Have you ever been to your apartment or job and you just want to listen to your favorite AM radio show where the radio guy says clever and funny comments or let yourself go while listening to the sound and rhythm of the music from your favorite station, but you can’t get good reception inside of the building? These situations can be very unpleasant, especially when you just want to find something that distracts and distresses you.
Fortunately, there is an alternative to set up your radio in order for it to get more reception inside of any building, and like this, solve this little inconvenience. Let’s be ready for this because Radio Gaga is on!
There are many ways for boosting the radio signal inside of a building, and some of them might work better than others, but for ensuring to always have a plan B, over here we have the most common solutions for this ‘How to boost radio signal in a Building?’ as below…
Move the radio near a window
Getting the greatest signal for your radio might be just a matter of the position of the antenna in your building, so, try different locations and move the antenna around in all directions until you receive that perfect signal that you’re looking for.
Switch to Mono
Many radios are designed with an option to select between two modes: ‘Stereo’ and ‘Mono’. By changing to the Mono mode you will boost your radio signal, but you will lose some sound quality, so, if you don’t care so much about the sound, this option will solve your problem.
Change outlets
You can plug the radio into another outlet. Sometimes interference happens because of the extension cords and other devices running on the same circuit, so, if you know the circuit in which you are, try with another one. Plug the radio straight into the wall. Another solution is to unplug other devices, as well.
Seek out other signals
Trying to look for interference in your building is also a great option to boost your radio signal, and it’s usually provoked by a cordless phone around the building. Also, turn off heaters, A/C units, and power tools. That will help you out!
Shield your Wires
Interference can sometimes happen with the problems that corroded and frayed wires produce. If you see that a piece of equipment in your radio is causing issues, look at the wires and replace any that isn’t good. You can shield your wires by wrapping them in a product called ‘magnetic shielding foil’.
External Radio Antenna
Generally, in order to make the radio as compact and portable as possible, the inbuilt antennas present on the radio are made small, this causes a short radio signal range. For solving this, you need to purchase an external antenna and put it over the top of your building. By doing this, you will increase the strength of the radio signal and reduce any interferences that might be. Your radio will be connected to the external antenna, and you can communicate with others with the external antenna.
Local Repeater
If you use a repeater, you will be able to receive the signal and transmit it with an increased range, since this is a device specially designed for this. Buying a repeater and putting it in your building is a good alternative to increasing the radio signal range. Obstructions like buildings and trees do not interfere with the radio signal that a repeater produces, so, communication through radios will still be easy to achieve. The repeater can also function as a base station for fleet communications in the area. Repeaters only have two different frequencies: one is for transmitting and the other one works for receiving, and they amplify and broadcast the signal well. So, that is why repeaters are commonly used in police departments, emergency services, commercial centers, and more.
It is recommendable to position the repeater at a high point of your building, in order to ensure that it works with its complete capacity and to reduce the interference in the area as much as possible.
Commercial radio Antenna
Sometimes the antenna that you get by buying your radio device doesn’t provide the best signal strength or intensity, so you can buy a quality commercial antenna to boost your radio signal. If you wish to get a more increased and intensified signal strength, you can use a dual-band antenna and mount it on the top of your building. This will produce a great improvement in the signal strength even when you are trying to establish communication with someone inside of a building.
Cellular Signal Booster System
Using a cellular signal booster system is a good alternative if you don’t want to use an antenna, because using it is an easier way of improving your radio signals in a building, especially in a metal building. The cellular signal booster system (CSBS) just like the DAS receives signals from a source, boosts the signal, and broadcasts the signal over a particular area.
Related:
- How to improve FM signal on radio with a single wire antenna?
- How to improve AM radio reception at home
Why is boosting your radio signal important and how to benefit from it?
If you appreciate the radio signal in your device, you will find that this topic benefits you a lot. Because sometimes we might have a bad radio signal inside of a building, and we try everything to solve that, but, sadly, our efforts are not good enough. This is why is important to know how to boost radio signal inside of a building, and by knowing it, we will always find an ideal solution to solve these problems in the future, and just enjoy how the radio sounds!
Conclusion
Boosting your radio signal is easy if you know how to do it. The solution will depend on you, either if you want to move the antenna, remove any interference in your building, or buy a repeater, a commercial or external antenna, or a CSBS, your radio signal will be boosted. Now, you won’t have any problems with the low-quality signal when listening to your radio!
FAQ:
Why do some buildings have poor reception of radio signals?
Because of the inherent materials that buildings have, such as solid concrete, metal beams, and VEC glasses. These elements deny or block the reception of radio signals creating interference in them. And when all of these elements are combined into a building, they notoriously diminish the strength and intensity of the radio signals.
Source:
- Photo: amazon.com
