Al Arduengo wrote:

sigh-of-relief

Thanks for the vote of confidence. I was beginning to see that very
sentiment in readings from the web.

While I have you here, I am admittedly the newest swler on the face of
the planet so I ask: does using the external wire antenna imply it must
be strung out to it's full length *outside* or would stringing it out as
far as possible around the ceiling in a room make any sense? In a
nutshell, I am currently confined to do my listening in a medium size
bedroom at the house I stay in during the work week (I commute from
Austin to Dallas) so I am rather limited in how I implement an external
antenna. Is there a SW listening FAQ?

Thanks for your input. It is very valuable to me at this early stage.

Best,
-Al



Experiment and see what works best in your environment.
I took my 909 on vacation last year with an external long wire, which I
hung off of the hotel balcony at night. When I was through, rather than
wind it all back up I wound it around the metal balcony rail - worked
MUCH better and I left it there for the rest of my vacation with very
satisfactory results.

Antennas can often be made of the most unlikely objects - I have used a
metal bedspring and window screens with reasonable results in the past;
although a 'proper' antennas is always more predictable.

Dave