"GrtPmpkin32" wrote in message
...
Should I worry about attenuation for the
HF bands enough to use the RG-8 over the RG-58??

Without some experimentation, it would be hard to say definitively,
but I'd say
not to worry about it much. If you can get the RG8 cheaply enough,
great, but
it's stiffer and more difficult to maneuver around walls and fences,
etc. If
that's not an issue for you, use the bigger stuff, but for a Sat800
and a
listening only situation, you probably wouldn't notice the
difference.

Yeah, and considering the listening frequencies and the
length involved, I was thinking that any loss would be
negligible. I know that the cable length is the same as
that for the RG-6 that's run for my DirecTV, and by
judging the signal strength coming into the receiver, the
distance isn't hurting that signal much either.

Are those Alpha Delta Transitraps
as good as advertised, or should I stick with a regular gas
discharge variety??

USe what you can afford, but ensure a good connection to a ground
rod. The
Transitrap units do work very well, but no arrestor will do good
against a
direct strike (a handful of personal experiences notwithstanding).
The
gas-discharge types are therefore no less advantageous in my opinion
than the
Transitrap. Detach your lead-in from your radio when anything
threatens, and
the difference between the two types will be negligible.

Okay, thanks for the info. Detach or use a knife switch??
The knife switch is easier, but I'm skeptical as to whether
the few inches difference in space is enough to avoid any
issues.

We had a tree in our next door neighbor's front yard
(oh, about 40 or so feet away) get hit by lightning
back on the July 4th weekend back in 2003, and the
resulting surge took out the surge protector that our
stereo, satellite and television were attached to. Luckily,
it took out only the surge protector, but boy was that
an entertaining experience. It had been a while since
I'd seen light bulbs shine like that, and then it was because
it was hooked up to a variable power supply that someone
cranked way up.

I'm planning on running a random wire until I can figure
out a more permanent location for a trap antenna that I'll
build

Since you're using a Sat800 in a RX only circumstance, you might
wish to
consider, if space is no longer a real problem, to avoid trap
antennas and
stick with whatever length of wire you can get outside and as high
in the air
as possible. Traps can be lossy and if cheap can introduce noise
into the
system, whereas a decently erected randomwire will reduce noise if
the coax is
grounded (referring to another question, you should ground your coax
for noise
purposes at the very least. Plastic case or not, it helps reduce
noise.

If you're going to build a trap yourself, don't skimp on
the cores and wire??

For the moment, I was planning on running the random
wire around the outside of two sides of the roofed
section of the deck (no metal there; all wood construction).
I figure that it would hold me for a while, until I knew
exactly where to put a more permanent antenna, since
I'm still figuring out the landscaping for our yard.

You're using a nice radio there, and it's about as good as most
other radios in
its price range (and better than some) but it's not crucial where
antenna
experimentation is concerned. I'd say avoid traps, ground the coax
shield at
the receiver AND antenna ends, and enjoy a more noise-free set up.
MY opinion only, of course. Tinker a lot, it's a hell of a lot of
fun!
Linus

Yeah, that radio is a keeper. I was one of the lucky ones
who bought it back in 2000 in that the only problem I
had with it was the power supply, which Lextronics
replaced for free. The sound quality was good enough
and it had good enough circuitry to make my old R-70
redundant. Maybe if I get into DX-ing, I might want
to get another receiver, but right now I'm happy with
it and the DX-440 I have lying around.

--Mike L.