Hi all --

Been lurking for several weeks now. Have enjoyed the helpful &
knowledgeable folks that post. Have even enjoyed the goofy flamer
posts, tee hee. I'm really enjoying the different perspectives that
world SW newscasts offer.

This post is long, please bear with me. I tried to include details
that might help anyone who cares to reply.

Maybe someone has some ideas for antennas. Did my research and bought
a Grundig Yachtboy 400PE several months ago; it was rated as one of
the best. It came with a thin wind-up antenna about 20-ft long. I
strung this out a window, perpendicular to my house, with the far end
mounted to a pole about 8-ft high. I've also just ran it around the
room at ceiling level. Both performed the same, and neither seemed
significantly better than the whip alone.

Then I bought a 75-ft length of 14g stranded copper wire. First I
wrapped a bared end around the whip, which was ho-hum. Then read a
post here about coiling the end several times (like a phone cord) and
sliding the coil over the base of the whip -- this made a fantastic
difference!

I've tried a few different ways of positioning the outdoor wire. They
all seem to work about the same. First I wrapped it around my house,
starting on the east side, across the back (north) and ending on the
west directly opposite the 'out' window. Kind of like a "U" lying on
its side. The sides were about 6-8-ft off the ground; the back/north
section was about 10-12ft high. House has aluminum siding, if that
makes any difference.

I've tried laying it out in the middle of the yard, just one long
length running pretty much N/S.

Have also tried running it along top of my metal hurricane fence,
maybe about 4-ft high for almost the entire length.

Mostly, I'd like to ensure the best reception possible. Is there
anything else I can try? I'm unemployed at the moment, so money is
short but I have lots of time to play around. I'm a fair
do-it-yourselfer, and have tools and such. I have a few electrical
skills; was married to an electrician for several years so the basics
rubbed off. I own my place so I can do just about anything I want,
within city ordinances. And I don't care if the neighbors think I'm
weird, ha ha.

If I threw the wire up and over my house, would that do anything? My
house sits fairly tall, the roof peak is maybe 25 feet up. I also have
a tall tree, but I'd be limited to what my ladder can reach, maybe
12-15 feet or so.

Could I make some sort of giant loop that follows the fenceline around
my property? How would I "finish" the loop and connect it to my radio?
The workable area of the lot is about 120x50 feet. The east side of my
lot is pretty much open, no buildings within a good 200 feet.

Some other things that might matter: I use compact fluorescent bulbs
in almost all of my light fixtures. I've read that fluorescents can
cause interference. I got a great deal on fluorescent bulbs a while
back (10 cents on the dollar), so I stocked up. My electric bill has
dropped at least 25% since I did this. But can this affect my SW
radio?

My radio is plugged into the non-backup part of the UPS for my PC,
which "conditions" the power supply. It seems to eliminate some SW
interference vs a regular outlet, but I'd be interested in what the
experienced SWer's think.

I guess maybe what I'm asking for is ideas to experiment with, because
I'm not a shortwave expert. But I do like messing around with stuff
like this. Maybe not normal for a female, but to me it's much more fun
than makeup, clothes and hairdos.

Thanks --- LJ

"LJ" wrote in message
...
Hi all --

Hi. You need to get the wire as far from the house as possible. The aluminum
siding isn't doing any good, that's for sure. When it comes to antennas for
any band, the rule of thumb is, "High, and in the clear." Away from other
metal objects and as high as possible. Do you have a tree? If not, and you
can get away with it, you can make a mast from 2x4 lumber. Make the base a
flat triangle. You'll need a couple of guy ropes, or maybe you can tie the
mast to the fence. The mast should look something like this

|
| --- overlapping 2x4s, fastened with
| good wood glue and screws
^
/ \

with cross-bracing on the bottom. If you can securely fasten it to the fence
you could use 1-1/4" iron pipe, threaded and capped at the top, radiator
hose clamps holding a sheet-metal bracket, to which you would tie an
insulator (Radio Shack 278-758 ( http://tinyurl.com/2dnua ) includes 'em,
or maybe a CB shop carries them without the other stuff. You can make your
own from sheet plastic, too.

