This is sort of an odd question, so I hope someone here can help me with
it. I sometimes take my travel trailer camping in the late fall and
winter, which leaves many hours of darkness to entertain myself. I camp
in remote, unimproved campgrounds, so mostly operate on the trailer's 12
volt system and propane.

I'm installing a sound system in the trailer, and have selected a Dual
XDM6810 car stereo as the receiver/amp. I want to give the radio the
best chance for decent reception in fringe areas, which means figuring
out how to install a good antenna. I can mount the receiver either in
the front or rear, but once the radio is mounted the antenna location is
limited by the length of the lead wire.

1. I plan to install a conventional automotive whip antenna. The top
and sides of the trailer are out because tangling with branches and
brush would tear the antenna off of the trailer. That leaves mounting
on the trailer tongue, the rear bumper, or on a detachable mount of some
kind. Any suggestions? A rear bumper mount would put the antenna
parallel to the metal skin of the trailer for most of its length. Would
that be a problem? I suppose I could also install an electric antenna
through the roof, though that would cost me some battery life and be a
potential source of leaks. I'm looking for advice on location, brands
and types of antennae. Am I overlooking a good idea out of ignorance?

2. What happened to loading coils? When I installed aftermarket
automotive radios back in the '60s, they had a tuning coil. You
extended the whip to the desired length, tuned the radio to a weak
station, then turned the coil adjustment to give the best reception. Is
there an aftermarket loading coil that I could use, or do the
sophisticated electronics of modern car radios not require antenna
coils? The AM sensitivity of this radio is listed at 22 uV, which I
don't recall as being all that great.

Things I have already thought of:

- The propane furnace uses a DC universal motor to circulate air. I
already found an RF choke to install in the power circuit, and can also
put a noise suppressing capacitor across the furnace fan terminals if
necessary.

- This receiver has an external line input and will also read MP3 CDs,
so I can always plug in a satellite receiver or play MP3 CDs.

- I have a Radio Shack DX-440 (Sangean ATS-803A) SW/LW/SSB portable that
will keep me entertained in truly fringe areas.

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