{"id":56377,"date":"2023-04-16T07:06:28","date_gmt":"2023-04-16T11:06:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=56377"},"modified":"2023-04-16T07:06:28","modified_gmt":"2023-04-16T11:06:28","slug":"a-review-of-two-medium-wave-signal-boosters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2023\/04\/a-review-of-two-medium-wave-signal-boosters\/","title":{"rendered":"A Review of Two Medium Wave Signal Boosters"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Jock Elliott, KB2GOM<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was the survey<\/a> that Thomas, our Maximum Leader, conducted that got me to thinking about this.<\/p>\n

The survey<\/a> revealed that portable radios were used 38.6% of the time by SWLing Post readers as their \u201cdaily driver.\u201d I like portable radios, too, and use them frequently. Hold that thought for a moment.<\/p>\n

I also like medium wave DXing (content DXing, really, I enjoy tuning around for unusual programs) because, as Gary DeBock once put it: \u201cIt\u2019s a target-rich environment.\u201d With that in mind, I was exploring the CCrane website<\/a> and found a couple of items \u2013 the Terk AM Advantage<\/a> and the Twin Coil Ferrite\u00ae AM Antenna Signal Booster<\/a> that looked like they might help portable radio listeners who want to pull in medium-wave signals better. I asked the CCrane folks if they would like to review both products, and they sent them to me without charge.<\/p>\n

Bottom line: they both work for boosting reception of medium-wave signals.<\/p>\n

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The Terk AM Advantage is a nine-inch tunable loop encased in plastic, and it requires no power supply. Simply place it near your portable receiver and just the dial to the desired frequency, and you could get up to a 20 dB gain in the signal you want to hear. The loop of the Terk AM Advantage inductively couples with the ferrite antenna inside your portable radio, although the unit comes with a direct wire connector that can be used with some radios.<\/p>\n

I tried the Terk AM Advantage with my CCrane Skywave SSB on an AM that was coming in with a lot of static at my location. Without the AM Advantage, I had 3 bars of signal strength. As soon as I placed the AM Advantage close to the Skywave and adjusted the tuning knob, the signal strength increase to 5 bars, and the audio was much easier to hear with less noise.<\/p>\n

With my Tecsun PL-880, which has a numerical signal strength meter, signal strength was 11 without the AM Advantage, but with the AM Advantage, signal strength increased to 14, and it was much easier to hear. The Terk AM Advantage definitely provides a modest boost in signal strength and clarity, is easy to use, and requires no batteries or external power supply.<\/p>\n

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The Twin Coil Ferrite\u00ae AM Antenna Signal Booster is more complicated. It consists of an antenna element that measures 8.5″ W x 2.5″ H x 1.25″D, a tuner unit that measures 3.25″ W x 4.25″ H x 1.25″ D, a small ferrite stick, and some patch cords. It comes with an AC adaptor and can also be powered by a 9-volt battery. For radios with external antenna connectors, package also includes a RCA female patch cord to two bare wire ends.<\/p>\n

Set up is pretty easy: connect the tuner unit to the antenna element with a patch cord; connect the tune to the ferrite stick with another patch, and provide power through either the AC adaptor or 9-volt battery. (I used a battery).<\/p>\n

Here are C.Crane\u2019s directions for how to use The Twin Coil Ferrite\u00ae AM Antenna Signal Booster with a portable radio:<\/p>\n