar but higher frequency and shorter dipole length why are rabbit ears , and actually other FM antennas too, adjustable to be so long and mostly vertical? I think with most of my FM stations mostly north and south of me, I'd want to face the dipole antenna N-S and the poles E-W.
For me, having one vertical element, and the other at 45 degrees seems to work the best, plus I'm less likely to blunder into the thing.
 
For me, having one vertical element, and the other at 45 degrees seems to work the best, plus I'm less likely to blunder into the thing.
... and a perfectly valid scenario that is, too!
I mean, not that you need my affirmation or anything. ;)

I mentioned circular polarization earlier. I am not sure how much this illustration of circularly polarized light, which I cobbled up to talk about CD spectroscopy*, will be helpful -- but it helped me wrap my head around the idea... and I have it handy. :rolleyes: :facepalm:

1737757477774.png

1737757540623.png

______________
* CD as in circular dichrosim, not Compact Disc! ;)
 
I lucked out and scored a Sangean HDT-1 (same as "X" minus digital output) at a nearby thrift store for $12, and actually find it easier to live with than the famous Sony which I've also owned. Too bad Sony never made a more deluxe, cooler-running, version of theirs.

At it's best, HD Radio programming reminds me a bit of FM's earlier days, when it seemed to me like a sleepier, more experimental backwater which broadcasters hadn't quite figured out.
The 3 SONY's are "the Famous One" and the other 2 using the same chip: XDR-F1HD, XDR-S3HD, or the XDR-S10HDIP.
The first: "The Famous One" (the XDR-F1HD) had cooling issues (as well as a few other issues) compromising it's effectiveness and longevity (but all it's problems can be remedied without too much work [look on YouTube for some good DIY fixes]).
I have the just as great as "The Famous One" XDR-S3HD that is in a nicer box & has a built in cooling fan, which negates the need to modify it.
Since I have never seen the XDR-S10HDIP, I have no idea of whether it needs cooling help or not.
 
Tuner Information Center

Permission is hereby granted to quote our text so long as proper credit is given.
(special thanks to David Rich of The Audio Critic for copies of historical material from his reference library).
Onkyo T-4055 (1974, photo) search eBay
The T-4055 is an older tuner that has some fans. Our contributor Walt says, "I know the T-4055 very well. In '76 or '77, The Absolute Sound (probably Issue 5 or 6) had a tuner shootout which included such items as a Marantz 10B, the first Sequerra tuner, and the T-4055. The T-4055 was rated as #2 overall, and #1 in terms of bang for the buck and ease of listening. In retrospect it was somewhat overrated at the time, but considering I was able to buy them for $141 at the time, it was a stone bargain. I probably bought and sold at least two dozen over a 2-1/2 year period. The T-4055 has a switch for an audio output of the multipath. Other than that and a warmish sound, it's pretty basic. The bass is lacking dynamics, and the treble in the 6-7K range might also be slightly shelved down. Overall, it's a pleasant-sounding unit. It's no DX rig stock, and the AM section is miserable. It has a lot of room to work on the boards. There are quite a few cheap coupling caps on the boards which have probably started to leak in the past few years, and they should all be replaced."

Bill Ammons says, "The front panel has an output level control, muting, and noise filter control, plus the AM/FM/auto selector and tuning knob. There is a switch in the back to make the multipath audible, and a wideband detector output for hooking into SCA and quad adapters. I did pop the top - it is a 4-gang FM, 3-gang AM design with three green 280 kHz ceramic filters (single bandwidth), with the IF stages having a 10.7 MHz ceramic resonator from emitter to ground on each of the IF gain stages. The T-4055 has for its price range a very good RF front end. The RF amp and mixer are MOSFET and it has some well-spaced higher Q coils. It performs well in strong signal areas." Our contributor Alan has compared the T-4055 to tuners like a Magnum Dynalab FT-101A Etude and says the T-4055 is "one fine tuner, both from a DX perspective and especially sonically." Our contributor Greg F. says, "I have two Sherwood S-3000Vs and next to them the Onkyo sounds grainy, but it picks up many more stations. Also, it has performed flawlessly for 25 years." The back panel has fixed and variable outputs and jacks for an oscilloscope. Apparently early units, but not all T-4055s, had a 400 Hz calibration tone with an on/off switch on the back. The T-4055 usually sells for $45-75 on eBay, but almost anything is possible.

