Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with reception

Recommend magnetic clips for radio's power cord/antenna?

anonymice — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 16:04:39 -0800

Recommend magnetic clips for radio's power cord/antenna? I have a kitchen under-cabinet cd player/radio. (Sony ICF-CD543RM.) Its power cord doubles as a radio antenna. But FM reception is weak and intermittent depending on time of day. Right now I have the cord stretched horizontally along the backsplash behind the sink to the outlet on the other side of the counter, using adhesive cord clips to keep it out of sight. But depending on the time of day, there's too much static to listen to the radio.

What I'd love to do is put some magnetic clips on the underside of my (metallic) kitchen cabinets to hold the radio's power cord. Then I could move the clips around to put the cord in the least staticky configuration for that time of day, while keeping the cord invisible.

Has anybody ever done this? Are there any magnetic clips that work well for this purpose? And -- here's where I reveal my technical ignorance -- would putting magnets close to the antenna interfere with radio reception?

Using external tv antenna for mobile reception...?

ryanbryan — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 03:01:22 -0800

Is there any way to use my external TV antenna to improve my mobile signal inside my house? Situation: I can receive 3G mobile reception upstairs in my house, but not downstairs... upstairs there is a port that runs to the external tv antenna which isn't being used. Is there any way I can use this (by buying some other kind of equipment obv.) to improve the mobile reception through my whole house?

The snowblower really is her second choice

These Premises Are Alarmed — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:12:37 -0800

My wife would love an iPhone for Christmas. She totally deserves one, too, but AT&T coverage at our house is nonexistent. What should I do? We live on a peninsula near a very small airport on Long Island Sound in Connecticut. The poor coverage could be a total lack of infrastructure, or maybe it's because the tower is lower than normal due to the airport. My Verizon Blackberry will sometimes think I'm on Long Island.

When my mother visited for a week with her non-iPhone 3G handset, she got no signal the entire time she was in our house. Friends with iPhones have had a similar experience. It's conceivable there's a corner where she could get one bar, but we haven't found it.

We currently have out-of-contract Verizon phones that work tolerably at home. If it's a more than 30 second conversation we will use the home phone, but at least when someone calls, we hear a ring 75% of the time. That said, she is not interested in a Droid phone or anything other than the real deal from Apple. She has a Blackberry and will want to continue to use whatever she gets for her primary email account.

She actually doesn't care if she doesn't have good cell phone coverage at home, but I do and will be annoyed if I have to call two numbers to reach her. Plus, I'll want to get an AT&T phone for myself and want it to work at home. We have and will continue to have a land line. We've moved recently and plan to get new numbers with any new service.

So is there any solution? Ideas I've had:

1) Is there any iPhone application or setting that would do something like "If I'm on $home_wifi, forward all calls to $home_number."? This would be *perfect* but I suspect isn't possible.

2) Would an external or roof antenna help? What do they cost and how difficult are they to set up?

3) What's up with the AT&T Femtocell? Will it ever be available in CT (even though I find the idea of paying extra for basic coverage so distasteful) ?

4) We both have Google Voice accounts, could this be used to *automatically* route an incoming call in a helpful (eg, location-based) manner?

To summarize: Is there a simple, automatic way to make an iPhone worthwhile when there's no AT&T coverage at your home? Or should I just get her the snowblower that's her second choice?

We'll kiss, but only if you work for it.

spinturtle — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 09:46:40 -0800

I can't believe I'm actually using a question for this, but wevs. My SO and & are getting married on Saturday. We completely and totally do *not* want glass-clinking at our reception. Seriously. At the same time, we realize that there should be some kind of 'hey you should kiss' thing, in order to avoid total anarchy. We've been to weddings where they've had alternate ideas - for example, if you want the couple to kiss, you must come up and recite a poem using a specific word, or sing a verse of a song, etc. These went over really well. I'm somewhat of an 80's pop music savant, so we're really keen on using the question cards from 80's Trivial Pursuit (small, portable, no singing). Problem - we won't have a microphone, as we're doing iPod dj, so aren't sure how to actually implement this. The venue is small, and we'll have under 70 guests. We'll be at a sweetheart table, right in the middle of the action. Do we just stand up and yell "hey, if you want us to kiss you have to come up and answer a question!"? If someone comes up to answer a question (the box would be on our table), do we have to get the whole room's attention so it can be done 'out loud', or do we just let people notice if they happen to notice, and not worry if they don't?

