wrote in message
ups.com...
Glad to hear you like the 150. It is a lot of fun.

I live in NYC and I don't have a lot of trouble with overload. However,
if you do, then you might consider getting a preselector. You wouldn't
have to spring for the expensive Lowe PR-150. MFJ sells one that others
report to work well with the 150.

I'm curious to know more about your antenna situation. Living on the
23rd floor must present some challenges. How large is the dipole you're
using? If you used a random length of wire, would it have to be
indoors? There are some active antennas you might eventually want to
think about, if you're limited in terms of space.

I'm glad you like the audio and the synchronous detection. These, along
with overall build quality, are the primary selling points of this
receiver. And the 8 hz tuning increments in SSB are great, I think.

Even though the receiver is said to work well with rechargeables,
I've decided not to keep batteries in it all the time. I put batteries
in when I need them; otherwise they stay stored outside the receiver.
Call me paranoid!

Steve


Yes I took the batteries out too. And, when I charge them, I'll use an
external charger. Accidents with batteries can happen plus the unit doesn't
have to be taxed with current running thru it all time.

You know what, it seems I may have overstated the overload problems. It
seems to be from only a couple stations I listen to so far. On the rest of
AM band it's OK. SW is no problem at all.

OK my dipole is made up of 4 wires going to the balun. I have about 20 FT of
Radio Shack twinlead running along the top of the terrace. If I close of the
ends on the Twinlead it becomes sort of a loop ant. Works good. But right
now because I'm using the balun, the ends can't be closed. So right now they
are open.

Then, I have a small dipole like 10 FT long on each side. All 4 wires go the
balun. I get a signals from the long wires and the dipole backs it up. Sort
of best of both words. I use only one wire from this setup when using the
FRG-7.

I have two active ants but hardly ever use them. I have a Ameco TPA which
works very well even thought it's old and a MFJ-959B.

BTW, I grew up in Queens N.Y. and lived there for a while.

Lucky

Well, just have fun experimenting with various antennas until you find
something that works well. If you aren't able to cook up something
you're satisfied with, then I encourage you to consider one of two
active antennas that you could located outside, on your terrace.

First, you might consider one of the Wellbrook loops. I have the 330S
and it works great with both my Lowe HF-150 and my Drake. Because it's
a relatively low gain antenna, I think it's a wise choise for receivers
with weak front ends.

Second, a less expensive route would be LF Engineering's H-800 Skymatch
antenna. The Skymatch is no competition for the Wellbrook overall, but
it's a very good antenna, especially below 5 mhz. I *suspect* the
Skymatch would outperform any wire antenna that's small enough to fit
on your terrace. (www.lfengineering.com). I also suspect that this
antenna is a cut above the Ameco and MFJ actives you've used
previously, but others might be better situated to comment on this.

Steve

Lucky wrote:
snip

I have two active ants but hardly ever use them. I have a Ameco TPA which
works very well even thought it's old and a MFJ-959B.
snip

I had a TPA for a short while and used it with an R8 for a camping trip.

Oddly enough, I found the performance was about the same if the power was turned
off.

The best product of it's type that I ever found was an Arcom = I forget the
model number, but it had a pretty good preselector and it performed well with my
7030+. It came in a sturdy metal case, and could be hooked up to several
antennas besides the internal whip. The only one I ever saw was the one I
bought and eventually sold.

The Skymatch Steve mentioned was another antenna I tried for camping. It
performed well, but I had the version with the "permanently attached" coax. If
you decide to buy one, I recommend the one with a jack on the bottom so you can
easily replace the coax when you want or need to. It's not an expensive
option.

"Mark S. Holden" wrote in message
...
Lucky wrote:
snip

I have two active ants but hardly ever use them. I have a Ameco TPA which
works very well even thought it's old and a MFJ-959B.
snip

I had a TPA for a short while and used it with an R8 for a camping trip.

Oddly enough, I found the performance was about the same if the power was
turned
off.

The best product of it's type that I ever found was an Arcom = I forget
the
model number, but it had a pretty good preselector and it performed well
with my
7030+. It came in a sturdy metal case, and could be hooked up to several
antennas besides the internal whip. The only one I ever saw was the one I
bought and eventually sold.

The Skymatch Steve mentioned was another antenna I tried for camping. It
performed well, but I had the version with the "permanently attached"
coax. If
you decide to buy one, I recommend the one with a jack on the bottom so
you can
easily replace the coax when you want or need to. It's not an expensive
option.

Thanks Mark I'll look at both of them.
I found the TPA to work well on some bands but not on others.

Has anyone ever heard of a preselector called the Mizuho SX-3??

Lucky

Lucky wrote:

snip
I found the TPA to work well on some bands but not on others.

Has anyone ever heard of a preselector called the Mizuho SX-3??

Lucky


It's a while since I've paid attention to preselectors, but the Mizuho SX-3 used
to close for more than most preselectors that weren't built for the military or
government agencies on ebay.

They look well made - but I never saw one in person, or used one.

Not sure, but the Arcom I had may have been a PAT-4.