JOEL A NURRE wrote:

I moved to a high rise apartment, and short-wave reception is really
horrible. However, when I put my hand on the antenna, reception improves
significantly. Does this mean that I need to ground my receivers? If it's
not a grounding problem, is there anything I can do to get the same effect
as hand-on-antenna?



Bringing your hand near the antenna is a well-understood effect -
your body acts as an antenna to a certain extent. Bringing your hand
close to an antenna
amplifies the signal somewhat.



If I do need to ground them, that brings up a further problem. I am nowhere
near the ground, and I have no radiators or metal water pipes in my
apartment. Is the next best option to use electrical outlets? My outlets are
all 3-prong, so would I use the screw holding the outlet face or should I
use the smallest of the 3 prongs?



If you have a receiver with a "GND" screw, grounding them always
helps - and is safer. Ordinary bell wire connected to the faceplate
screw of an outlet will do it, though it's not the most effective way -
but you don't have a lot of choices.




Finally, my last question might be the dumbest. One of my receivers is a
small portable (a Sangean ATS-808) and there is nothing on the receiver to
indicate where a ground would go (although there is a plug for an external
antenna). Does that mean I can't ground it?


Not in the conventional way, no. If I'm not mistaken (corrections
welcome, anyone), the plastic case acts as a ground. But that antenna
input can be a big help. Buy a simple "reel-up" antenna at Radio Shack
- about 12 bucks. On a portable, it offers pronounced improvement over
the whip. If any of your receivers are more sophisticated than that
(they have more conventional antenna inputs), a length of wire out the
window with a bit of weight on it to hold it straight can give suprising
performance. Im sure others here will have even better suggestions for
you, too.

Tony


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