Any ideas/advice greatly appreciated.

I can't believe the things that are stressing me out this week, vs. the things that are going smoothly. Is it over yet?

get my matrimony on, under the stars but OUTTA THE RAIN.

mittenbex — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 21:24:30 -0800

What can I expect to pay for a tent, dance floor! and tables/chairs for an outdoor wedding on Long Island? Someone here must have experience with this. I'm thinking it's going to be 75-100 guests.

Anyone have any idea/personal experience and willing to share what you paid -- better yet, vendor recommendations?

How can I politely decline a wedding invitation

Anonymous — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 14:23:14 -0800

Please help me decline a wedding reception invitation.

I've received an invitation to a wedding reception that I can't attend. I'd like to RSVP, but I'm a little unsure about the correct etiquette.

The invitation is addressed to myself, just a card with the usual stuff about the couple, the time, the place, etc. There's no card to RSVP with.

1] Is it good form to send another card back, or should I write a note? Or maybe both? Should I explain why I can't attend, or just say that I can't?
2] Is it still appropriate to send a gift even though I won't be attending? I was thinking about something along the lines of a gift card to the local shopping centre - is this OK? The couple have been living together for a few years now, so I figure they have toasters and such.
3] Who do I address the RSVP envelope to? Inside the invitation, it says "Mr & Mrs [name of bride's father] request the pleasure.....".

Is there anything else I should/shouldn't do?

Possibly relevant info: I know the couple through work, but we're not really close - I've seen them once in the past year. I'd have liked to have gone, but work commitments prevent me from attending. Anything else you need to know, please email auto309889@hushmail.com.

Radio Interference Along the Beltway

jocelmeow — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 09:55:28 -0800

What causes massively scrambled FM radio reception along the Capital Beltway near Falls Church, Virginia? There is a stretch of the Beltway in Northern Virginia where the FM radio reception is abysmal. If I remember correctly, it is near the Falls Church and Fairview Park exits, but it's definitely south of Tyson's Corner. It was so when I was growing up there 20+ years ago (80s-90s) and friends who live there now say it remains so.

The problem always occurs in the same area and both day and night - you drive into it and no matter where you are tuned on the FM band, the station becomes unintelligible, the reception totally scrambled and overwhelmed by loud static.

The AM band is unaffected - and tuning to AM talk radio was always my father's answer to the problem. After a mile or two, maybe three, everything goes back to normal on the FM dial.

I have looked up the radio towers located in Falls Church, Merrifield, Vienna, and Fairfax.

Those pages list the commercial, private, and broadcast towers in those locations and their assigned frequencies, but I have no expertise that would allow me to judge whether those listed towers are the problem. I have some guesses based on location, but none of the towers I looked at seemed to be broadcasting in the FM band - but then again, I don't know if they'd have to be in order to interfere.

So do you know what is the cause of this Bermuda Triangle of radio, or can you help in interpreting the tower listings to potentially identify the problem? Thanks.

Creative people - teach me how to make my wedding magical.

semacd — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:48:42 -0800

Design our "First Summer's Night Eve" wedding, creative people! Ok, so I think we figured out where to hold our wedding (on a lawn in MA, by a lake). And when to hold it: Memorial Day weekend.

So now we're looking for some inspiration to make the night feel magical, special, romantic in a breezy flowing fabrics and candles and flowers sort of way. We're thinking we'd like to loosely use "Midsummer Night's Eve" (or in this case, "First Summer's Night Eve") as our theme (not the play, the ancient celebration). We're thinking this would involve lots of flickering candles, maybe something woodsy, mossy. Possibly lanterns. Possibly things our guests could float off into the lake bearing wishes (and candles) [I've done this as a grade schooler on Midsummer Night's Eve using handmade little boats and candles, and in India using flowers on the Ganges]. We're trying to evoke the headiness, magic of the first summer's night. I'm thinking maybe Art Nouveau style maybe could be integrated, or a Where the Wild Things Are sentiment for a bit of playfulness.

