outdoor FM antenna

[dean_martin]

I bought and installed an outdoor tv/fm antenna while our cable tv was out for 3-4weeks after Hurricane Ivan. Now I plan to use the antenna with my tuner in my stereo system. I had to get a 75ohm to 300ohm matching transformer (about $3) because my older analog tuner only accepts the bare core wire from a 75ohm cable and I didn't want to strip off the "F" connector. Anyone use an outdoor antenna for fm? Have you tried it with both the 75 and 300 terminals (with matching transformer)? Any difference?

BTW, if you've never mounted one of these big outdoor antennas to your chimney you're really missing out. And of course it gives the home that 1960's suburbia look (or modern trailer park look depending on your perspective). If the wife lets me keep it, I might get one of those remote antenna rotators!

[Monstrous Mike]

I bought and installed an outdoor tv/fm antenna while our cable tv was out for 3-4weeks after Hurricane Ivan. Now I plan to use the antenna with my tuner in my stereo system. I had to get a 75ohm to 300ohm matching transformer (about $3) because my older analog tuner only accepts the bare core wire from a 75ohm cable and I didn't want to strip off the "F" connector. Anyone use an outdoor antenna for fm? Have you tried it with both the 75 and 300 terminals (with matching transformer)? Any difference?

BTW, if you've never mounted one of these big outdoor antennas to your chimney you're really missing out. And of course it gives the home that 1960's suburbia look (or modern trailer park look depending on your perspective). If the wife lets me keep it, I might get one of those remote antenna rotators!
Perhaps you should try something like this (maybe with the splitter feature): http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&product%5Fid=15-1139

However, I'm confused when you say that the tuner wants a 75 ohm cable yet you want to get a transformer. If you really don't need the transformer (like in my tuner), I just got a F-type to RCA adapter and cut open an RCA twisted pair audio wire and connected to the 75 bare wire input on my stereo thereby saving the coaxial cable from destruction.

[dean_martin]

Perhaps you should try something like this (maybe with the splitter feature): http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&product%5Fid=15-1139

However, I'm confused when you say that the tuner wants a 75 ohm cable yet you want to get a transformer. If you really don't need the transformer (like in my tuner), I just got a F-type to RCA adapter and cut open an RCA twisted pair audio wire and connected to the 75 bare wire input on my stereo thereby saving the coaxial cable from destruction.

Thanks, MM
I thought my choices were (1) cut off the existing F connector, (2) buy another 50-75ft coax cable that's bare on one end, or (3) buy a matching transformer (an option I just discovered) to use with the tuner's 300ohm terminals. I would have never thought of using a F-type to RCA adapter. I went with a $3 matching transformer so I wouldn't have to cut the cable in case I needed to use it again for tv and so I wouldn't have to buy another long cable. But I'm curious as to whether I would get the best the antenna has to offer with a direct 75ohm connection. Is the 75ohm connection better? I was hoping I wouldn't have to ask this question but as luck would have it I'm still getting a weak signal on the one station I was shooting for (a college station with its transmitter about 45mi away). However, I am getting a ton of stations I couldn't get with a dipole.