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FM Antenna for a Marantz SR4023

post #1 of 19
2/1/13 at 8:55am
Thread Starter 
I am a total novice with a need to put up an FM Antenna for a new Marantz SR4023.

If the moderator thinks this belongs elsewhere then please tell me where you will be putting it.

Problem is that my Marantz SR4023 needs an antenna. So, I was looking around in the attic and see a previous owner had installed a
...........................Starfire DA4300V Distribution Amplifier Splitter 300 OHM Channels 2-13; FM 117 V, 60 Hz 0.04 AMP

I have not the slightest idea what that is and if it will help me. Google doesn't know either. Can I just get a long dipole antenna and tack that to the rafters? Will that help?

Note: the FM antenna wire that came with the receiver has a 'male' plug that goes into a 'female' socket on the back of the receiver; so how do I attach a dipole antenna wire to this wired unit? see...
http://m.us.marantz.com/DocumentMaster/US/SR4023_U_EN.pdf

Reminder, I am a total novice, so, please translate any advice into language for the layman.

Thank you.
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post #2 of 19
2/1/13 at 12:40pm
The distribution amplifiier isn't like to be useful to you. It's ment to connect multiple devices to the same antenna. You don't need it if you you're using the FM antenna with your receiver alone.

If you don't have the antenna that came with the receiver then a FM dipole antenna combined with a 300 ohm to 75 ohm transfomer/balun will work. Just connect directly to the receiver, you shouldn't need to put it in the attic.
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post #3 of 19
2/1/13 at 1:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ross Ridge View Post

The distribution amplifiier isn't like to be useful to you. It's ment to connect multiple devices to the same antenna. You don't need it if you you're using the FM antenna with your receiver alone.

If you don't have the antenna that came with the receiver then a FM dipole antenna combined with a 300 ohm to 75 ohm transfomer/balun will work. Just connect directly to the receiver, you shouldn't need to put it in the attic.

Also, "distribution amp's" add noise to the signal.
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post #4 of 19
2/1/13 at 6:09pm
Thread Starter 
Ross Ridge, many thanks for the excellent advice.

I went to a nearby Radio Shack and have bought antenna wire and attached it to the receiver. I have it threaded up to my attic so far and it has doubled the number and clarity of the FM stations.

When you suggest.........a 300 ohm to 75 ohm transfomer/balun will work. could you please clarify what that will do? It would be nice not to have to string antenna wire to my attic. Will the transformer increase the clarity of what stations I have or just increase the quantity?

Many thanks for writing so simply and clearly; a novice like me really appreciates it.
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post #5 of 19
2/1/13 at 6:42pm
Thread Starter 
Is what you are talking about look something like This..?

http://www.amazon.com/Luxtronic-Push-On-300-Matching-Transformer/dp/B008L6Y9MA/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1359772244&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=300+ohm+to+75+ohm+transfomer%2Fbalun

When I went to Radio Shack I bought the gadget to allow me to connect the antenna wire to a coaxial cable gadget so I could plug that into the receiver. Is that a transformer? The receiver required a coax connection for the antenna wire. The one that came with the receiver was about 3 ft. in length and not much good. With the additional footage of the antenna wire going to the attic the reception is much improved.

Are we on the same wave length on this?
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post #6 of 19
2/1/13 at 6:51pm
A 300 ohm to 75 ohm transformer (also called a balun) will let you properly connect a 300 ohm dipole antenna to the 75 ohm coaxial FM antenna connector on your receiver. It's a small cheap little device that you attach the antenna using two screws, and then plug it into the FM antenna connector on your receiver.
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post #7 of 19
2/1/13 at 6:57pm
Thread Starter 
Yup, I guess the transformer is what I have installed; thanks for the clarification.

But so far I have only the antenna wire going up to the attic. Can I just split the wire down the middle and then branch it out or do I need to also buy an antenna gadget of some sort for the attic?

Maybe there is something I can do to boost the clarity of the signal and still not be forced to put an antenna outside the house?

Is there a booster of some sort?

Thank you.
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post #8 of 19
2/1/13 at 7:19pm
From the sounds of things your antenna is just a long length of wire, and this doesn't make for a good antenna. An FM dipole antenna, for example, has a particular length and shape (T) to receive radio transmitions on the FM band. A longer version would actually hurt FM reception.
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post #9 of 19
2/1/13 at 7:35pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ross Ridge View Post

From the sounds of things your antenna is just a long length of wire, and this doesn't make for a good antenna. An FM dipole antenna, for example, has a particular length and shape (T) to receive radio transmitions on the FM band. A longer version would actually hurt FM reception.