Can you think of anything we can do that could subtly suggest that theme: the magic of the first summer's night? What would our centerpieces look like (in a rather austere series of function-rooms, unfortunately, but adjoining the lake with huge glass windows everywhere)? How can we incorporate the lake and the lawn? There's a beautiful teensy stone bridge just around the corner too. What cool things can we do with candles? Would our save the dates and/or invitations have this element included? Would our wedding website? If so, how? Anything else we should be thinking of? (Band? Transportation? Attire? After party? Other events? Beverages? Appetizers? Food? Cake? Late night snack? Table names? Place cards?) What would our flowers look like, and would we use them in any unique ways? Gifts to bridal party?) Anything else?

I'm not very creative but I can take a spark of an idea and run with it, and I can execute directions. Help me out! We don't have unlimited funds, but we have a decent budget to work with.

The location is fairly fancy. There will be a band, open bar, decent food, etc.

Bonus points for links for where we can buy design elements/create our own design elements/examples of pictures for inspiration?

Bonus points for ideas that would surive a cold, rainy Boston Memorial Day evening.

Also, oh crap - is Memorial Day weekend in the Boston area too early for this fantasy?

Wherefore art thou, iPhone reception?

nevercalm — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 13:37:32 -0800

I have an iPhone and AT&T and no reception at my house. What are my options? Last year I moved to a nice property in a valley. Unfortunately, I only get spotty reception on my land, and nothing in the house. The addition of the Griffin Clearboost has at least allowed me to get notifications that I have voicemail, but I still can't use the damned thing as an actual phone. My wife gets fantastic coverage with her Verizon phone, of course.

A friend of mine is insisting that all I have to do is hassle the company to have a cell tower added to my area. I am fairly convinced that I lack the constitutional requisites to do this. Is there any sort of booster or repeater available that doesn't cost $500? Have any Mefites had any success with getting AT&T to accede to their demands, or found any better options?

I'm not looking to change carriers, get a Blackberry, or any of that. I just want my damned iphone to work.....

AT&T, I DEMAND GOOD PHONE RECEPTION!!!

Zeker — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 09:54:53 -0800

Cellular reception is horrible in my area. I get at least 2 dropped calls during my commute to work, and every cellphone I've used is generally worthless indoors. What's the best way to pester my service provider into fixing this? I live in central coast California and spend at least 2 hours a day traveling up and down the 101 (between Salinas and San Luis Obispo). If I take an entire trip down the 101 between those two cities, WITHOUT FAIL I will get AT LEAST 2 dropped calls. I've switched cellphones twice (previously a Samsung Eternity, currently a Sony Ericcson slider).

Outside my own home (in the middle of town, I don't live out in the woods or anything) AT&T gives me an average of 2-3 bars out of 5 for reception. Indoors, however, my phone is absolutely worthless. It doesn't matter who's home I'm under, the process I endure to send a single text message consists of either:

A) Gingerly placing the phone on a stationary surface, pressing the send button while simultaneously observing if my finger on the button increases or decreases the reception enough for the message to send.

B) Constantly checking the outbox to ensure that the message went through... and that it went to the right person.

C) Playing peek-a-boo with my single, disappearing reception bar. PEEKAB... awwww it's gone :(..... WHOAH! PEEKABOOOO.... damn, gone agai--- OH GOD! :D PEE--- BASTARD COME BACK!

D) Pacing around the house for a sweet spot. I find that being in front of mirrors improves the chances of getting a signal for some reason. Also, laying the phone on a solid surface increases reception. I think the accelerometer changes how the antenna interacts with the signal... but I dunno, I'm just guessing/talking out of my ass here.

E) Giving up and walking outside.

I honestly feel that my plea will fall on deaf ears if I call AT&T. The only way they'd give a damn is if I'm a big company who has lots of business with them, or if I threaten to cancel my accounts... but lately, they don't seem to respond to that anymore (I call them on occasion for my company and they're still lousy). In fact, I don't feel I should be paying for such a crappy service since it doesn't work as well as promised. Is there anything I can do to get better service? Anyone I can call that would actually do something about it?

