Replies interspersed.


"starman" wrote in message
...
Dave wrote:

I am using a DX-402 (aka Sangean ATS 505). I would be surprised if it
had a balanced antenna input, and have been thinking about just clipping
the external antenna to my whip after all. I hooked 20 feet of 300 ohm
twinlead to a 300/75 ohm transformer and miniplug last night and plugged
it in, but the signal strength was about half of what my whip gives me.
Therefore, the change in plans.

It would be a mistake to connect a good external antenna directly to the
whip. The receiver will almost certainly overload. You know the symptoms
for overloading now. If you build the low noise inverted-L, the coax can
be connected to the external antenna jack with a mini plug.


If it wasn't much worse than what I am dealing with right now, I can live
with it. Especially if I buy or build an antenna tuner, which I am planning
to add in one way or another. Let me ask you this, what makes the inverted
L so good for noise? I am taking what you say seriously, but if I install
the antenna on top of the roof and run it down the other side of the house
it will be quite close to our A/C compressor, which I expect to become a
significant source of EMI. What if I just ran it along the ridge of the
house and attached it to coax up *there*, before running the coax down the
side of the house and grounding the shield to the grounding rod? Seems like
that would eliminate a great deal of EMI from the A/C compressor, which I
cannot move.


I was planning on running the vertical portion of twinlead that went
from ground level/grounding rod/coax up to the eaves over the steel
siding, but I could just as easily run the coax up the side of the house,
which would put all of the twinlead above the steel siding. Still not "out
in the open" but probably the best I can do. Wifey doesn't want anything
that obviously says "Hi there, I'm an antenna!"

It's funny how women have an aversion to antennas. Must be an esthetic
thing. :-)

Wife read your comments and laughed. She says that if women designed
antennas they would be a lot prettier. Probably Modern Art, if I know her.




I am beginning to consider running the coax around to the end of the
house and up that side, and laying the twinlead along the ridge of the
roof from one end to the other. That would be a up a lot higher and a lot
more "out in the open."

The horizontal section (single wire) of an inverted-L could also run
along the roof ridge. The vertical downlead wire would connect to one
end of the horizontal section and run down the end wall of the house to
the ground. The balun would be located near the ground next to a ground
rod. The coax would go from the balun to the receiver. That's the design
of the low noise inverted-L except it's better to locate the antenna
away from the house when you can.

Away from the house is not possible. Even if it was, that would put it near
the power lines. How would I build a balun? (Websites/links?)

No problem with the questions. It's nice to see an interesting on
topic
thread for a change.

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm not yet sure what I will end up
doing,
but I want to make the best decision possible.

Gotta go. Wife has to get up at 5:00 and I am supposed to get up first and
fix breakfast. Long day tomorrow. I pulled up the grounding rod today
(using a car jack to lift it out) and then told my wife what I had done.
She asked what it was there for, and why didn't we still need it. Told her
the TV antenna used to be connected to it, but since we moved that it wasn't
being used. Now I need to install another grounding rod for the TV antenna
in it's new location. Wasn't thinking when I put it there and didn't ground
it. It's not hooked up anyway. We haven't even watched any broadcast
programs on that TV in years, using the small one with an independant
antenna in the bedroom instead. The big one is just used for watching
DVD's.

Thanks for the help.

Dave