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ForestCoCabin
Member
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# Posted: 10 Oct 2026 11:29pm
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I had a metal roof installed a now it’s like living in a faraday cage. We no longer have decent FM Radio reception. Has anyone had to deal with this? I can go outside and get a signal but that isn’t a long term solution. Any ideas I’m not wanting to install a tower or something that turns into a lightning rod.
Thanks
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FishHog
Member
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# Posted: 11 Oct 2026 07:34am
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Yup. Hard on cell reception as well. We just added a cell booster with an external antenna. It’s only 8” high and hardly a lightening rod.
FM antennas won’t even have to be up high. I suspect a piece of wire strung outside will work but ou will have to enter through a wall somewhere.
Do a search for fm antennas, I’m sure there will be lots of options
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Brettny
Member
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# Posted: 11 Oct 2026 08:53am
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I have a metal roof and even in the gambrel 2nd floor cell and Fam service is fine.
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gcrank1
Moderator
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# Posted: 11 Oct 2026 04:09pm
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We have had hardly any reception inside with a metal roof. We get a few stations but we mostly dont care anymore, part of the quality cabin time is not having the 'normal' noise going on. Ive read that some just stream stuff on their 'device', whatever that means....
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branbin
Member
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# Posted: 13 Oct 2026 08:04am
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Had the same issue at our place. What helped was running a simple FM dipole antenna outside, just mounted on the side of the cabin under the eave, not up high. Ran the coax in through a small hole by the window frame and sealed it up. Reception went from barely anything to clear on most stations.
If you'd rather not drill, try putting the radio right next to a window first. Glass lets signal through, so sometimes just moving it a few feet makes a big difference. A low wall-mounted antenna shouldn't be any more of a lightning concern than your gutters are.
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909
Member
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# Posted: 21 Oct 2026 01:44pm
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Even though I too installed metal roofing, I'm so grateful I didn't wrap the entire building in metal siding. Not only is radio affected but cellular and data as well.
BTW, my radio is next to a window with excellent reception. Maybe moving it might help.
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spencerin
Member
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# Posted: 22 Oct 2026 12:48am
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Yes, I've had metal roofing and siding impact, but not eliminate, TV and cell reception.
They do have "ribbons" with co-ax connectors so you can run them through a window opening and still shut the window on them. That way you can have an antenna outside without drilling or window gaps.
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volnis
Member
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# Posted: 25 Oct 2026 12:35pm
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A metal roof can definitely weaken FM reception indoors. One thing worth trying is an outdoor FM antenna mounted under the eaves or just below the roofline, connected to the radio with coaxial cable. It doesn't necessarily need to be on a tall tower to work well. You could also try placing a simple dipole antenna near a window facing the station's transmitter. If you have several stations you listen to, an external antenna may make a big difference. The best option will depend on how far away the stations are and the direction their signals come from.
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