Quote:
Originally Posted by Weirdcuba
...Call Jim Richards back and get a used MD and I think you’ll be more than pleased.
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Several sub-topics in this post -- it's gotten rather long I'm afraid:
1) In direct response to Weirdcuba, I haven't heard back from Richards yet; but it appears I can afford a new MD 90T, which has pretty impressive specs. Is it really worth looking at the fancier models, especially given that my amp. lacks balanced inputs?
2) I'm still dithering about the DaySequerra M4.2Si though. The audio quality is the big unknown, but there doesn't seem to be a practical way to audition it as the local dealer doesn't have one. Surprisingly, no audiophile appears to have reviewed it (designed primarily as a signal-quality monitor for broadcast engineers), and nobody on this forum seems to have tried it. (Yes???) It's much less expensive than the MDs, and it may have a better chance of pulling in the station I most want (although there's another good one that will be fairly easy to quiet). A side benefit is being able to experiment with HD, although that's not the main motivation.
3) Here's the reception problem I'm confronting: WBJC is a superb classical station in the NW suburbs of Baltimore, MD. I'm about 31 mi SSW of their transmitter in the NW suburbs of Washington, DC (not a major problem in itself) but also slightly behind a hill. Mike Pappas (DaySequerrra) ran his fancy reception analysis for me -- he's a really helpful guy! -- which shows a received signal level of -53 dBm, but also "1Edge path" (apparently means not line-of-sight).
4) My current step-wise plan of attack is as follows:
4A) I have already installed a 4-element yagi in my un-insulated attic. (An outdoor mast is not an option here.) Pointing it toward vs. away from WBJC does show a significant increase on the signal-level meter of the ancient Yamaha CT-800, but not enough to quiet the noise sufficiently, even in mono. (My car radio parked on the street about 30 ft below the antenna gets the signal fine.)
4B) I've ordered an MD-205 and plan to try inserting it between the antenna and the Yamaha. If that gets me a usable signal, I'm pretty sure it's worth buying a new tuner for this station. If not, maybe I have to stream...
4C) If (B) works out, buy either the DaySequerra or the best MD that I can afford and hope for the best.
Does this make sense? Any suggestions or modifications? -- Clark2