Terk Tower indoor AM/FM HD Radio antenna review & test

Testing the Terk Tower amplified indoor AM/FM radio antenna with a Sony XDR-S3HD HD Radio receiver.
FM bandscan video: • October 2017 FM HD Rad...
Banjo solo from: • Ruaile Buaile - I'm Fa...

[@jsciarri]

For those that are curious, the large bar coded sticker that's on the front of the box is an older Circuit City shipping label. The store number is 3689, which meant this was originally delivered to the Bridgewater, NJ store back in 2006.

[@steventrott2718]

Just wanted to say I get super excited every time I see you make a new video!

[@ronfinley576]

It is people like this that make the world a awesome place. I work hard and rarely get to make friends. I love radio and this spectacular video find really brightened my day. Thank you .

[@johndoe-xq4sq]

Thanks for this video. I enjoyed this video. And having Ray Romano doing the voice -over was great !

[@R1ppedM0nk]

I appreciate how much care you put into your videos!

[@10.11.9]

FM radio was invented by Edwin Armstrong in my hometown of Yonkers, NY. He built the first FM radio antenna atop the Palisades in Alpine, NJ. He could see it from his window on North Broadway in Yonkers. His story is quite fascinating.

[@richardmcleod5967]

He also made the major improvement in AM such as Superheterodyne. Professor (Major) Edwin Howard Armstrong was an amazing man and responsible for all the major improvement in radio that are still in use today.

[@thepessolanoinquirer6856]

It's crazy how your at 55,000 subscribers. Good doing a good job at these videos I think there satisfying to watch. Btw You should do a tour of your room we're everything is.

[@HW1099Tube]

you're* they're* where*

[@mikegross6107]

I'm glad I'm not the ONLY one obsessed with proper spelling and word usage! Just think how much better off we would be if our attention had been 100% in school!

[@morganrussman]

Now over 2 years later, vwestlife has over 108k.

[@LakeNipissing]

I use a Technics SH-F101 _tunable_ amplified FM antenna which is from the early 1980s. The antenna has wing shape on ball mounts, so it can be adjusted for best signal strength and least multipath, without moving the base. It works very well, and typical of early 1980s stuff, looks nice.

[@SonicHacki]

Perhaps you could use a DC jack and plug to modify the power supply of the radio if you don't want it to be permanently attached.

[@wilkes85]

I've thought about buying one of these, so this video was especially helpful. I'll just stick with my Radio Shack powered VHF/UHF/FM antenna... it's the only way I can receive anything on my Kenwood's crappy, weak FM tuner without static. Otherwise I wouldn't need a powered antenna because any non-local FM station is way too far away for me to pick up; on other tuners, I don't even need an antenna at all for static-free reception. I've heard a LOT of good things about he Terk AM Advantage though, so I might think about buying one of those.

[@kylehazachode]

I think I just bought the updated version. They separated the AM loop cable from the FM amplifier. In the manual it states to position the AM antenna 90 degrees from the FM antenna. Sounds a lot better now.

[@megenberg8]

can i use/connect the 'antenna' wire coming out the back of a $50 am/fm radio to a tabletop antenna? it would be nice to bring in stations more clearly and from farther away. what about a thin silver one on a little stand @ $90? thinking about it.

[@501764727]

This is Very good info to know! I am currently using rabbit ears on my Denon receiver and it seems to work well. I was thinking of getting 1 of these Terks but will save the $$ and time.

[@SproutyPottedPlant]

I like the radio, interesting that HD radio is on AM.

[@pokepress]

Knuckles the Echidna It’s pretty rare, in part because the available data rate is much lower than FM HD radio, and you can’t really do multiple feeds like with FM.

[@microcloudhd9231]

I'm glad we have DAB in the UK and not HD radio, where I live not a single FM station is clear enough to listen to comfortably so won't be clear enough for a digital stream on the same station either but I do receive over 100 DAB stations perfectly, many of which aren't even broadcasted on FM.

[@TehMG]

I had the same antenna at one point in time, the amplifier in the Terk antenna is very easily overloaded. If you're trying to pick up a weak station but have a strong one nearby, it doesn't work because the strong station will overload the amplifier circuit in the antenna. I took mine apart and can confirm that the AM portion definitely does not have an amplifier. Oh, by the way, I picked up this Terk antenna for $5 CAD few years ago. $20 USD you got ripped off!!!

[@glk001]

Excellent informational video Sir...That Terk tower has never received good reviews, but I do have 4 Terk Advantage loop antennas, along with building two of my own spiral loop designs...Which work the best of any MW antenna I have and on par with any long wire thru a tuner...

[@timemerson4162]

I was considering one of these for my new radio.having some serious reception issues around here (Lexington,KY) maybe standard rabbit ears will work.the radio is a Pyle PT-504.

