C. Crane Twin Coil Ferrite AM Antenna Review

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(More customer reviews)To be honest, I tried an "orphaned" TCF antenna and returned it, though not due to any fault in the unit itself. The extra tweaking needed was just not justified given the area I listen in, which already has pretty decent AM reception.
If your radio is in the free and clear, like the top of a wood-structure house, the TCF might not be for you. Bear in mind that there's no magic with radio antennas, and a powered device especially will amplify signal and noise equally, often yielding little or no audible improvement in listening quality.
Where a unit like this really shines is in an environment with compromised AM reception - like a basement or a steel-framed building - where you are able to put the antenna head out in the clear and run a cable to it. In such cases the TCF is an excellent solution to an old problem, and because it was designed by Chris Justice of C. Crane Co., it actually works as advertised, not like those photo-op pieces of plastic injection-molded junk from Terk and Radio Shack.
ONE CAVEAT - bear in mind that if you tune around a lot, you'll always be tweaking this thing, so decide ahead of time if that's for you. For extended program listening it's not really an issue.
And by all means go to CCrane's website and read up on AM reception. Those people are on the level.
I'd give you my opinion of Terk, but I just ate.
Hope that helps.
Postscript, May 26, 2008 : I just re-read my own review and think it was potentially misleading of me to suggest that the TCF is primarily useful when the antenna head is located remotely from a radio-frequency-shielded listening spot. The antenna is better than that and can work wonders with many radios, from small portables coupled "inductively", all the way up to expensive communications receivers with direct connections for external antennas. The TCF is highly directional, and having the antenna head close enough at hand to manually turn it is a great advantage. I probably should have been less stingy and given 5 stars.

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