Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.
Dismiss

newbie needs help erecting an antenna near Youngstown, Ohio

25 views
Skip to first unread message

JDL

unread,
Jun 7, 2006, 9:11:28 PM6/7/06
to
I live in a small town north of Youngstown. I have a Sangean 505 (has
sideband) also a 622 Sangean (just receivers, no transceivers -- yet). The
reception with the built in antenna isn't very good. I want to erect some
sort of wire loop antenna, but don't know what kind of wire, what sort of
grounding, length, etc. to use. I mainly want to listen to shortwave
broadcasts like VOA, BBC, but also private hams on the sideband. I can buy
someone dinner (and pay for all materials), if they help me out erecting an
antenna. I went to Radio Shack but they were ignorant about shortwave
stuff.

Thanks,
Justin

----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups
----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =----

Lisa Simpson

unread,
Jun 7, 2006, 10:02:28 PM6/7/06
to
Try getting an Eavesdropper "C" from Universal Radio . . .

"JDL" <no...@yodoor.com> wrote in message
news:1149729...@sp6iad.superfeed.net...

m II

unread,
Jun 7, 2006, 11:00:12 PM6/7/06
to
Verstaldin wrote:

> You don't need more than 30 to 50 feet of wire; simply connect to your


Please don't post in HTML in a newsgroup.. It's just bad manners. Thank you.

mike

Telamon

unread,
Jun 8, 2006, 12:40:00 AM6/8/06
to
In article <1149729...@sp6iad.superfeed.net>,
JDL <no...@yodoor.com> wrote:

> I live in a small town north of Youngstown. I have a Sangean 505 (has
> sideband) also a 622 Sangean (just receivers, no transceivers -- yet). The
> reception with the built in antenna isn't very good. I want to erect some
> sort of wire loop antenna, but don't know what kind of wire, what sort of
> grounding, length, etc. to use. I mainly want to listen to shortwave
> broadcasts like VOA, BBC, but also private hams on the sideband. I can buy
> someone dinner (and pay for all materials), if they help me out erecting an
> antenna. I went to Radio Shack but they were ignorant about shortwave
> stuff.

Loop antennas don't need a ground. You can use any kind of wire for an
unshielded loop. Use at least 50 feet of wire in the loop. The radio
takes a 3.5 mm plug. Attach one end of the loop to the barrel and other
loop end to the tip of the plug. You can tack a small diameter wire like
this from radio shack.
<http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2036277&cp=&origkw
=magnet+wire&kw=magnet+wire&parentPage=search>

Keep the wires apart until they reach the plug. If you want the radio to
be a distance from the antenna use coax between the radio and antenna.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California

Verstaldin

unread,
Jun 8, 2006, 12:27:25 PM6/8/06
to
What part of the topic at hand does your comment refer to ?


"m II" <no...@telus.net> wrote in message
news:0pMhg.20103$A8.2411@clgrps12...

Bob Miller

unread,
Jun 8, 2006, 3:01:56 PM6/8/06
to
On Wed, 07 Jun 2006 20:11:28 -0500, JDL <no...@yodoor.com> wrote:

>I live in a small town north of Youngstown. I have a Sangean 505 (has
>sideband) also a 622 Sangean (just receivers, no transceivers -- yet). The
>reception with the built in antenna isn't very good. I want to erect some
>sort of wire loop antenna, but don't know what kind of wire, what sort of
>grounding, length, etc. to use. I mainly want to listen to shortwave
>broadcasts like VOA, BBC, but also private hams on the sideband. I can buy
>someone dinner (and pay for all materials), if they help me out erecting an
>antenna. I went to Radio Shack but they were ignorant about shortwave
>stuff.

Down and dirty, get about 100 feet of insulated wire from the hardware
store, attach it to your radio's external antenna terminal, run the
wire out your window, string it around the yard as high as you can,
don't run it over or under any high-power electricity lines. This will
work pretty much as well as more complicated stuff.

bob
k5qwg

JDL

unread,
Jun 9, 2006, 12:11:13 AM6/9/06
to
Bob Miller <NOS...@neosoft.com> wrote in
news:uosg82dsc4vlosvkq...@4ax.com:

