Quick and Dirty Antenna With Good Performance (especially way out west)

[David]

I have an MFJ-1024 on top of a 20' pole that works very well. It
behaves exactly like a car radio antenna (which the element actually
is). I use it on my little bed side radio (an ICOM R-75) and use it
nightly. Caution: when buying antennas from MFJ or Radio Shack, I
find the first thing you need to do is take them apart and tighten
everything.

The Stoner DA100E is pretty much the same thing, but they may be on
hiatus.

[RHF]

For One and All,

Note - Thank You David for the reminder
and the opportunity to post on this Topic. ~ RHF

First - Use a 21-Foot piece of Top-Rail with about
3-Feet in the Ground as the Free-Standing Vertical
Support for this Antenna.
- Use a Post-Hole Digger to dig a 3-Foot Deep 6"-8"
Post Hole in Ground at the Base Location of the
Top-Rail..
- Drive a Ground Rod into the Ground with-in the
Post Hole with about 12" sticking-out above ground.
- Take a Black Plastic Lawn Leaf Trash Bag and wrap
it 6-7 Times around the bottom 3-4 Feet of the Top-Rail.
- Place the Bag-Covered end of the Top-Rail in the Post
Hole and Rig-it-Vertical.
- Fill the Post Hole with Concrete and let it set for 2-3 Days.
- Carefully remove the Top-Rail from the Concrete Anchor
and remove the Plastic Bag from the Top-Rail and Hole.
Note - The Top-Rail should fit snuggly in the Hole in
the Concrete Anchor.

Second - On-the-Ground :

Mount a 102-108 Inch CB (10m) Whip Antenna
at the top of the piece of Top-Rail.
(CB-Ham type Mounting Hardware)

Mount the Out-Side Amplifier Module next-to or
just-below the Whip Antenna.

Connect the Whip to the Module.

Run your Coax Cable / Power Line from the
Module along the piece of Top-Rail.

Third - Rigging-the-Mast : {Top-Rail}

Place the Top-Rail into the Hole in the Concrete Anchor.

Connect the Ground Rod to the Mast {Top-Rail}
a few inches above ground level.

Fourth - Connect the Coax Cable / Power Lead
to the Active Antenna Control Box and Radio.

FWIW - These three Small Vertical {Omni} Active
Shortwave Receiving Antenna lend themselves to
this type of longer Vertical Antenna Modification
and Free-Standing "Grounded" Metal Mast {Top-Rail}
Mounting :
.
McKay Dymek DA-100E - Active Receiving Antenna
http://www.rffun.com/catalog/sw_ant/0328.html
.
MFJ-1024 - Active Receiving Antenna
http://www.rffun.com/catalog/sw_ant/1132.html
.
Sony AN-1 - Active Receiving Antenna
http://www.rffun.com/catalog/sw_ant/2206.html
.
Note - There are other Vertical Active Antennas that
will work also using this Free-Standing Top-Rail in a
Concrete Anchor with Ground Rod that do not need
the Longer CB (10m) Whip Antenna.
.
LF Engineering H-800 Skymatch Active Antenna
http://www.grove-ent.com/ANT15.html
.
LF Engineering H-900 Gain Probe Antenna
http://www.grove-ent.com/h900.html
.
RF Systems DX-10 Professional
http://www.rffun.com/catalog/sw_ant/2868.html
.
Dressler ARA60S Shortwave Active Antenna
http://www.rffun.com/catalog/sw_ant/4061.html
.
North County {Kit} Active Shortwave Antenna
http://www.northcountryradio.com/Kitpages/actant.htm
.
.
Enjoy Listening to your Radio with your new Active
Shortwave Listener's (SWLs) Antenna ~ RHF
.
.
Tous Sont Bienvenus ! - - - Groupe par Radio
d'auditeur d'onde courte pour des Antennes de SWL
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/
.
Alle Sind Willkommen ! - - - Shortwave Radiozuhörer
Gruppe für SWL Antennen
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/
.
Tutti Sono Benvenuti ! - - - Gruppo Radiofonico
dell'ascoltatore di onda corta per le Antenne di SWL
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/
.
Todos São Bem-vindos ! - - - Grupo de Rádio
do ouvinte do Shortwave para Antenas de SWL
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/
.
Все Радушны ! - - - Группа оператора
на приеме коротковолнового диапазона
Radio для Aнтенн SWL
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/
.
¡Todos Son Agradables! - - - Grupo de Radio del oyente
de la onda corta para las Antenas de SWL
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/
.
= = = = = Translation = = = = =
All are Welcome - - - To Join the Shortwave Listeners
(SWL) Antenna Group on YAHOO !
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/
.
.
. .
.

