Hello,

I just finished reading all the posts here to date (June 16, 2005 at
2040 UTC) and I must say that most of the replies to you are
well-reasoned and thought out. I think that if you follow many of the
suggestions that have been written, you will be pleased with the
results you obtain.

May I make my suggestion for a good receiver/antenna combination? Go on
to the Universal site and look at ther AOR AR7030 Plus receiver. I have
had one for over a year now and each day I am more impressed with it.
In addition to being a superb receiver, one of the finest ever
designed, it can also be controlled from your computer via a free
computer program called RxWings, if you are interested in that sort of
thing. I've been using this computer program for almost as long as I
have owned the receiver and it is, in my opinion, first-rate.

I would recommend buying the NB7030 Noise Blanker/Notch Filter option
for the radio.

As for an antenna, it seems that you, like me, live in an
electrically-noisy location. Yes those power lines 250 meters away from
your location are going to cause problems (as you have already
discovered). The solution? A Wellbrook ALA 330S Active Loop Antenna, in
my opinion the finest shortwave antenna currently on the market. You
can go to Wellbrook's website to view all the particulars; you would
buy it from THE SHORTWAVE SHOP in the UK (Wellbrook's only dealer) if
you want to use a credit card. The results achievable with this antenna
in an electrically-noisy location are nothing short of astounding. A TV
rotator is helpful as the antenna, like all loops, exhibits
directionality especially at lower frequencies and you might as well
take advantage of this functionality.

That combination, the AOR AR7030 Plus (with the NB7030) and the
Wellbrook ALA 330S is not cheap. Nor is the antenna "convenient" to
buy. And, especially, the installation of the antenna is quite a
precise affair - you must be willing to carefully read and follow (to
the letter) the quite-clear installation instructions (with one
exception: placement of the antenna is not at all critical as the
instructions suggest; I have mine mounted in my attic on a Radio Shack
rotator where it performs superbly; it can be mounted outdoors, high or
low - even on a deck rail or fence post).

The learning curve of the AOR AR7030 Plus, though nowhere nearly as
difficult as PASSPORT purports, is still something that must be
mastered. (Of course this applies to any communications receiver; it's
not enough to know what buttons to press; you have to know when and
under what circumstances to press them! This comes only with
experience.)

All that notwithstanding, if you can afford it (and apparently you
can), the results obtainable with the AR7030 Plus and the Wellbrook ALA
330S are well-worth the money!!

I wish you the very best of luck with whatever you purchase.

Joe