Shortwave Antenna design

[Peter]

Hi there, I have a Drake R8B radio and I am not getting the most out of it
because of the antenna. I have a 80 foot lot and want to improve my current
antenna setup. Right now I have 50 feet of wire strung between 2 trees 6
feet off the ground which I twisted a feed in line in the center of the
length. I was wondering if I raise the antenna if it would make a big
difference and also I can lengthen it if it doesn't need to be straight I.E.
90 degrees around a tree. Where should I connect the feed in line( I am
thinking of using coax)? Also how do I connect the wires? Ground and center.

I realize these might be stupid questions but I am very new to doing this.

Thanks very much for your help.

Pierre

[Harveya...@aol.com]

Pierre..

get the whole thing as far away from electrical
wiring / appliances as possible..
6 feet is fine.. - unless you can get 60 or 600
:-)

and Yes, use a co-ax lead in..

Try from the middle first..

try different configurations, record the results on different
frequencies with each configuration..

- & theoretical antenna is different from real life,
so try different stuff..

Dan / NYC

[Telamon]

In article <6gWae.1435$gA5.1...@news20.bellglobal.com>,
"Peter" <vachon...@sympatico.ca> wrote:

< Snip >

The questions are not stupid.

I don't understand your description of the feed line. The 50 foot
antenna is a good start and you just need to connect it properly.

A good solution here would be to use a coax feed line in the center of
the 50 foot span with the center conductor of the coax to one 25 foot
leg of the antenna and the outer shield of the coax to the other 25 foot
leg. Use a center insulator for the two legs of the antenna and connect
the coax across it. Use an insulator on the ends of the antenna legs.

Higher up is better as is making it longer. It would be more important
to make the antenna higher than longer.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California

[David]

Unless that 50' wire is cut in half I'd move the feed point to one
end. And I'd connect it to the radio with another piece of wire, thus
making an ''Inverted L''. This is a very popular antenna that works
as well as or better than just about any. Get the horizontal part as
high and free as possible.

http://www.hard-core-dx.com/nordicdx/antenna/wire/lantenna.html

[Chris Dorn]

Hello Pierre,

Nice to see you out there. I struggled with longwires, and found that
noise was a big problem. I went with a loop this spring, and have been
very pleased with the result. It is simply a triangle with the top
around 20ft hanging from a tree. The base is about 4ft off the ground.
The total wire length is around 66ft. The loop is fed at the middle of
the bottom horizontal portion with a 1:1 balun and coax. The coax is
grounded where it enters the house. Signals are somewhat less, but the
signal/noise ratio is very impressive. This is basically a 20M fullwave
loop, but it works very well for general listening from 3-30MHz. I may
make this into a K9AY loop at some point, but this is good general
purpose antenna if you have one fairly high support.

Cheers,
Chris VE6RDC

[mi...@sushi.com]

Loops rule, but I'm not sure you are getting your money's worth with
the 1:1 balun. I thought loops are low impedance, so 1:1 isn't a good
match. In any event, I'll plug the Wellbrook loop one more time, though
the price sucks with the Bush weak dollar.

[RHF]

Pierre,

First having the Wire Antenna Element set at Six Feet (6')
High is both an Encumbrance and a Hazard to the general
movement of people around and about your Antenna.
.
Look at your two Trees and get a reasonable idea of
"How High" you can get the Wire Antenna Element
up in the Air. Twelve to Fifteen Feet (12'-15') should
be 'doable' with Twenty to Thirty Feet (20'-30') being
idea for a Random Wire Antenna that is about Fifty Feet
(50') long that is configured as an Inverted "L" Antenna.
.
Consider re-building and improving your existing Antenna as a
"Low Noise" Inverted "L" Shortwave Listener's (SWL) Antenna.
.
The LOW NOISE Antenna is basically a "Random Wire"
Antenna Element configured as an Inverted "L" Antenna
- Longer Horizontal-Out-Arm bending down to a
- Shorter Vertical-Down-Leg all the way to ground level
- Using a 9:1 Matching Transformer mounted on a
- Ground Rod installed at the base of the Vertical-Down-Leg
- Using a Coax Cable Feed-in-Line to the Receiver.
This is the basic Shortwave Listener's (SWL) Antenna
that uses the "Low Noise Antenna" 'design concepts' that
were popularized by John Doty.
.
.
Here are a few Messages related to the Low Noise Inverted
"L" Antenna for Shortwave Listener's (SWLs) :
.
Three "Must" Links to Read -wrt- Low Noise Shortwave Listener
(SWL) Antenna
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/message/2016
.
With a Low Noise Inverted "L" Antenna...
Think Pre-selector -=V=- Antenna Tuner
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/message/2012
.
The Inverted "L" Antenna
- It's 'basic' Lay-Out and Structure {Why It Works}
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/message/1969
.
Converting a Random Wire Antenna to a
'Low Noise' Inverted "L" Antenna
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/message/1766
.
Antennas - Five Things to Consider : Antenna, Balun, Ground,
Coax & Planning
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/message/1544
.
.
iane ~ RHF
.
All are WELCOME and "Invited to Join" the
Shortwave Listener (SWL) Antenna eGroup on YAHOO !
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/­Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/>
Some Say: On A Clear Day You Can See Forever.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/­Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/message/­502
.
I BELIEVE: On A Clear Night . . .
You Can Hear Forever and Beyond, The BEYOND !
With a Shortwave Listener SWL Antenna of your own making.
"If You Build It {SWL Antenna} You Will Hear Them !"
. . . . .