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Reviews For: TERK AM Advantage

Category: Receive Accessories

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Review Summary For : TERK AM Advantage
Reviews: 5MSRP: 40.00
Description:
The Terk Advantage is a passive, fully adjustable indoor antenna for the AM broadcast band. It uses a pre-tuning system that adjusts antenna to specific frequency for best reception. It covers 540 to 1700 kHz. It tunes stations that other antennas do not and tunes out static. The Advantage may be placed right next to or on top of the AM radio. This inductive coupling makes it easy to use with most portables.

For an even higher level of performance the unit may be connected to the receiver or tuner (if it has AM antenna terminals). A six foot 300 ohm cable is supplied. (This cable has a 3.5mm mini plug at one end that plugs into the antenna base and two conductor bare wire at the end that plugs into the radio's AM antenna terminals).
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.audiovox.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10001&productId=14144&langId=-1
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0054.4
K8JHR Rating: 2012-07-09
Works swell Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This is a simple aid to MW reception, just a simple loop with a variable capacitor. Nothing fancy or highly technical. You could make one, yourself, easily and cheaply enough, but this product does it all for you, in a durable and attractive form.

How does it work? Well enough, thank you, although it will NOT perform miracles. It will improve reception MOST of the time, and sometimes it will increase the reception of noise along with the intended station signal. Occasionally it will not do much at all. Other times, it may be the only thing that makes reception possible. It is, by nature, a mixed bag, owing to physics, the science of propagation, and all that jazz. Thus, no guarantees, but in most instances, it is a useful and worthwhile aid to MW reception.


Well made. Looks good. Easy to operate, and largely fool proof. Price is OK.


That is MY take. / K8JHR /
KK4GMU Rating: 2012-06-20
Not worth it for me... Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
First, the unit is solid and has a nice stand. I understand this aspect is superior to the Kaito/Grundig AM antennae.

During the day it provides a discernable (about 10db)improvement for one station in the 540 range. At night it does nothing for me; in fact when tuned it creates more noise (I'm using it on a Grundig 750.)

My two biggest gripes are these:

1. Since many or most radios this antenna might be used with have a mini phone plug antenna input I would think that they would have a mini phone plug on BOTH ends. Not so. Only on one end with bare wire on the other. Cheap! But I hear from some users that this antenna works just as well without any cord. Yes, I know, I could spring for a buck and solder my own plug at the end, but hey, they should have done this for me for 31 bucks.

2. My main concern, and the one that will cause me to return this unit, is the location of the tuning knob. With my location, the antenna is positioned 90 degrees to my radio. That means the knob is not visible. The knobs on the Grundig and Kaito antennae are located on the side. So in my situation, the knob would be facing me.

The $25 bucks for the Kaito (vs. $31 for this unit) is worth it for me for the one station I am trying to receive because the knob will be in a more convenient location, and I will have a few extra bucks to get a cord with the mini phone plugs on both ends.

K7TCE Rating: 2010-04-04
Excellent antenna Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Build quality is excellent, and it works very effectively - the null is very pronounced and you can peak a signal or null out one you don't want. To get the most out of this antenna make sure you use this in an electrically quiet area - if you have it near computers, satellite receivers, and other hash-generating devices you may be dissapointed. In my case, I use a long 3.5mm M/F extender to get it far from my home entertainment equipment.
KC7JBB Rating: 2010-04-04
Very effective on weak AM broadcast stations Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I bought one of these off of e-bay for about $35 shipped. The reason I bought the Terk was I needed a loop for my son and it's difficult to find the old Select-A-Tenna anymore. The SAT is more $ generally and gets high marks so I was a little concerned buying the Terk

No need to worry the Terk preformed very well basically matching the SAT in all ways, there was so little difference that when I thought one was a little better than the other, on a different frequency it would be the opposite, but always very close. Both antennas would make a major improvement on the signal gain and clarity over the internal ferrite bar. Receiver's used where CC+, Grundig Sat 800, Degan 1103.

It;s a great antenna plus the Terk has a jack for a plug so you could actually plug in a wire and direct connect if your receiver has a input jack, although I can not tell much difference between being directly connected and the passive interaction, both work. So bottom line if you live in a weak signal area or like to DX the weaker am signals these will really improve things.
NT9E Rating: 2009-09-09
Great for BCB DXing! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I owned one several years ago when I was recording an overnight radio show. Brings the stations right out of the noise. Superb product. You can usually find a used one on eBay for about $25-30.