7. Better radio reception
One of the toughest places to get radio reception is inside an office building. Construction materials like bricks and metal, and noise from computers and other electronics can all combine to make radio reception almost impossible for you. Besides the construction of the building, you sometimes have to account for your location in a building as well. I used to work at a corner desk in a windowless room on the 14th floor of a Manhattan office building. We were allowed to listen to music while we worked, but we quickly found that a radio was useless. The simplest way to improve radio reception is to put a radio in a window. If you can't do that, however, you still have several op- tions. You can simply wrap a few turns of wire around a radio, and then run the wire to a window. Another option is to purchase one of the many AM Band amplifiers available, see Amazon.com. One is the AM1000 Antenna.
Radio Noise Problems & Possible Solutions
It is best to eliminate the interference at its source. Here’s a list of possible solutions:
-The most obvious is to turn off the offending device.
-Try a battery operated radio to see if the interference is coming in from the AC 120v line or through the air or both.
-Turn off the circuit breakers to see if the noise stops. If it does then you know it is something in your house. Turn off one circuit at a time to isolate where it is coming from.
-Use a battery operated radio as a direction finder. Turn the radio until the loudest noise is heard and the front and back of the radio will point to the noise origin.
-Carry a radio around the neighborhood and see if you can find the origin of the noise. Ask other neighbors if they have problems (with radio noise obviously).
-If a power pole is suspected, call the utility company and they will check the area and possibly wash the insulators. Dirty power pole insulators are sometimes a cause of difficult-to-find radio interference.
-If you have a hum in your receiver from AC line noise sometimes grounding can reduce the hum greatly. Unfortunately most receivers except stereo receivers do not have a ground connection. Finding a good earth ground may also be difficult.
Radio Noise Problems & Possible Solutions
Annoying buzzes are many times transmitted through an AM radio.
Here is a check-off list of the most likely causes:
-Dimmer switch. -Fluorescent light -Computer
-”Touch lamp” type light fixture (even when turned off) -Automatic on and off night lights.
-Outdoor yard lights which come on automatically. -Electronic bug and pest controllers.
-A light bulb that is about to burn out. -A faulty electrical switch of any kind. -A nearby television set.
-A store that has a fluorescent light or a public recreation room that has fluorescent lights located near you.
-Blinking bulbs of all kinds such as Christmas tree lights.
-If you live in an apartment a neighbor’s dimmer switch could be the culprit.
-Scanners of all types.
-Dirty insulators on a nearby power pole allowing arcing. -Electric blanket.
-Smoke detectors that run from AC current (battery operated is OK).
