Radio for my workshop

[PhotonWrangler]

I'll bet you can improve things a little more by ch anging the ballasts in the fluorescent lamps to electronic high frequency ballasts. That will reduce the 60-120hz interference that tends to desensitize the front end of the radio.

 

[StarHalo]

Update : I attached a 5 ft long piece of #22 awg copper insulated wire to the AM antenna screw and I can now get stations 300 to 500 miles away !

Stations 500 miles away should be no challenge for the SRIII; either of my Sonys, which don't have the antenna/sensitivity of the GE, can listen in on stations roughly 1,000 miles away in the evening. And I don't see how 5' of wire would make a difference, unless there's something wrong with the ferrite antenna on your particular unit. A longwire antenna for non-shortwave AM listening usually needs to be several hundred feet long, not an option indoors and not possible without grounding..

You might check your SRIII against another quality radio to ensure it's operating properly.

 

[Radiophile]

I agree. 5' of wire is almost nothing for AM BCB frequencies. At 1MHz a 1/4 wave antenna would be about 234' long. That's why loopstick antennas are used to reduce the size of the antenna by using a ferrite rod to increase the Q of the antenna.

Additionally, signals from distances of 100 miles or greater are usually skywave propogation and not groundwave propogation. Skywave signals are usually as strong as local groundwave signals because of the nature of the propogation. So hearing signals from distances greater than 100 miles away isn't an indication of a well performing radio. Local interference could still be an issue and strong signals from propogation are the only signals that can overcome the interference.

Attach a wire antenna of 50' or more to the radio and ground the radio too. See if the local reception improves as well as distant stations.