General DIY Tips

1. Return ground path - On the Kenwood KT-7500, there is a way to help ensure the integrity of the return ground path. There are four screws that clamp the circuit board to the steel frame, which holds the power transformer and more. Loose screws can cause electrical problems in the KT-7500 and other tuners. First, remove the screws and inspect the board and frame for corrosion or dirt. Second, clean the interface with Caig DeoxIT or another commercial electrical contact cleaner. When reinstalling the screws, don't re-tighten them so much as to crack the circuit board - just good and firm.

2. Power supply - Raise the transformer off the chassis with rubber grommets. Measure AC on chassis to outlet gnd with plug oriented both ways, mark plug for lowest noise. New "low noise" diodes, with snubber circuits, bigger better electrolytic caps with smaller bypass caps. Dedicated regulators for audio/mpx sections if you are really going all out. AC power noise filters will also help, either internal or external.

3. Audio section signal routing - Bypass the external de-emphasis switches on the back panel. Direct wire them on the board. Bypass muting relays, switches, board traces, old internal wiring, etc. In the KT-7500 (described below), the audio signal went through two switches, a relay, long board traces, around the power transformer, and then to the RCA jacks. This was all bypassed, and instead CAT5 teflon twisted pair (one wire grounded at one end for shield) was used to go direct from the op-amp output, through 100-ohm resistor, to the fixed RCA jacks. This change alone was responsible for a huge increase in resolution in the mid and high frequencies. Note: you lose muting, but it's worth it.

4. Op-amp mods - Typical stuff, replace stock op-amp with new high performance unit (i.e., BB OPA2604, OPA2132, etc.) Gold plated socket allows swapping. Add local decoupling caps to gnd on +/- rails (many tuner have no decoupling at all).

5. Coupling cap mods - Many small electrolytic caps are in the audio signal path. Replace these with either Black Gate N or NX, NH non-polar electrolytics (Michael Percy) for large sizes (47 µF) and/or use polypropylene caps such as Hovland, Auricap, or Solen (less expensive) for 1-10 µF values. Note that you really need a schematic to find these easily. In many cases, you'll find a very small DC offset out of the op-amp. If your preamp can tolerate say 20 mV DC (mine easily can), then bypass (pull signal from in front of) the coupling cap after the op-amp, usually a 47 µF or larger. The best cap is always no cap! Lastly, you can add a 5K or thereabouts resistor from - rail to output which will bias the op-amp into class A operation.

If the tuner has both fixed and variable outputs, you can do the wiring mods in such a way as to be able to still use the variable output with muting, and use this for tuning stations, then use the direct output for listening. This will use an additional input on your preamp, though.

These mods can be done in a long evening or weekend if you take it slow, and make a HUGE difference in the sound of most '70s era vintage tuners.
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I was considering going with the tv antenna like this one https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BLNWZH...ZEZPNM5T&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it for reasons you mentioned. But my old "HD tv" antenna works so poorly I'm reluctant.

What does the antenna tuning knob do, make the antenna ears act as if they are shorter/longer?
Magnum Dynalab Inc. - FM Tuners, Music Streamers, Integrated Amplifiers, FM Antennas, Internet Radio Tuners
The new SR-100 is now available and shipping!

SR-100 FM Antenna​

SR 100 Silver Ribbon FM Antenna

The Silver Ribbon FM antennae are both unique and attractive. The functional, bright-metal elements of this fm antenna may be adjusted by simply pulling upward on the center adjustment knob. This provides a precisely-tuned element at the proper impedance for each receivable FM or UHF HDTV signal on the band, thereby maximizing reception.
The Silver Ribbon FM antennas are easily rotated in position to provide the best orientation for maximum signal pickup from the tuned FM or HDTV station.
Indoor FM reception presents its own unique “multi path” problems due to metal used in building construction. Similarly, furniture and even people within the room can affect FM reception. The Silver Ribbon FM antennas help avoid that problem by allowing the user to “focus” the fm antenna on either the main or a strong, reflected signal.
 
I like my Sherwood S-3000V (name-checked by FMtunerinfo above) just fine, thank you. It is my all around favorite tuner here, in fact, although the quality and quantity of bass is a teeny bit better (subjectively) from the restored MR-67 that lives here, too.
The fact that the S-3000V cost me fifty bucks at an antique radio show about 13 years ago is icing on the cake.

