- Most fixes are free: move the radio, extend the antenna, change rooms.
- Many stations are licensed to suburbs, so their signal may favor one side of the city.
- For weather alerts, a weather radio uses separate frequencies.
Boston’s radio dial is full, which is great until the station you want fades into static or another station bleeds into it. Most reception problems at home have simple causes and free fixes. Before buying anything, work through this list.
Start with where the station comes from
Not every Boston station is licensed to Boston. According to the FCC’s public files, WEEI-FM is licensed to Lawrence, WXRV to Andover, WROR-FM to Framingham, WKLB-FM to Waltham and WCRB to Lowell. A station’s license town does not tell you exactly where its transmitter is, but it is a hint that its signal may be stronger on one side of the metro area than the other. See Boston Radio Stations by Frequency: FM and AM Dial Guide for the full list.
Fixes for a home radio
| Problem | Try this first |
|---|---|
| Static on FM | Move the radio to a window and fully extend the wire or telescoping antenna |
| Station fades when you move | Change the antenna’s angle; try it horizontal as well as vertical |
| Buzzing on AM | Move the radio away from TVs, chargers, LED bulbs and computers, then rotate the radio itself |
| Two stations mixing | Move the radio a few feet; switch the radio to mono if it has the option |
| Weak everywhere in the house | Try a higher floor, or connect an outdoor or attic FM antenna |
Tip: AM radios usually have an antenna built inside the case, so turning the whole radio is often what helps, not touching a wire.
Buildings and basements
Brick, stone, concrete and steel all weaken signals, and Boston has plenty of each. Basements and interior rooms are the hardest places to listen. If you live in an older building with thick walls, a radio in a window on an upper floor will usually beat a better radio in the middle of the apartment.
In the car
- Tunnels and underground garages block most broadcast signals; expect a dropout.
- Tall buildings downtown can cause flutter as you drive past them.
- If one station is weak on your commute, look for the same station’s stream in its app and play it through the car’s audio when parked or using hands-free controls.
A quick test before you buy anything
Take a small battery radio and walk it around your home on a station you care about. Try each window, each floor and both sides of the building, and note where the signal is clean. It takes ten minutes, costs nothing and tells you whether the problem is your radio, your room or your location. If the station is clear by one window and nowhere else, a radio with an external antenna connection placed there is a cheap fix.
Interference from your own devices
Many reception problems start inside the house. Phone chargers, LED bulbs, routers, dimmer switches and computers can all add noise, especially on AM. Switch devices off one at a time while listening; when the buzz drops, you have found the culprit, and moving the radio a few feet away from it is often enough.
Low-power college stations
Some college stations at the bottom of the FM dial, such as WMBR at MIT or WZBC at Boston College, are aimed mainly at their own neighborhoods. If they are hard to hear where you live, their websites stream the same programming.
When streaming makes more sense
If a station simply does not reach your home well, its online stream is the easiest fix. Almost every Boston station streams through its own site or app. Keep a battery radio for emergencies anyway, because streams stop when power and internet go down.
If you rent, you can usually still improve FM reception without drilling anything. A simple wire antenna taped along a window frame or the top of a bookcase near a window often makes a noticeable difference, and it comes down without a trace when you move out.
Finally, check the obvious. A loose antenna connector, a cheap extension cable or a radio set to the wrong band can all look like a reception problem. Before blaming your location, reconnect everything, make sure the radio is on FM or AM as intended, and try another station on the same frequency band. If every station is weak, the problem is the setup; if only one is, it is that station’s signal where you are.
Weather radio is a different band
NOAA Weather Radio, including Boston’s KHB35 on 162.475 MHz, uses VHF frequencies that ordinary FM radios do not receive. If you want those broadcasts, you need a weather radio or scanner. See Boston Weather and Storm Coverage: Where to Get Forecasts and Warnings.
Rooftop antennas for FM
An outdoor FM antenna can help a lot in distant suburbs, but it comes with the same safety rules as any rooftop antenna: keep it well clear of power lines and ground the mast. Read Rooftop TV Antennas in New England Weather: Safety, Grounding and Storms before you start.