"Brenda Ann" wrote in message
...

"Dave" wrote in message
...
Hmm. Okay. Only I don't have much outside space available. I *might*
be
able to manage 20-30 feet of random wire, but that is about it. And I
have
more than a mile of small-guage wire on these two spools. I was
planning
on
wrapping it around a five-foot long piece of 4 inch PVC and standing it
behind a closet door. Since my last last message I tried a very crude
"hook-up" with one of the spools of wire and got absolutely no
improvement
in reception. Now I understand why, thanks to you good people.

Back to the 20-30' piece of random wi my only option is to run it out
the
window and along the top rail of the fence in the back yard. Would this
really outdo a massive broomstick antenna?


Almost anything will outdo a broomstick antenna. 30' of longwire along
your
fence (presuming it is wood, and not steel) would do a great job. Even
better still would be to run it around your rafters (presuming again that
they are not concrete or aluminum siding or such). Either way, I would use
some kind of standoffs (you can find them at hardware stores, or make your
own from old thread spools).




Okay, so here's the problem. The fence is metal, and the house is covered
with steel siding. My DX-402 does pick up BBC on 5975 pretty well with just
the whip (next to a window), but VOK is extremely weak to vanishing. (This
last one is what I want the broomstick antenna for.) If I do go with the
broomstick, should I stick with the five-foot piece that I already have cut,
or go with a longer eight-foot piece which will still fit nicely in the
corner I have in mind. Or should I go all out with a ten-foot piece (or
even multiples maybe) and put it in the attic? Also, what type of ground
should I use? I could run a ground wire out the window to a ground rod that
is as old as the house, but that's about my only option (the house predates
three-prong plugs with a real ground.)

I really appreciate your thoughts on these things. You obviously know a lot
more about this stuff than I do.

Thanks,

Dave