[nm...@wt.net]

Curious, How often do you see me complain about
all these micky mouse antenna schemes you post
about nearly every day? Some of the stuff you post
about, I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. Do I
complain, and tell you that you need to get some
ham antennas, etc, ad nausium? Nope. I mind my
own biz, unless it's something so silly as to cause
me brain damage thinking about it.
But if I get on here and make a few comments, I've
got you and telewhine humping my legs...
Why the hell is that? What are your problems?
Oh... I forgot, you two own this group, and are
the only real® SWL's around...
MK

[jon]

Greetings RHF& All!
I appreciate the posts and ideas here. I have a 102" whip out in my
building that I have been trying to figure out what to do with it. I
can't afford the MFJ-1024 or anything like it. I have the Radio Shack
amplified indoor active antenna. Would it be worth my while to place
the 102" whip on top of the rail as you suggest and use the ground and
run my coax into the Radio Shack indoor amplified antenna? Would this
perform any better than say a long wire antenna or a loop connected to
my active antenna indoors?
I can see that the active antennas you linked to were of much better
quality and features than the RS antenna. Tell me what you think.
Thanks ahead of time! Jon in South Carolina.

[RHF]

MK - So 'you' now Claim that 'you' Get Off . . .
Having Someone Hump 'your' Legs / / / / /

Sorry the Topic Here is "Shortwave Radio" and
the "Alt.Sex.Get_Off.Leg_Humping" Group has
a completely different URL and Charter.

My Subject was : Small Vertical {Omni} Active Shortwave
Receiving Antenna and Free-Standing "Grounded" Metal
Mast {Top-Rail} Mounting - - - May not thrill you but it may
provide 'the answer' to a Shortwave Listener (SWL) who
only has a small lot or neighborhood restrictions that limit
his Shortwave Listening (SWL) Antenna Opinions. The SWL
is considering a small Vertical Active Antenna as their
primary Shortwave Listening Antenna.
- - - The SWL's Question - How Do I Mount It ?
What was posted was one option on How-To-Mount a
small Vertical Active Antenna for Shortwave Listening.

MK - Check-Out - REC.RADIO.AMATEUR.ANTENNA
If you are really interested in Amateur Radio {Ham} Antennas
then the "Rec.Radio.Amateur.Antenna" NewsGroup may be
a better Forum to express your views and their Focus is
Amateur Radio Antennas and believe me they do get very
Knowledgeable and Technical in their posting.
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.amateur.antenna

mk - it's has been nice hamming it up with 'you' ~ RHF

[jstrain]

Two comkpanies offer active antenna kits worthy of 'sperimentin with.
Each is in the $10 range: Ramsey and tentec

Yodar

[jon]

Greetings Yodar! I forgot to mention that I also have the Ten Tec
active antenna and for me it does not work quite as well as the Radio
Shack version. I have seen the Ramsey kit online but have not really
studied it. Part of what I am wondering about is what are the
advantages of having an outdoor active antenna verses an indoor active
antenna. Thanks for the suggestion! Have a great week! Jon in South
Carolina.

[RHF]

JON,

READ - Two Do-It-Yourself "Kits" for Ten-Tec :
RF Pre-Amplifier and Active Antenna
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.shortwave/msg/a38c5523e79b8e0a
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/message/5920

Take your TenTec Active Antenna and mount it on the
Free-Standing "Grounded" Metal Mast {Top-Rail} as
described in the prior post. Use a CB (10m) Whip
Antenna for the Antenna Element. Ensure that you
have a Ground Rod built into the Concrete Anchor of
the Top-Rail and that the Mast is Grounded. Place a
Snap-On Ferrite Core (Bead) within an Inch or two of
both {each} Ends of the Coax Cable Feed-in-Line
between the Actve Antenna and the Radio.

FWIW - Using the Free-Standing "Grounded" Metal Mast
{Top-Rail} is a good idea for 'mounting' small Vertical Antennas.
1 - Elevates the Antenna away from the RFI/EMF envelope
of your House.
2 - Grounds the Active Antenna Module and Coax Cable
Feed-in-Line.
3 - Run the Coax Cable along the ground; or better yet
Bury the Coax Cable under-the-ground as much as possible.

TIP - Ensure that the Free-Standing "Grounded" Metal Mast
{Top-Rail} is located at least 20 Feet from the House and
other structures to also get it away from the RFI/EMF
envelope of your House.

DISTANCE AWAY - Out-and-Away and Up-and-Away are
both Important to Reducing the 'relative' Noise that your
small Vertical Active Antenna must exist in to pick-up and
receive signals. Placing the Antenna Element Out-Side
the House's RFI/EMF Envelope {Physical Distance} is one
of the simplist and most effective techniques in creating
any Low Noise Antenna.

IMHO - You should here a lot less noise and better quality
signals with this Out-Side small Vertical Active Antenna
set-up then with the RadioShack {InDoor} Active Antenna.

hope this helps - iane ~ RHF