I can receive FM reception on my receiver using a rooftop antenna. I can receive no AM stations using the loop that came with the receiver. The Yamaha manual suggest the use of a grounded outdoor AM antenna up to 36 meters in length. I can't seem to find much information on how to make one of these and how to properly ground it. Any help is appreciated.

This (http://www.abc.net.au/reception/radio/am_antenna.htm#long_wire) took all of 30 sec to find...

Pretty basic, but coveys the point. The long wire antenna illustrated toward the bottom of the page is what's being described by Yamaha.

This (http://www.abc.net.au/reception/radio/am_antenna.htm#long_wire) took all of 30 sec to find...Pretty basic, but coveys the point. The long wire antenna illustrated toward the bottom of the page is what's being described by Yamaha.You need some sort of lightning arrestor to protect your house and equipment and comply with the National Electrical Code. (The diagram mentioned above does not describe this.) The traditional solution is a air gap-type arrestor connected to an earth ground, but these gadgets may be hard to find at a local retail store. There are several products available on the web, such as these: http://www.universal-radio.com/CATALOG/protect/2993.html
http://www.universal-radio.com/CATALOG/protect/4618.html

Another option is to simply disconnect the antenna when not in use (which should include during lightning storms!), but note that the antenna wire must be grounded to provide protection.

I must confess - and apologize. My post was mainly a rather crude way of pointing out the OP must not have searched very hard for the information.

I must confess - and apologize. My post was mainly a rather crude way of pointing out the OP must not have searched very hard for the information.

Apology accepted. I found what you found in about the same time frame. I posted that I couldn't find "much". That setup looks extremely difficult to setup and build. That was all I could find other than a Terk indoor/outdoor that looked lame and I was hoping for a simpler solution than that monstrous diagram. Would a single wire strung close to the house say under the eaves be effective? I assume I would still have to run a ground wire. I have my rooftop antenna that I use for FM reception grounded to a rod driven next to the foundation. Would I be able to ground to the same block or do they have to be seperate? Also would I still need the arrestor? Please forgive my ignorance on this. I can get AM reception sitting in my car in my driveway, but not in the house and I'm frustrated with the poor reception in this area.

Apology accepted. I found what you found in about the same time frame. I posted that I couldn't find "much". That setup looks extremely difficult to setup and build. That was all I could find other than a Terk indoor/outdoor that looked lame and I was hoping for a simpler solution than that monstrous diagram. Would a single wire strung close to the house say under the eaves be effective? I assume I would still have to run a ground wire. I have my rooftop antenna that I use for FM reception grounded to a rod driven next to the foundation. Would I be able to ground to the same block or do they have to be seperate? Also would I still need the arrestor? Please forgive my ignorance on this. I can get AM reception sitting in my car in my driveway, but not in the house and I'm frustrated with the poor reception in this area.

C.crane has a few AM antenna models. Be sure to bond all your ground rods to the main house ground.

http://www.ccrane.com/antennas/index.aspx

Would a single wire strung close to the house say under the eaves be effective?It will be somewhat better than an indoor antenna, maybe good enough for your needs. I recommend using some "standoff" insulators (avail. at Radio Shack) to position the wire away from the house surface. The house materials (wood, brick etc) are blocking/absorbing some of the AM signal energy. That's why the general recommendation is to stretch out the wire away from the house. You'll just have to experiment a bit to find out what works. For AM signals, a longer wire is usually better than a shorter one (up to a point...) That diagram suggested #4 gauge wire, which is pretty heavy stuff and not cheap either. I think #12 or #14 gauge wire under the eaves would be sufficient to bring in the AM signal and physically rugged enough to handle rough weather.
I have my rooftop antenna that I use for FM reception grounded to a rod driven next to the foundation. Would I be able to ground to the same block or do they have to be seperate? Yes, you can use that rod. If you have a metal cold water pipe nearby that enters the ground (i.e. no plastic pipe sections) you can use that too. The ground wire should be the shortest possible path between the antenna/arrestor and ground rod or pipe.

Also would I still need the arrestor?Any wire entering your house is a potential "expressway" for lightning to enter. So any outdoor antenna needs an arrestor. Unless you plan to ground the antenna when not in use, as I mentioned previously. I have a long wire antenna that I use for Ham Radio, and I ground it with a small "knife" switch. Very simple. Some hardware stores still carry knife switches, otherwise they should be available at electrical supply stores.

Really any long peice of wire, even a "Slinky" will work as an AM antenna. (hence the name long wire antenna)

The longer the better and the higher the better.

If you live in an area prone to lightning then standard lightning arrestors should be used.

Radio Shack used to sell a long wire kit. They have discontinued it but there is one on Ebay right now for $15.

NEW Shortwave Radio Antenna Kit, Radio Shack #278-758 (http://cgi.*********/NEW-Shortwave-Radio-Antenna-Kit-Radio-Shack-278-758_W0QQitemZ130074869662QQihZ003QQcategoryZ15051QQcmdZViewI tem)

The board does not allow links to ebay but if you just search ebay for the auction description or item number: 130074869662 you will find it.

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I will continue to research this until it warms up a bit here. Below zero nights for the weekend and most of next week the way it looks right now.

That kit looks like exactly what I had in mind.

