RadioBanter - View Single Post - Why Antenna Tuners Aren't Necessarily Useful for Shortwave Listening - Question Shortwave Listening (SWL) Antenna Tuners

March 12th 06, 05:06 AM posted to rec.radio.shortwave

In article .com,
wrote:

They work well in a low local noise location.

As will nearly anything.

Well that's the point of using a common mode antenna.

A random or long wire could be a good reference antenna against a
new design.

To me, a random wire would be a poor reference antenna. To me, there
are basically two reference antennas. The horizontal dipole, which
would be the reference for horizontal antennas, and the 1/4 monopole,
which would be a reference to compare against vertical antennas. For
elevated verticals, I use the 1/4 wave ground plane as the reference
antenna. A random wire is much too random. The antennas I use as
benchmarks all have well known and repeatable performance. All my
horizontal wire antennas are compared to the 1/2 wave dipole. BTW,
not many win either, unless they are gain antennas. As far as
efficiency on a certain band, it's hard to beat a coax fed dipole.
And thusly, it's my usual "benchmark" antenna.

You are not making logical sense. The random wire non-resonant common
mode antenna is a good reference antenna precisely because it has little
theoretical gain and it will work anywhere. You compare it against a
dipole and the dipole should show gain over it as should any other
antenna type made to be resonant at some frequency. Stop thinking like
an amateur, this is a SW listening news group. A random wire is the
basic antenna here. If you want technical antenna theory then yeah a
dipole is a basic reference radiator most transmit antennas.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California