I have been disappointed with all of my Amateur radio's AM band reception performance. My 1938 Zenith 12S267 yanks in stations all across the band while my Ham Radios miss a lot of them. My Yeasu FT-1000MP Mark V doesn't do too bad but the Flex was horrible using the same antenna.
While at work yesterday I was complaining to myself that I couldn't hear many of the stations even though the antenna spanned the entire width of my attic while my 12S267 has a simple wire running across a room and it seems to pick up everything.
I looked through the settings and remembered the 20db gain setting, I turned it on and all of the missing stations lit up the display like a Christmas tree. I use this setting on other bands that need it, why did I forget about it on AM?? Senior moment I guess.
Now the 6300 is picking up stations the 12S267 could only dream of so it clearly was not picking up everything, I just didn't know they were out there, ever! I'm hearing things in the Chicago area I have never heard before!
I also get an insane amount of CB signals in my area, I hadn't listened to CB since probably the 80's. I can't understand a single word any of them are saying except for the constant "break break break break break they scream into the microphone. CB has gone nuts!
Anyway, felt like sharing my senior moment... that has lasted a year... :)
AM Before applying gain
After, I know, you're all thinking DUH! The simple things that put a smile on our face.
My 12S267 from 1938.

- 324 Posts
- 32 Reply Likes
Posted 2 years ago
- 259 Posts
- 70 Reply Likes
As I was reading your post my brain went to 'broadcast band filter' - many radios have filters to block 'AM band' broadcast interference that are easily disabled to specifically enjoy AM broadcast band stations...
- 229 Posts
- 69 Reply Likes
Also learned to read the "Radio Code" on it. Having learned to read and send the Railroad Code on railroad telegraph sounders, reading the radio "thumps" was not a big issue.
This was of course before SSB so not having a BFO was not yet an issue. -Dave

- 819 Posts
- 191 Reply Likes
I wonder if anyone knows why the preamp makes such a difference (lots of noise down low and it's getting amplified just as much). Am I thinking about it wrong or is this a quirk of ham gear to deal with local high powered AM stations?
73,
Kev K4VD
Tim - W4TME, Customer Experience Manager
- 9153 Posts
- 3496 Reply Likes
- 324 Posts
- 32 Reply Likes
I have a 20m and 10m dipole attached, they're in the attic sadly.
- 819 Posts
- 191 Reply Likes
- 40 Posts
- 10 Reply Likes
Tim - W4TME, Customer Experience Manager
- 9153 Posts
- 3493 Reply Likes
- 40 Posts
- 10 Reply Likes
- 229 Posts
- 69 Reply Likes
Tim - W4TME, Customer Experience Manager
- 9153 Posts
- 3493 Reply Likes
Mike - VE3CKO, Elmer
- 403 Posts
- 170 Reply Likes
- 324 Posts
- 32 Reply Likes
Thanks Mike,
I used to have 2 of these beasts! Back in the late 60's and 70's people were throwing away tube radios and TV's like crazy. I would bring them home and get yelled at but I was able to get many of them to work but ended up giving them away or selling them cheap. Hindsight being what it is I remember a few and had I held onto them there could have been some good money made.
I have a Howard Model-0 that there is nearly no information on, it's similar to their Model-35. I got it for free not working and looking pretty bad, it's now fully restored and sounds great.
- 229 Posts
- 69 Reply Likes
A Ham was talking on 75 Meters AM from his weekend home on a lake in Northern Minnesota and he had a very strong signal. I recall clearly now 70+ years later that he had a permanent wire antenna strung between some trees at his cabin, and took his ham station back and forth from Minneapolis.
Whatever they were talking about it rang my bell hard! And whatever Ham Radio was all about I wanted it! I was already competent at CW (Railroad Telegraph Code) and was busy building little electrical projects. But this was the turning point towards RADIO, and I never looked back.
A radio just like the one shown in my post above soon appeared as my Dad (who would become a Ham many years later, after I did) brought it home from someplace. That very heavy table top radio took me through Jr High School and HS and served to constantly encourage my interest in Radio. It has served me well both professionally and avocationally the rest of my life.
It took another 9 years or so to become licensed since I did not meet real Hams until College, where a Ham Club quickly got me licensed. A used Heathkit AT-1 followed quickly, and I put a loopstick in a tabletop superhet and detuned it to 80M CW. Worked fine, even without a BFO...
(Sorry ........ more than you really wanted to know. But it all started with a big AM radio console...) -Dave
- 324 Posts
- 32 Reply Likes
- 229 Posts
- 69 Reply Likes
Mike - VE3CKO, Elmer
- 403 Posts
- 170 Reply Likes
I'd like to pickup a large standup radio like yours some day.
- 340 Posts
- 104 Reply Likes
- 324 Posts
- 32 Reply Likes
- 46 Posts
- 3 Reply Likes
Related Categories
-
FLEX-6300 Signature Series SDR
- 2775 Conversations
- 798 Followers