2 aerials?

depending on what tuner you have, i think its probably better to have a rotor on one good aerial.

enjoy...

ken

Andy,
You're obviously not a ham radio operator! The
multiple antennas are for different
frequencies, not different direction of signal. Each antenna also requires a different
receiver! The key to choosing a ham antenna is
not to get stronger signal but to eliminate
noise and interference. Ham is an "AM"
broadcast, much different than FM or TV. I
would agree though if Tony's talking FM, then a rotator(or Magnum Dynalab ST-2 whip antenna) is best with a top-notch antenna. If you're
talking TV, then a separate UHF and VHF will
get better results than an "all in one".

Ron The Mon,
One With Four Antennas On The Roof

Maybe one for tv and one for fm it is then. The signals for radio 1, 2, 3 and 4 are quite good, but.... you always want more!
Tony

One can stack all sorts of antennae (not just yagis) but this is almost always done to provide more gain (and consequently reduce beamwidth / acceptance angle) of the combined antenna array. This results in a narrower area over which signals can be received. You will need to space antenna by the correct amount, and make suitable cabling in order to 'phase' the array (ensure the signals add up) and ensure a good impedance match.

Unfortunately in the case of FM radio that Tony is talking about, the desire for two antenna's is, I assume, to pick up stations from different directions. This is best done by switching between the two antennae, since otherwise multipath rejection will be worsened severely, as the antenna pointing in the 'wrong' direction for a given broadcast is likely to receive reflected signals.

If the stations you wish to receive are from two distinct directions, which is the situation I find myself in, being in the middle of Wrotham, serving most of the south of England, and London then two antennae with a switch may well be a simpler, cheaper and more reliable / robust installation than the complexity of a rotator.

You will need to be careful with antenna positioning / spacing though, in order to prevent the unused antenna interfering with the one in use.

The disadvantage of a rotator (unless of suitably high quality / accuracy and cost) is that you will have to subjectively assess the antenna positioning for each station, whereas a fixed installation can be just that - fixed and consequently stable, subject to acts of god.

Andy.

P.S. Ron - HAM or amateur radio is not just AM, it covers FM and a multitude of other modulation types, the lower 'short wave' frequencies, and correspondingly massive antenna's that most people associate with amateur radio are usually AM, but many operators, myself included, stick to the VHF, UHF or Microwave bands where FM is often the most common type of modulation and antenna types are very small. Multiple antennae are often used for the same frequency where very high gains are required, such as for EME (earth-moon-earth) 'moonbounce' work, where signals are transmitted and received over very long distances by bouncing them off the moon.

Andrew L. Weekes
alweekes@audiophile.com

Andy Weekes,
It was the other Andy who actually used the term "ham" originally. I used to be an avid DXer and member of the South Eastern Michigan DXers until a few years ago when the internet came along. It became silly for me to get on the net to find a radio frequency for music when the stations are now actually broadcasting on the net. And the same goes for news.
I still have a 75 foot longwire antenna in my backyard which I use for AM DXing occasionally and listening to local talk radio stations.
My advice above still stands; I think the quality of the antenna is just as critical as pointing it in the right direction. With FM, there are quite audible differences in aerials. Getting one high quality antenna with a rotator will provide better music than two lower quality "fixed" antennas.

Ron The Mon