 
I like my Sherwood S-3000V (name-checked by FMtunerinfo above) just fine, thank you. It is my all around favorite tuner here, in fact, although the quality and quantity of bass is a teeny bit better (subjectively) from the restored MR-67 that lives here, too.
The fact that the S-3000V cost me fifty bucks at an antique radio show about 13 years ago is icing on the cake.

In order to sound as good (or better [subjectively. of course]), the ONKYO would need mods in the audio section. The SHERWOOD sounds "smoother, less grainy".
But I'm pretty sure that the ONKYO will pick up more stations. I'd be inclined to use the antenna pictured with the ONKYO on the SHERWOOD & call it a day.
 
General DIY Tips
I'd personally take said tips about swapping opamps and replacing coupling capacitors with a big grain of salt.

With opamps, particularly when installing wide-bandwidth parts, I'd want to ensure that high frequency oscillation wasn't rearing it's ugly head. But if the old part is sufficiently quiet and distortion isn't a problem, why bother? The one time I made a worthwhile opamp swap was with a NWAVGUY-suggested mod to a Behringer audio interface: New IC was much better-suited to driving headphones, as the output impedance was much lower than the stock part, and power output was significantly upgraded.

With coupling caps, (shrug) I now figure that if there's significant DC bias across the part, than an electrolytic capacitor is likely just fine. But if values are small enough to make film capacitors a viable alternative, pretty much any film capacitor will beat the most elite, audiophile-anointed electrolytic cap. I now favor industrial-type parts from brands like Panasonic and TDK. Goodness knows I've wasted my share of money on Black Gate et al boutique capacitors in the past.
 
Probably on a hold or downwind for final. I doubt they're flying "IFR" (not Instrument Flight References, but what we jokingly used to call "I Follow Roads") within 15 NM of an international airport. Especially not airliners.

There's be lots of VHF/UHF back and forth between the aircraft and the ground controllers (IE: tower) that close to the airport (more so if it's a busy airport), so maybe that's bleeding through on you.

semi's will still use AM (IE: CB) but there's lots of VHF rigs (legal and not) out there too....
Yeah I don't think the airliners are following the road per se, just they are flying near the freeway near my house. But what I wondered about the semis being so large and metal if they could cause multipath interference.
 
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Magnum Dynalab Inc. - FM Tuners, Music Streamers, Integrated Amplifiers, FM Antennas, Internet Radio Tuners
The new SR-100 is now available and shipping!

SR-100 FM Antenna​

SR 100 Silver Ribbon FM Antenna

The Silver Ribbon FM antennae are both unique and attractive. The functional, bright-metal elements of this fm antenna may be adjusted by simply pulling upward on the center adjustment knob. This provides a precisely-tuned element at the proper impedance for each receivable FM or UHF HDTV signal on the band, thereby maximizing reception.
The Silver Ribbon FM antennas are easily rotated in position to provide the best orientation for maximum signal pickup from the tuned FM or HDTV station.
Indoor FM reception presents its own unique “multi path” problems due to metal used in building construction. Similarly, furniture and even people within the room can affect FM reception. The Silver Ribbon FM antennas help avoid that problem by allowing the user to “focus” the fm antenna on either the main or a strong, reflected signal.
Looks like a nice antenna. I probably need an adjustable antenna because it seems multipath interference might be an issue.
 
I'd personally take said tips about swapping opamps and replacing coupling capacitors with a big grain of salt.

With opamps, particularly when installing wide-bandwidth parts, I'd want to ensure that high frequency oscillation wasn't rearing it's ugly head. But if the old part is sufficiently quiet and distortion isn't a problem, why bother? The one time I made a worthwhile opamp swap was with a NWAVGUY-suggested mod to a Behringer audio interface: New IC was much better-suited to driving headphones, as the output impedance was much lower than the stock part, and power output was significantly upgraded.

With coupling caps, (shrug) I now figure that if there's significant DC bias across the part, than an electrolytic capacitor is likely just fine. But if values are small enough to make film capacitors a viable alternative, pretty much any film capacitor will beat the most elite, audiophile-anointed electrolytic cap. I now favor industrial-type parts from brands like Panasonic and TDK. Goodness knows I've wasted my share of money on Black Gate et al boutique capacitors in the past.
I'm thinking that you are not dealing with things that were made in the 1970-1980s. This in not to have boutique stuff, this is to get it up to it's original spec (or better, with modern parts).
Such as:
APT made both pre-amps and power amps designed by Tom Holman (of THX fame). They are both interesting from the perspective of their design and sound quality.

