BrickHost
Premium
join:2004-11-18
Canada
clubs:
| Adding Coaxial Connection to FM Radio for Shaw FM Radio
Hello,
My father in law is desperate to listen to the Italian fm radio station which is only available on shaw.
I have a Sony radio, with a regular am/fm antenna, and at the advice of a friend picked up a 300-ohm adapter to convert coax to something that can hopefully interface with the existing antenna.
I've searched online and have drawn a blank, can someone break it down for me or send me a link? It would be much appreciated.
P.S. I have tried wiring them together already without any luck, I figured it wouldn't be so easy. I am relatively competent with soldering, and won't be a pain with lots of follow-up questions, I just need a jumping off point.
Thanks again, and sorry if this is a total noob question, radios are obviously not usually my specialty. |
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BrickHost
Premium
join:2004-11-18
Canada
clubs: | For clarification, Shaw is our local cable company, and I need to connect the radio to the cable coax to receive the channel. |
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Rash
Ouch
Premium
join:2002-09-27
Walkersville, MD
clubs: | reply to BrickHost
It won't and doesn't work the way you are trying to make it work. Cable is broadcast @ a frequency that your FM radio will not pick up.
Why doesn't your father in law just listen through the tv? |
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BrickHost
Premium
join:2004-11-18
Canada
clubs:
| If I knew what my father in law was thinking my life would be so much easier.
Unfortunately he wants to listen to this outside in their car port, where I've already run coax for an old tv that he watches. It's my understanding to get the radio from the TV that he would need a digital box for the tv outside, which he won't do.
Is there no other way to accomplish this? I know most of the receivers I've had have come with coax antenna connections, would something like that work? |
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battleop
join:2005-09-28
00000 | Does the Coax connect to a radio or some sort of receiver? I remember that cable companies used to transmit FM stations across their coax a long time ago. I don't remember them being out of market stations. |
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BrickHost
Premium
join:2004-11-18
Canada
clubs:
| The coax will hopefully connect from the cable co, just like any other jack, to the radio that I am trying to modify.
The following is a list of FM channels presently broadcast by our Cable Co ( Shaw)
»www.shaw.ca/en-ca/ProductsServic···ings.htm |
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battleop
join:2005-09-28
00000 | What about something like this?
»www.wholehousefmtransmitter.com/ |
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BrickHost
Premium
join:2004-11-18
Canada
clubs: | Unfortunately that doesn't support coax in, only rca. Though I could set that up on the digital box in the living room. As a last resort, it's something to consider! Thanks for your help. |
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Rash
Ouch
Premium
join:2002-09-27
Walkersville, MD
clubs:
| reply to Rash
I was going to suggest a fm transmitter attached to your tv that has the digital cable box.
Also I wasn't aware of the FM cable systems until I googled them a few mins ago not sure if you have that or not. It looks like from the wiki page I found on them there are not many left and the ones that are broadcasting don't seem to have a wide choice of channels.
Anyhow depending on the distance from the transmitter and fm radio along with an available "open" channel on the fm radio it should work. |
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BrickHost
Premium
join:2004-11-18
Canada
clubs: | Is there no other solution but an FM transmitter? Seems strange that the cable co would offer the stations if there's not some sort of solution for regular radios. |
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mr weather
Premium
join:2002-02-27
Mississauga, ON
| reply to BrickHost
I presume FM analog radio is still available via cable tv (the Shaw website link posted here asks for a postal code and I can't come up with one).
Can the radio he wants to listen to accept an external antenna? If not, the quick and dirty way would be to strip back the coax cable and touch the centre conductor to the antenna on the radio. Don't let the coax shield touch the antenna or it won't work.
--
"It's all coming down!!" - Mike Holmes |
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BrickHost
Premium
join:2004-11-18
Canada
clubs: | Thanks Mr Weather, that seemed to work though with a lot of interference. Is there a way to eliminate some of it? A noise filter? Or a more effective way of connecting the two? Thanks for all of your help. |
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mr weather
Premium
join:2002-02-27
Mississauga, ON
| Part of the problem is FM on cable uses frequencies different from those broadcasted by the radio stations (for obvious reasons). By not using a proper antenna connection you're getting the "real" FM signal leaking in and interfering with the cable FM signal.
You could try removing the collapsable antenna on the radio (presuming it has one) and attaching the coax cable centre conductor to the remaining "stump". Anything you can do to block undesirable signal ingress will help with the interference issue.
--
"It's all coming down!!" - Mike Holmes |
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LazMan
join:2003-03-26
Angus, ON
 ·TekSavvy Solutions..
| reply to BrickHost
If you get a "better" radio, that has a 300 Ohm input (usually two screw terminals) - and the balun (75 Ohm to 300 Ohm adapter) - the connection will work fine...
Touching the centre conductor to the external antenna will work, but there will be a TON of noise ingress... Which is what you're getting...
Laz |
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BrickHost
Premium
join:2004-11-18
Canada
clubs: | Thanks, that pretty much solves it! I will track down a more compatible radio. Thanks everyone for all of your help.
A happy father in law is priceless! |
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Eat Me
join:2002-09-25
Sussex, NJ
·PenTeleData
 ·Future Nine Corpor..
·VOIPo
·Vonage
| reply to mr weather
said by mr weather  :Part of the problem is FM on cable uses frequencies different from those broadcasted by the radio stations (for obvious reasons). That's not always true.
Our cable company puts most radio stations on the same frequencies that they are broadcast over the air. They do shift around a few but most are the same.
I've connected my A/V receiver to the cable and get FM that way. |
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