Put a wire on the FM screws before you decide the tuner is dead. Wait on a tuner alignment if AM plays and the antenna terminals are bare. That was the trap on a Sony HP-510A: FM and AM both seemed gone at first, then AM came up, because AM never needed the missing wire.
Which antenna the terminals want
| What is back there | Buy | Skip | Shop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two screws marked FM, 300 ohm | Twin-lead dipole, one wire under each screw | An F-connector dipole for a cable jack | View Two screws marked FM, 300 ohm (affiliate) |
| Nothing in the house yet | 30 inches of wire on one screw, as a test | A roof antenna for a single local station | View Nothing in the house yet (affiliate) |
| AM plays, FM is still dead with a dipole on | Then the tuner is actually in play | Another antenna of the same type | — |
Affiliate Link • Earns Commission
The five-minute test
Power the stereo. Confirm the tape monitor is on Source. Tune AM and move the cabinet until a station is intelligible. That proves the amp and at least one speaker.
Then FM, with the antenna screws still empty. Hiss or silence here is expected. Twist about 30 inches of any insulated wire under one FM screw, stretch it out, and tune a strong local station. If the station appears, the tuner works and the permanent fix is a dipole you can leave in place.
Stretch the T horizontally. Stations that were a wash of hiss with a bare terminal come in once the dipole is up. If a strong local is still missing with the dipole connected and the switch on Source, the tuner is the next suspect, and an antenna is no longer the part to buy.