Common Problems
The most common problems with the radio are:
1. Poor connections between wires and components. Make
sure that all the wires are stripped and solidly connected.
2. Incorrect wiring. Often the connections to the capacitor
are mis-wired or the paper is not separating one layer of foil from the
other.
3. Improper gounding. The most common
problem is that the radio is not properly grounded. The easiest way to
ground the radio is to connect the ground wire to case ground on your computer.
This would be the shield or metal casing portions on your computer.
4. Antenna problems. Most large metropolitan areas have
at least one clear channel AM station. In these areas an antenna of a few
feet hookup wire will make an adequate antenna. There are two special cases.
If you live in a rural area far from a major radio station you will need
an antenna up to a hundred feet long. In the other extreme if you are within
a mile or so of a commercial radio transmitter the signal will be so strong
that it will overwhelm the radio and it will not work.
Why isn't the radio louder?
Many people have inquired whether the radio can be made louder.
The short answer is no. You will notice that there is no battery in this
radio. All of the energy that drives the earphone in this radio comes from
the transmitter and is captured by the antenna. A radio which you would
buy at a store will require a battery or current from a wall plug. Energy
to amplify the signal ( make the radio louder) must come from such an energy
source.
Why doesn't the radio receive more
stations?
A related question is the ability to receive multiple stations.
This radio will receive one station almost anywhere and five to six stations
in many places, but will almost never receive more than six. The reason
is that the capacitor/coil tuning mechanism is less elaborate than the
circuit found in commercial radios.