I am considering buying a Icom r75 and would like to get an active antenna
to go with it. my question is this Are the active antennas worth the money
or should I stick with a wire antenna? Thanks for any input Steve

On Fri, 28 Jul 2006 12:45:06 -0500, "Stephen Drummonds"
wrote:

I am considering buying a Icom r75 and would like to get an active antenna
to go with it. my question is this Are the active antennas worth the money
or should I stick with a wire antenna? Thanks for any input Steve


Where are you?

SD,

For Shortwave Listening (SWL) what you would spend on an
Active Antenna; you could buy a good 'passive' Wire Antenna.
* Your Location {Region} and Weather can be a Factor in
your choice of Antennas.
* The RF Environment {Noise} of your Location {Neighborhood}
also can be a Factor in your choice of Antennas.

1 - Two Major Determining Factors would be :
* The Size-of-the-Area {Space} that you have to put the
Wire Antenna up in; and the relative noise of your location.
- - - - - vice - - - - -
* The Distance-Away-from the Home and other Sources
of Noise that you could Locate the Active Antenna.

2 - Here are a few Good "Out-Side" 'passive' Wire Antennas
for the Shortwave Listener (SWL) : {Sized - Big to Small}
* Alpha Delta DX-Ultra Antenna
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/sw_ant/3377.html
* Antenna Supermarket Eavesdropper SWL Sloper Antenna
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/sw_ant/0013.html
* * Par Electronics EF-SWL Antenna - Rigged as a
15 Foot Vertical by 30 Foot Horizontal Inverted "L"
{Low Noise} Antenna with Coax Cable feed-in-line.
http://www.grove-ent.com/ANT8.html
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/sw_ant/2205.html
* RF Systems Mini-Windom Antenna
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/sw_ant/3575.html

3 - Here are a few Good "Out-Side" Active Antennas for
the Shortwave Listener (SWL) : {Priced - High to Moderate}
* Dressler ARA60S Active Antenna
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/sw_ant/4061.html
* RF Systems DX-10 Professional Active Antenna
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/sw_ant/2868.html
* * McKay Dymek DA-100E Active Antenna
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/sw_ant/0328.html
* LF Engineering H-800 Skymatch Active Antenna
http://www.grove-ent.com/ANT15.html
* MFJ-1024 Active Antenna
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/sw_ant/1132.html

Most of these are considered to offer Full Spectrum Coverage of
both the Medium-Wave and Shortwave Bands : 500 kHz - 30 MHz.

FWIW - As time goes on you may wish to have both an
Out-Side Wire Antenna and an Active Antenna as a "Pair"
of Antennas to Choose from for a variety of Shortwave
Listening (SWL) needs.


iane ~ RHF

On 28 Jul 2006 13:02:14 -0700, "RHF"
wrote:

SD,

For Shortwave Listening (SWL) what you would spend on an
Active Antenna; you could buy a good 'passive' Wire Antenna.
* Your Location {Region} and Weather can be a Factor in
your choice of Antennas.
It depends on your location and what you want to listen to. A 50'
random wire is OK for SWL but it has nulls and is somewhat weak for
MW. A coax matcher and cable complicates the installation.

I'm away from any strong local signals and get really good service out
of an MFJ-1024 on my bedroom radio. I can hear KOMO 1,000 very
reliably every night and I'm 3 states away.

David wrote:
On 28 Jul 2006 13:02:14 -0700, "RHF"
wrote:

SD,

For Shortwave Listening (SWL) what you would spend on an
Active Antenna; you could buy a good 'passive' Wire Antenna.
* Your Location {Region} and Weather can be a Factor in
your choice of Antennas.

- It depends on your location and what you want to listen to.
- A 50' random wire is OK for SWL but it has nulls and is
- somewhat weak for MW. A coax matcher and cable
- complicates the installation.

David - The Par Electronics EF-SWL Antenna
* That is Rigged {Set-Up} as a 15 Foot Vertical by
30 Foot Horizontal Inverted "L" {Low Noise} Antenna
with Coax Cable feed-in-line and remote Ground Rod.
http://www.grove-ent.com/ANT8.html
* Gives good all-around Shortwave Band reception and
works well on the AM/MW Band Antenna too.
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/sw_ant/2205.html
* It is no more complicated to install then most
small Active Antennas.
* Active Antennas need to be installed properly and
in the right location. Otherwise they can be great
Noise Amplifiers and make Radio Listening a pain.

- I'm away from any strong local signals and get really
- good service out of an MFJ-1024 on my bedroom radio.
- I can hear KOMO 1,000 very reliably every night and
- I'm 3 states away.

David - The MFJ-1024 Active Antenna was on the list
of Active Antennas that I provided.
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/sw_ant/1132.html
* For many who can not have a very 'visible' Antenna
small Active Antennas like the MFJ-1024 do a very
good job in letting them hear what they want to hear.
* The only feature of the MFJ-1024 that I do not like
is the Telescoping Whip Antenna.
* * I would replace the short Whip Antenna with a
solid CB Whip Antenna mounted on a piece of 21
Foot Top-Rail and 50 Foot of Coax Cable to get it
away from the House and out-side Up-in-the-Air.
* * Small Active Antennas like the MFJ-1024 some
times can be used In-Side the Attic with a Pair of
Perpendicular One-Metre Diamond Wire Loops.


and that's my view from the far side of . . .
the antenna wire - iane ~ RHF

On 29 Jul 2006 01:48:10 -0700, "RHF"
wrote:


David wrote:
On 28 Jul 2006 13:02:14 -0700, "RHF"
wrote:

SD,

For Shortwave Listening (SWL) what you would spend on an
Active Antenna; you could buy a good 'passive' Wire Antenna.
* Your Location {Region} and Weather can be a Factor in
your choice of Antennas.