PS.

If you work for AT&T... FOR THE LOVE OF GOD PASS THIS ON TO YOUR SUPERIORS. I'd switch carriers, but I already signed another slave contract for 2 years and I still got another year to go.

Ideas for "non-lame" activities for a wedding reception?

lifeless — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:02:13 -0800

Me and the fiancée are getting married on August 1st. The plans for the ceremony are set in stone at this point, but we're still partially in the planning stages for the reception. From the beginning, we've worked hard to avoid the usual wedding clichés. Right now, though, we've got a bit of a planner's block going on. That's why we turn to you for ideas and insights. Googling "wedding reception activities ideas" etc. produces umpteen jillion results, many of which I intend to read and some of which are no doubt useful, but I've got a hunch that AskMeFi has some real pearls to share.

What unusual, unique, inventive or particularly memorable wedding reception activities have you seen, taken part in or arranged yourself that you and (your/other) guests really liked? The one thing that we're looking for is "non-lameness". This is subjective, but I won't define it further. Take a crack at it :-). The activities may be performances by a small number of people or something that everyone present can participate in, or anything in between - as long as you found it cool or clever or funny or engaging etc.

Some details that might be useful: about 100 people will attend, almost adults-only, just a few kids present. Significant age groups: 24-30 (our friends), around 40 (my cousins), 50-70 (biased towards 50-55; family, relatives, family friends). Live instrumental music by a professional duo. Several friends with musical abilities as guests. Current focus on appealing to young and "young-minded" audiences, although trying not to offend or (unnecessarily) confuse the older folks.

Budget winery, not individual wines, for a party

erin_trying — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:37:37 -0800

If you needed to pick a single winery for your entire selection of wine for a party, with a max budget of $8-10/750 mL, what winery would you choose? Something along the lines of Beringer, Yellow Tail, Woodbridge, etc.? I buy wine for personal consumption all the time, but my budget and tastes are different than buying for a 4 hour party with 120 people, with a smallish budget and no shopping time. The event is this Saturday and I just did not have the time (nor do I now) to do a lot of research on what to serve or to play "Find this great inexpensive wine!" among several stores. My plan at this point is to pick a single reasonably priced winery and just pick up everything I need from them. The discount liquor stores near me have a wide selection of all the most common brands, all I need to do is pick one.

Any suggestions? Is this a crazy plan? Should I abandon it go to my regular shop and pay $12-15/bottle instead for my normal selection/their recommendations?

Suit Overkill

Big Fat Tycoon — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:17:26 -0800

Can I wear a tuxedo shirt with a normal suit jacket? I'm attending a reception being thrown for me in another city, a little while after my actual wedding ceremony. I have a black suit with subtle white pinstripes (from a distance the suit looks black) that I wanted to wear instead of buying a whole new suit, so I bought a black and white tie that looks fairly formal. All I needed now was a different shirt.

I wanted to get a new white shirt to go with it, like a normal office-style shirt but maybe of slightly better material, but ended up picking up a tuxedo shirt (with the vertical pleats) and cufflinks, based on the saleswoman telling me that some people wore tuxedo shirts with normal suit jackets if they wanted to have a get-up that wasn't fully formal, but now I'm wondering if anyone actually does this. I've tried to find some reference on the web to wearing tuxedo shirts with a typical suit jacket but haven't really found much. What's the dapper man's take on this? Am I going to look like a clown with this mix of clothes?

I still have the option to return everything, so I'm not too worried but it'd be nice to have more of a clue about this.

Help me find my wedding site!

semacd — Sun, 03 May 2009 10:15:10 -0800

Wedding venue in the greater Boston area, near some sort of H2O. Getting hitched!

All I know right now is that I want the venue to be in the greater Boston area (i.e. could be as far as Concord, Cape Ann or as close as Boston/Cambridge) next summer. We'd like to keep costs down, but we're contending with big families so it'll probably be around 150 people. We'd like to at least look at places where we can bring in the caterer and the booze. Could be on a river, estuary, pond, puddle, ocean. I just want some water visible. The ceremony and reception will probably be at the same spot.

