Invader3K wrote:
That's what I do as well. We live in a dorm-like apartment on a college
campus due to my wife's university job (moving out soon, thankfully). I
can get decent reception on my Satellit 800, but sometimes it's
pointless, what with all the RF noise. Going outside on a nice day
yields excellent results. My Grundig YB-400PE excells in the outdoors.
Nice to be able to walk about a block away to a nearby hill, and listen
to Radio Netherlands or whatever and enjoy it _noise free!_

Because I spend a lot of time on the road, I've gotten into the habit
of listening using the parked car as my "shack". And there's no
challenge in finding good, quiet listening places, if you're willing to
do a short bit of driving.

Some time back, I had received one of these AutoExec mobile office
units as a gift. While it was intended to be of use for my work, it
has become invaluable to my in-vehicle SWLing.

http://www.a2zsolutions.com/desks/seat/ae-index.htm

The roll-out second shelf is nice for jotting down the random note,
logging stations, etc. The large side slot is useful for storing bound
frequency guides. There's also a nice space below where I'll often sit
a second radio that's not in use.

The AutoExec car desk is of such a height, that I'll occasionally use
it outside the car, too, in outdoor settings, alongside a low-sitting
fold-out chair...
http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/st...berId=12500226

Often, I'll string a wire antenna from the parked car. In using a Par
antenna, I've connected the tranformer to a magnet mount (with coax
feed) that's sitting atop the car's roof, stringing the 45' radiator
out to a tree branch or to the end of an upright mounted 20 foot
crappie rod (I'd like to get a taller telescoping mast). If space is a
limiting factor and/or if I'm in a rush to set things up, I've been
fairly surprised by the results I can get simply by placing an MFJ 1956
12-foot whip onto the magnet mount, sometimes running the coax through
an MFJ 1045C battery-powered active receive preselector.

I tend to use either an Eton E1 or Drake SW8 in such listening.

I find it a pretty convenient means of listening. For one thing, I
spend a fair amount of time on the road. Secondly, I leave a lot of
this stuff out in the car (antennae, magnet mount, car desk, crappie
rod, antenna rope, printed & bound ILG/Primetime/eibi scheds, a few
logging sheets, etc), so it's no big deal to grab the receiver on my
way out, and I'm set...

Anyway, it's one of many possible alternatives. It works for me. So I
thought I'd throw it out there for whatever it might be worth to
others.