- It depends on your location and what you want to listen to.
- A 50' random wire is OK for SWL but it has nulls and is
- somewhat weak for MW. A coax matcher and cable
- complicates the installation.

David - The Par Electronics EF-SWL Antenna
* That is Rigged {Set-Up} as a 15 Foot Vertical by
30 Foot Horizontal Inverted "L" {Low Noise} Antenna
with Coax Cable feed-in-line and remote Ground Rod.
This is no different than any other wire antenna with a coax matcher.

I have a random wire. A random wire with an MLB. And the MFJ-1024.

I posted my observation.

I don't appreciate your Doctor Bronner on Acid replies. They are
anarchy and they are more confusing tha helpful.

You have issues.

David wrote:
On 29 Jul 2006 01:48:10 -0700, "RHF"
wrote:


David wrote:
On 28 Jul 2006 13:02:14 -0700, "RHF"
wrote:

SD,

For Shortwave Listening (SWL) what you would spend on an
Active Antenna; you could buy a good 'passive' Wire Antenna.
* Your Location {Region} and Weather can be a Factor in
your choice of Antennas.

- It depends on your location and what you want to listen to.
- A 50' random wire is OK for SWL but it has nulls and is
- somewhat weak for MW. A coax matcher and cable
- complicates the installation.

David - The Par Electronics EF-SWL Antenna
* That is Rigged {Set-Up} as a 15 Foot Vertical by
30 Foot Horizontal Inverted "L" {Low Noise} Antenna
with Coax Cable feed-in-line and remote Ground Rod.
This is no different than any other wire antenna with a coax matcher.

I have a random wire. A random wire with an MLB. And the MFJ-1024.

I posted my observation.

I don't appreciate your Doctor Bronner on Acid replies. They are
anarchy and they are more confusing tha helpful.

- You have issues.

David - Issues . . . That I Do !
and thank you for your expert opinion ~ RHF

RHF wrote:
SD,

For Shortwave Listening (SWL) what you would spend on an
Active Antenna; you could buy a good 'passive' Wire Antenna.
* Your Location {Region} and Weather can be a Factor in
your choice of Antennas.
* The RF Environment {Noise} of your Location {Neighborhood}
also can be a Factor in your choice of Antennas.

1 - Two Major Determining Factors would be :
* The Size-of-the-Area {Space} that you have to put the
Wire Antenna up in; and the relative noise of your location.
- - - - - vice - - - - -
* The Distance-Away-from the Home and other Sources
of Noise that you could Locate the Active Antenna.

2 - Here are a few Good "Out-Side" 'passive' Wire Antennas
for the Shortwave Listener (SWL) : {Sized - Big to Small}
* Alpha Delta DX-Ultra Antenna
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/sw_ant/3377.html
* Antenna Supermarket Eavesdropper SWL Sloper Antenna
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/sw_ant/0013.html
* * Par Electronics EF-SWL Antenna - Rigged as a
15 Foot Vertical by 30 Foot Horizontal Inverted "L"
{Low Noise} Antenna with Coax Cable feed-in-line.
http://www.grove-ent.com/ANT8.html
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/sw_ant/2205.html
* RF Systems Mini-Windom Antenna
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/sw_ant/3575.html

3 - Here are a few Good "Out-Side" Active Antennas for
the Shortwave Listener (SWL) : {Priced - High to Moderate}
* Dressler ARA60S Active Antenna
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/sw_ant/4061.html
* RF Systems DX-10 Professional Active Antenna
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/sw_ant/2868.html
* * McKay Dymek DA-100E Active Antenna
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/sw_ant/0328.html
* LF Engineering H-800 Skymatch Active Antenna
http://www.grove-ent.com/ANT15.html
* MFJ-1024 Active Antenna
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/sw_ant/1132.html

Most of these are considered to offer Full Spectrum Coverage of
both the Medium-Wave and Shortwave Bands : 500 kHz - 30 MHz.

FWIW - As time goes on you may wish to have both an
Out-Side Wire Antenna and an Active Antenna as a "Pair"
of Antennas to Choose from for a variety of Shortwave
Listening (SWL) needs.


iane ~ RHF
.
Shortwave Listener Antennas = http://tinyurl.com/ogvcf
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/
SWL Antenna Group = http://tinyurl.com/ogvcf
.
The Shortwave Listener's Blessing :
SWL BLESSING = http://tinyurl.com/s2bjm
May You Never Tire of Listening to the Radio and Always
have Strong Signals and Noise Free Reception ~ RHF {ibid}
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortw...a/message/9233
.
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Stephen Drummonds wrote:
I am considering buying a Icom r75 and would like to get an active antenna
to go with it. my question is this Are the active antennas worth the money
or should I stick with a wire antenna? Thanks for any input Steve

RHF, I'm surprised you didn't mention the "Mini Whip".

Steve

Steve,

PA0RDT-Mini-Whip {Active} Antenna - Inch-per-Inch - It Works !
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.r...c4666783b0a2f6

Shortwave Listening (SWL) "Receive-Only" Antennas
- Away Is Better - Then Up ! - Or Is It ?
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.r...75a10814862d1d

~ RHF

While an external antenna, such as an Eavesdropper, would be the best
solution for you, an internal active antenna such as the Radio Shack
amplified shortwave antenna is good too!

"Stephen Drummonds" wrote in message
...
I am considering buying a Icom r75 and would like to get an active antenna
to go with it. my question is this Are the active antennas worth the money
or should I stick with a wire antenna? Thanks for any input Steve