Reception Tips

FM Reception Tips

FM radio works by line-of-sight: your receiver's antenna must be able to "see" our transmitter in one of three places: northern Bronx near Montefiore Hostpital, the Upper West Side near Riverside Church, or downtown near Madison Square Garden.

Indoor antennas can be unpredictable, so it may take some experimentation to get it right. Move your radio to different parts of your home to find the clearest spot - the higher the better. Just a few feet can make a difference.

Quality counts, too. The better the tuner, the better your chances, and make sure it has an antenna input on the back. Extend the full antenna, or even attach a few feet of wire and dangle it out a window.

Antenna Upgrades

Still fuzzy? Try a new antenna, either a "T-wire" or dipole. Try it horizontally and vertically. (C. Crane makes an excellent dipole antenna called the FM Reflect, about $30 on Amazon.com.) You can also try a high-gain FM, amplified antenna or outdoor FM antenna. Start off inexpensively and work your way up.

Keep in mind that amplifiers only strengthen the signal: If your reception has a lot of static, they'll amplify the noise, too. The best ones allow you to control the level of amplification.

Next, try an outdoor FM or Yagi antenna. Some are for outdoor use only and some can be put in your attic.

Finally, call your cable company - they may still carry the FM band. Ask if they carry WFUV.

Companies that make good FM antennas include: C. Crane, FanFare Electronics and Terk. Companies that make good high-end tuners include: Tivoli, NAD Electronics and FanFare Electronics.

Related info:

HD Radio is a whole different story; more info here.

You can always use your computer or an Internet tuner to listen to one of our WFUV On-Air, or FUV All-Music or The Alternate Side streams.

Got Interference?

Are you having consistent reception problems with WFUV due to interference from other signals? Describe them to us and we'll forward them to the FCC and ask them to investigate.