Terk AF-9330 AM/FM Indoor Amplified Tower Antenna Review

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(More customer reviews)I was hoping to improve reception on a few stations , so I decided to replace the twin lead dipole (passive) antenna that came with my new tuner with the Terk Tower. I have the AM Advantage loop and that works fairly well, so I figured this powered antenna would be a lot better.
Well, bad reasoning. On FM, it doesn't work NEARLY as well as a 32" piece of plain old wire on any of my radio recievers. In some cases, stations that could be tuned reasonably well with *nothing at all* attached to the FM inputs, and no internal antenna, could no longer be received with the Terk Tower attached.
Those that could be tuned with the antenna attached had grotesque distortion. This despite turning the gain adjustment dial in either direction. It was functioning, as at low levels of gain, the station dropped off completely, and definitely changed as you moved it. So it wasn't just broken. I could get barely acceptable reception on a few stations with micro-fine adjustments of the dial. But even at best all stations had all sorts of fuzz and dropouts. You could turn it up enough to swamp the receiver ACG circuit, but the distortion never goes away as you turn it down the point of losing lock completely.
On AM, it doesn't make it worse, but it doesn't help, either. On all the weak stations I have tried, I simply can't tell the difference in the results. Once again, fiddling with the gain control changes it, but at maximum boost, it's pretty much what I was getting with the the teeny little loop antenna that bolts to the back of the tuner. At lower gain settings you just can't hear the station at all.
For all intents and purposes, it just doesn't seem to work, I tried it on 4 different tuners/radios in 4 different places in my house, and in every case it made the FM reception MUCH worse than the stock antennas, and AM reception no better than the stock or internal antennas. I'm probably going to break it open and try attaching different lengths of wire in place of the stock antenna, and see if that helps. But I get the impression that the booster amplifer just isn't up to the task of passing 107.7 MHz., and introduces too much distortion at FM freqencies. It almost has to be - because a plain old wire that length is MUCH better.
Even though it was pretty inexpensive, I was very disappointed with this antenna. You'll get FAR better reception with a bent coat hanger. And that's free with your dry cleaning.
(addendum - I finally broke my antenna open, and now it's clear why it doesn't work on AM any better than a stock antenna. It's because inside the tower, for AM, is a small, unamplified, loop antenna! It's not even connected to the circuitry. Which begs the question of why turning the dial affects the AM performance. I speculate that the AM loop and the FM amplifier are interfering with each other - and that the AM is getting into the FM amp, causing modulation at the FM subcarrier frequency, hence, really fuzzy FM reception - and also dragging energy out of the AM loop more or less depending on the FM amp setting. BTW, the FM antenna is a piece of bare copper wire running the length of the antenna. Short answer is still the same - it's junk, don't waste your money)

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Increase your FM reception with the TERK FM Pro Indoor/Outdoor Antenna, which utilizes a patented horizontally polarized, half-wavelength (98MHz), folded dipole design to maximize FM signal reception of even weak and distant stations. The FM Pro's figure-8 pickup pattern captures signals from in front of and behind it with equal strength, allowing optimum positioning for reception of weaker stations as well as stations up to 100 miles away. The FM Pro features a patented Dual-Drive ultra-low noise amplifier that can be set to high gain mode to correct for signals that are too weak or bypassed for optimal reception of strong signals. The amplifier is connected directly to the antenna element for the shortest signal path and lowest noise. Installation is fast and easy. This ultra-durable weatherproof indoor/outdoor FM antenna can be installed under the eaves of a roof, on a windowsill, or placed as a rooftop antenna. Its housing can be painted to blend smoothly into its surroundings.To insure the highest-quality signal transmission, the Indoor/Outdoor Antenna includes a threaded F-connector for connection to RG6 or RG59 75-ohm coaxial cable (sold separately).

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Terk FM Edge Dual-Drive Amplified FM Antenna Review

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(More customer reviews)I live in TX, about 80 miles from Austin and San Antonio. With a simple dipole antenna I can get about 3 reasonable stations on my Pioneer tuner. I thought I would try the Terk to see if a powered antenna would pull in a few more stations. Well, it didn't. In fact, some of the marginal stations that just weren't quite good enough with the dipole were worse or gone with the Terk. I fiddled with it over a few days, trying different times of the day, or different orientations ..... nothing helped. So I returned it for a refund. I think these units are overhyped. From what I've heard more people are disappointed than thrilled with the results. As always...."Your mileage may vary" but it was no good in my situation.

