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Originally Posted by stevehertz
It really does depend on where you live, how good (sensitive/selective) an AM set is, and how good an aerial you have. In truth, even then there's not a great amount of stuff, but certainly enough to be of interest. I can get about five listenable channels on my AM sets. On FM, dozens of stations covering all manner of styles and subjects. But if you only listen to BBC R3 and R4 on FM, then that suggests to me that you have a narrow interest band - pun not intended and no offence meant, just an observation.
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I would imagine that is part of the problem - choice is more limited down here on the peninsula. All I can find twiddling the dials is heavily compressed mechanical pop and shouting DJs with endless adverts, rather than exposure to interesting new music. Occasionally I can pick up some distant foreign stations which is quite fun. We're in the middle of a building project, which will include a good aerial so perhaps the situation will improve in the future.
R3's quite satisfying as it has a good blend of classical, jazz, world, intelligent discussion and some cutting-edge experimental unclassifiable stuff late at night. It's a shame R6 is only digital, and I can't get any of the re-established 'pirate' stations I see discussed here sometimes apart from online. Perhaps it's time to look into a pantry transmitter and get more use out of the radio part of the circuits!
Quote:
Originally Posted by stevehertz
Also, one doesn't need to understand how 'every inch' of a circuit works in order to be able to work on it and fault find. I say just get stuck in and use all your knowledge to weed out the problem(s), many of which are the same type of thing over and over again on most sets, and they're not technical; poor switch and valve contacts, faulty wax & electrolytic caps, poor earths, dirty contacts on tuning caps and so on. Failing that, one can check the voltages on valves using a Trader sheet for reference.
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The forum's friendly members have been such an enormous help in doing this, especially considering I arrived knowing almost nothing except a vague concept of grid control in triodes. I'm now far more confident in doing the kind of fault-finding you describe, and am well pleased with being able to do some repairs self-sufficiently which I couldn't imagine doing a few years ago. I've got neighbours asking me to fix old things now...