[@jaykay18]

Top notch ending!

[@chrysanth.5700]

jaykay18 Got to be proud of him for taking a stand against the end slates in a way that really isn't a stand at all. Just a classic choice of music.

[@jack002tuber]

I have the Terk advantage. You have to fiddle with it some, point it and tune it, but it really works. I just hold it near my radio and can hear stations come in from nothing to hearable.

[@barrybear2012]

I have this. Works well with my Sears Silvertone model 2038 AM/FM radio from 1968.

[@pokepress]

May have to check out that AM antenna. Weird that it doesn’t even need to be directly connected.

[@chrislj2890]

Try a wire spool antennae by Sangean or Tecsun to clip onto the end of the whip. They are about 20 feet long and make a big difference. I have a hook on the wall that I have it attached to and when I need to use it just run it to the radio and clip it on. Works quite well.

[@5roundsrapid263]

All the HD AM stations are off here. There are digital FMs left, though. Most of the subchannels are repeaters for other analog stations!

[@Delorean217]

That Sony radio is nice. The cherry wood adds a nice touch.

[@parkerlreed]

It's plastic with a finish. Trying to narrow down what it is.

[@duckthis17]

An honest review, I found my rabbit ears to work better than most antennas I tried. Thanks for the vid

[@infinitecanadian]

You could cut the power cable on that radio and then put on a plug. You could even make room on the back panel for a plug mount if you have a mind to.

[@jackshihtaken]

Great ending

[@life5161]

Why don't we see more HD tuners in home receivers? I don't see a lot of em. Maybe I'm just not looking in the right places?

[@JensenGonzales]

The guy playing the banjo looks like Linus

[@MordecaiTheAwesomeBluejay]

LinusBanjoTips

[@the3dom]

Yup. With a bit of Jonny Lee Miller

[@joeprete7424]

@VWestlife I wonder, is it still working now, over two years later? I can't get my ASUS to work, but my new Ocean Digital WR230S AM/FM HD Radio sounds Great! I had to wire into the router, cause the wireless wouldn't work on the new one either??? The sound is very sharp and clear, and I'm finding more stations than I can store! There is so much out there to listen to, and it is so much easier than using my computer!

[@WVFAN1958]

I bought a Bose 4 Wave..what is the best antenna for it ? thanks.

[@owen4248]

I use the good old folded dipole on FM works great....

[@geotechmore8855]

I''m also a Jersey Boy 😀. I listen to 1010 WINS everyday 😀. WCBS sometimes as well as WBGO and WNYC and WSOU 😀. A few more stations as well 😀.

[@richardmcleod5967]

AM radio remains very popular all across the United States.

[@Hamboarding]

So sad that we got no more AM in Germany 😕 Two somewhat "oldschool" things the US still has but we don't but I wish we still had: AM radio and checkbooks!

[@richardmcleod5967]

Is there any AM available still in Europe? Luckily, the United States seems quite fond of keeping AM stations available, as they remain very popular and are listened to more than probably even FM! The Historic KFI in Los Angeles began in 1924 and is still in operation (at 100,000 Watts still broadcasting from their towers on Mt. Wilson nearby on the mountain), and probably the most listened to radio station in Southern California. KNX is another popular radio station and a newer one from San Bernardino, KTIE AM is becoming quite popular and rivaling even KFI and KNX, all AM stations from Los Angeles.

[@qwertykeyboard5901]

eh, the only thing i use am for is picking up the interference from electronics

[@richardmcleod5967]

I get great programs from various AM Stations all day long here in California and across the United States. There are many very good local community programs and also many nationally syndicated programs from around the country. The news reporting that is reported on radio is done well by people much more competent than what I could find on television. In fact 80% of the people in the United States listen to AM and FM radio as opposed to other sources! There are special programs several times a week where they have a full 3 hours of the Vintage Radio Shows from the Golden Age of Radio. AM Radio is alive and well in the United States. People listen to AM Radio all the time when riding in their cars. @@qwertykeyboard5901

[@richardmcleod5967]

Glad we still use checkbooks as I wrote three of them today!

[@anuponch7135]

Richard McLeod can you give the frequency list, of those AM station you are talking about. I live outside of US for now. So, I would like to listen to AM Station.

[@larryshaver3568]

i use an amplified set of rabbit ears with my astro sonic and the results are amazing

[@MarkShannonroad_videos]

Cool ending! So, we discovered why that Turk antenna was at the Thrift store. It's junk. Looks like those antennas from the early days of TV. Make so many claims, but was less then impressive in use.