Can you suggest a good fm antenna? I see mixed reviews for different ones over on Amazon.

Yes, at the moment all I have in the attic is the antenna wire.
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post #10 of 19
2/1/13 at 7:59pm
Have you tried the antenna that came with the receiver? Run straight from behind the receiver it should give good reception.

If you don't have that antenna, I'd suggest getting a cheap FM dipole antenna. They seem to be $5 on Amazon and attached to the transfomer you already have should be at least as good as the antenna that came with your receiver.
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post #11 of 19
2/2/13 at 2:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ross Ridge View Post

From the sounds of things your antenna is just a long length of wire, and this doesn't make for a good antenna. An FM dipole antenna, for example, has a particular length and shape (T) to receive radio transmitions on the FM band. A longer version would actually hurt FM reception.

Actually there are longer lengths that offer more gain, ie. a stronger signal, but they must be the proper length, not just random. There are resources on the web such as ham radio antenna theory.
Edited by Theresa - 2/2/13 at 3:04am
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post #12 of 19
2/2/13 at 5:53am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ross Ridge View Post

Have you tried the antenna that came with the receiver? Run straight from behind the receiver it should give good reception.

If you don't have that antenna, I'd suggest getting a cheap FM dipole antenna. They seem to be $5 on Amazon and attached to the transfomer you already have should be at least as good as the antenna that came with your receiver.

The 4 ft. of antenna that came with the receiver was worthless as was a Turks antenna that I had around.

Ok, so I just get any "cheap FM dipole antenna" and move on with that?.
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post #13 of 19
2/2/13 at 6:14am
I bought a 5' "rod" omni-directional antenna that works great but lost the link from which I purchased it. It cost about $110.
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post #14 of 19
2/2/13 at 6:44am
Thread Starter 
do you know who manufactured it?

do more expensive antennas do more?

how do i distinguish good from bad?

$110 does not sound cheap.
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post #15 of 19
2/2/13 at 6:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by NadGuy View Post

do you know who manufactured it?

do more expensive antennas do more?

how do i distinguish good from bad?

$110 does not sound cheap.

No, I don't remember the brand and it is inaccessible where it's mounted. No, $110 is not cheap. Almost all commercial antennas other than roof mounted Yagi's are "bad," that is work worse than the supplied ribbon antenna. I live in a downtown area where the radio station I listen to most often is about 20 miles away, so the antenna I have is pretty good under such difficult conditions. It also picks up a low powered jazz radio station run by the public schools.
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post #16 of 19
2/2/13 at 7:22am
Thread Starter 
" No, $110 is not cheap. Almost all commercial antennas other than roof mounted Yagi's are "bad," that is work worse than the supplied ribbon antenna."

Does not sound promising for me..........
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post #17 of 19
2/2/13 at 7:29am
Quote:
Originally Posted by NadGuy View Post

" No, $110 is not cheap. Almost all commercial antennas other than roof mounted Yagi's are "bad," that is work worse than the supplied ribbon antenna."

Does not sound promising for me..........

How about this? Seems similar to what I have.
http://www.amazon.com/Pixel-Satellite-Radio-AFHD-4-Antenna/dp/B001I7T6AE/ref=sr_1_19?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1359818819&sr=1-19&keywords=radio+antenna+fm

I do have it mounted indoors although attic or rooftop would be better.
Edited by Theresa - 2/2/13 at 7:39am
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post #18 of 19
2/2/13 at 7:46am
Thread Starter 
I checked it on Amazon and found:

5 star: (4)
4 star: (2)
3 star: (0)
2 star: (1)
1 star: (2)

That would not appear to be an overwhelming endorsement of the product.

Why do you choose it specifically other than price?
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post #19 of 19
2/2/13 at 7:53am
I'd give it 5 stars. It delivers hiss free HD fm reception from a broadcast source on the other side of the city despite numerous tall downtown buildings less than a half mile away. This is far better than I got with the antenna that came with my pre-pro. YMMV of course. A rooftop Yagi is really the way to go but I live in a condo. Since the OP lives in a house I would recommend a rooftop Yagi with a rotator.
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