Excellent Outdoor FM Antennas

I'll second Talon4. I'm using an APS-9 on a ten foot mast on my roof. Not a high WAF, but it sure gets the job done. I also agree that Rich Modafferi does terrific work on tuners. He went through my Marantz 10B, and it has never sounded better.

You need a Winegard HD HD6055P, and a Channel Master CM 9521A rotator. I have this setup, and enjoy excellent FM on my Denon TU-800 from a fave station 140 miles away--CBC radio in Canada. I easily get nearly full signal strength from powerful stations from broadcast antennas located 50-60 miles away over curvy terrain.

The APS pieces are really nice, and really expensive.

terrain. Because I spent a number of years selling and servicing audio in a area with limited FM radio classic choices - a LOT of my customers went thru gyrations in a attempt to get WFMT from Chicago.Terrain - most definitely including taller buildings even a pretty good distance away - if they are between you and the target transmitters antenna- you aren't going to get the station(s) you want.
Most areas have one or two antenna installers who are actually very knowledgeable about what can and can not be accomplished from your area.These are the guys who can typically stand in your yard and point out two to five antennas they have installed and tell you what the results were.As a group - antenna installers tend to be guys who will tell you what they want to use and what you can expect and are pretty much uninterested in what you want to install.My way or the highway.They are real ,real busy right now with everyone discovering the hard way that broadcast Digital TV does work lots better with a out door antenna.
BTW - I have been very pleased with the sound and programing variety available on the B channels of the HD radio services.

Try www.antennaperformance.com for your outdoor antenna. I have their APS-13 antenna. It's 16' long. If you get it high enough, you should be able to get 100-150 miles. (By the way, I noticed that they only have the APS-9b to order right now. You may have to email for the APS-13.) For your tuners, try www.audioclassics.com and click on service. I have a McIntosh MR71 that Richard Modafferi worked on- (aligned and cleaned). It came back sounding amazing and looked new. Mr. Modafferi also does extensive mods on McIntosh fm units. Good Luck! Stan

Look into a tower; you will get better results by getting the antenna up in the air. Take it from an old ham.

Large, multi-element directional antenna with rotor has always been + remains the best.

For something a bit different, have you tried a good internet radio setup like with Squeezebox or Roku network receiver/players?

Internet radio is pretty good sound quality these days, variety of stations is astronomical, and sure is nice not having to muck with antennas anymore!

Audio Classics in Vestal N.Y. is a good place to send your Mac for tune up. You can also send it back to Mac.

I'm in central Florida, so I have a 200 mile shot to get Tampa, Jacksonville and Miami, luckily no mountains to go over. I have a 50 foot crankup tower that's been up since the 70's.
I've always been happy with Wineguard antennas. The good antennas are directional so you will need a rotator. Also there are amplifiers available to further increase the signal. Make sure you get the antenna as high as possible and away from trees. Also make sure you ground the antenna outside, lightning is not your friend!
I would also recommend a good grade of coax cable for your signal and a coax grounding block installed near the entry point on your house.
If it sounds like a lot of work... it is, but the sound quality is worth it. Also, a good installation will last for years with little to no maintenance.
Good luck with it!
Paul

Re Pmotz's comments - I can only add that you can optomize an outdoor directional antenna by adding a rotor so you can point it directly at the station you are trying to bring in. I think that is why you wanted an omni, so you could get stations from different locations on the compass.

But here is an alternative if you mainly listen to a few long distance stations from the same point on the compass, but also would like to get a lot of local channels close by. In addition to a long distance fixed antenna, set up a small omni (even in the attic). Then run the two cables down to a switch at your system and select the antenna you want to use depending of the station you want to hear. That may be the reason why some tuners have options for selecting from different antennas. Anyway, it works for me.

The omni Wkhanna recommends is an excellent one, however, if you are really trying to get stations 100-150 miles away you will need a directional antenna. A BIG directional antenna. FM signals travel line of sight so the curvature of the earth will limit or prevent them from travelling that far. The height of the antenna certainly makes a difference, and there are atmospheric conditions that can help intermittently (when signals can travel hundreds of miles) but you can't rely on that. There are some very nice directional antennas available, try searching the archives for recommendations.

Have you seen this one?
http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=MDST2
I have a Magnum Dynalab, too, but live in a metro area. No need for a special antenna.

Can't help with repair shop referral, though.