[@HyprFox]

My past professor is the chopper reporter for 880

[@mzark5888]

Oh boy upload

[@KingHenryVR4]

I have a old FM QuadraTech™ tower antenna I got with some stereo equipment months ago, its a Clearline CL-200 FREQ. 88-108MHz GAIN: 16dB GAIN CONTROL: 0 ~ 16dB MAX. OUTPUT 100dB µV OUTPUT: 75Ω 117 VAC, 60Hz 1.2W DC 12V 100mA

[@NanoBurger]

This mirrors my experience with the Terk antenna. Basically a waste of electrons. I switched mine out with an unamplified, omnidirectional one and got superior reception.

[@virgilio2402]

Hi may I know the adaptor specs Thanks!

[@jastern949]

Most antennas will perform similarly indoors, so a test isn't really going to yield much information (as you see here). To really boost signal, we need to use antennas that are outside and up high. I know, not everyone has their own roof, but that's the reality of antennas. Even if you can put something out on a (high) patio or balcony or inside a (wooden) attic...

[@lauwe54]

thanks so much

[@djthereplay]

Tip: Have you ever did a video testing your HD Radio with the FM whip antenna all the way up and not lowered?

[@RssutharJaisalmer]

Wow! 😊👌❤🙏

[@gillanland]

Does it work without power supply?

[@twocvbloke]

That HD radio system makes our DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) radio system look like crap, but then again, farting in a pringles tube makes DAB radio look like crap, DAB is just crap through and through... :P Nice looking Sony radio too... :)

[@vwestlife]

Really? HD Radio sucks way worse than DAB. On AM it's a worthless joke and on FM it gives you horribly compressed digital audio that sounds like a 32 kbps RealAudio stream.

[@twocvbloke]

Well, the audio quality is still crap, but at least with your HD radio it seems to seamlessly fall back to Analogue versions of the same station, over here DAB just pops, squeaks and farts at you if the signal drops and the stream is disrupted (it uses the latest in streaming technology from 3 decades ago, MPEG Layer 2), resulting in people just giving up and going back to ultra-reliable Analogue... :)

[@JonnyInfinite]

VWestlife it's running on mpeg2, which is great when you have 256 kb, like a DVD audio track, but when the bandwidth is taken by ten stations...well, even classical music on the BBC is low bitrate mess, and some stations have to switch to mono. DAB+ which is used in Europe uses AAC+ encoding, so sounds light years better. It's one of the reasons DAB never really took off vs FM

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

DAB and DAB+ are the biggest tech-scams since Windows 10. It either never works or never works as good as older tech. I hate radios that habe boot time... and digital compression that makes even MP3 with 12kbits sound better than this crap they use for DAB+. I wish we in Germany got our AM stations back…

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

the problem is that every station here runs the same EQ and compressors for FM radio for DAB+ and also have super low bitrates. You can literally hear the chirping compression aliasing and artifacts even when you have it running in the background. That means IF you actually receive something. The broadcast transmission power is so low, even when you live near to a transmitter (like i am here in Berlin) you still get nothing but squeaks and digital glitches that makes you either switch off the radio or switch it to FM. As long as there's no stronger digital signal and no lossless FLAC broadcast, digital radio will remain a complete fail. Radio doesn't have to be digital when you have webradio. Analog broadcast is perfect for radio. Because of the nature of analog transmission of electromagnetic waves. You have a bit of noise or a super clean signal. A digital transmission instantly stops when the signal is too weak and you hear nothing.

[@clemsonbloke]

I have one of those terk towers from the mid 90's, back then the base didn't have that silver colour on it. I was never impressed with it, a regular "T" antenna for FM worked much better for me.

[@stereomann83]

where did you get the rod antenna that screws on the back of the sony?

[@vwestlife]

It came with a Radiosophy HD100 HD Radio receiver.

[@andrewwallace9156]

VWestlife a permanently attached power cable is so triggering. How hard is it to attach a 2 prong socket to the back?

[@andrewwallace9156]

Apparently very hard if you're Sony.

[@parkerlreed]

Just got this radio. Is the casing bakelite? Seems to be very similar.

[@connorm955]

Could be wrong, but i don't think bakelite has been used in over 50 years.

[@cdrepaircd5598]

hello vweslife i have the antenna but i don't have the ac power cord i guess you need that for it to work great todd from kennett square pa

[@mikeblank7165]

Well Spoken !

[@daveb5041]

***[START OF COMMENT:*** I always feel when videos just cut off that something is missing. My favorite end screen is MrCalson's lab that has just that thing that looks like the milkyway with stars flying by. An end screen would make your videos perfect or funny like this one. When there is no end screen it's like you are missi***:END OF COMMENT]***

[@vwestlife]

I choose not to end my videos with the trite "Don't forget to comment, rate, and subscribe!" Nobody wants to hear that sh**:END OF COMMENT]**

[@TCGProductions03]

I agree with VWestlife. That has been repeated probably close to a billion times on KZbin, so be qu*:END OF COMME)*&^(*^%^%%%%%%%$#@#$%%%%%%%%%%%%%$#$####$$$#)(|{:"NO CARRIER

[@kozkoz7776]

Do you play the BANJO ? Enjoy your videos

[@EastAngliaUK]

and most other places have DAB it gets more stations but not as good sound quality as FM.

