C. Crane FM Reflect Antenna
by C. Crane
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Category: CE
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: C. CraneRelease Date: 2006-09-29
Model: FMW
Color: White
Product features:
- Can increase FM Recption by 200%
- Best, affordable indoor-FM antenna
- Excellent for new HD digital radio reception
- 213% more effective than standard dipole antenna
- Easy to install
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of C. Crane FM Reflect Antenna
Customer Review: Decent improvement, no miracle
Summary: 4 Stars
Here is the correspondence thread I had with Ken at Polk Audio about poor reception. Overall, they were good response. The C.Crane antenna does work - some improvement. Start the thread at the bottom if you are interested.
Hello Ken,
Thank you for the detailed feedback, it's great having someone's opinion to be able to refer to when another person has a similar problem. I'll forward your message to the other folks in the customer service department.
Take care, Ken
From: Kenneth Nyberg
Sent: Wednesday, May 13, 2009 10:16 AM
To: Swauger, Ken
Subject: Fwd: Weak HD reception
Hi Ken,
I received my C.Crane Reflect antenna and installed it on my I-Sonic. It does actually produce a little better signal than the included dipole. Crane claims "up to 213% better". Some of the reviews I read claim that isn't happening, others claim it is no better at all than the standard dipole, and others claim fantastic improvements in reception. Based on my simple observations, Crane's claims are about right, and actually pretty impressive. I get one more station in HD than I did before, and about 1 bar better on the analog stations. That is a pretty decent signal increase. It provides apparent full quieting on the analog stations I wanted. Antenna placement with the C. Crane Reflect is even touchier than the dipole. This leads me to believe that in fact, the building is causing my reception problems. Happily my office is moving from a significantly interior one to an outside wall/window one on the side facing the transmit towers. With the C. Crane, I should get the performance I wanted out of the I-Sonic.
After living with the I-Sonic for a couple weeks, my most serious complaint is that at minimum volume, the sound level is still way too high. At the perceived steps of levels going up, there should be at least two more steps DOWN from the present lowest. This ought to be a software fix!
Thanks for your help and suggestions on the reception issue.
Ken
Begin forwarded message:
From: "Swauger, Ken"
Date: May 4, 2009 1:42:28 PM CDT
To: Kenneth Nyberg
Subject: RE: Weak HD reception
No problem...
-----Original Message-----
From: Kenneth Nyberg
Sent: Monday, May 04, 2009 2:38 PM
To: Swauger, Ken
Subject: Re: Weak HD reception
Ken,
Thanks for your reply and info. I will try some more stuff and let
you know how things work out. I really want to get this working well.
Ken
On May 4, 2009, at 1:10 PM, Swauger, Ken wrote:
Hello,
Thanks for contacting us. A couple of things to keep in mind:
1). HD radio stations are limited, by the FCC, to a small percentage
of their total signal strength for the HD portion of their broadcast.
2). It is possible the construction of the building, you are using
the radio, is blocking the radio signal. Our building, for example,
makes good FM reception very difficult.
Regards, ken, Polk Audio
-----Original Message-----
From: Kenneth Nyberg
Sent: Monday, May 04, 2009 12:07 PM
To: Swauger, Ken
Subject: Weak HD reception
REF;
I-Sonic ES2 110V
Serial AMXXXXXXXXX
LOT:3053083
Purchased Apr 28 09 from Amazon merchant
Symptoms - weak FM reception, weak HD FM reception, don't know or care
about AM reception.
Tried single wire antenna, various positions, and included dipole,
various positions. Some stations come in OK in some combinations, but
not in others. All stations are high power, high antenna (>1000') and
close local, 7 or 8 miles.
Radio is located in commercial building about 30' from outside wall.
I have an aftermarket JVC HD car radio in my car, and it gets all of
these stations with HD easily to 40+ miles, more in some cases.
The deciding factor for buying this radio over others was, first, HD
radio reception. I really like HD. The second reason is function with
iPhone.
I can do some more experimentation - I have a Wave Radio II at home
office I can bring in and see how it works in this location.
I have done a good bit of experimentation with the dipole, and above
are about the best results. Changing locations or orientation
(vertical, change "leg up") will make things worse - some stations not
coming in at all on analog FM.
HELP
Is there a software update I should be using? Any other suggestions
you can make? I had expected stuff to work a lot more smoothly than
this. The sound is very good. Some features are a little odd (presets,
lowest volume, alarm stuff) but overall are pretty useful. I like the
display on HD. I need to get a lot more reliable performance from the
FM tuner.
I appreciate your comments and suggestions on this problem.
Thanks for your help
Ken Nyberg
Description of C. Crane FM Reflect Antenna
Whether you listen to a portable radio or a top-of-the-line stereo receiver, the quality of sound coming from an FM station is dependent upon the station's signal strength in your area. Adding an FM antenna can help greatly, so be sure to select the best FM antenna for your needs. The FM Reflect Antenna will work with any portable or stereo receiver. This antenna incorporates a new dipole design for maximum gain across the entire FM broadcast band. Up to 213 percent more powerful than a standard dipole antenna, it covers the entire FM band with an almost flat response, where standard dipoles start to fall off near the end of the band. Many FM stations now broadcast their signal with circular polarization. The FM Reflect Antenna is the only FM antenna that can be adjusted to take advantage of this. It is not affected as much by surrounding objects and people as other FM antennas are.Digital Cameras & Photo Categories
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