Signal booster for portable Radio

[cliffords]

Hi
My elderly mother in a care home. I have bought her a simple portable and mains radio. It's a type suitable for elderly or those with dementia. I set it up at my house and it's good. I delivered it to her today and it can't get a signal on Digital and weak on FM. It has a simple retractable aerial and no other inputs or outputs. Talking to the home today, building in concrete and steel framed , very poor reception in all rooms . My phone does not work there either. The radio has to be very very simple for her to manage. Is there some kind of booster system I can add. She has the radio by a window. Everything I searched just now appears to need to plug into the radio. It has no inputs. Any suggestions welcome.

[megaphone]

I don't think there is much you can do, unless it can take an external aerial which I doubt.

Can she use a TV remote? Freeview has some radio channels on TV, we used to set up radio 3 for my mum when she was in a home.

[lancslad58]

You could try one of these, it clips to the aerial and is retractable.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/XHDATA-Antenna-Combinatio...

[OutInTheShed]

An old school non-DAB FM radio might have better sensitivity.

Are 'WiFi Radios' still a thing?

[Tymb]

Does the radio have a FM mono setting? My mum has terrible reception DAB useless, FM stereo very crackly but the FM mono setting is much better. I have wound a piece of wire around the aerial before to extend it and it did make a difference so the gadget above might help.

[cliffords]

Thanks all. I have ordered the gadget let's see .
The radio itself has to be super simple. It basically has a big on and off, a big volume and three preset stations .

The reception is poor though. I don't think it has mono FM.
The TV has radio but unfortunately she is unable to take on the notion of radio on a TV.
Internet radio is a good call, but holy fish they are expensive.

Thanks for the suggestions.

[cliffords]

Just to close this off the little booster linked above from Amazon, makes a big improvement .

Its just a bit of wire and a clip but makes all the difference .

Thanks for the help and suggestions .

[megaphone]

That's good news and a surprise as I thought it wouldn't work.

Hope your mother is able to use the radio. I was in a similar situation with my mother, even the simple things became difficult, it's not good to see.

[E31Shrew]

My Mum had the same issue which we solved with a small Alexa unit that she just shouted at!