Car radios are excellent receivers for detecting meteors. They are:

With a few modifications they can easily be used for detecting meteors.

We have tended to use Chrysler radios and know some of the quirks involved with using them. Other makes may work as well. Here are some of the modifications required to set up your system.

Pictured here is a Chrysler radio model 4469088, front and rear view. The back of the radio is where all the connections and modifications are made so it will work as a radio meteor detector. All digital car radios have similar pin connections although they are arranged in different configurations.

The pieces that need to be added to the car radio are:

Make the connections to the radio using a soldering iron. Note that the one lead (marked "B+" on the diagram) of the DC adapter connects to both of the last two pins on the right hand set of pins on the back of the radio. The wire marked "+" on the electrolytic capacitor connects to the 3rd pin from the left on the right hand set of pins. The adapter wire marked "B-" on the diagram should connect to one of the screws on the back of the radio. This is called the "ground." One wire from the resistor, and one from the audio jack should also connect to the ground. The other wire on the resistor connects to the negative lead (wire) on the capacitor and to the other wire from the audio jack.

  This picture shows what is called a "Motorola Jack" named after the company that designed and makes these cable connectors. The circle on the top left hand corner of the rear of the radio is where this jack goes. But first, you must attach it to the end of the coaxial cable coming from the antenna. Before your system will work properly, you must insert the jack into the antenna connected at the top left corner in the back of the radio.

Follow this link to see how to operate the radio for detecting meteors.