Don't forget to keep the wire disconnected whenever you aren't receiving,
and don't listen when there are electrical storms in the area. Don't run the
wire over or under telephone or power lines, don't rig the mast such that it
or the wire can fall near phone or power lines, don't fall off the ladder,
and don't sue me if you do!

"PM"

I made a battery system to use with my DX394. It makes a small difference in
atmospherics, but did me no good as far as computer generated rf in the
area. It is a good thing to have when the lights go out s. 25 feet high is
great. You could even use more than 75 feet as long as you find that the
receiver isn't overwhelmed by the signals. Have a good time listening, and
share with us

"Strength and Honor"

"Paul_Morphy" wrote in message
...

"LJ" wrote in message
...
Hi all --

Hi. You need to get the wire as far from the house as possible. The
aluminum
siding isn't doing any good, that's for sure. When it comes to antennas
for
any band, the rule of thumb is, "High, and in the clear." Away from other
metal objects and as high as possible. Do you have a tree? If not, and you
can get away with it, you can make a mast from 2x4 lumber. Make the base a
flat triangle. You'll need a couple of guy ropes, or maybe you can tie the
mast to the fence. The mast should look something like this

|
| --- overlapping 2x4s, fastened with
| good wood glue and screws
^
/ \

with cross-bracing on the bottom. If you can securely fasten it to the
fence
you could use 1-1/4" iron pipe, threaded and capped at the top, radiator
hose clamps holding a sheet-metal bracket, to which you would tie an
insulator (Radio Shack 278-758 ( http://tinyurl.com/2dnua ) includes 'em,
or maybe a CB shop carries them without the other stuff. You can make your
own from sheet plastic, too.

Don't forget to keep the wire disconnected whenever you aren't receiving,
and don't listen when there are electrical storms in the area. Don't run
the
wire over or under telephone or power lines, don't rig the mast such that
it
or the wire can fall near phone or power lines, don't fall off the ladder,
and don't sue me if you do!

"PM"

"Maximus" wrote in message
hlink.net...
I made a battery system to use with my DX394. It makes a small difference
in
atmospherics, but did me no good as far as computer generated rf in the
area. It is a good thing to have when the lights go out s. 25 feet high
is
great. You could even use more than 75 feet as long as you find that the
receiver isn't overwhelmed by the signals. Have a good time listening, and
share with us

Depending on where the hash is escaping from, you may be able to reduce it
with Radio Shack choke cores, the rectangular kind that snap open to reveal
two u-shaped pieces of ferrite material, or the cylindrical ones that clamp
over a cable. They are expensive, though. T200-50 iron-powder toroidal cores
from Amidon Associates or dealers will work, too, if the connector will fit
through the hole. You wrap the wire through the core, as many turns as will
fit.

I've been listening to amateur radio PSK-31 transmissions and had a major
hash problem because the headphone jack of my radio connects to the sound
card line input jack. I used a rectangular core on either end of the audio
cable, and slipped a cylindrical one over the antenna cable (coaxial) to the
receiver, although that one didn't do much. The ones on the audio cable
accomplished a lot. Unfortunately, the computer radiates spurious signals,
and I haven't tackled that problem yet. More cores are in the future, I
think. If you're using a wall-wart power supply, a smaller toroid for the
power cable, installed at the radio end, will help.

If you think it's bad now, wait until your power company starts selling BPL
Internet access.

"PM"

Paul, thanks so much for your help. And no, I won't sue ya if I do
sumthin stupid.


