Terk Antenna

dbournival

Does anyone have experience with Trek radio antennas? I'm thinking of getting a Terk "Pi" (or another if someone has a reccomendation), does it really work better than the regular "Y" antennas that come with the receivers?

rs159

Absolutely not. I hold terk in the same status as bose - all hype. Your reception will probably be worse with the terk, trust me - I've had one and returned it the next week. If you want truly drastic improvements in reception then the only way to do it is with a real outdoor antenna. If you want a little better than the wire dipole (the Y shaped thing that came with your receiver), then try regular tv rabbit ears. Sorry to be so harsh, but that's just the way it is.

goingganzo

where would you get a real raido antena to mount on your outside? i have my ht in the basement and i never listen to the raido caues i cant get any good chanels without stadic.

DarqueKnight

I have two Terk Model AF-1 (AM-FM Q Series) powered antennas. At my house, the improvement in reception was highly dependent on where the antenna was placed. In most locations in my home, with the exception of my home theater system, the reception with the Terk was no better than using a simple dipole antenna. In no cases did I get worse reception using the Terk.

At work, the Terk performs significantly better than a wire dipole antenna.

Circuit City carries several Terk models. You can always return it if it doesn't work for you.

rs159

Originally posted by goingganzo
where would you get a real raido antena to mount on your outside? i have my ht in the basement and i never listen to the raido caues i cant get any good chanels without stadic.

http://www.fanfare.com/fm-2g-buy.html I don't have one, but I've seen several good reviews.

Ceruleance

Not that I have used the product or anything, but looking at the stats, the fact that the manufacturer comes out and says that the gain over dipole antennas is zero, thats kinda troubling, dont you think?

rs159

Well, I know a bit about antennas but not terribly much, so if I say something wrong then corrections are welcome - From what I understand, since it's vertically polarized, it largely ignores the horizontally polarized multipath. I don't think it's an issue of gain, more of ignoring multipath when it comes to clearer reception. I'd imagine that an omni antenna would be good for an area with a lot of close stations and you just have multipath problems, but if the stations are further away or closer to eachother (geographically or on the dial) then a directional would be better (along with a better tuner).

TonyPTX

Just bought a Pi Terk at BestBuy today. Had a 10% coupon. Think I'm going to return it this weekend. I was hoping I would get better reception but I haven't had any luck. I have an older style Terk Edge antenna that works just as good. Definately not worth the $56 i paid for it.

Ironically sometimes I've gotten the best reception with the orginal antenna that comes with the receiver or some old speaker wire that split down one end about half way then splice the split ends together and fold them down toward the end of the split forming a pair of rabbit ears. Just terminate the end with a 300 ohm - 75 ohm adapter and poof.....

dbournival

Thanks everyone. I guess I'll just keep the dipole antenna and not waste the $.

joe logston

best and cheapest to make your own, is get 25' or 50' lamp zip cord connect a fm plug in on one end run the other end out the window up the side of the house and split the end into two 5' to 6' single wires and tack the ends horizonal along the edge of of the overhang of your house like a( t )shape and thats your antennas, and it will be a good one , the placement is the only way to improve.

TonyPTX

Joe,

Granted this is the cheapest and possibly the most effective way to get a good signal, it is NOT the safest way to do it. You've completely ignored proper grounding procedures which (although not likely) can cause serious problems for some folks here.

STUFFMD

Guys I keep telling everyone this, have had people on this site have good luck with it. Get the cheap RCA antenna I don't know the technical term for it, it is the one with the loop in the middle. I believe it is marketed as a TV and FM antenna. I have seen it anywhere from $15 to $23. It will give you a substantial improvement over the Terk crap. You can even hide this thing behind your entertainment center with a little extra tweeking. I believe Best Buys, Wal Mart or Target all carry it.
Good Luck, Happy Stereo , Stuff

TonyPTX

Originally posted by STUFFMD
Get the cheap RCA antenna I don't know the technical term for it, it is the one with the loop in the middle. I believe it is marketed as a TV and FM antenna.

Are you referring to the plain ole "rabbit ears" style TV antennas?

STUFFMD

Yes it has the "Rabbit Ears" great use of technical lingo such as myself.....but it has an added loop in between the antennas that also tilts and rotates somewhat, that's the part that seems to make a significant difference.
Stuff

TonyPTX

Originally posted by STUFFMD
Yes it has the "Rabbit Ears" great use of technical lingo such as myself.....but it has an added loop in between the antennas that also tilts and rotates somewhat, that's the part that seems to make a significant difference.
Stuff

If I remember right, the rabbit ears were for VHF broadcasts and the rotating loop was for UHF broadcasts and there was a rotating dial once could spin to increase the "gain"? Both both antenna's had different leads on the back. How did you hook it up? The rabbits for FM and the loop for AM?

Jstas

I have a Terk antenna at work for one real reason and that is space. A huge dipole antenna is intrusive and picks up interference from the computer systems. The Terk antenna isn't as affected as a normal antenna by the interference and it seems to pick up AM stations with very few problems. As far as cost goes, you can get the Terk antennas for very cheap at etronics.com and other online retailers. My Terk was 55 dollars at Circuit City and I only paid 30 for it online.