What are the BEST FM Antennas HELP

Radio Shack does not represent state of the art, nor should it at it's mass market pricing. Considering the investment you have in your tuner, you may consider a more elegant solution.

Superior antenna designs are created by the industry leaders, which eventually trickles down to the economy brands. However, the precision cuts, plating and spacing of elements on the premium brand offers that last bit of performance that may be audible with a high end tuner such as yours.

One of the innovators in this business is Winegard. Their products are the latest evolution in design coupled with the best materials and craftsmanship. I use their ghost killer model in my own system.

Their web site offers many designs, one of which should be perfect for your need, depending on distance and conflicting signals in your area.

http://www.winegard.com/products/vhfuhf_tv_products/index.html

I agree that Winegard is one of the best and a leader in the antenna business. A good on-line mail order source is Stark Electronic in Massachusetts. To find it you must be accurate, because Starkelectronics.com with the S at the end is a place in Minnesota.

http://www.starkelectronic.com/winegard.htm

While there is no substitute for a quality roof-mount Yagi with rotor and quad-shielded RG/6 coax lead-in....

You don't necessarily need to have an outdoor antenna as someone above suggested, particularly if you few of your desired stations are distant. I have the discontinued AudioPrism 8600 (?) I think the model name was, looks like a large cat scratching post, it is 6 foot tall! I have it on the porch and simply string the coax lead along the baseboard and then through the wall into the listening room. Works like a charm...

If you were closer I would suggest you come over to my place to see what the www.antennaperformance.com APS-13 Antenna will do. If you by a cheap antenna and you try to get anything but local stations you are doing committing your tuner to sucking a signal through a soda straw. I respectivefully disagree with any of the reviewers that you can take a simple dipole or one of the various car antenna whip types like the Magnum Dynalab ST-2 or Fanfare 2FMG and begin to approach whay you can do with a APS-13 or if necessary a APS-9 multielement array can do for you mounted outside. This is one of the greatest examples of proof is in the pudding arguments and one of the biggest no brainer choices there is. I simply did not know some stations were even on the dial till I upgraded to the APS-13. The Winegards are good but up to the APS-13 (check the number of elements on the mast).

Here are some VERY helpful web sites geared at maximizing your chances at getting the best FM Signal:

http://www.fmdxweb.com/

http://www.dxing.com/tvfmdx.htm

http://www.iprimus.ca/~hepburnw/tropo.html

I absolutely love non-corporate FM and have owned tens of tuners over the years. Trust me on this one, get a great FM ONLY (not TV/FM) Antenna and mount it outside on a rotor (antenna performance had (may still have) much of remaining stock of extra heavy duty rotors, something you will need during icing conditions or long term reliability).

PS: Here is a good article on the APS-14 (precusor to the APS-13):

http://www.wb2vvv.com/Articles/FMDXIN~1.html

Also, you should read the Stereophile article on the APS-13.