I've found some killer deals on some old tuners recently, and have read a lot of claims about the level of sound that can be achieved with these old analog beasts. For thirty bucks, I rolled the dice on an older late '70's H/K unit. Ok, the high blend and muting don't function, but, I can't see why I need those features anyway. But I digress; my inquiry is, what should I do to maximize the potential of this unit? I know a lot has to do with the antennae. I am in an apartment now, so, roof-mounting is not an option. I don't like the idea of powered antennaes, either. Advice?
Tim, I live about 35 miles from NYC. I have an MD-108 analog tuner. I plan to get an outdoor antenna this summer (there is no substitute for an outdoor antenna), however, right now I am using a Radioshack 15-1838 VHF/UHF/FM indoor amplified antenna. I get all of the NYC stations clear as a bell and the best part is it cost $30. Try it.
A mediocre tuner with a very good antenna will sound better than a top-of-the-line tuner with a cheap antenna (most of the time). I suggest you scan through some of the comments on indoor antennas @ Yahoo. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fmtuners/ Antennas In general, indoor antennas can only provide at "best" 0db gain in a sweet-spot range in the FM band, whilst a half-descent directional outdoor antenna can provide 6db of gain and up over most of the FM band. That 6db gain can make a tremendous difference in quieting and sound quality. You can point a set of rabbit ears or a whip antenna indoors for best reception, but the best you can ever expect to get is 0db gain. And if you are in a steel and concrete building, or an older building with lathe/plaster, then you won't even get that. Then there is the multi-path issue too (directional antennas minimize that whilst omni-antennas, such as most indoor antennas are incapable). Don't fork out the big bucks for a Magnum or Fanfare whip antenna (glorified coat-hangers). Rabbit ears do just as well, and will work better if near a window. A BIC Beambox on eBay for $30 is a good option if you want to be discreet. Or perhaps a Godar on eBay for $40. Antenna amps are generally of cheap quality, and more than anything amplify noise (unless you get pro-stuff designed for radio-stations which starts at $400 and up). Tuner listeners in the know avoid them like the plague and would rather spend the $$ improving performance elsewhere (better antenna, more sensitive or selective tuner). Some people buy small directional antennas and hang them from a ceiling, or hang them off a balcony (if allowed) - still better than indoors. Because FM signals travel by line of sight, whatever you can do to get the coat-hanger, Godar or BIC near a window or off a balcony to see some open air will help a lot. Tuner Improvements Get an alignment done and a check up by SOMEONE WHO REALLY KNOWS. There are a great many pretenders out there who claim to know how to align a tuner. It is far more complex than most technicians realize, and most do not have the right equipment to do it properly anyways. Its becoming a lost art. Check out www.fmtunerinfo.com there are some technicians recommend. I would highly recommend Ed Hanlon at www.antennaperformance.com or Mike Zuccaro in San Diego. A good spruce up (alignment, matching of IF filters, perhaps check grounding paths, swap old caps, update op-amps in output stage if any) should run about $250-300. Well worth it IMHO. A tuner that is out of alignment (and most old ones are) is like using a $10K turntable with a $50 Grado cartridge. You won't believe what you are missing or what is capable. Good luck ... most people have not really heard good quality FM radio (lack of channels, and most tuners are out of alignment - even coming from the factory surprisingly, including M-D). Shame, because FM radio can be excellent.
I will check out those sites! When I upgraded my front end from seperate tuner/amp to my Yamaha RXv1000 receiver- I noticed poorer FM performance. For years I had used a Sansui TUs77-amx tuner with a TERK PI indoor antenna. The Sansui was very unique in its day- as it could automatically decode all 4 types of AM STEREO(back in the 80's there were 4 discreet systems in use). Its FM performance was great. Using the Yamaha/Terk combo I know have difficulty receive good quality FM from the Boston area(I am about 40 west). Chris
Yes, Dolby FM and AM Stereo never took off. Interesting oddities. If you have some good AM stations around, the best AM tuners actually were made in the '60s and early '70s. At that time, FM had very few channels compared to AM. AM was still in the running to be a good sound source and some electronics manufacturers put in an extra effort (vs. an afterthought in everything post 1975). The Fisher 800B and 800C tube receivers are excellent examples of AM tuner sections taken to the max. The AM section in the 800B is more sophisticated than the FM section. McKay-Dymek made some good AM only tuners in the early '70s that pop-up on eBay. The McIntosh MR74 also had a pretty good AM section. Sansui TU-X1 ($$$). An antenna is important with AM too (the ferrite bar at the back provides a bare minimum). AM antennas work on a different principle than FM antennas. There is a Yahoo discussion group on Loop Antennas where you can build a DIY AM antenna that will be considerably better than a ferrite bar. I must repeat that a proper alignment is critical for AM and FM. Some of the best spec'd and designed tuners (such as the Nikko Gamma V) were sobataged unkowingly at the factory because they were not aligned properly going out the door. Not everyone is as lucky as Steve who owns a Marantz 10B which does not require alignment due to its unique design (probably explains why so many people worship this tuner).