Well I got the itch to do a bit of experimenting to improve my signal.
Well I got the itch to do a bit of experimenting to improve my signal.
As most of us know I'm stuck with a Transmitter inside, which obviously results in a very poor AM signal (My FM goes out farther). So sick of poor coverage I decided to snake a wire between a mattress and the box springs it sits on.
Its all metal after all.
To my delight this improved the signal somewhat, making a noticeably better outdoor signal. I'll try and do a field test in the car this weekend to see how far it goes now.
If Only I could mimic the Coverage I had at Seis Lagos where I covered darn near the whole Community with that SSTran from a second story balcony. I'm guessing that could have been a combination of a long ground lead and nearby water.
Your box springs are indoors as I understand it, which is one place it could be a valuable discovery, if it provides an improvement over the ground situation for an indoor setup.
The next thing to ask is what could be done with a buried mattress spring out back?
The extra metallic dimension of a mattress spring might bond better with the earth than simple radials laid on the top layer.
What kind of metal is that in those springs?
What is a good way to bond a good connection to it?
Well...
The Box Springs are still a bed. LOL!
I'm not sure what kind of metal the springs are made of, I'd imagine something fairly cheap.
I'm sure the best way to connect to the springs would be to solder the grounding wire to one.
Heck, I bet a buried mattress with the fabric removed, exposing the springs and mesh would make an EXCELLENT Ground system.
You could go to a landfill and find a bunch of bedsprings. Heck they're prolly gonna bury 'em anyway. Wear a gas mask 😉
Clever idea using the bed springs. You might also consider getting some metal window screen or "rabbit fencing". These come in three foot widths and maybe two ten foot lengths forming a big X and placed under a carpet would work.
Neil
After a quick test today here are the results.
Before: The Signal Had A Hard Time Leaving The House
After: The Signal Now Has Coverage To The Far End Of The Street Linking To The Main Road.
The Signal also has coverage in the street behind me.
The Signal also appears to be directional to the direction the bed is from the transmitter (right)
The Signal travels much farther towards the long end of the street, while it gets noisy at the short end of the street.
Due To Noisy Spark Plugs I am currently unsure how clean the signal can truly be.
The Verdict is positive, it has given a tremendous boost in coverage.
When crows fly over they may be showing the way. This Crow has made an important point. Indoor antennas can be greatly enhanced by finding things like the springs to ground to.
Now you could tie in every bed in the house and maybe the kitchen sink.
Your house will become a giant antenna.
Very good.