The ebay item mentioned by 11001011 still has one day left and it has received 0 bids after 3 days. Is this thing worth a lot more that 15 bucks? What would be a reasonalbe amount to pay for the kit? Anyone know?

I can receive FM reception on my receiver using a rooftop antenna. I can receive no AM stations using the loop that came with the receiver. The Yamaha manual suggest the use of a grounded outdoor AM antenna up to 36 meters in length. I can't seem to find much information on how to make one of these and how to properly ground it. Any help is appreciated.I use the loop that came with my receiver but it augmented by a device similar to the Select-A-Tenna but looks more like the Terk AM Advantage, with an all wood construction, shown on this page C. Crane's home antenna page C. Crane - AM Antennas (http://www.ccrane.com/antennas/am-antennas/index.aspx).

Here's a review of from 2003 for another passive antenna device that C.Crane sells. C. Crane's Justice AM Antenna (http://www.hardwaremaniac.com/reviews/ccrane/justice01.htm)

Below is a write-up on the more expensive Select-A-Tenna -

The Select-A-Tenna Model 541 is a passive device that requires no wires, no batteries, no plugs, etc. It works by simply placing it next to your radio and tuning the knob to the same station frequency as your radio.
(See illustration below)

The Select-A-Tenna (http://www.selectatenna.com/) functions by concentrating the radio station signal energy in the near proximity of the 541. If your radio has an internal antenna and is placed in that same near proximity, it shares the same signal concentration and gain improvement.

While the +30dB signal gain improvement from the Select-A-Tenna is underway the radio's automatic gain control will also reduce the signal above a threshold level. The net effect is to make very weak signals +30dB stronger and yet have no perceivable effect on already strong station signals along with everything in between exceedingly improved.

Someone once said, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." Recently, others have attempted to imitate this product. Their gain performance does not approach that of the 541. It is -3dB to -9dB lower over the AM Band. If you want the best, buy the real thing!

These products are manufactured in the USA of quality components and processes to provide you a lifetime of AM radio listening pleasure.

The ebay item mentioned by 11001011 still has one day left and it has received 0 bids after 3 days. Is this thing worth a lot more that 15 bucks? What would be a reasonalbe amount to pay for the kit? Anyone know?

I can't remeber what they sold for origonally, probably not a lot more than $15 or $20.

I am guessing this one has not sold for a couple reasons.

1)Nobody uses a longwire antenna any more except for Hams and shortwave listeners.
2)Most hams know that a long wire antenna is just a hunk of wire and can round up the mounting hardware and insulators from other hams.
3)This is shipping from Canada which could mean high shipping charges and possible customs delays.
4)Toss in a little Radio Shack snobbery...

Thats quite a few strikes against any Ebay auction.

A few people in that same category were selling long wire antennas made out of Slinkys. They look kind of interesting. I remeber reading about the Slinky antenna when I was a kid. It was an idea for city highrise apartment dwellers to use by hanging it out their window vertically on fishing line and use a fishing reel to adjust the length.

Thanks for the help. I found the kit at http://www.otherworldenterprises.com/showitem.cfm?itemid=1397&source=froogle
for $6.99. Also got a ground wire for $5.99. Shipping a little steep at $13, but no auction and US company.

FWIW,
I've got a 200' longwire installed in my back yard, and the difference between it and the coil built into my Sangean ATS-909 is night and day. With the longwire, I can pick up WCCO 803 with 5/5 bars from 100 miles in the day time. From my location here in Rochester, MN, I can also pull in stations from Chicago and Michigan's upper peninsula in the day time!

The antenna isn't really too good for night time, though. Since it isn't very directional, I can get like five stations on the same frequency at the same time. When I try and listen to 1340, a 1KWer 5 miles from my location, I can actually hear other stations in the background at night when the outdoor antenna is connected.

Bottom line: It's great for day time, but think about getting/building a good, directional loop for night time. I've always wanted to make one of these: http://www.hard-core-dx.com/nordicdx/antenna/loop/hulaloop.html

Installing an areal antenna on my roof, and properly grounding it, was going to be a big issue. So I tried an experiment and mounted it in the attic. Worked great for HDTV and FM. Haven't tried an equivalent with AM, but I am suspecting that if my roof materials didn't block the HDTV/FM signals, AM should work as well too.

Tiggers, how far are you from the stations you are picking up and do you have any obstructions like mountains?

I'll throw my vote in for the select-a-tenna. Works wonders. Just make sure to put it about 3-5 feet away from your stereo or else it'll just induce the AC transformer noise. ;)

Otherwise the terk works pretty well also. I've used the slinky antenna or "long wire" antenna, but there is some black voodoo to AM reception. You have to "short" the antenna at certain lengths to optimize the signal reception. (ie. tune it to a specific center frequency)

mattdp, you should be able to pick up 830 with a coat hanger in rochester, friends of mine listen 24/7 with a simple 300 ohm lead antenna in Sioux City, IA... they record shows for rebroadcast off-air. :) Now AM1500 KSTP, that's the hard one. ;) (AM voodoo: 250w at 540khz will get the same reach as 50kw at 1700khz)

Mark Durenburger was out in Colorado, and had access to a beverage antenna. 3000 foot AM antenna. Could pick up 'CCO clear as a bell with that thing. :) Think it could pick up Radio Cuba for that matter. :)