"m II" wrote in message
news:MAI0d.96262$S55.21286@clgrps12...
Honus wrote:

"m II" wrote in message
news:m9y0d.92232$S55.2174@clgrps12...


I don't claim any paranormal powers, other than a modest, self effacing,
Ghandiesque and virtually unnerring insight into the human condition


Ever try aiming that into a mirror? g


I'm not familiar with those, although I believe I once saw a glint of
perfection reflected from a very shiny coaxial cable connector..a sense
of wonder and tranquility permeated my very core.

If you saw a reflection in a curved surface that appeared to be perfect, I
hate to think what you really look like.

But then, talk about getting your money's worth in a carnival's Fun House,
what with all of those weird mirrors and all!

Hi Steve,

I have a 450 ft. Beverage antenna at 270 degrees (West) and a 700 ft.
Beverage antenna oriented at 320 degrees (Northwest). They are
relay-switched with a single run of double-shielded Belden coax, and matched
with a homebrew impedance matcher. The coax shield is grounded in the middle
of the run with a Bentonite-enhanced ground system. The antennas are about 8
feet high on average, running through a very dense greenbelt behind my home.
The AC power mains are all underground for more than a half mile radius
around the neighborhood.

The downside of these quiet and directional antennas is all the
Seattle/Tacoma area mediumwave stations nearby! LOTS of RF in the air, many
MW signals running S9+50db to S9+65db. A Kiwa BCB filter + extension filter
is very helpful when DXing on shortwave, as the filters reduce RF blocking
effects. Unfortunately the antennas are pointing more or less in the
direction of my locals as I'm to the SE of Seattle and West of Tacoma.

For trans-Pacific MW DXing from home, nothing helps them get past the strong
domestic stations except good propagation, perseverance and luck! The
splatter and RF blocking/desensing can be really tough in the vicinity of
the strongest locals (ie, +/- 40 or 50 kHz).

Guy Atkins
Puyallup, WA USA
mod. Racal RA6790GM / mod. ICOM R-75
Kiwa MAP / ERGO / Timewave DSP-59+


"Steve" wrote in message
om...
I'm always curious about people's antennas, though they often go
unmentioned here. So, what's in your back yard (or on your roof, or in
your attic....)?

Steve

I'm always curious about people's antennas, though they often go
unmentioned here. So, what's in your back yard (or on your roof, or in
your attic....)?

I have really enjoyed this dicussion. I don't have a high end radio. The best
I have is a Rat Shack 390. Currently I am using a 40' 14ga long wire connected
to the radio with just regular "hook up wire." I tend to have problems with
overload from big signal stations with this radio. I would love to get a
better quality radio, but that is not in the cards right now. I have about
1000' feet of 14ga wire here available and could run 100" plus runs and almost
any direction. What could I do to cut back on the strong signal overload with
my current radio? I have RG-8, and RG-174 coax available. Would a balun help?
Thanks for the post and any replies!

In article ,
ojunk (Jon Lippert) wrote:

I'm always curious about people's antennas, though they often go
unmentioned here. So, what's in your back yard (or on your roof,
or in your attic....)?

I have really enjoyed this dicussion. I don't have a high end radio.
The best I have is a Rat Shack 390. Currently I am using a 40' 14ga
long wire connected to the radio with just regular "hook up wire." I
tend to have problems with overload from big signal stations with
this radio. I would love to get a better quality radio, but that is
not in the cards right now. I have about 1000' feet of 14ga wire
here available and could run 100" plus runs and almost any direction.
What could I do to cut back on the strong signal overload with my
current radio? I have RG-8, and RG-174 coax available. Would a
balun help?
Thanks for the post and any replies!

Use a antenna tuner that acts like a band pass filter called a
pre-selector like this one:
http://www.universal-radio.com/catal...amps/2964.html

--
Telamon
Ventura, California

I've been listening to shortwave radio since the mid-1970s, and so
I've done a fair amount of tinkering with antennas. Like everyone
else, I've been on that quest for the best all-around antenna that
really doesn't exist. Right now I use a 42-ft, longwire, attic
antenna that's feed with 450-Ohm feedline that terminates in a tuner
(T-network) in a closet near the receiver. I use 50-Ohm coax between
the tuner and receiver, which is also my amateur transceiver. I
"tune" the antenna using an MFJ-259 analyzer. Why did I settle for
this system:

- It fits in my attic.
- It's radiation patterns are dipole-like on the bands I listen to
(and operate on as an amateur).
- I don't fear lightning strikes.
- It isn't in the weather, so it isn't a maintenance problem.
- I don't run high power as an amateur, and operate mostly CW, so
efficiency isn't a big issue for me.
- It's stealthy.

