Improving Your FM Radio Reception

FM radio (sometimes known as VHF) offers high quality listening and stereo sound but it can sometimes
be spoiled by reception problems and interference. Most of these problems are well known and can be
dealt with easily to enable you to get the most out of FM broadcasts. This factsheet describes the most
common problems and tells you what you can do about them.

Weak Signal - Hiss

If your radio hisses on stereo but not on mono it could be because it is

Fig 1: Adjust the position of the
aerial to get the best possible
reception.
receiving too weak a signal. This happens because radio receivers need a
stronger signal to successfully decode the stereo component of the signal
than for just the mono component. To solve this problem you need a good
aerial, correctly positioned to pick up the best possible signal. Ideally it
should be mounted outdoors, like a TV aerial. If really necessary an
amplifier can be fitted to the aerial in order to boost a signal which is weak,
for example, because it is attenuated by a very long downlead. If your radio
receiver is portable with no provision for plugging in an external aerial, try
adjusting the position of the radio's own aerial by tilting and swivelling it to
get the best signal, (see Fig 1). If this fails, try moving the radio to
somewhere else in the room because FM reception can vary a great deal
over very short distances. It is often better near windows and may also be
better upstairs than downstairs.

Multipath Distortion

Multipath distortion is characterised by the specific distortion of 's' and 'z' sounds (sibilance) such that 's' sounds like
'shhh'. In its more serious forms it effects all the sounds to make them rough sounding or 'brittle'. It is caused, as the
name implies, by the transmitted signal travelling to the receiver via more than one path: a common cause of this is
reflection of the signal from hills or tall buildings, (see Fig 2). The reflected signal arrives at the aerial a moment later
than the direct one because it has travelled further. The reflected and direct signals then interfere with each other
causing distortion.

The best way to minimise multipath

distortion is to use a directional rooftop
aerial, ie. one which will only pick up signals
coming from the direction of the transmitter,
and will reject reflections which arrive at its
sides or its back. It is also sometimes
possible to mount the aerial so that the house
screens it from the reflections but not from
the wanted signal. If you have a multipath
distortion problem with a portable radio try
moving it to a different position in the room.
Fig 2: Multipath reception
Adjacent Channel Interference

Adjacent channel interference is interference from a channel which is close in frequency to the one on which you are
listening. It sounds like a twittering noise in the background and is consequently sometimes known as 'birdies'. The
problem is usually only apparent on stereo but if the interfering channel is very close in frequency, ie. only 50 or 100
kHz away, the effect may also be heard in mono. The BBC's FM transmitter network has been designed to avoid
such problems but if you are listening outside the published service area of the transmitter, or if there are rare
atmospheric conditions, you could still suffer from this problem. As with most reception problems, a good directional
rooftop mounted aerial will probably solve the problem, providing the interfering transmission is not coming from the
same direction as the transmission you want. Some stereo tuners incorporate 'birdie' filters which use electronic
circuitry to block out adjacent channels.

Fig 3: A four element yagi FM aerial

Overloading

Overloading happens when a FM receiver receives too strong a signal. It should only be a problem if you live close
the FM transmitting station. Overloading causes intermodulation distortion which is very rough and discordant and
this in turn will cause twittering 'birdies' in the background. The distortion will be present both in stereo and in mono.
The cure for overloading is to add an attenuator between the aerial and the receiver. Attenuators are available from
radio and TV shops and they are easily plugged in between the aerial and the aerial socket. They come in various
values, quoted in decibels (dB), and your dealer should be able to advise you on the correct amount of attenuation
you require.

More information about radio reception can be obtained from:

BBC Reception Advice
Television Centre
London W12 7RJ
0870 0100 123 (UK only - national rate call)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/reception
Ceefax page 698