Lenny wrote:
I've had my Antenna Supermarket Eavesdropper Dipole up for about 4 years
now.
Lately, it seems that reception isn't what it used to be.
Could it be the antenna and coax?
Or is it more likely that reception conditions are lousy?
If you think it is the antenna, could you please suggest a replacement
antenna and high grade coax system for me?
Please keep it simple, I really don't want to get into all the theory and I
don't have a lot of time to research and construct an antenna.
Thanks all.
Lenny




I had an Eavesdropper up for nearly 15 years, with no real signs of
aging. And no deterioration in performance up to the point I took it
down to move it, and then found that I really don't need it with my
other antennae in place.

I have replaced the coax more than once, in that time, however. The
jacket cracked. Moisture gets into the coax and performance drops
precipitously.

Check your traps for signs of leakage. Not likely, but possible.
Especially in direct sunlight, and with large swings in temperature.

Check your connectors for signs of corrosion. Corroded connectors
will be a source of ground irregularities and mismatches. Higher noise.
And if the inner contact is corroded, reduced signal. But if the
connectors are corroded, you're almost always going to have moisture in
the coax. Replace it. With a coax of UV resistant jacket.

When you reinstall the coax, a little synthetic grease on the
connectors will help seal prevent corrosion, while CoaxSeal or similar
application will seal moisture out of the assembly.

Properly sealed, your installation will be trouble free for as long
as the coax jacket remains unbroken.

But as another poster commented, conditions haven't been good for
awhile. Be sure that's not what you're seeing. No need worrying about
things that don't require it.