I've looked at indiebrides and the eventective site and don't find that user friendly. Just wondering if you've ever been to or heard of some wonderful watery venue in the Boston area, preferably that won't cost a fortune but can accomodate a decent sized crowd.

Any other Boston wedding tips (vendors, etc.) more than welcome! Along those lines, I'm trying to avoid anything remotely conveying "princess."

Where should I get married?

Four-Eyed Girl — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 16:29:27 -0800

I'd like to find some non-church wedding ceremony & reception sites that aren't very expensive and aren't too far from my area in NY. Bonus points for "unusual" sites. My wedding will be next July, but we have no location yet.

He & I really need some suggestions for ceremony & reception sites because we are new to our area and because we have a limited budget. Here are our requests/desires:

I don't want to get too far away (2 hours away max.) from Westchester County, NY.

No churches.

The site(s) must accommodate a party of less than 50 people.

Indoor is preferred given the humid weather in the summer.

"Unusual" or "quirky" ideas or very welcomed. We've been trying to figure out something that would fit our personalities. We've thought of movie theaters (if anyone knows one that will do this, please let me know) & libraries (too expensive).

Creative wedding table centerpiece ideas that don't involve flowers or candles?

supercrayon — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 16:24:06 -0800

Creative wedding table centerpiece ideas that don't involve flowers or candles? The place I'm having my reception is a heritage home and prohibits the use of candles, flowers, or glitter inside. So I'm having a hard time coming up with centerpieces for the reception tables because almost everything I look at involves either...flowers or candles. Any ideas anyone? I'm also working (as most brides are I guess) with a fairly limited budget, so cheapy ideas are most welcome.

Recommended Caterers for a Chicago Wedding?

avoision — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 04:46:09 -0800

I'm getting married next Fall (hooray!) in Chicago, and we're currently close to finalizing plans to have the reception at Maxim's. As we begin the process of looking for caterers, I'm interested in hearing about any Chicago-based caterers that MeFites have used, and any they would recommend. Again, we're just starting the catering process, so we have no real requirements or needs per se. We'll be purchasing our own alcohol and will need to procure a bartender or two... but what I'm mostly interested in hearing about is on the food/service side.

Any and all feedback/suggestions appreciated!

Human (And Dog) Antenna

amyms — Sun, 25 May 2008 11:01:22 -0800

A question about how our bodies affect radio reception... We have a stereo in our living room that has poor radio reception. It is plugged into a power strip that is in turn plugged into a wall outlet (an inner wall, if that's important). It doesn't have an antenna.

Whenever one of us walks by, the reception gets crystal clear, and significantly louder. It reminds me of when I was a kid and we could get clearer reception on the television by holding the "rabbit ears" in our fingertips. But, with the stereo, there's no one touching any part of it when the phenomenon occurs. It even happens, though not every time, when our dogs walk by (they're both small terrier mixes, if that matters), but not when the cats walk by.

I understand that our bodies can act as antennae, but how does this work, especially when simply walking by the stereo without touching it?

Weddings for Dummies

desjardins — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 07:14:36 -0800

[WeddingFilter] I need recommendations for a really, really basic book or Web site that explains how to plan your own wedding. Bonus points if it holds your hand and tells you "there, there, it will all be alright." We're in our 30s and this is our first marriage. We're on a budget. We have no idea what we are doing. None. We can't afford a wedding planner. We have mothers that are all too willing to help, but we don't want them to stage a takeover (which they will, if given an inch).

We need resources that will explain what to do in baby steps. I don't know how to set a date if we don't have a place and I don't know how to look for places if we don't know how many people we're inviting and I don't know how many people we should invite if we don't know any costs.. etc. I'm overwhelmed.

I've also never been good with remembering traditions and social etiquette stuff. I need something that will tell me if I really should invite that cousin I haven't seen in 15 years, and what to do when the people I'd want to stand up in my wedding are scattered throughout two countries and too poor to make multiple trips for bridal showers, dress shopping, etc. I am not a girly-girl and haven't paid much attention to all this stuff when others around me have gotten married. His sisters had quickie-OMGbaby! weddings, so that's his frame of reference.

