Radio Antenna

John Campbell jcampbel@dfsfin.com
Thu, 11 Jul 2002 08:16:14 -0500


<but you can also check the impedance of the antenna with an ohm meter as
well.>
<You should get about 50 Ohms IIRC.>

I'm 99.9% sure that you can't check the antenna's impedance with a DMM. The
50ohm impedance isn't resistance. DMMs measure resistance using DC but the
50ohm impedance can only be measured using a special meter that uses the
specific (AC)frequency. If you put your DMM from the center conductor to the
shield, with the antenna connected you could read anywhere from a dead short
to an open, depending on the antenna type and whether it is inductively or
capacitively coupled.

My money says that the AM receiver in your radio is just not very good.
Manufacturers don't put too much $ in the AM side of even the most expensive
receivers, home OR auto. Additionally, your car's antenna is tuned more for
the FM bands than the AM bands. You could install an antenna that is
designed more for AM.

John Campbell
'99 SE-L w/ HS stuff.