DeWat wrote:

Hello all...

I have a 13 year old Sangean ATS-803A that I will "occassionally"
listen to. It's kind of hard to get into this because the only
shortwave signals that I can reliably pick up are the radio stations
(not the shacks). When listening, I will often try to do some dx
receiving, but usually become discouraged. I'm considering getting a
portable external antenna for it to see if this will help, but don't
know where to start. What are some of the "better" portable antennas
under $100.00 that I can get for this radio, **and** will not overload
the front end with noise?

Thx
DeWat

The Sony AN-LP1 is a popular portable active loop antenna that's in your general price range.

But before spending money on an antenna, it might make sense to make sure you're looking at the right times and frequencies.

Here's a link with schedules sorted by time or country.

http://www.primetimeshortwave.com/