RadioBanter - View Single Post - Advanced antenna solution for noisey suburban area ???

March 4th 05, 04:06 AM

In article , says...
Hiya...

Here is one I could use some help with.... As always, I'm always trying to
improve my sw listening capabilities. I have an R-75 and two very good
antennas on my roof. One is a G5RV and the other is a 200 foot wire that
utilizes a coax feed and matching transformer. Both are very good antennas.
I've thought about getting a new radio to improve my capabilities and I've
tried a few radios on loan from friends. Those radios include the NRD-545,
R8-A and R-5000. I've come to the painful conclusion that the performance
problem for me isn't my radio or my antennas. Both are good. The problem
for me is my area. I live in the northern NJ suburbs and it is a very noisy
area. I've read a bunch of web pages on antennas, but I haven't really
found any antenna solutions that boast to be ideal solutions for noisy
areas. I've got a fairly good understanding about antennas, but I'm not
advanced.

Does anyone have ANY ideas as to what would be an ideal antenna solution
that would offer me some improvement as far as increasing signal into my
radio and limiting noise ???

Money is no object, and neither is effort. I'll spend money on an "out of
the box" solution as well as put time into an elaborate home brew project.
Performance is key.

If it would help to know more about my current antennas, detailed info about
both of them is on my web page. The link is in my signature. Any
suggestions would be most welcome.

What kind of noise?? Like powerline type stuff?

I had a bad transformer about a half mile from here and when it started
up, it was amazingly bad. I had to track it down myself (wasn't hard to
find, just a short walk with the dog and I could hear a nearly identical
sound like the noise I heard on all my radios, BZZZT!!
BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT!, and an occaisonal SNAP! SNAP! When I called the
electric company, I got the, "Oh, that one's on our list!" About six
months later, it wasn't done and was still about 6 months away from
being replaced. A direct hit by lightning moved it all the way to the
top of the list a few days later. It was well worth the 5 hours without
power to finally get it fixed.

BDK