MLB opinions wanted
Unrevealed Source
MLB? They are both about the same price, the Palamor looks like it's
designed a little better for outdoor use (built-in eyehook for hanging).
Opinions please; thanks.
Jeff
David
I've had the Palomar since 1996 (drove to Escondildo and bought it
direct from the warehouse). Wire is Teflon coated tinned copper.
SO-239 is silver plated. It works very well. Buy American whenever
possible.
sdan...@nyc.rr.com
you've been having.
David
>Does it work well? Perhaps this is the source of the reception problems
>you've been having.
>
I get TIS stations from 50 miles away. I think it's working OK.
sdan...@nyc.rr.com
anymore. So what ended up being the problem, anyway?
David
>Good. Now I don't have to hear you complain about your reception
>anymore. So what ended up being the problem, anyway?
>
Summertime on the West Coast ain't the best conditions.
sdan...@nyc.rr.com
dxAce
sdan...@nyc.rr.com wrote:
> Well, maybe you should string out some more wire.
He needs to do something. There should be plenty of DX there, just like there is
here.
dxAce
Michigan
USA
Howard
If I may throw another possibility into the mix; the ICE 182A has
worked well for me. It will not install like the others (better for
beverage or inverted L) but it has held up well to the difficult
Southern California weather. Have not looked inside to verify the
quality of materials - but many others on the ng have also found it to
be a good performer.
http://www.arraysolutions.com/Products/ice/reconly.html#Beverage%20Matching
RHF
.
Here are my thoughts on the Palomar MLB-1 and RF Systems MLB;
which are commonly called Magnetic Longwire Baluns (MLB)s.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/message/5439
Two Magnetic Longwire Baluns (MLB)s : Palomar MLB-1 and RF Systems MLB
.
I have used both but not in the same location at the same time.
.
The Palomar MLB-1 is the easier to Mount and Rig of the two.
Simply use the Eye-Hook for Mounting and Rigging and
the Tag-Wire to connect the Wire Antenna Element.
.
The more common Mounting method for the RF Systems MLB is to
use a Hose Clamp around the large outer body to hold it in place.
The Wire Antenna Element can be connected using an Eye-Terminal
or simply Soldering the Antenna Wire and bending it around the
Antenna Terminal.
.
TIP - If either of these MLBs are used in an Inverted "L" Antenna :
The body of the MLB can be mounted directly on the Top of the
Ground Rod with a Hose Clamp. (Leave about One Foot (1') of
the Ground Rod sticking out above Ground Level.) Connect a
very short Ground Wire from the Ground Rod to the Coax Cable's
PL-259 Plug once it is installed on the MLB. Use a Dog Bone or
other Insulator with one end Rigged to the Ground Rod. Rig the
Bottom-end of the Wire Antenna Element to the un-used-end of
the Dog Bone and then connect the Tag-end of the Wire Antenna
Element to the MLB. This method of Mounting and Rigging the
will Secure and provide Strain-Relief for both the MLB and the
Bottom-End of theWire Antenna Element.
.
.
TESTING - Magnetic Longwire Baluns (MLB) Performance Side-by-Side :
Anyone got the time to do a Side-by-Side Test of the two ?
It would be interesting to run these two MLBs Side-by-Side
with identical Inverted "L" Antenna Elements and Coax Cable
Feed-in-Lines.
Either - Two shorter and lower 15 Foot Vertical by
30 Foot Horizontal Inverted "L" Antennas. (45 Foot Total)
Or - Two longer and higher 35 Foot Vertical by
70 Foot Horizontal Inverted "L" Antennas. (105 Foot Total)
[ Maybe something in between 45' and 105' = Make Them Equal ]
+ Have the Two Antenna Wire Elements 25 Feet apart and
running Parallel to each other.
+ Have the Two 25 Foot Coax Cables coming out from the Radio/Receiver
in a 60* "V" to two Ground Rods spaced 25 Feet apart; with a 'common'
Ground {Radial} Wire connecting both Ground Rods together.
+ Use and Antenna "A" and "B" Switch to do the switching for the
Side-by-Side of the Two MLBs.
+ Use a single Radio/Receiver as the "Standard" Means-of-Measurement
for the Side-by-Side of the Two MLBs.
Now - Your Side-by-Side Testing can begin; care for a little
AM/MW Radio Band and Shortwave Radio Bands Listening Anyone ?
.
.
There are more choices then just the Palomar MLB-1 and
RF Systems MLB so called Magnetic Longwire Baluns (MLB)s.
- - - - - - - - - - Re-Post - - - - - - - - - -
For the Longwire {Random Wire} Antenna to Coax Cable "Connection"
- - - Think 'Matching Transformer' !
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/message/5343
.
RF Systems Magnetic Longwire Balun (MLB)
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/antsup/1484.html
http://www.rys.nl/rfsystems2.html
.
Palomar MLB-1 Magnetic Longwire Balun
http://www.palomar-engineers.com/MLB-1/mlb-1.html
http://www.antennex.com/palomar/page_6.htm
.
