Terk FM-50 Indoor/Outdoor Dual-Drive Amplified FM Antenna (Terk FM50)
amplifier provides +11 dB gain (remotely switchable) * antenna attaches with 3 mounting screws (included) * 75-ohm to 75-ohm & 75-ohm to 300-ohm coax to spring clip adapters * AC adapter * 58-5/16"W x 4-1/2"H x 1-7/16"D * warranty: 2 years * Note: cables not included (see "Accessories")
Terk FM-50 Indoor/Outdoor Dual-Drive Amplified FM Antenna (Terk FM50) Accessories
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Terk FM-50 Indoor/Outdoor Dual-Drive Amplified FM Antenna (Terk FM50) Reviews
I live in small township south of Cleveland, Ohio and had terrible FM reception with the antenna that came with my receiver. I could only get one country station that didn't give static or go off station as I walked around house. All my stations that I listen to come in crystal clear with the meter showing a very strong signal. I easily installed in attic so my aluminum siding on house would not interfere with reception. I listen to a wide variety of music and this antenna solved all my reception problems. I bought this antenna a few weeks back.
When the transmission line is long, the signal will experience attenuation, and in this case it can make sense to boost the signal at the antenna, the effect of which will be to keep the absolute strength of the signal high relative to the level of noise picked up along the transmission line. In the interest of full disclosure, I have never used this antenna, and I am writing this because none of the other people who have written a review have bothered to properly test it against a standard folded dipole antenna. Thus, if the amplifier is doing anything at all in a typical home setup, it is only compensating for a transmission line that does not do a good job of shielding the signal from noise. Coaxial wire is inordinately superior. The only way that it is possible for an amplifier located at the antenna to improve the result is if the amount of noise that is being picked up in the transmission line between the antenna and the receiver is greater than the amount of noised added to the signal within that same amplifier. To do such a test properly, you would need to place both antennae in the exact same location and orientation, not at the same time of course.
Unfortunately, it does not work that way. People who are reporting good results with this antenna might well get equivalent results with a $5 folded dipole but using two 300-Ohm / 75-Ohm adapters, one located right at the antenna and the other at the receiver so that shielded coax can be used over the distance that separates the antenna from the receiver. It is therefore no surprise that several people who have experimented with turning off the amplifier have reported that the amplifier does not seem to do anything. This is wrong and misleading.
What matters to the receiver is not the absolute strength of the signal, but rather the signal-to-noise ratio. The common folded dipole that you buy at Radio Snack or elsewhere uses 300-ohm flat lead transmission wire, which is not particularly good at protecting the signal from noise. Common sense should tell you that if an amplifier could make up for a poor signal coming from the antenna itself, you could turn any crummy antenna into an excellent antenna simply by adding amplification. In all likelihood, the true reason that this antenna is giving many people better results than a cheap folded dipole, has nothing to do with the built-in amplifier, but is due to the use of coaxial transmission line.
Terk makes a lot of antennae that include built-in amplifiers, and on the packaging they quote the antenna gain, not the gain of the antenna itself.
The Terk FM-50 was the next best alternative to a roof mounted TV antenna with a rotor. My new house is in a terrible reception area. Am very happy with this product. I have a battery of assorted amplified antennas and none of them did diddly.
Anyway, I do still have a bit of static and have to run the FM receiver in Mono mode and the location of the antenna is not in the spot I wanted to put it which was isolated from view. When I first plugged it in I had nothing better then what the dipole was picking up, then I started moving it around to different locations and finally found a spot the reception is tolerable, actually the best spot was right in the middle of the floor in my office standing vertical, go figure. Well I was hoping for the best when I ordered this antenna, I have been fighting with reception for some time now using a dipole antenna and finally broke down and bought this one from Terk, it was only one station that is about 25 air miles away, but my favorite to listen to.
After a year of OK performance, I tried just that and had improved recpetion with more stations. Before you buy an antenna like this try splitting your VHF antenna signal and running that to the receiver. I mounted this antenna high in my homes catherdral ceiling and I tired several horizontal angles with poor results. I was not happy.
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