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"Bucky Sparks" on AM reception and quality Radios
"Saving the AM band, one listener at a time." ©
Back to the Radio Testing Page
"Bucky" works at a major market AM station and has kindly agreed to share some of his technical knowledge and opinions. On this page "Bucky" comments on various issues affecting radio reception, particularly the AM band.
Bucky: "I will take a look at several different models along the way, & let you know what I find. Most of the high end sound systems manufacturers still make lousy AM sections in their receivers. Some of my better radio finds, have been at yard sales or thrift shops! The auto radios in the newer cars vary in quality from one manufacturer, to another. That is a whole other issue altogether."
The Tivoli MODEL ONE radio
By Henry Kloss is a great holiday gift. Great AM & FM sensitivity & selectivity. A mono table radio with a real wood enclosure, a sound that is Hi-Fi in nature. All for 99 bucks at Restoration Hardware, or Tweeter stores, or on the internet at Tivoli.com ... Sounded like an AD didn't it? It wasn't. I hold no interest, I just love the radio on my night stand. The ON-AM-FM switch is small, the knob is smooth ... and can be difficult to turn if you have small fingers, especially with arthritis. Put a pair of vise grips on it & you'll be fine :)Radio Shack "Optimus" model 12-603
I purchased the Radio Shack "Optimus" model 12-603. It's an extended range portable AM-FM radio, with Tuned RF stages. It is a wonderful radio for AM, and good for FM too. This is the radio modeled after the GE Superradio series, which sadly has been discontinued.
I am recommending this radio to listeners that have various problems receiving AM stations. I can turn the radio, to null out 1210, & pick up 1230 WCMC in Wildwood NJ during the day!. This is a good barometer on judging a good radio, regarding sensitivity & selectivity. Other smaller regional stations are now listenable, as well as out of town stations. WSM in Nashville at 650kc, 1010 WINS, 700WLW, and 1030 WBZ might as well be local stations with this radio's performance (At night)
It also has a 5 inch speaker, providing pretty good low frequency response, along with a tweeter speaker. A Wide/narrow bandwidth switch helps deal with noise, or adjacent channel interference.
The other good thing, is that it is a Radio Shack product. Radio Shacks are convenient & located almost everywhere. The radio cost is 59.99. Not a budget buster.
The radio shack model has some drawbacks, but not worth discussing. It's merits far outweigh any negatives. The GE model was a bit more superior in construction & other technical aspects. But the listeners out there in many cases, own a radio with a lousy AM section. This model is sufficient to cure
what ails them in most cases. If they live in a steel frame building, unless they are near a window, AM reception is virtually impossible.
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