Can you hear me now?
Positive Country is committed to increasing the power of our broadcast signals. However, our radio transmitters are licensed at power levels by the Federal Communications Commission (the federal agency which governs the use and allocation of radio frequencies), and they cannot be easily increased. However, your support will help us research and improve our signal.
Improving your reception of Positive Country.
Distance: Just like light, radio signals get weaker with distance. If you live far away from the transmitter, a signal that starts out strong may be weak the time it reaches your radio. Since it isn't practical for you to move closer to the transmitter, you'll need to install a high quality external antenna. An antenna is like a pair of binoculars for your radio --- it makes the radio "see" the transmitter as though it was closer.
Purchasing an Antenna: The kind of antenna you need depends on you specific location. In many cases a simple "T" antenna (a flat cable shaped like the letter "T" a few feet across) or "rabbit ears" will work. Since a "T" antenna usually costs less than $5, and could work satisfactorily, it's a good place to start. You may have to experiment with the location of the antenna by placing it near a window and moving it in different directions to find the right orientation. The ends of the "T" should be perpendicular to the Station. If a "T" antenna won't work, the next step would be a directional "yagi" antenna. These antenna look like a TV antenna. In general, the bigger the antenna, the more powerful. Yagi antenna are mounted outside, through sometimes they can be installed in a attic with good results. These antennas can be purchased at Summit Electronics for around $20. You may even be able to hook your radio up to your existing outdoor TV antenna to improve reception significantly. If you're not familiar or comfortable with the installation of an outdoor antenna hire a professional antenna installer to do it.
Purchasing a New Radio.
Purchasing a New Radio: Another, thought more expensive, way to improve your reception would be to replace your radio with a higher quality receiver. This is because an inexpensive radio can't separate out as well a quality receiver can. Before purchasing a radio, ask the sales person recommend radio with good sensitivity (the ability to "pull in" weak signals) and Selectivity (the ability to ignore nearby unwanted signals.) Also, try to buy a radio that has antenna terminals so it can be easily connect it to an outside antenna. Once you've found a few good radios, compare prices to find the best deal. Make sure you can return the unit if it doesn't work satisfactorily. A RCA Super Radio, which sells for about $50, is a good choice for a small radio because of it's good internal antenna (it also has a way to hook an extenal antenna to it). They're available on Amazon.
What about my car? Car radios to deal constantly changing environment, but it's not practical to put a directional antenna on your car! 1) Purchase a better car radio (most factory standard radios are pretty good.) 2) Adjust your telescoping car antenna - it should be at least 33" long. 3) Replace any defective or broken antennas with "whip" antenna that is at least 33" long.
© Positive Country 103.7.