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Gear / Technical Help => Ask The Tapers => Topic started by: Bullet1979 on September 22, 2020, 04:36:40 PM
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I'm going to be going to a drive-in concert where I am assuming they will be broadcasting the show via FM. I'm wondering if anyone here has any input on getting the least lossy capture of the FM broadcast?
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there are tons of high quality portable fm handhelds
signal quality and reception are going to be your limiting factors
portable receiver>headphone out> handheld recorder
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Actually I disagree. Portable radios don't generally have very wide dynamic range or flat frequency response. They generally have just one signal path, with its response tailored to their built-in amplifier and speaker or speakers. Low-noise, low-distortion circuitry would raise the cost of manufacture significantly, when the market segment that cares about such things is so tiny, it's almost non-existent.
The RF and IF sections of portable radios are also economized to a fare-thee-well. People who need or want high-fidelity FM signals generally use high-fidelity, component FM tuners and receivers. That's what's built for that purpose. That said, I'm sure that some portables are distinctly better than others for this application. If a radio has a line output distinct from its headphone output, that might be a useful hint (or not).
I don't have any specific recommendations because I haven't tested anything like this in decades, but maybe someone else here has. Tandberg used to make a high-quality portable FM radio; I wonder how the Tivoli units measure, for example, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if they have boosted low and high frequencies and a rather sharp cutoff below the range of their built-in speakers, and no greater dynamic range than is needed to support the amplifier power that the unit actually has.
All told I would probably look for a component tuner that has a DC power input, rather than a radio that has its own power amp and speaker or speakers.
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I had looked at Tecsun PL-880 for exactly this purposes. It has a built-in telescopic antenna, so I'd look to put an SMA or BNC port on it. But that looked nice for drive-in FM pulls.
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Many (most?) Android phones have a built-in FM tuner which utilizes the headphone or line cable as an antenna.
Found this suggestion on line:
"If your phone has a built-in FM radio tuner, but didn't come with a stock app that lets you access it, then NextRadio is your best bet."
You may be able to record directly to another app as well as patching a standalone recorder
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(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/y7EAAOSw14ZdnNoD/s-l400.jpg)
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::busts into a windmill::
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Sort of brings this image to mind:
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I had looked at Tecsun PL-880 for exactly this purposes. It has a built-in telescopic antenna, so I'd look to put an SMA or BNC port on it. But that looked nice for drive-in FM pulls.
I used this model for a recent drive-in. Great reception with the stock antenna without modification. Unit has both headphone out and line out (obviously I used the latter). I wasn't thrilled with the captured sound though--mono and compressed. Don't know how much of that was due to the broadcast signal vs the radio itself.
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I had looked at Tecsun PL-880 for exactly this purposes. It has a built-in telescopic antenna, so I'd look to put an SMA or BNC port on it. But that looked nice for drive-in FM pulls.
I used this model for a recent drive-in. Great reception with the stock antenna without modification. Unit has both headphone out and line out (obviously I used the latter). I wasn't thrilled with the captured sound though--mono and compressed. Don't know how much of that was due to the broadcast signal vs the radio itself.
How's it sound with regular FM audio? I could see the transmission being mono and compressed, but hard to say.
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dont decent car stereos have lineouts for amps?
im sure you can find one that is optimized for FM reception, like some old alpine, blaupunkt, kenwood, etc from when FM was still relevant
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dont decent car stereos have lineouts for amps?
Not on the front panel. Car stereos built before bluetooth may have a line INPUT on the front.
The RCA outputs are usually buried deep behind the dashboard, and already connected to the installed amplifier.
I suppose if the amp is accessible under a seat or in the trunk that you could unplug it and loop it through a recorder.
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dont decent car stereos have lineouts for amps?
Not on the front panel. Car stereos built before bluetooth may have a line INPUT on the front.
The RCA outputs are usually buried deep behind the dashboard, and already connected to the installed amplifier.
I suppose if the amp is accessible under a seat or in the trunk that you could unplug it and loop it through a recorder.
i wasnt thinking of installed (or new install), more like thinkin find a $30 old alpine on craiglist and wire a lighter plug to power it for this dedicated purpose
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dont decent car stereos have lineouts for amps?
Not on the front panel. Car stereos built before bluetooth may have a line INPUT on the front.
The RCA outputs are usually buried deep behind the dashboard, and already connected to the installed amplifier.
I suppose if the amp is accessible under a seat or in the trunk that you could unplug it and loop it through a recorder.
i wasnt thinking of installed (or new install), more like thinkin find a $30 old alpine on craiglist and wire a lighter plug to power it for this dedicated purpose
Fantastic idea, but you also need to wire an antenna and probably be ready to not move it during the event.
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hadnt thought about that
are the roof-mount magnetic antennas that same big coax connector?
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I'm going to be going to a drive-in concert where I am assuming they will be broadcasting the show via FM. I'm wondering if anyone here has any input on getting the least lossy capture of the FM broadcast?
I think Andrew has been using a PA system too, not 100% sure though. Anyways I hope you get a tape and share!
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I had looked at Tecsun PL-880 for exactly this purposes. It has a built-in telescopic antenna, so I'd look to put an SMA or BNC port on it. But that looked nice for drive-in FM pulls.
I used this model for a recent drive-in. Great reception with the stock antenna without modification. Unit has both headphone out and line out (obviously I used the latter). I wasn't thrilled with the captured sound though--mono and compressed. Don't know how much of that was due to the broadcast signal vs the radio itself.
How's it sound with regular FM audio? I could see the transmission being mono and compressed, but hard to say.
Listening now to the line out with regular FM. Sounds the same, mono and compressed. Seems what DSatz noted earlier was correct.
It's been gone for decades so I can't test but I remember my old stereo boombox sounding sparkling clear through headphones. Or maybe it was just the glow of youth.
Certainly this Tecsun is only built to output one channel. Still glad to have it around though. A decent portable radio is a good thing to have.
DSatz said:
<<Actually I disagree. Portable radios don't generally have very wide dynamic range or flat frequency response. They generally have just one signal path, with its response tailored to their built-in amplifier and speaker or speakers. Low-noise, low-distortion circuitry would raise the cost of manufacture significantly, when the market segment that cares about such things is so tiny, it's almost non-existent.>>
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The Tecsun PL-880 is a clone of the C. Crane radios distributed here in California and are similarly priced, quite high actually.
I have a mountain cabin, and the C. Crane radio is the only one I've found that can pick up any stations up there. Both the Tecsun and the C.Crane have mono signals but stereo headphone output, so the receiver portion of the radio must be stereo. Well, at least that's my assumption
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Bump...Android phones have a built-in FM tuner which utilizes the headphone or line cable as an antenna..
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My experience with using headphone ground antenna systems with ALD recordings has been challenging. Much much easier having an independent antenna.
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Actually that's why I recommend the C. Crane--it has an external female port for an external antenna if you want to use it. However, we have a huge double bay antenna set up in our cabin which I tuned to a distant NPR radio station. The C.Crane pulls in better reception with its whip than my $50 two bay job and the Adcom.
Sigh ...........
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I'm learning more about this Tecsun unit. There is actually an "FM ST." button which works with both the headphone out and line out. It still sounds compressed but at least it's in stereo.
Unfortunately with the cooler weather approaching there probably won't be too many more drive in shows this year to capture. Assuming the FM transmission is in stereo (for our shows it was broadcast to two frequencies, 91.3 and 91.9) the Tecsun stereo output would be adequate, I suppose.
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I can confirm today that the C.Crane FM Tuner is indeed stereo