"MC_Emily" wrote in message
...
Hi everyone

I'm hoping someone can help me with this problem and I'm sure the solution
is very simple )

Because of the bad weather (!) my horses are spending a lot of their time
inside, so I've got the radio on for them for a bit of 'human' company.
However, the aerial is broken and only has a stubby bit left on, you know,
the bit with the other bit that turns it round. So, at the moment I'm
using, well, I don't know what it is really. I think it's a length of
tube
from a caravan awning. It's about 3' long. I found it hanging around and
it seems to work....to a point. I just sort of balance it on the stubby
bit
and lean it against the wall. It's certainly better than nothing but the
reception is hopeless! The type of building might not help either - it's
part block, part wood, with a metal roof and concrete floor.

Anyway, I like to have it on Lincs FM (102.2) but like I said the
reception
is hopeless - lots of 'squelchy' noises, fading in and out, disappearing
completely then returning at full volume!! And that's if I stand still!!!
Is there anything better I can use as an aerial? Does it need to be
higher
up, like close to the roof, to pick up the signal? Or am I just stuck
with
this because we're a bit out in the sticks? I'm sure the original aerial
worked better than this!!

Thanks for any help.



Easy - get a wire coar hanger, straighten the hook part any way you can,
yank the hanger part into a square with your fingers, jam the straightened
hook part into the stubby remnant of the original aerial, switch on, tune
into to your desired station, swivel the coat hanger until you get the
cleanest reception, turn up the volume to the desired level, give each horse
a Polo mint.

(Experiment with different types of wire coat hanger - some swear the sound
from a silver-finished one is a little on the 'bright' side....)

Enjoy (er, that's to the horses.... ;-).