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Outdoor FM Antenna question

I realized that perhaps a lot of you no longer listen to FM, but I do. I have to install an FM antenna in the attic, but space is limited and unfortunately there is no possibility of installing a high gain one that is directional. Unfortunately, I need more than just a cheap T-wire or a T-wire with an FM RF amplifier as FM reception is pretty poor out here.

What I need is a good omni directional and I may need to add an amplifier to that as well. Does anyone have any experience with any particular brand they like? or perhaps brands they dislike?

Thanks!
128x128spatialking
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
I assume that a roof antenna is out for cosmetic reasons.
I had such a situation recently, and the solution was a MAGNUM DYNALAB ST-2 antenna. This is a vertical whip about 5 feet long, 1/8" in diameter, and almost invisible, so I could put it on the roof. Being a vertical whip it is truly omnidirectional, which the common turnstile antenna is not.

It is nowhere near as good as the large multielement FM antenna on a rotator which I use for my main system, but it surely beats anything indoors.
spatialking's avatar
spatialking OP
612 posts
 
Thanks for your comments, I will look into those models.

Eldarford, you are correct; we have an HOA here and I don't want to start a neighbors war with a 30 foot yagi rotor FM antenna on my roof! Although, given the choice...
spatialking's avatar
spatialking OP
612 posts
 
Question for Dill and Eldarford: Do either of you use these antennas with more than one tuner? If so, what are you using to split the signal?

After reading up on these two units, it occurred to me it might be better to buy two of them, or maybe one each, rather than buy one and split the signal with a resulting 3 db loss of signal.
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
Get yourself a remote(at the antenna) RF amplifier (I have a Winegard with my Yagi) and split the signal after amplification. At one time these remote amps were not a good idea because their S/N ratio was worse than most FM tuner front ends, but that isn't so any more.
spatialking's avatar
spatialking OP
612 posts
 
Thanks Eldartford, I will do that.
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