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MODEL- EDGE VENDOR- AUDIOVOX ELECTRONICS FEATURES- Edge Dual-Drive Amplified FM Antenna by Terk The FM Edge utilizes Terks Dual Drive Amplifier circuitry, which minimizes noise in the FM signal with a 2-stage filter/amplifier.The amplification range is 0 to +36 dB, adjustable with a handythumb wheel. Reception sensitivity is enhanced with the newly developed AdvancedCapture Circuitry, which helps lock onto signals in crowded areas, and also to improve reception for lower-powered signals. The FM Edges sleek good looks make it a stylish alternative to the clunky T-wire dipole antennas included with most receivers. * Power-on/amplifier strength LED * Thumb wheel amplifier adjustment * 75-ohm "F"-type to 75-ohm bare wire adapter * 75-ohm to 300-ohm adapter * AC adapter * 2-15/16"W x 7-9/16"H x 3-3/4"D audiovox.com

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C. Crane FM Reflect Antenna Review

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(More customer reviews)Amazon's price for this antenna was the best I could find. I ordered it on a Sunday before a Monday holiday and it was delivered the following Wednesday via their Super Saver free shipping, which I considered to be excellent service. This antenna looks better than a twin-lead dipole antenna, appears to be well-made, comes in an attractive box with a balun coil (matching transformer) for connecting to screw terminals and also an alligator clip for hooking it to a built-in antenna.
Since this antenna has received mixed reviews from other users I decided to be as "scientific," as my skills and equipment would allow. I used my training as an FCC licensed broadcast engineer to compare it to the standard twin-lead dipole antenna that was included free with my tuner. I had already oriented my existing dipole antenna for optimum reception, using my tuner's signal-strength indicators. I then used my tuner's scan mode to see how many stations it could find and I carefully wrote down the frequency and signal strength for each of the many stations that I can receive. Since I live about halfway between New York City and Philadelphia, my FM dial is crowded with stations.
After establishing a base-line of performance with my ordinary dipole antenna, I replaced it with the C. Crane FM Reflect Antenna and experimented with dozens of antenna positions to obtain best reception. Remarkably, mounting the C. Crane FM Reflect Antenna in the exact same position and location, that my twin-lead dipole antenna had been installed, gave me the best performance. After this optimum positioning, I once again used my tuner's scan mode to see how many stations it could find. I then carefully compared the signal strength from each station that my tuner found using the new antenna, with the signal strength that I had received with my previously-installed antenna. Although I saw no indication of a stronger signal on any of the existing stations, I was able to pick up two more stations in my tuner's scan mode with the new antenna.
As a percentage of the large number of stations that I could already receive at my location, I considered two additional stations a very small improvement. The difference easily could have been due to minor changes in atmospheric conditions between the tests. It was certainly not as dramatic as the improvement that I expected when comparing a $3 antenna with a $30 antenna. If you're using a good twin-lead dipole antenna and have adjusted its position for best reception, I believe that you'll need to upgrade to an outdoor antenna, such as the Winegard HD-6000 FM Stereo Antenna, to get a noticeable improvement. I could not find that the C. Crane FM Reflect Antenna is significantly better.
To understand why the results turned out as they did, it might be helpful to understand how antennas work. The most effective antenna elements in the FM and TV band are the length of the radio wave that they're tuned to receive. Our FM band extends from 88Mhz to 108Mhz, which represents a wavelengths from slightly more than 109 inches to slightly more than 134 inches. The higher the frequency, the shorter the wave.
A typical folded dipole antenna is about 61 inches wide, which is half the length of the average FM radio wave. Since the dipole is folded onto itself, it has an effective antenna length of about 122 inches, which is the average between the 109 inch and 134 inch wavelength extremes of the FM band.
There are several ways to increase the gain of an antenna. One way is to increase the number of active antenna elements that are exposed to the radio waves and connect them together. Another is to use a reflector to concentrate the radio waves onto the antenna. Satellite antennas, for example, reflect and concentrate very short waves onto a rigid dipole antenna by using a dish. Outdoor Yagi FM (and TV) antennas use multiple elements connected in tandem with reflecting elements in the rear to focus the antenna's sensitivity in a single direction. Such antennas are very efficient because they use both multiple elements and reflectors to increase gain.
Ultimately the Crane antenna, no matter how attractively it may be designed and packaged, cannot defy the laws of physics. It has only a single active T-shaped folded antenna element which is exactly the same as an inexpensive twin-lead folded dipole antenna. It is, therefore, not surprising that several reviewers including me, who have compared it to the cheap variety, have found that it gives no better reception.

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Whether you listen to a portable radio or a top-of-the-line stereo receiver, the quality of sound coming from an FM station is dependent upon the stations signal strength in your area. Adding an FM antenna can help greatly, so be sure to select the best FM antenna for your needs. The FM Reflect Antenna will work with any portable or stereo receiver. This antenna incorporates a new dipole design for maximum gain across the entire FM broadcast band. Up to 213 percent more powerful than a standard dipole antenna, it covers the entire FM band with an almost flat response, where standard dipoles start to fall off near the end of the band. Many FM stations now broadcast their signal with circular polarization. The FM Reflect Antenna is the only FM antenna that can be adjusted to take advantage of this. It is not affected as much by surrounding objects and people as other FM antennas are.

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