Radios

[foopy1]

I am looking to buy a radio that will give me reception in semi remote areas. Is there such a product? I am staying at a campsite with limited cell coverage and no radio reception.
Thanks

[SCVJeff]

There is an app for the iPhone called Radio Radar that does the same. Nice app

[StarkNaked]

Flarpswitch wrote:
If you are reading this then you can go to http://www.radio-locator.com and find stations you might want to receive. You can find propagation maps to see if you can get a signal at your location.

Glad to hear someone else knows about this site. I have it bookmarked on my computer for reference. Been using it for years.

But at home (other than the alarm clock radio) and on the road we have totally given up on over the air radio. It's either mix Cds that I make myself or plug the IPod into the dash stereo.

[tatest]

What do you want from the radio?

Entertainment programming, go satellite.

Reception of local stations for news, weather, learning about the regional culture, a good antenna on a set with good AM tuner, because FM just doesn't go very far, line of sight limited like microwave and TV.

I haven't found a good AM tuner in a car radio (or a home entertainment receiver, for that matter) for about 35-40 years. It is not a priority, we don't listen to AM if we can get something with more bandwidth per station.

Desktop sets, I used to like Hallicrafters receivers. Becker-Mexico or Philips multi-bands in cars. All that is collector stuff today, huge prices if it works.

[DaCrema]

I have XM radio and have had before they combined with Sirius. I have noticed that here on the Right coast I receive intermittent signal in dense forest and sometimes around power lines (for example as in when I am driving from point A to point B and power lines parallel the road). This is less a problem when in camp.
I like the XM a lot but listen to only a few stations. I like it enough that I purchased extra car kits along with the receiver. That way I can just move the receiver from car to car. At home I listen to Pandora, but if your camping a lot that requires cell signal and starts to eat into the amount of data you can download.

[mlts22]

I have read that XM/Sirius can give unlimited length service per vehicle. A few years back it was $800 or something like that, although you have to tell the rep on the phone to get a "supervisor" before you can get that.

It might be something worth checking out, and even though the cost is steep, the vehicle will always have some form of radio no matter where it is, barring a cave.

[maillemaker]

I've all but quit listening to commercial radio. I have a cassette adapter for my RV's old radio and I plug my MP3 player into it and that's that. When I'm driving I plug in mine, when my wife is driving she plugs in hers.

I'm not really looking for audiophile quality especially when I'm tooling down the road in my ancient 1990 Winnebago that whistles like a teapot in a hurricane when you are at highway speeds. 🙂

Steve

[SCVJeff]

How did a simple question about fringe area radio morph into why someone should pay for Sirus? Satellite radio makes recoverable audio out the speakers, and that's about it. If anyone here that has Sirius has a remotely critical ear, you can easily hear the amazingly poor quality and harmonics of of a simple organ note all the way up the octaves and into distortion. And it will never get better as long as they cram a few hundred channels into a single stream.

I have two Sirus lifetime subscriptions and use them when the mountains tear up the broadcast band, but a replacement for broadcast it's not. Nor is it free

[Jim_Shoe]

Mine did get a little "spotty" as I was headed to Alaska through Canada. The Satellites are in the southern sky and the curvature of the earth affects the line of site.

[KD4UPL]

FM radio sensitivity is measured in dBf. The lower number the better. Some poor quality stereos have number around 12 or higher. Most good quality automotive radios have a sensitivity spec down around 8 or 9.
An online retailer like Crutchfield will give you this spec. and many others about each stereo. You can compare and find one with the best sensitivity. There is a huge difference between a factory stereo and a good quality aftermarket one.

I will also agree that satellite radio is an excellent alternative. They have something for everyone. I can't imagine how someone couldn't find something enjoyable to listen too. I have a subscription where I pick out 50 channels. It costs less than $10 per month.

[Pop-Pop_C]

We have Sirus XM. HAS NOT FAILED US. COAST TO,COAST and from
The gulf to Montana.

[gmctoyman]

Sirius is one thing I won't do without...except when far north where I get about 15 min an hour coverage.

Oh, and I never have to put the antenna up on a pole !

[Jim_Shoe]

Here's the Channel lineup.

[Jim_Shoe]

I don't think you can make Steve happy. Sirius XM has over 200 channels without commercials. Classical, Rock & Roll, Talk, Sports, Easy Listening, etc. The bonus is that you don't have to find a new station about every 50 miles. The antenna can go anyplace where there's a clear shot to the sky and its only about the size of a 50 cent piece. I have one receiver but cradles for it in the RV, toad, daily driver and a boom box. I haven't listened to over the air radio in 10 years.

[Community Alumni]

The built-in RV radios are awful in every respect. The fact that there is so very little good programming on the air keeps me from replacing it. The satellite radio trial revealed more of nothing. A good supply of Podcasts fill the void. Jesus saves 24/7, country music by marginal talent, Obama is the Devil talk radio, bad mariachi, angry sounding rap music and whiny white girls with electronically augmented voices has me glad my radio has an iPod connection. There are some worthwhile over the air stuff, but you have to look for it. I have driven all 49 states (not forgetting Hawaii)and most of Canada and it's all the same. Yeah, C.Crane is a great place to look for a radio and antennas to grab those elusive radio waves. If you are reading this then you can go to http://www.radio-locator.com and find stations you might want to receive. You can find propagation maps to see if you can get a signal at your location. The daytime/night time maps are handy for AM radio reception. And, more... after a word from our sponsors. If I'm camped out in a remote location, maybe the last thing I would want to do is turn on the noise. Well, one reason could be just to confirm that the world is still out there and it hasn't blow itself to bits.