[@bluemantom77]

I have the same antenna got mine new at j&r music world in nyc

[@bluemantom77]

I have the same powerd antenna paid $29.00 new at Best buy years ago works ok for me I live In a dead zone kinda of my onkyo audio & video receiver tx-sv313pro does not have a coaxial antenna input that does have the push wire connection like speakers so I purchased a old adapter to convert a television to that type cut the ends off and open housing and made my own rig to be able to use my empowered antenna to get more coverage space for better signal spectrum and to my surprise works pretty good and purchase the receiver brand new in 1993 I had a summer job I was 16 what's my first really nice hi-fi receiver before that my mother had purchased me because I did very good the whole school year when I was 13 at the time she didn't have the financial resources so few months later for my birthday open a box and there was a nikio r25 receiver wasn't the greatest receiver was the low end of that brand had humming noises but I was truly happy to get it did not have remote control capabilities but worked for me at 14 growing up in New York City I was truly lucky to even have it and I'd have some kind of boombox she had also purchased me a cassette deck a basic model dual cassette deck by teac and my aunt has given me a set of used vector research by. Jvc speakers and a Gemini turntable a turntable I still have to this day and I was truly happy feel like I won the lotto your videos are truly enjoyable and I love the watch stuff you find and purchase the reason why I purchased that Onkyo receiver in 1993 was because in 1992 I purchased a cassette deck with the same model number ta-rw313 dual cassette deck remote control compatible with the cable running to the receiver using the receivers remote cool little feature that they do not have any more my first CD player was also acquired a year before the cassette deck I purchased it at RadioShack on clearance and if I tell you the price I actually remember it because I purchased it in my first job at. 14 I was proud of myself I spent like $160.00 a lot of money at the time for a single disc player I had it for many years until the laser finally burned out then in 1998 I purchased My first Sony 5 disc CD changer I found it a lot cheaper than an Onkyo to match my gear the selling point was the fact that you can daisy-chain a couple of them it is model cdp-ce525 I use a spare only that's why I still have it my mother purchased me my first CD recorder in 2010 as a birthday present just still have it user very sparingly

[@martz1191]

You would get much better results using an inductive loop for AM. It amplifies these signals nicely.

[@vwestlife]

I know. That's why I mentioned the Terk AM Advantage tuned loop antenna at the end.

[@wildbilltexas]

I tried a couple of Terk antennas and had the same experience. The best FM reception I got was with a good pair of Realistic rabbit ears and a Realistic coax cable line amplifier. And I'm surprised there are still a few AM HD stations still around. I've read many of the big AM stations that tried it have dropped it.

[@vwestlife]

Here's a list of AM IBOC (HD Radio) stations: topazdesigns.com/iboc/station-list.html

[@wildbilltexas]

Thanks for the list. I believe several Texas stations have stopped using it now. I remember when 620 KMKI in Dallas was using it with Radio Disney about 5 years ago. It used to have a great sounding AM Stereo signal even on a good wideband mono AM radio. But it sounded muffled with HD cutting the bandwidth to 5K. Disney sold it off to Salem (big religious chain) and its now a business talk station.

[@dylancruz1131]

The only thing worse than an un-removable power cable is an un-removable VGA cable on CRT monitors. when that port on the end of the cable breaks. their goes your CRT unless you want to open up the cable and solder a 30-pin vga port :/

[@dylancruz1131]

At least a power cord you can easier change

[@Crabby303]

Ha, more random Irish ephemera eh? Never even heard of these lads! Rúaile Búaile indeed.

[@SproutyPottedPlant]

Mod it for bias T!

[@joeprete7424]

This one ended kind of abruptly!

[@HarpsGames]

I just use it on the tv.

[@OldCBnGuns]

I remember seeing these terk fm antennas for sale at Sears back in the early 2000 right before the kmart merger for $5. I wasn’t really impressed with it compared to the wire FM anteanna that tacked in the wall

[@piecutter2]

I have one of these that I bought new in the mid 2000s. Useless. FM actually works better when you remove the power cord!

[@johnbgood52]

I have one of these antennas (it was free). It's no better than a standard dipole. And who listens to AM anymore? There's nothing there but country, gospel and Rush Limbaugh.

[@wu2u]

Bought one of these and returned it. Absolutely useless and ineffective.

[@bluespark6058]

Terk makes useless junk.