FM radio reception

[garymcnally]

I put a yagi element antenna in my attic, once connected it only made my reception marginally better. Should I put a motorized yagi up there so I can fine tune it? Will a non powered amplifier help? Would have putting it outside been much better?

[tigerbangs]

I suspect that your issue is that the construction of your house may prevent most of the radio signals from being recieved at the antenna. Without knowing where you are, it's hard to say, but there are many factors involved, such as the type of receiver, the roof and wall construction of the building, the type of antenna used and where it's aimed. Unlike TV transmitters, FM transmitters are often scattered in multiplle directions in a municipality, and a uni-directional antenna may not be aimed the right way.

I would strongly suggest that if you want to improve your reception, you should mount the antenna on the roof and use a rotator to aim the antenna.

[garymcnally]

Putting it outside is a tough job..the roof peak is 40 feet high. Will a non powered signal amplifier installed in the attice help?

[tigerbangs]

Unlikely: find someone to mount the antenna on the roof for you, if you are unwilling to do the job yourself. Amplifiers for FM reception are usually unnecessary in the USA, and their additional noise can usually be heard in the program during quiet passages.