> On Wed, 07 Jun 2006 20:11:28 -0500, JDL <no...@yodoor.com> wrote:
>
>>I live in a small town north of Youngstown. I have a Sangean 505 (has
>>sideband) also a 622 Sangean (just receivers, no transceivers -- yet).
>> The reception with the built in antenna isn't very good. I want to
>>erect some sort of wire loop antenna, but don't know what kind of
>>wire, what sort of grounding, length, etc. to use. I mainly want to
>>listen to shortwave broadcasts like VOA, BBC, but also private hams on
>>the sideband. I can buy someone dinner (and pay for all materials),
>>if they help me out erecting an antenna. I went to Radio Shack but
>>they were ignorant about shortwave stuff.
>
> Down and dirty, get about 100 feet of insulated wire from the hardware
> store, attach it to your radio's external antenna terminal, run the
> wire out your window, string it around the yard as high as you can,
> don't run it over or under any high-power electricity lines. This will
> work pretty much as well as more complicated stuff.
>
> bob
> k5qwg


Thanks for the info.. Any particular guage of wire? Also, could I buy
some sort of connector to be able to plug the wire into the antenna jack
on the 505 Sangean? Or should I just use an alligator clip?

m II

unread,
Jun 9, 2006, 12:22:30 AM6/9/06
to
Verstaldin wrote:

> What part of the topic at hand does your comment refer to ?

Hi. Not part of the topic but the type of posting. The message was
posted, probably by accident, in the same format as a web page is made
in. Traditionally, newsgroups and Usenet have used plain text (ASCII)
instead of Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) for the postings. The HTML
format shows up as garbage on real newsgroup agents (readers).

Your HTML posting shows up as the following. There are no such problems
with plain text.

======================================================
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; =
charset=3Dwindows-1252">
<META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2900.2873" name=3DGENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV>You don't need more than 30 to 50 feet of wire; simply connect to =
your=20
antenna input if there is one, or connect to the included antenna with =
an=20
alligator clip.For a ground, connect the same kind of wire to =
a&nbsp;metal cold=20
water pipe, or if possible, push a coat hanger intot he ground to about =
a foot=20
of the end, and scrape a spot bare, and attach your ground wire and =
attach the=20
other end to a ground terminal on your radio if there is one.&nbsp;As =
for wire,=20
multistrand insulated wire is fine. I say multistrand insulated so it it =
is=20
strong and so it is somewhat protected from the elements and from =
contact with=20
power lines etc. If you can sling it into a tree or other high =
projection, that=20
will help. In most cases you won't need more than 30 to 50 feet - for =
stations=20
like BBC, BBC, Radio France, Brazil, Radio Nederland or Radio Deutsche =
Well you=20
should have no difficulty receiving them unless listening conditions get =
very=20
poor. We are in a period of few sunspots which means signals don't =
travel well=20
because the upper atmosphere is not made very reflective, so you may =
encounter=20
periods when reception is rather poor. But on the east coast, you should =
have=20
better reception than we do here in the Seattle are. Happy Listening ! I =
hope=20
that helps. mm</DIV>

<DIV>
<P><FONT face=3DArial size=3D4><IMG height=3D48=20
src=3D"cid:002501c68aa2$88021250$1db80543@casey" width=3D64 =
border=3D0>&nbsp;&nbsp;=20
<BR>We are as light upon the waters +<BR></FONT>&nbsp;<A=20
href=3D"http://pwp.surfglobal.net/mjmiller/index.htn">Brio</A></P></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV>"JDL" &lt;<A =
href=3D"mailto:no...@yodoor.com">no...@yodoor.com</A>&gt;=20
wrote in message <A=20
=
href=3D"news:1149729...@sp6iad.superfeed.net">news:1149729088_4665@s=
p6iad.superfeed.net</A>...</DIV>I=20
live in a small town north of Youngstown.&nbsp; I have a Sangean 505 =
(has=20
<BR>sideband) also a 622 Sangean (just receivers, no transceivers --=20
yet).&nbsp; The <BR>reception with the built in antenna isn't very =
good.&nbsp;=20
I want to erect some <BR>sort of wire loop antenna, but don't know =
what kind=20
of wire, what sort of <BR>grounding, length, etc. to use.&nbsp; I =
mainly want=20
to listen to shortwave <BR>broadcasts like VOA, BBC, but also private =
hams on=20
the sideband.&nbsp; I can buy <BR>someone dinner (and pay for all =
materials),=20
if they help me out erecting an <BR>antenna.&nbsp; I went to Radio =
Shack but=20
they were ignorant about shortwave=20
<BR>stuff.<BR><BR>Thanks,<BR>Justin<BR><BR>----=3D=3D Posted via =
Newsfeeds.Com -=20
Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News=3D=3D----<BR><A=20
href=3D"http://www.newsfeeds.com">http://www.newsfeeds.com</A> The #1 =
Newsgroup=20
Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups<BR>----=3D East and =
West-Coast Server=20


Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =

=3D----</BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>

------=_NextPart_001_002B_01C68A67.DBA33A50--

------=_NextPart_000_002A_01C68A67.DBA33A50
Content-Type: image/jpeg;
name="seattle.jpg"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64
Content-ID: <002501c68aa2$88021250$1db80543@casey>

Bob Miller

unread,
Jun 9, 2006, 8:22:35 AM6/9/06
to

12, 14 or 16 guage would be the most common at the hardware store. Any
would work; the 12 guage is the biggest and most noticeable, if that's
a factor.

