Car radios with field strength indicators

[nrgkits.nz]

Does anyone know of any decent car radios with field strength indicators, doesn't need to be in db. I'm after something which will show about 6 or more bars depending on field strength so it can be used to roughly identify stations who may be exceeding the 1watt eirp limit here in NZ.

Fyi anyone is allowed to broadcast here on the FM guardbands without a license at upto 1watt eirp, regulations are here: https://gazette.govt.nz/notice/id/2010- ... umber=4604, however we do have problems from time to time with Joe Bloggs from down the road deciding he wants to broadcast, buys a 50watt TX from China, selects a random freq and wipes out everyone else. I sometime have people here asking me for help in identifying and locating non compliant stations which involves getting out all the equipment and setting it up in the car.

[teckniqs]

I don't think they exist, never seen one and I think a signal meter could be considered a distraction just like scrolling RDS which isn't permitted for use in the UK.

[radionortheast]

bet they always crank it up to afew watts in my experience 1w isn't enought barely modulator levels as albert would say! makes me wonder if theres any special conditions to do with the type of aerial, height above ground closeness to other radio stations in america they have part 15 am/fm which has all kinds of rules on the aerial and field strenght. Suppose you'd never get 50w throught an aerial if it had a ferrite balun that would be another way to enforce it los of smoking transmitters! some where for albert to light his pipe!

[Albert H]

If you've got an Android phone you need an OTG adaptor lead, an RTL / SDR USB ($15) and the cheap "RF Analyser" software. You set the scan range for 87.5 to 108 MHz and you get a panoramic display of what the receiver can "see". It will even demodulate each peak as you tune up and down the band. This will allow you to make comparative field strength tests of all the stations in the vicinity of the receiver.

I bought one of these cheap SDR USB efforts and have been astonished by how well it works. The right software allows you to receive DAB, amateur NBFM and SSB transmissions, and even TV (if your Android phone has sufficient processing power).

Recently, LB bought a cheap SDR dongle and an Amazon 7" Fire tablet (on sale today for £25) and has configured it as a basic panoramic receiver, spectrum analyser, test receiver, modulation analyser and so on. The whole set-up cost less than £50!

[gobuddy]

My VW RCD510 has real-time field strength meters for both the diversity aerials. It's in the setup menu.

[87to108]

Some VAG car radios: Hold MENU button for about 10 seconds - to get into a test mode with signal strength display

to get out of this mode, repeat the above or just turn radio off and on again

[mrillusion]

isnt that technically grassing???

[nrgkits.nz]

I'm using a Pioneer at the moment, works relatively well although it's tuner sensitivity isn't as great as some of the Jap radios but does the job for what I need it for. Also works well for doing broadcast tests from my own house.

The sat dish icon shows feild strength in 4 bars.

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[yellowbeard]

I must admit I have always liked to jump out of the car every few miles and have a twiddle on a portable, getting into a car stereo is too tricky and no-one is really going to listen to a weakish signal on the move. Compared it to the listenable range on a portable radio/whip antenna and the point in a car where it starts getting choppy. Back in the day we did Dun Laoghaire to Clogherhead on a drive, 35 miles straight up the East coast of Ireland all along the sea. The car radio was chiefly missing any time the road went inland after about 8 or 10 miles though.

[radionortheast]

I must admit I have always liked to jump out of the car every few miles and have a twiddle on a portable, getting into a car stereo is too tricky and no-one is really going to listen to a weakish signal on the move. Compared it to the listenable range on a portable radio/whip antenna and the point in a car where it starts getting choppy. Back in the day we did Dun Laoghaire to Clogherhead on a drive, 35 miles straight up the East coast of Ireland all along the sea. The car radio was chiefly missing any time the road went inland after about 8 or 10 miles though.

thats true, nice to have something on air thought even if it is abit weak used to love the st sign coming on our ford rds radio even thought it would come on when it was weak.