[2016] AM Radio at Grande Vista

[Rush]

K so I just checked in, and saw that they had "upgraded" the clock radios, meaning that the new ones no longer have AM...

GRRRRRRRRR

Soooooo, I called, and they kindly delivered "one of the old ones", which ostensibly gets AM, however, reception is atrocious - to the point where you can't meaningfully make out anything on either AM or FM...

Which leads me to ask - is the "old one" which they delivered [which looks brand spankin' new] defective, or has AM reception gone the way of the dodo bird at Grande Vista, for whatever reason...

Oh and, I should mention, I used to get stellar AM reception on the old clock radios here - as recently as last January...

:annoyed:

 

[dioxide45]

Is the radio they delivered the same as the radio you last used in January? It could be a defective radio or a bad antenna. Or even a bad speaker. Most AM radios have a black wire antenna that hangs out the back. Does this radio have one of those, it may be bundled up. Try stretching it out or look to see if it perhaps has been cut off.

Looking at this website, there appears to be some high powered AM radio stations in Orlando. Try seeing if you can get any reception in your car while at the resort. If they work in the car, perhaps just try asking for another old clock radio.

 

[Clark]

What's a radio?

 

[bogey21]

I listen to the radio (both AM and FM) all the time for music, talk shows, play by play of sporting events, etc. In addition I still use a clam shell cell phone with text messaging and voice mail blocked. I also watch cable TV and don't stream video. I'm not against all the new stuff. Rather I'm too lazy to learn how to use them.

George

 

[Passepartout]

Radio is alive and well. It's the receivers available today that suck. Little tinny speakers and imprecise analog and vernier tuners in clock radios meant more for alarms are prime offenders. I had to shop for one of those recently, and found phone chargers, aux inputs, wave sound generators, digital clocks big and small in rainbow colors, and all sorts of crap. But lousy radio tuners and sound were everywhere.

It won't help your timeshare stay, because the HOA or mgmt. Is price driven and couldn't care less how the radio works.

So try this: listen to radio on the internet. I use 'tune-in dot com', but there are lots of services playing tens of thousands of stations worldwide. That means if you have a favorite station or program at home, you can listen to it from anywhere and likely any time.

Jim

 

[Rush]

Is the radio they delivered the same as the radio you last used in January? It could be a defective radio or a bad antenna. Or even a bad speaker. Most AM radios have a black wire antenna that hangs out the back. Does this radio have one of those, it may be bundled up. Try stretching it out or look to see if it perhaps has been cut off.

Looking at this website, there appears to be some high powered AM radio stations in Orlando. Try seeing if you can get any reception in your car while at the resort. If they work in the car, perhaps just try asking for another old clock radio.

Good suggestions, thanks...

It looks like the same clock radios they used to have, so I'll ask them for a replacement of the replacement...

I like to listen to talk radio when I go to bed at night, and really miss not being able to do so...

Thanks again!!

 

[bogey21]

Radio is alive and well. It's the receivers available today that suck.

Finally, after 2 false starts I finally found a radio that works for me. It is a Sangean AM-FM with digital tuning. If I put batteries in, it will be portable but I am happy just plugging it into an electric outlet.

George

 

[Rush]

Success!

Took some doing, but they found a different clock radio from the ones they had most recently been using, and the AM reception works fine...

So, as Dioxide had correctly posited, the replacement they had brought yesterday was a dud...

Will probably have to bring an AM radio from now on, in order to avoid this song n dance...

Anyway, all is right in the world...

 

[rrickyg]

Great advice but you'll find it at tunein.com, no hyphen.

 

[MikeM132]

Is the radio they delivered the same as the radio you last used in January? It could be a defective radio or a bad antenna. Or even a bad speaker. Most AM radios have a black wire antenna that hangs out the back. Does this radio have one of those, it may be bundled up. Try stretching it out or look to see if it perhaps has been cut off.

Looking at this website, there appears to be some high powered AM radio stations in Orlando. Try seeing if you can get any reception in your car while at the resort. If they work in the car, perhaps just try asking for another old clock radio.

Searching for something else at Grande Vista and found this. The black wire is an FM antenna. Radio will either have one of these or use the power cord as an antenna. The AM antenna will be inside the radio and is a ferrite bar wrapped in very thin wire. Hey, I'm a radio guy, sorry.

 

[dioxide45]

Searching for something else at Grande Vista and found this. The black wire is an FM antenna. Radio will either have one of these or use the power cord as an antenna. The AM antenna will be inside the radio and is a ferrite bar wrapped in very thin wire. Hey, I'm a radio guy, sorry.

And I am still here eight years later to learn from the correction!