They have a great phono stage. The pre amp was designed around a number of op amp IC’s, originally the TL072 (not exactly available these days but there are modern substitutes), with each op amp forming a “block” of functionality in the pre-amp. As with many components of this vintage, they do benefit from replacing the electrolytic capacitors and other components. My upgrades include:
  • New power supply capacitors of higher capacity
  • replacement of all electrolytic capacitors with new audio quality Nichicon (including bipolar and additional capacitance at appropriate circuit points) and Wima film types.
  • New IC’s through out all in sockets (including the regulator IC’s)
  • New higher capacity bridge rectifier
  • Replacement of the relay
I personally use QuirkAudio (https://quirkaudio.com/) for things like this.
 
@ Mark1 -- apologies if this is all familiar to you!
Multipath. FM radio signals behave more like light than do, e.g., AM radio signals. To wit, reception is typically line of sight -- if your antenna cannot see (so to speak) the transmitting antenna, it won't be able to pick up the transmitted signal. On the other hand, terrain, or a passing car or airplane or even person in between transmitter and receiver can bounce the signal around an obstacle -- when there's more than one path from transmitter to receiver, there are issues with phase -- that's "multipath". In the days of analog TV, multipath revealed itself as "ghosts" on the video image. On FM radio the effects are sometimes more subtle -- except :) when the source of the bounced signal is something like a passing airplane; then one gets a nice sort of Doppler effect. :)

Using a took like FM Fool https://www.fmfool.com/ you can see where your favorite stations' transmitters are relative to you. If there's a mountain in the way, or if it's far enough away to be "over the horizon"* -- well... that's a problem!

Don't be afraid to do some dynamic assessment of your antenna position -- although your body will influence reception if you hold a T-dipole (or any FM antenna, for that matter) and traipse around the room with it! :facepalm: Move around the room, find a likely spot, jury-rig your antenna there, go sit down and listen to the received radio result. :) Repeat as necessary. ;)
__________________
* radio transmitting antennas are usually on high towers, and/or atop mountains or tall buildings to extend the reach of the signal. :)
The little dipole I ordered seems to maybe have a little better reception than the wire antenna hard to tell, but I still think I get multipath interference at certain times and certain stations. I used the FMFool site and it says most of my stations are not more than 5 miles away and I have "line of sight " and no other issues on the channels like adjacent. There are so many things between these FM stations north of me, like vehicle traffic, houses and buildings, air traffic, people and trees lol, that you mentioned to bounce the signal around.

I'm not sure how good my Sony receiver's tuner is. It seem like I got better reception with other receivers in the past, but not really sure and that was at my old house up the road.
 
Looks like a nice antenna. I probably need an adjustable antenna because it seems multipath interference might be an issue.
You need to be sure that you use an FM Antenna. These days, many (if not most) TV antennas are designed to REJECT the FM band.
Another good option (I use it in my attic [because of the way the FM signal works, you can place it horizontally and aim it for best reception, also]):

ST-2 Omnidirectional FM Antenna​

ST2 omnidirectional fm antenna


A more powerful FM Antenna than any single element dipole antenna, the ST-2 vertical antenna is probably one of the best things ever to happen to FM listeners in urban and fringe reception areas alike.

Concentrating its reception “focus” only on the horizontal plane, the ST-2 FM Antenna is capable of getting more signal to your FM tuner with less “flutter” and “fading.”

The ST-2 FM Antenna is also less susceptible to “multipath interference,” due to its unique vertical polarization.

Right from its PH17-7 stainless steel whip through to the stainless-steel encased, precision-wound loading coil, the ST-2 FM Antenna is built tough. Yet it passes the most fragile of FM signals to your FM tuner’s circuitry with the kind of strength sometimes found only with much larger, multi-element fm antennas.

Being a 1/2 wave design and not requiring a “ground plane” or counterpoise,” it is equally at home mounted on a mast, a balcony, hanging in the window or from a tree. The ST-2 FM Antenna offers greatly enhanced FM tuning performance, and signal strength.

Manual​

Manual
 
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