Why do radios get better reception when humans get closer to it?

It could have a gizillion antennas attached to it but its not when I or someone else touches it that we get better reception. Why does this happen?

Why do radios get better reception when humans get closer to it?
Two possibilities:





1. If it is portable and not earthed, then proximity of the body adds capacitance to earth, giving the antenna something to work against. This would be noticeable on shortwave bands using the telescopic rod or a wire antenna,





2. Tuning pull effect, on many cheaper radios, the removal of the hand capacitance after tuning, can result in a slight tuning shift, making accurate tuning impossible.
Reply:I always wondered about that! Report It

Reply:actually all of mine get poorer reception when I get closer to them, this also happens to my television when it is on the antenna. I can not tune them at all. Thanks for an interesting Q Report It

Reply:when i get close to radios with antennas it gets all staticy. Report It

Reply:right me too! I always wanted to know why that was. Report It

Reply:not earthed? WTF? Oh! You mean "grounded." *shrug* Report It

Reply:I always wondered that because whenever I tuen on my radio and then move away, the sound isn't as good.





Great question and answer! Report It

Reply:Mista Ricksta: Earthed is actually an older term for grounded. I imagine it is still common in some countries. Report It

Reply:How was that answer wrong in any way? It had 14 thumbs down. Report It

Reply:The human body DOES act as an antenna. In addition...people's bodies vary. People have different levels of Iron in their blood and also different electrolyte levels. Some people make a better antenna than other do. Report It

Reply:so why do we really want to know this if you can just listen to music on your computers u all should know dat by now yah know im sayin u heard me Report It

Reply:Why do we want to know this?...LOL You totally missed the whole point cutey. It is a question about SCIENCE. Are you afraid to actually learn something? (Is is possible to be both cute and smart you know.) Your comment is a great contrast to the one above it. Good job smart dude. Report It

Reply:The human body acts as an antenna and concentrate the radio signal.