Well Jack, I use one too. Yes, it makes a difference. No, you will not
likely get anyone on a ham group to agree with you. It seems that the SWLs
are not the only ones to do this. Drake builds them into their recievers.
Why would a manufacturer include a non functional part?

"Jack Painter" wrote in message
news:4XPnd.8198$D26.7997@lakeread03...

You know Howard, it's mostly amateur radio operators who have read too
much
and worked too little that make statements like "a balun for receiving is
just for the balun makers benefit". These hams have little idea how
hobbyists who have special interest in DX, especially utility, and have
tried and tested numerous receiver antenna systems over the years. As I
said
earlier I too use ICE equipment on one receive-only antenna. I could care
less what a stuffed-shirt thinks that does for my receive ability, as I
used
it first as a hobbyist and then professionally. It certainly does improves
my digital and analog signal reception. I have that Ice box impedance set
to
favor the lower bands on the wire and it at times outperforms a matched
dipole in reception. The compromise is that I lose usefulness of that wire
much above 6 mhz,which is ok as it does it required job superfluously. Now
the 4:1 current-type balun use on another wire-set antenna provides quiet
listening as well as excellent transmit abilities from 2182 Khz through
11000 Khz. And of course I use a 1:1 current-balun on a long dipole. Would
I
"have" to? Of course not. Does it improve the antennas abilities in
listening as well as transmit? You bet it does. Do what works for you and
God help anyone who argues with that.

Jack Painter
Virginia Beach VA