Greg Myers

Overall Rating
 2 of 5

Value Rating
 2 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $80.00 from Magnum Dynalab

Summary:
Bought this antenna with the hopes of using it for FM Dx'ing instead of sitting my car. I mounted it vertical at a height of @13' with @15' RG6 and thus far it has performed terrible. I can go to car and hear semi-locals easily and come back to my tuner and have not even a hint of the same signal reaching my radio. Prime example was listening during some enhanced conditions and could hear stations competing with each other- one in Jacksonville, FL (@200+ mi) and Sarasota, FL (@50mi) with the Jacksonville station overpowering the Sarasota signal- checking inside on a Sony HD receiver with the ST-2- not even a hint of either signal- which pretty much summed it up for me that it was not money well spent. I works well for local reception ie. within 20mi, that is it beats cheap dipoles, but it is certainly not for use by anyone other than a casual listener.

Strengths:
Beats a cheap dipole

Weaknesses:
Not for the hobyist

Price Paid:  $130.00 from Soundstage, Waterloo

Summary:
The ST2 FM antenna made a vast improvement on my system whuch includes a Magnum Dynalab FT 101A Tuner (1997) and Bi-amped with twin Sugden AU41 amplifiers. I have orderes as well a Magnum Dynalab Signal Sleuth. Money well spent.

Strengths:
A strong clear signal (mounted 25 feet up on an existing antenna) 80 feet from the tuner.

Weaknesses:
None

Similar Products Used:
None

Price Paid:  $60.00

Summary:
Living in a flat in the nearby of Paris, I was looking for a better indoor performer than the given dipole antenna which is usually supplied in every tuner’s package. Because a friend of mind warmly recommended the ST-2 model I finally bought the equivalent (original making?) Metz AM/FM model which IMHO is actually the same reference as the Magnum Dynalab ST-2 and Fanfare FM2-G versions (have a look at Metz website), but at a cheaper price. I found myself rather sceptical while opening the packaging; it looks like a CB or Marine antenna that has been tailored (tweaked?) for FM reception, and the ugly/ utilitarian style combined with the rather bulky design (whip length) don’t integrate very well with a nice looking living room. OK, OK, you can hide it behind a curtain or furniture but at the expense of reception quality: in ST-2 manual it is clearly recommended to keep the antenna away from walls (a big challenge for an indoor antenna !), TV mast and any reflective vertical surface (so what is the mounting bracket for?) to avoid the ST2 becoming directional. So here we start the painstaking process to find out the right antenna location which would combine the best FM reception with the famous Woman Acceptance Factor. But let’s start with the reception quality first; as my tuner provides two FM antenna inputs, I could plug the ST2 in direct comparison with the cheapo dipole antenna which hangs along the wall. After scanning across the FM band and searching the best ST-2 locations & positions everywhere in the room (my wife was outside for shopping ) during a whole afternoon, I came up to the bitter conclusion; my dipole is better and not only by a small margin! Not only the strength meter indicated 3 more LED’s with the dipole than with the ST-2, but it also provided a far cleaner sound with less hiss and noise. Even worse, with the ST-2 some radio stations (usually strong and good )could’nt tune in stereo, or simply kept muted ! I couldn’t believe my dirty $2 dipole could beat the 60 $ “state of the art” passive FM antenna, so I double-checked again and again all connectors, coaxial cable, locations etc…. with no success . The ST-2 simply doesn’t make it.

Strengths:
1) Strength, what strength? Are you talking about the absent strength LED indication while using the ST-2 ? 2) My wife is happy

Weaknesses:
Weakness: only mine is to blame, because I believed a smart guy managed to defy the physics law ! Only outdoor directional antenna can provide strong and clean signal, period.

Similar Products Used:
cheapo dipole antenna, various active indoor models

Price Paid:  $80.00 from Son-Or Filtronique, Montreal

Summary:
I own an Audio Refinement Tuner Complete and listen exclusively to an all classical FM station in Montreal, CJPX 99.5.

My prior setup included a cheap dipole antenna. Signal strenght has always been strong but I was hearing all kinds of multipath interference and ghost artifacts.

I originally considered upgrading my dipole with the Magnum Dynalab SR100 (Silver ribbon antenna). A salesman at my hi-fi store recommended that I go with a permanent solution, the Magnum Dynalab ST-2 antenna.

I was skeptical about the ST-2 has I have read mixed reviews about it. The salesman offered to take it back if I was not satisfied. He will not be taking it back.

Installation is effortless. I am unable to install the antenna outdoors, so I installed it in front of a large bay window simply by driving a 1" nail in the top window frame and letting the ST-2 hang vertically upside down on a piece of thread. No need to drill unnecessary holes.

Once I had connected the 75 ohm coaxial cable to my tuner, I started an attentive listening session. The results
are staggering. The sound has been completely transformed. No more multipath interference, the FM signal is focused and clean. Best of all is the improved sound dynamics. When given a good FM signal, this antenna clearly demonstrates the potential of FM broadcasting.

To owners of good tuners; do yourselves a favor and try out this antenna. Very highly recommended.

Strengths:
Robust, easy installation. Greatly improves FM signal quality.

Weaknesses:
None.

Price Paid:  $15.00 from rdio shack

Summary:
Tried the ST2 with my MD 101A w/Etude upgrade and got a better soundstage however, for grins I hooked up an old base-loaded CB antenna to my MD and there was the same performance. When horizontal, reception was even better but got some multipath, depending on direction of transmitter from me. CB antenna saved me $70 compared to the ST2. Try it for fun.