Just remember - if you can't run a LONG straight wire, you'll need to
try something else. 100 feet would be a bare MINIMUM.

OK, but I use a 60-footer to great advantage. If it were longer, it
would (1) not fit in my yard; (2) exacerbate the horrid effects of
nearby stations; and (3) sag a lot more than it does ;-).

You just don't need *that* much for general listening, and in a city
with gobs of evil RFI, less could be better. I get loads of stations
on it, although it is not good enough or high enough for consistent
results below about the 49m band...which is not to say it doesn't work
there too, because it does.

A random wire can work for a portable too, but some inductive coupling
to the whip rather than a direct connection might be useful. This is
very simple and effective to accomplish (just wrap the insulated end of
your lead-in around the whip a dozen times), and it prevents staticky
stuff, reduces overload and protects internal organs of your radio. I
did this for years with a Radio Shack Astronaut-8 and got great
results.

Bruce Jensen