Universal Magnetic Balun UMB - by WellBrook
http://www.wellbrook.uk.com/UMB.html
- - - How to Rig a Longwire Antenna using the UMB
http://www.wellbrook.uk.com/longwire.html
.
WiNRADiO WR-LWA-0130 Long Wire Antenna Adapter
http://www.grove-ent.com/WR0130.html
http://www.winradio.com/home/lwa.htm
.
Longwire / Random Wire Antenna Matchers
for Shortwave Listener (SWL) - by RF Junkie
http://www.geocities.com/qrp_baluns/LM.html
* SWLZ Longwire {Random Wire} Antenna Impedance Matcher with
"F" Connector for RG6 (RG-6) Coax Cable Feed-in-Line
http://www.geocities.com/qrp_baluns/SWLZ.html
* Hooking-Up the SWLZ(F) as a Low Noise Inverted "F" Antenna
http://www.geocities.com/qrp_baluns/APP-SWLZ.html
Application Note - For Using the SWLZ Antenna Matcher
* RadioShack RG6 (RG-6) Coax Cable Info
RG6 COAX CABLE => http://tinyurl.com/cmroy
* RadioShack "F" Adapters
"F" ADAPTERS => http://tinyurl.com/af9tj
.
For a Complete Random Wire Antenna with Matching Transformer
Check-Out the Par Electronics End Fed - Shortwave Listener
(EF-SWL) Antenna with Balun - just add the Coax Cable
and Ground Wire (and your Radio) .
http://www.parelectronics.com/swl_end.htm
http://www.grove-ent.com/ANT8.html
.
.
READ - Magnetic Longwire Balun - Not Really a Balun
- by John Doty
http://www.hard-core-dx.com/nordicdx/antenna/feed/magbal2.html
.
READ - Magnetic Longwire Balun - a Con or Not ?
- via HardCoreDX.Com
http://www.hard-core-dx.com/nordicdx/antenna/feed/magbal1.html
* Gives marvalous reception in a noisy environment.
* An expensive solution. (Ian Smith)
* Mixed results. (Andrew Clegg)
* Just a con? (Dave Kenny)
* No, it's not a con. (Brian Underdown)
* Works great on lower frequencies.(Wian Sianstian)
* Misleading ads - and a very expensive solution. (Don Moore)
.
.
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/>
SWL ANTENNAS GROUP => http://tinyurl.com/an6tw
.
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 !"
.
.
. .
bpnjensen
here.
dxAce
Michigan
USA <
You might be surprised. From what I remember living on the East Coast,
reception was much better there, with just a plain 50' wire attached
right to the antenna of the Astronaut-8 or the 1940's Zenith
Transoceanic - no transformer. Here in California, we get major
Pacific Rim stuff really well, but the rest of the world - even the big
boys - are true DX. Europe is tough under all but the very best
circumstances. Even South America takes some work, and you'd think
they'd be easier (they *were* easier, from New England). Africa and
Central Asia, strangely, do better than Europe at certain times of day,
but it still is heavily dependent on the perfect conditions for
intelligibility.
Another thing that I have to deal with is a noise level about 6 s-units
higher than rural New England ever was. David may have a comparable
problem. When I see posts from Telamon or Stewart McKenzie, I don't
usually see tough DX, but more likely powerhouses that can make it over
the tough noise. Maybe they do tough DX, but their reports and
comments usually show more powerful stations. If I could away from the
City, better results might be in the offing.
I've managed to get some pretty weak stations here at my suburban QTH,
but it takes a lot of work and aspirin to get there. Maybe what makes
a difference is whether your goal is to simply ID a station positively
(which in itself can be a task), or to listen for content - IMO, far
more difficult. Spanish or Pidgin is a lot easier to understand when
it is intelligible, of course.
I'd love to try my setup back at your place in MI. I bet I'd have a
lot better fortunes there, just as I did in New England.
Bruce Jensen
Michael Lawson
"bpnjensen" <bpnj...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1127746256....@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
Have you thought about going the loop antenna
route to cut down on the noise??
--Mike L.
bpnjensen
route to cut down on the noise??
--Mike L. <
Absolutely - first a big horizontal loop that I can build pretty
cheaply, just a matter (now) of finding the time and proper routing.
It will necessarily include my entire house within the loop, including
part of the support structure, so I am hoping for the best but
expecting the mediocre.
Then, if all else fails, trying out a commercial small amplified
vertical loop, like the Wellbrook.
I do use a dipole that works pretty well on the higher bands (11 MHz
and up), and since installing a transformer on my random wire I've
noticed a *slight* decrease in noise on that aerial - but it ain't
enough. I am surrounded by RF junkola, some of which will *never* go
away (like high-voltage lines front and back yards and splattery 50 kW
MW transmitters a couple miles away, gushing harmonics like a
fountain).
Bruce Jensen
Mark Zenier
This summer was pretty good up here, but the autumn is starting to
suck.
What hours are you listening? The Beeb is coming in pretty good on
7160 at 9 AM PDT, and is still there at 10:30.
Mark Zenier mze...@eskimo.com
Googleproofaddress(account:mzenier provider:eskimo domain:com)