Troubleshooting AM reception is a very common theme here at C. Crane. Many of us have worked here for years so we’ve heard a lot of different scenarios and helped many people figure out what will work best in their given situation. A lot of people are surprised at what we ask them to try and what they learn in the process. There are a lot of misconceptions about radio reception.
The first thing we try to determine is what exactly the issue may be. Which band are you trying to receive? Is it static or noise that is the problem? Is it a particular signal that you want to receive that you currently can’t receive or can only receive at certain times? Is there a signal that is weak or fades in and out?
Figuring these out first helps determine where to go next.
If the problem is static or noise:
- Static and noise are troublesome issues that can be tricky to pinpoint. We actually have a checklist for radio noise that has been developed over years of trial and error and troubleshooting in house and with customers. In this day and age of WiFi, cell phones, microwaves, dimmers, flat screen TVs, florescent lights, whole-house automated systems, etc., there is an unlimited source of potential AM interference.
- The best place to start is to take a battery operated radio (ideally the one you’re trying to listen to that has the static) and walk around your home while the static is occurring to see if there is any location or device that seems to make it worse. If the static disappears once the radio is on batteries, the noise may actually be coming over the electrical lines so you might try a different outlet or a noise filter/surge protector.
- Sometimes it’s really hard to track down so you’ll have to decide how determined you are. In one case, we had a customer who had static every night at a certain time and it turned out to be a neighbor two houses down that turned on the electric air compressor.
- In other cases, it only happens during certain times of the year and it’s actually due to solar flares or other changes in the earth’s atmosphere.
Adding an antenna to a radio that has a noise or static problem may actually make the problem worse because most antennas are amplifiers so it is best to locate the source of the noise first.
It used to be that if you couldn’t locate the source of the static or learn to live with it, you were out of luck but with the dawn of a new era, you now have an additional option. Find out if the station streams. If the station you want to listen to streams its signal, then you may be able to use a WiFi internet radio and listen to the show on this radio static free.
If you have tips to share, please leave a comment.
Stay tuned for the next installment of AM Reception Tips – Myths vs. Facts on AM Reception
C. Crane Blog 
Is there anything a guy can do to improve AM reception in a motor vehicle? My current car, a 2005 Chevy Uplander, has the worst AM reception I have ever heard by far.
Same thing with my 2017 f 150 it’s terrible to
I’m not an expert, but I am old and back in the day, car antennas were much longer. When FM became popular those antennas were shorter because how the signal is received. Try a longer antenna.
My radio is in the wall and part of an intercom system. Just recently, 950 am has been staticky along with some others, but not all. FM is not statically. Don’t know what caused this.
I have found that if you have your mouse in the vicinity can cause static to my skywave
I had AM noise with 1991 plymonth voyage running.
I know a thing or 2 about solar flares and AM radio reception because i remember being 11 in a sun spot year and I was a big fan of AM radio. There either WAS no FM radio then or we could not afford it then. I had a scientific mind as a kid,and my workaround was taking a long piece of electrical wire or any long cable I could find. I cut off the insulation of the first and last 2 inches. I wrapped one end of exposed copper wire, and put the other end of the wires around our water pipes. This turned all that metal into a giant antenna.
As it is, solar flares are known to cause “skip frequencies”, enabling unusually long-distance radio reception on the AM band. I was in Atlantic City NJ and was getting the mighty WLS radio station which is in Chicago. So I was able to listen to radio shows like Coast To Coast AM, and this further fueled my scientific and esoteric mind.
I LOVE radio. One of my goals is to get a C Crane radio. I have known for years that they are the best.
For me out here in arizona the static got worse when 5 g was installed outside my house ( on corner)
When I had listen to my F.M. radio, I had static on my radio and I knew where it was coming from,. We have a kitchen florescent light and when on, it would cause the radio to static. So I had to go to turn off the light to make the static stop. L.P. L.
A new and serious interference source is solar power installations! A loop antenna can help you locate a home or business with a problematic installation. The interference may go for many blocks. We have one that we are working on and will update best practices here soon.
If I wanted to stream I would t have invested in a C. Crane radio. I put up with static and noise in order to listen to live broadcasts.
My CPAP machine causes static Oon my CCrane when the CPAP is less than three feet away.
Our ultrasonic humidifier causes static on distant FM station when it’s on.
I have a strong static noise on my receivers. It’s about 15 dB on the scale and wipes all but the strongest AM stations 24/7. The power company sent 2 crews, the last had RDF equipment with a directional antenna. They said it wasn’t strong enough for them to do anything and left. I used the portable AM radio method and have determined the problem is coming from a power pole across the road from me. It’s sad that all of my equipment is now useless. Suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Hello Bob,
Apologies for the late response. If you are in a smaller metal building, you will want to use an external antenna on the outside of the metal building to get best reception on AM or FM. You will want to connect the antenna directly to the radio. If you are using the antenna inside the building, you will want to place it near a window as high as possible to avoid interference from materials used in wall construction. Here is a link to a blog article with more tips for your situation https://news.ccrane.com/2015/05/12/am-reception-tips-part-3-tips-for-tricky-reception-areas/.
Let us know if you have any other questions. Thanks!