I want something fairly traditional, but not at a church. (He's agnostic, I'm buddhist, both raised Christian. The ceremony won't be too far from the normal procedure, just with the Christian references removed. My uncle is a judge and can marry us.) This will be in the midwest US, most likely Milwaukee, possibly elsewhere in SE Wisconsin.

Help me choose the cell phone company to replace my horrible Sprint contract

worker_bee — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 06:52:54 -0800

I'm close to ending my cell phone contract with Sprint (Thank God, I'll be rid of them at last). Now I have to make a choice on which carrier to go with and want to make sure I get the best reception in our home area and especially in the house itself. Is there a single website out there that has good information or comparisons on the reception from different cell phone carriers in a particular area (which in my case is the Virginia hinterland between DC and Richmond)? Maybe some kind of users group or something, but not tied to a specific cell phone company?

Realistically I don't expect any sales person to tell me the truth, so other than tracking down neighbors and quizzing them on their carrier and how their cell phone sounds I don't know how I can get this kind of information.

Looking to MeFi'ers to once again come up with the right answer so I can make an intelligent decision (for a change) that I won't hate for the next two years .

looking for texas wedding venue

madmamasmith — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 07:35:37 -0800

I live in Austin Texas and just got engaged. I am trying to find a venue that offers an outdoor ceremony site and an indoor or covered reception area. My budget is no more than 2,000 dollars. Our ideal setting offers seating for 80 people, allows us to bring in our own vendors and use decorations. I would also like something that either offers camping, cabins or is close to lodgings. We really want a country or hill country setting and recently I thought how cool it would be to have it in an old train depot or church or even abandoned old building with great architecture. There are alot of places listed online, but I am looking for something more unique, less fancy, less run of the mill. Does anyone have any ideas about cool buildings or locations that might be open to hosting a small wedding???Or know of any state parks with cool event halls? Thanks!

Seattle jazz group recommendations: Sax in the Rain?

fatllama — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 14:39:25 -0800

Seattle area jazz/swing bands (for a wedding reception)? Google offers a big-ass list. But you have thoughtful, intelligent recommendations. Please to hope me?

Help us Find a simple Wedding Ceremony and Reception Location in Southern California!

matthelm — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 12:44:29 -0800

Help us find the right place for small wedding ceremony / reception in Southern California We have a budget of about $2500 for a small wedding ceremony and reception. Just trying to find unique places for a ceremony of 10 and then a unique place for a reception of about 25 people were we can eat and dance...any ideas?

Where should we have our reception?

explosion — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 12:42:23 -0800

Help us find a place for our wedding reception! My fiancée and I are planning to get married next year, around May or June. We've decided that a nice restaurant would be good for our reception because it would concentrate a lot of the planning, and make it easier for us. Our problem is that we don't know of that many nice restaurants in the Boston/South Shore area.

Our budget is kind of undefined, as her father has told us not to worry about price, but her mother has been telling us to shop around. We're ultimately looking for a wedding that feels affordable and nice, but neither cheap nor over-classy.

Our criteria:

-A decent vegetarian menu. There will be meat as well, but we are vegetarians, and we'd like more than the token pasta primavera.

-Our reception will be approximately 70-90 people total.

-We would like to have the (extremely short) wedding at or nearby the restaurant, so a nice exterior is a big plus.

We had Barker Tavern suggested to us, and it does look nice. We're going to take a look next week, but we'd like more options so that we can compare and make a choice.

Bonus question: Is there anything we should be looking for, or remember to ask when taking a tour of a restaurant for a wedding reception?

Getting Married in Milwaukee?

yellowbkpk — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 11:57:35 -0800

Where is a cool place to get married and have a reception in or close to Milwaukee? At the risk of getting yelled at for duping this question, can anyone suggest a site for reception and ceremony in the greater Milwaukee, WI area?

I like all of the suggestions about talking to caterers and photographers in the thread I linked to above (and will definitely look into it), but can you offer and specific suggestions?

Bonus points for finding a place less expensive than the Milwaukee Art Museum's Calatrava addition (way too expensive), but just as cool.

We (the couple) are youngish, are interested in a pretty/interesting/neat-looking site, and have fairly large families. The guest list is 200 people right now.

Thanks!