Get new FM receiver or better antenna?

Try a simple dipole wire antenna from Radio Shack.

If you do not do better with that, then check FM reception in that location using a portable radio or other device that picks up FM and see how that does.

The tuner with a dipole should do at least as well as the portable or better.

Also use the portable to check reception in alternate locations you might be able to position an antenna at.

Those powered antennas can be hit or miss regarding if they work properly or better or not.

If none of this works, then you are just in a bad reception area. Consider going to internet radio to meet your radio listening needs.

I have a powered indoor Terk antenna, found at radioshack for about 65 bucks or so a while ago. Picks up good signal into my budget NAD tuner, in the basement of a town house in the DC area. The antenna is likely to be a bigger improvement than the receiver at this time. Why not consider a budget tuner (I paid ~250 on mine about 4 years back) that you then plug into your existing receiver?

I am in a fringe area, about 50 miles from most radio antennae in St. Louis. I have the 805 and use the Magnum Dynalab ST-2. I get great reception from all directions, no multi-path interference, little if any static. I mounted it outside but I am told it will work almost as well indoors. Mount it as high in the house as you can, even in the attic if it is available.

Kotta,

Your suggestion for the C. Crane antenna looks interesting. It appears to be a fancy and more versatile version of a simple dipole antenna at a not unreasonable price. They give good advice on alternative configurations of the dipole legs.

Dipoles can work reasonably well, but, they do have to be oriented toward the preferred stations to work well. That can be a problem when signals are coming from all directions. The vertically oriented whip antenna might be better when signals are coming from all directions.

The Magnum Dynalab ribbon antenna which I use (sort of like a rabbit ear antenna) can be oriented in different directions and "tuned" to different frequencies by changing the relative lengths of the dipole legs vs. the vertically oriented leg. Still, there is just so much any of these kinds of antenna can do.

I tried a couple of signal boosting type antennas and returned them all. The Dynalab whip has worked the best of any I have tried. But what really tricked it out was connecting the unit, then walking it around while my wife watched the signal strength meter on my tuner. The spot it ended up in surprised us both. I never would have tried it in that location. Parhaps try it with the one you have. You may find the golden spot in a most unobvious location.
Good luck, John