Jerry,

The Simple "Random" Wire Antenna . . .
- - - Why Longer is Better - Bends and All !

What you have at 30 Feet or 55 Feet (30Ft + 25 Ft) is a simple 'end
feed' Random Wire Antenna. YES a Random Wire Antenna NOT a
"Longwire" Antenna.

NOTE: Your did not mention a Coax Cable FeedLine or a Balun/Matching
Transformer being used with this Random Wire Antenna. Or the fact
that you are using a Ground or not.

This type of Random Wire Antenna is generally viewed as being
Omni-Directional.
IMHO: A 150* Bend in this Random Wire Antenna will not cause any
problems with a "Receive-Only" SWL Antenna and may help to enhance its
signal gathering ability from all directions. (This is Good.)

GOOD: 30 Feet Length Antenna Equals (ruffly) :
* One Full Wave Length at 33.5 MHz
* Half Wave Length at 16.8 MHz
* Quarter Wave Length at 8.4 MHz

BETTER: 55 Feet Length Antenna Equals (ruffly) :
* One Full Wave Length at 18.3 MHz
* Half Wave Length at 9.1 MHz
* Quarter Wave Length at 4.6 MHz

FWIW: Adding the EXTRA 25 Feet would 'on paper' improve the range
(bands) of frequencies that your Random Wire Antenna would cover.

TBL: The "Bend" will do no harm. Do Not Worry about the Bend.

SAFETY: With ALL External "OutSide" Antennas: It is Recommended
that a good Electrical Ground be use for Safety. A Ground can also
'improve' your RF signal reception when used with and Antenna.


iane ~ RHF
..
..
= = = Jerry
= = = wrote in message . ..
Federal law allows an 18" dish, but cable and all utilities are to
be hidden or underground. I am using 18 guage insulated wire, and I
chose a gray since I thought it would be less noticable with the sky
as the background. I wanted to make it as long as possible,
and my question was does angling back at 150 degrees
for the second 25 feet still count as a longer wire. Is the
extra signal the same as if the wire were straight? Thanks.


On 28 Oct 2003 20:37:06 -0800, (RHF) wrote:

Two Questions:

1. Are you allowed to have a DSS 18" Dish on the outside of your
house ?
- - - Or do you have Cable TV to/in your house.

2. Can you have the DSS Coax Cable showing on the outside of the
house?
- - - Do you have Cable TV Cable showing on the outside of your house?

If the Answers to either or both #1 and #2 are YES: You do not have a
problem with wires on the side of your house.

If the Answers to #1 and #2 are NO: Consider an "In-the-Attic"
Antenna.

The easiest way to 'hide' wires on a house/building is to use an
"Insulated" Wire with an insulation Color that 'matches' the color of
the house or its trim.
- - - Or stretch out some plain white insulated wire and paint the
wire to match the color of the house.

Two General Statements about 'most' Antennas:
* The Longer the Better.
* The Higher the Better.

So adding an extra 25Ft to the original 30Ft just about doubles the
length of the Antenna. (This is Good.)

Having an External "OutSide" Antenna is nice idea; but don't forget
the Ground and Grounding Wire that goes with it.


iane ~ RHF
.
.
= = = Jerry
= = = wrote in message . ..
Due to the area I live in, I have to conceal my antenna. I was going
to run a wire 30 feet from my upstairs window to the far corner of my
screened porch. I could also angle back and continue from the corner
of the porch to my chimney for an additional 25 feet. The angle formed
by the triangle window-porch-chimney is about 50 degrees, so the wire
runs 30 feet then angles 130 degrees and runs 25 feet more. My
question
is will the extra 25 feet angled off add anything significant to the
performance over the first 30 feet? The second 25 feet is not as
concealed as the first 30 feet, so I don't want it if it adds little,
but will chance it if it offers a lot. Thanks.