-Dave, K3WQ

In article ,
(David Drumheller) wrote:

I've been listening to shortwave radio since the mid-1970s, and so
I've done a fair amount of tinkering with antennas. Like everyone
else, I've been on that quest for the best all-around antenna that
really doesn't exist. Right now I use a 42-ft, longwire, attic
antenna that's feed with 450-Ohm feedline that terminates in a tuner
(T-network) in a closet near the receiver. I use 50-Ohm coax between
the tuner and receiver, which is also my amateur transceiver. I
"tune" the antenna using an MFJ-259 analyzer. Why did I settle for
this system:

- It fits in my attic. - It's radiation patterns are dipole-like on
the bands I listen to (and operate on as an amateur). - I don't fear
lightning strikes. - It isn't in the weather, so it isn't a
maintenance problem. - I don't run high power as an amateur, and
operate mostly CW, so efficiency isn't a big issue for me. - It's
stealthy.

Giving up is pointless.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California

"Jon Lippert" wrote in message
...
I don't have a high end radio. The best
I have is a Rat Shack 390.

Don't get down too much about not having a high-end radio. A high-end radio
won't invent signals, merely resolve them somewhat better and make them
listenable and identifiable. There's still lots you can listen to with your
radio.

Mark.

"DesignGuy" wrote in message news:2ND0d.173828$mD.134815@attbi_s02...
"Steve" wrote in message
om...
I'm always curious about people's antennas, though they often go
unmentioned here. So, what's in your back yard (or on your roof, or in
your attic....)?

55 ft. random wire coax-fed via balun
Eavesdropper dipole

Hi, I'm very curious about the Eavesdropper-T and Eavesdropper-C
dipoles (see Universal-Radio online catalog) for my attic. The
Eavesdropper-T is a trapped dipole center-fed with 100' of 72 ohm
balanced feedline. The Eavesdropper-C is identical except it includes
a coax fitting and does not include a lead-in cable. Both models are
43' long (ideal for my attic space) and include static arrestors. For
the first thirty feet of my attic, there is electrical wiring to the
lights running 3'-4' from the peak of the roof, and for the last ten
feet within a foot of the peak. My questions are will this antenna
mounted at the very peak of the attic:

1. Be safe from lightning strikes?

2. Increase the chances of frying my radios even if electrocution is
not an
issue?

3. Suffer interference from the electrical wiring described above
whether the
lights are on or off?

4. Or interference from the utility lines outside the house which run
both parallel and perpendicular to the proposed antenna 15' to the
side
and 10' below?

5. Need to be grounded? (I believe I have read somewhere that a
balanced
dipole does not need to be grounded in order to deliver an
acceptable
low-noise signal. Is this wrong?)

What I have in mind, especially if I don't need to ground the antenna,
is moving my shack up to the attic and listening to DX on long winter
nights with a jug of corn liquor to keep me warm. Any advice would be
greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Grumpus




Slinky dipole (currently unused)
Radio Shack discone antenna (for scanner)
All in attic of my house

Telamon wrote in message ...
In article ,
(David Drumheller) wrote:

I've been listening to shortwave radio since the mid-1970s, and so
I've done a fair amount of tinkering with antennas. Like everyone
else, I've been on that quest for the best all-around antenna that
really doesn't exist. Right now I use a 42-ft, longwire, attic
antenna that's feed with 450-Ohm feedline that terminates in a tuner
(T-network) in a closet near the receiver. I use 50-Ohm coax between
the tuner and receiver, which is also my amateur transceiver. I
"tune" the antenna using an MFJ-259 analyzer. Why did I settle for
this system:

- It fits in my attic. - It's radiation patterns are dipole-like on
the bands I listen to (and operate on as an amateur). - I don't fear
lightning strikes. - It isn't in the weather, so it isn't a
maintenance problem. - I don't run high power as an amateur, and
operate mostly CW, so efficiency isn't a big issue for me. - It's
stealthy.

Giving up is pointless.

Hmmm. I'm not sure what this remark is supposed to mean. But I
suppose my original my original post was a little defeatist. What I
should have also said is:

- My attic antenna works quite well, as I have had no problems working
anyone as an amateur.
- I still fool around with outdoor antennas. These are mostly
single-band systems, leaving my attic antenna to play the role of "Old
Standby."

I'm very happy with this arrangement.

-Dave, K3WQ