AM & FM Radio Reception and Antenna Tips
Even the best quality AM & FM tuners may have some difficulty in receiving analog AM and FM signals as well as AM & FM HD Radio. Here are some tips for getting the best possible radio reception from your I-Sonic Entertainment System.
AM Radio
I-Sonic has a built-in AM antenna. Make sure the AM Antenna Switch on the back of the unit is switched to "Int" if you would rather not use the supplied external AM loop antenna. If AM radio listening is important to you connect the supplied AM loop antenna to the two screw terminals on the back of the I-Sonic. One of the screw terminals is marked with a white dot. Be sure to connect the wire marked in white to the white marked terminal screw. Remember to slide the AM Antenna Switch to the "Ext" position. Move the antenna around to find the best reception position. If your radio is located in a metal frame building, there may be no reliable way to receive AM radio broadcasts.
FM Radio
The quality of FM reception is affected by many factors such as distance, location of the radio transmission tower and your proximity to large buildings, mountains and other large objects. You will get better reception when the radio/antenna is placed high in the house. The I-Sonic's power cord acts as the "Internal" FM antenna. Straighten and fully extend the power cord and make sure that the unit is set for "Int. Ant" FM antenna operation. [Select radio as Source, push the "Options" button until the cursor gets to Internal. A dash in front of "Internal" confirms the selection.] "Int. Ant" is the factory default setting but it is always a good idea to double check.
If you cannot get noise free reception of your favorite radio stations, use the supplied dipole external FM antenna. After attaching the dipole antenna to the FM connector on the back of the unit, change the FM antenna setting to "Ext. Ant" in the radio Options menu.
In many cases simply draping the dipole antenna behind the radio or on the floor will yield good reception. For more distant stations or tough reception locations it is best to fully extend the dipole and secure it as high up a wall as is practical using push pins. Make sure that at least 18 inches of the feed line is perpendicular to the "arms". The orientation of the dipole (East-West, North-South, etc) will have some impact on the reception of some stations. A N-S orientation may work best for some stations while a NE-SW orientation may be better for other stations. Experiment with antenna orientation to find the position that works best before permanently installing the antenna.
In some cases a vertical alignment of the dipole antenna works best. Again, the feed line should be perpendicular to the "arms." You can also try creating a loop with the "arms" of the dipole as illustrated. Shielded 75 Ohm dipole antennas (such as the C.Crane FM Reflect) are easier to use in a loop mode and may be more effective than the thin-wire dipole antenna supplied with the unit.
Many people find old-fashioned "rabbit ear" antennas to be a good solution to reception problems. They are easily repositioned and "tuned" for the specific stations you want to receive.
NOTE: Amplified antennas may be useful for analog FM reception but actually degrade reception of HD Radio signals.
Rural Conditions
If you live far from radio transmitters you may not get the results you want with any in-door antenna.
The very best option is an outdoor directional antenna specifically designed for FM with a rotor for
aiming the antenna. If you already have a roof TV antenna you can tap into that although a specially
designed FM antenna is better.
Urban Conditions
In the city, signal strength is less of an issue. The biggest impediment to good sounding FM in
the city is Multipath distortion caused by signals bouncing off of buildings. HD Radio signals are
immune from multipath problems and will sound great. Analog FM stations may be highly distorted
because of Multipath. Careful aiming of a dipole, rabbit ear or roof antenna will help. Don't be
surprised if you have to aim the antenna in different directions for different stations. The best
method for distortion free FM reception is a highly directional outdoor FM antenna with rotor.
Cable
Some cable TV companies broadcast FM signals on their cable systems. Check with your local cable
provider before attempting to hook up your I-Sonic's FM antenna jack to your cable system.