---------------------------


On Fri, 19 Mar 2004 04:03:03 GMT, "Paul_Morphy"
wrote:


"LJ" wrote in message
.. .
Hi all --

Hi. You need to get the wire as far from the house as possible. The aluminum
siding isn't doing any good, that's for sure. When it comes to antennas for
any band, the rule of thumb is, "High, and in the clear." Away from other
metal objects and as high as possible. Do you have a tree? If not, and you
can get away with it, you can make a mast from 2x4 lumber. Make the base a
flat triangle. You'll need a couple of guy ropes, or maybe you can tie the
mast to the fence. The mast should look something like this

|
| --- overlapping 2x4s, fastened with
| good wood glue and screws
^
/ \

with cross-bracing on the bottom. If you can securely fasten it to the fence
you could use 1-1/4" iron pipe, threaded and capped at the top, radiator
hose clamps holding a sheet-metal bracket, to which you would tie an
insulator (Radio Shack 278-758 ( http://tinyurl.com/2dnua ) includes 'em,
or maybe a CB shop carries them without the other stuff. You can make your
own from sheet plastic, too.

Don't forget to keep the wire disconnected whenever you aren't receiving,
and don't listen when there are electrical storms in the area. Don't run the
wire over or under telephone or power lines, don't rig the mast such that it
or the wire can fall near phone or power lines, don't fall off the ladder,
and don't sue me if you do!

"PM"

Here's the antenna that solved my noise problems coming from the
computer, televisions and other home appliances:

http://www.anarc.org/naswa/badx/ante...e_antenna.html


-----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
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Have even enjoyed the goofy flamer
posts, tee hee.

ah man LJ, don't egg it on. :-(

I've tried laying it out in the middle of the yard, just one long
length running pretty much N/S.


There you go.



Mostly, I'd like to ensure the best reception possible. Is there
anything else I can try?

Indeed

..

I'm unemployed at the moment, so money is
short but I have lots of time to play around.

You don't need a lot of money LJ. Go and get you some thin wire (or
thicker-your preference) and add an alligator cip with it. There was just a
great post in here on this.

At Rat Shack (if you can't solder) pick up some alligator clip that have screws
and some wire and run the wire to your clips and screw them down.

Clip the alligator clip to your whip and get that wire outside and as long and
as high as you can.

Make sure to try an stay away from anything that gives of any RF (like light
posts etc.)

Experiment and have fun. :-)

My radio is plugged into the non-backup part of the UPS for my PC,
which "conditions" the power supply. It seems to eliminate some SW
interference vs a regular outlet, but I'd be interested in what the
experienced SWer's think.

Hey LJ,
I'll add (if no one else has said it yet)......like myself on many of my
radios.

You might want to consider going with rechargeable batteries, it'll totally
eliminate any hum or problems with any wal warts. Get you a battery charger
that holds at least four batteries and get you some nickel cadmium or the newer
kind, it;ll pay off itself VERY quickly.

Plus it's good for your dxing. ;-)

~*~*Monitoring The AirWaves~*~
*****GO BEARCATS*****
Hammarlund HQ129X /Heathkit Q Multiplier
Hammarlund HQ140X
Multiple GE P-780's(GREAT BCB Radios)
RCA Victor *Strato- World*
RCA Victor RJC77W-K(Walnut Grain)
1942 Zenith Wane Magnet 6G 601M
Cathedral/ Ross#2311/RhapsodyMultiBand
DX100/394/398/399/402
OMGS Transistor Eight/Realistic 12-1451
Henry Kloss Model One/Bell+Howell
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