I'm not familiar with the connections on the back of a Sangean 505,
but if you took the radio to a place like Radio Shack they could
probably outfit you with a connector that fits; one that doesn't need
soldering would be easiest to work with.

Bob
k5qwg

RHF

unread,
Jun 9, 2006, 3:35:31 PM6/9/06
to
Bob [K5QWG],

External Antenna Input for most 'portable' AM / FM Shortwave Radios
with 1/8" Mono Jack
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/message/10074?l=1

Most Sangean 'portable' AM / FM Shortwave Radios
simply use a 1/8" Mono Jack for the External Antenna
Input. As do many 'portable' AM / FM Shortwave Radios.
* Barrel Circuit-Board-Ground (RF Signal Ground)
* Tip Antenna RF Signal Input

However, the Sangean ATS-909 'portable' AM / FM
Shortwave Radio uses a 1/8" Stereo Jack for the External
Antenna Input.
* Barrel Circuit-Board-Ground (RF Signal Ground)
* Tip Shortwave Antenna RF Signal Input
* Middle-Ring AM/MW Antenna RF Signal Input

Caution - Do Not - Plug your External Antenna into the
Headphone / External Speaker Jack (1/8') -and- Do Not -
Plug your Headphone / External Speaker into the External
Antenna Jack (1/8") - It's easy to do sometimes and
strangly the Radio does not work to well.
- - - Oops - Been There - Done That ! :o)

Two -IFs- when using an External Antenna with a
'portable' AM / FM Shortwave Radio :

IF # 1 - When Using In-Door External Antenna with
a 'portable' AM / FM Shortwave Radio - A Ground
{Wire} connection may not be required - Although
connecting a Ground may help reduce the Noise
{ Try It and See }

IF # 2 - When Using Out-Side External Antenna with
a 'portable' AM / FM Shortwave Radio - A Ground
{Wire} connection is Required for Electrical Safety.
Usually a Ground connection will help reduce the
Noise when using and Out-Side External Antenna.
{ Do It and See }


hope this helps - iane ~ RHF
.
Shortwave Listener Antennas => http://tinyurl.com/ogvcf
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/
SWL Antenna Group => http://tinyurl.com/ogvcf
.
The Shortwave Listener's Blessing :
SWL BLESSING => http://tinyurl.com/s2bjm
May You Never Tire of Listening to the Radio and Always
have Strong Signals and Noise Free Reception ~ RHF {ibid}
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/message/9233
.
|
|
|
/ \
-------!-------

David

unread,
Jun 9, 2006, 6:51:10 PM6/9/06
to
On 9 Jun 2006 12:35:31 -0700, "RHF" <rhf-new...@pacbell.net>
wrote:

RHF

unread,
Jun 9, 2006, 10:21:57 PM6/9/06
to
David - Its The Though That Counts !
{ When The Words Seem To Fail You } ~ RHF
.
.
. .

Mark Zenier

unread,
Jun 9, 2006, 11:21:24 AM6/9/06
to
In article <sopi8295orndkusdr...@4ax.com>,

Bob Miller <NOS...@neosoft.com> wrote:
>On Thu, 08 Jun 2006 23:11:13 -0500, JDL <no...@yadoor.biz> wrote:
...

>>Thanks for the info.. Any particular guage of wire? Also, could I buy
>>some sort of connector to be able to plug the wire into the antenna jack
>>on the 505 Sangean? Or should I just use an alligator clip?
>
>12, 14 or 16 guage would be the most common at the hardware store. Any
>would work; the 12 guage is the biggest and most noticeable, if that's
>a factor.

Small (24?) guage doorbell wire should work fine, and be a whole lot
cheaper. (And if you get a color that matches the surroundings, it
"disappears").

Mark Zenier mze...@eskimo.com
Googleproofaddress(account:mzenier provider:eskimo domain:com)

gravity

unread,
Jun 11, 2006, 1:18:26 AM6/11/06
to
a center-fed doublet (2 equal lengths of wire per side) works pretty well.
depending on the wire lengths, it will have gain on some bands, and the
radiation pattern is hard to predict without modeling software.

end-fed wires aka long wires can work well too, again with gain which is
hard to predict. about 1 wave off the ground does quite well.

if you can afford a log periodic on 200 foot tower, go for it.

Gravity


0 new messages