LJ,

IMPROVING on the Classic simple "Random" Wire Antenna
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortw...na/message/466
..
AMANDX - WebPages by Shawn Axelrod [VE4DX1SMA]
http://www.angelfire.com/mb/amandx/
Remember... On A Clear Day You Can Hear Forever - by Shawn Axelrod
..
The most comon Shortwave Listener (SWL) Antenna is the
Inverted "L' Antenna and here is a Reading List:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortw...na/message/374
..
ANTENNA "X" (AntennaX)
http://www.antennex.com/
AntenneX" is a contraction of "Antenna Experimentation".
This site contains much (mostly ham-radio-derived) practical
information about the construction and performance of antennas.
..
Understanding the Random Wire Antenna . . .
And Building a Better One !
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortw...na/message/200
..
REMEMBER: "The Shortwave Antenna is 55.5% of the . . .
Radio/Receiver and Antenna/Ground Reception Equation"
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortw...na/message/288
A Shortwave Antenna is "Equally" Important for Good Reception [.]
..
..
iane ~ RHF
..
Some Say: On A Clear Day You Can See Forever.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortw...na/message/502
I BELIEVE: On A Clear Night...
You Can Hear Forever and Beyond, "The Beyond" !
..
..
= = = LJ wrote in message
= = = . ..

Hi all --

Been lurking for several weeks now. Have enjoyed the helpful &
knowledgeable folks that post. Have even enjoyed the goofy flamer
posts, tee hee. I'm really enjoying the different perspectives that
world SW newscasts offer.

This post is long, please bear with me. I tried to include details
that might help anyone who cares to reply.

Maybe someone has some ideas for antennas. Did my research and bought
a Grundig Yachtboy 400PE several months ago; it was rated as one of
the best. It came with a thin wind-up antenna about 20-ft long. I
strung this out a window, perpendicular to my house, with the far end
mounted to a pole about 8-ft high. I've also just ran it around the
room at ceiling level. Both performed the same, and neither seemed
significantly better than the whip alone.

Then I bought a 75-ft length of 14g stranded copper wire. First I
wrapped a bared end around the whip, which was ho-hum. Then read a
post here about coiling the end several times (like a phone cord) and
sliding the coil over the base of the whip -- this made a fantastic
difference!

I've tried a few different ways of positioning the outdoor wire. They
all seem to work about the same. First I wrapped it around my house,
starting on the east side, across the back (north) and ending on the
west directly opposite the 'out' window. Kind of like a "U" lying on
its side. The sides were about 6-8-ft off the ground; the back/north
section was about 10-12ft high. House has aluminum siding, if that
makes any difference.

I've tried laying it out in the middle of the yard, just one long
length running pretty much N/S.

Have also tried running it along top of my metal hurricane fence,
maybe about 4-ft high for almost the entire length.

Mostly, I'd like to ensure the best reception possible. Is there
anything else I can try? I'm unemployed at the moment, so money is
short but I have lots of time to play around. I'm a fair
do-it-yourselfer, and have tools and such. I have a few electrical
skills; was married to an electrician for several years so the basics
rubbed off. I own my place so I can do just about anything I want,
within city ordinances. And I don't care if the neighbors think I'm
weird, ha ha.

If I threw the wire up and over my house, would that do anything? My
house sits fairly tall, the roof peak is maybe 25 feet up. I also have
a tall tree, but I'd be limited to what my ladder can reach, maybe
12-15 feet or so.

Could I make some sort of giant loop that follows the fenceline around
my property? How would I "finish" the loop and connect it to my radio?
The workable area of the lot is about 120x50 feet. The east side of my
lot is pretty much open, no buildings within a good 200 feet.

Some other things that might matter: I use compact fluorescent bulbs
in almost all of my light fixtures. I've read that fluorescents can
cause interference. I got a great deal on fluorescent bulbs a while
back (10 cents on the dollar), so I stocked up. My electric bill has
dropped at least 25% since I did this. But can this affect my SW
radio?

My radio is plugged into the non-backup part of the UPS for my PC,
which "conditions" the power supply. It seems to eliminate some SW
interference vs a regular outlet, but I'd be interested in what the
experienced SWer's think.

I guess maybe what I'm asking for is ideas to experiment with, because
I'm not a shortwave expert. But I do like messing around with stuff
like this. Maybe not normal for a female, but to me it's much more fun
than makeup, clothes and hairdos.

Thanks --- LJ