Type of Wire For Longwire Antenna?
UncleBoo1114
longwire antenna for shortwave? For instance:
1) Should the wire be copper or would some other material be better?
2) What about gauge? The bigger the better?
3) What about length? The longer the better?
4) What anout an insulation covering? Seems like I read that it did not matter
if the wire was insulated or not. Is this true?
Or, does any of the above matter?
grenner
Copper is best
around 12 or 14 gague is fine. Insulated or not does not really matter.
Length, get is as long as you can get it 30-50 feet is good, less will still
work. Height is also an advantage, get the wire as high as you can.
Greg
"UncleBoo1114" <uncleb...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20030526132419...@mb-m27.aol.com...
signalchaser
find at the Home Depot or Lowes. That seems to work quite well plus you can
hang the black coated wire from trees and other objects without shorting or
other problems. I've got about 1000 feet hanging 30 feet from the trees here
and it works out well for flushing out the weak DX stations. All depends on
how much land you have available and how many restrictions you have to deal
with, not to mention wives, hehe.
"grenner" <regen...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
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Dale Parfitt
UncleBoo1114 wrote:
The Flex Weave offered by Davis Associates is wonderful- 136 strands in the 14
gauge. The jacket is black polyethylene- unlike vinyl that you find on all other
types. The poly is outrageously impervious to sunlight and abrasion.
Of equal or more importance however, is the fashion in which you deal with local
noise pick up. Simply running the wire into the home, opens the antenna up to all
sorts of noise sources in the house. Feeding with ungrounded coax offers no
improvement, as the shield is free to conduct radiation currents. Grounding the
shield at the antenna can make a considerable difference in noise p/u. Grounding
again at the RX may or may not offer further improvement. A well designed 9:1 UNUN
can also significantly improve reception, particularly on low freqs (tropical and
down) if the wire is electrically short (say under 50').
Dale W4OP
for PAR Electronics, Inc.
Jack.
"Dale Parfitt" <par...@gte.net> wrote in message
news:3ED2531A...@gte.net...
> A well designed 9:1 UNUN
> can also significantly improve reception, particularly on low freqs
(tropical and
> down) if the wire is electrically short (say under 50').
Hi Dale,
How do you add a UNUN to such a longwire? I'm building a shortwave receiver
and want to make a longwire antenna for listening, but I'm not sure how to
add a UNUN onto it. Any help or references would be appreciated!
Jackie
Diverd4777
( thick enough so it won't blow down in a storm)
is my choice.
The Longer the better.
1,000 feet is a good start. not enough room?? Try 30 - 60. feet. It'll pull in
lots of stuff.
There are those that fret about " Front End Overload "
BUT if theres a very very weak signal out there,
longer will pull it in.
Too much of a good thing is just wonderful.
Insulated is just my choice. Keeps the elements away from the copper, makes it
more weather resistant, less prone to noise.
A co-ax lead in, with the shielding grounded out at the antenna is a good way
to go.
In article <20030526132419...@mb-m27.aol.com>, uncleb...@aol.com
RHF
Are you truly asking about a "Long Wire Antenna" of one or more wave
lengths at a specific (lowest) frequency?
* For a true "Long Wire Antenna" one, two, three or more 500Ft Spools
of #14 AWG Insulated 19 Strand Copper Wire will do for a length of
500, 1000, 1500 Feet or more.
* It can be as little as 3-5Ft off the ground or any height above that
you can manage to get up their.
* Read about Beverage and other "Long Wire Antennas" before you start
this major project.
Or ar you referring to what is called a "Random Wire" Antenna ?
Commonly an End Feed 'longish' piece of wire varying from 30/50Ft to
150/200Ft.
* Take a the "LOW NOISE SWL ANTENNA" [ W H A T ? ]
From the Association of North American Radio Clubs (ANARC) WebSite
and the Rec.Radio.ShortWave (NG) WebPage Presented & Written by John
Doty
* http://www.anarc.org/naswa/badx/antennas/low-noise_antenna.html
= JD Quote =
It doesn't take very much wire to pick up an adequate signal for
anything but the crudest Shortwave receiver. The Difference between a
mediocre antenna system and a great antenna system isn't the antenna
itself: it's the way you feed signals from the antenna to the
receiver. The Real Trick with a Shortwave receiving antenna system is
to keep your receiver from picking up noise from all the electrical
and electronic gadgets you and your neighbors have.
=Un-Quote=
Diagrams of "Random Wire" Antenna using a Balun and Coax FeedLine
* http://www.geocities.com/n2uhc/wire.html
* http://www.kc7nod.20m.com/improved_rw.htm
RHF = Here is my Double Nickel (Ten Cents Worth) on this Very Simple
and Basic Low Noise SWL Antenna:
1. 50-200 Feet of 14 AWG Insulated 19 Strand Copper Wire
2. Height of Support Points 15-45 Feet.
3. Bottom Feed Point for both Ground and Coax.
4. Matching Transformer (UnUn)
5. Bury the Coax if possible.
6. Best Antenna 'Form' to Consider is the Inverted "L" Configuration
requiring two 'high' antenna support points.
* http://uweb.superlink.net/bhtongue/12ILAnt/12ILAnt.html
* http://www.antenna.be/il.html
* http://www.hard-core-dx.com/nordicdx/antenna/wire/lantenna.html
-OR- a "Sloper" Configuration requires one higher and one lower
antenna support point.
* http://www.alphadeltacom.com/images/dxswl.gif
* http://www.hard-core-dx.com/nordicdx/antenna/wire/sloper.gif
* http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/sw_ant/0013.jpg
Consider using "QuietFlex" Antenna Wire by Antennas & More: Insulated,
Strong, Flexible and Durable.
GoTo=> http://www.antennasmore.com/wire&.htm
"QuietFlex" #14 AWG Antenna Wire has more than 41 Strands tightly
twisted together under its Flexible Insulation making it both Strong,
Flexible and Durable.
Consider the ICE 180 that is not only a Matching Transformer but a
Lightening Surpressor
* http://www.hard-core-dx.com/nordicdx/antenna/feed/ice180.html
This Hard-Core-Dx.Com WebPage
Text Written by John Doty
=Quote=
A Matching Transformer at the Base of the Antenna can smooth out the
fluctuations in antenna system efficiency with frequency, yielding an
Antenna System that Works well enough for good reception from LongWave
to the top of the ShortWave Range.
=Un-Quote=
Here is a Do-It-Yourself Matching Transformer
* http://www.kc7nod.20m.com/new_page_1.htm
mkia ~ RHF
.
.
= = = uncleb...@aol.com (UncleBoo1114) wrote in message
= = = news:<20030526132419...@mb-m27.aol.com>...
Mark S. Holden
>
> Are there any particular preferences for the type of wire usd for making a
> longwire antenna for shortwave? For instance:
>
> 1) Should the wire be copper or would some other material be better?
>
Realistically, pretty much any metal will work fine - as long as it's strong enough to support itself over the length of your antenna, and can stand up to the wind and weight of ice and snow if that's a factor in your neck of the woods.
> 2) What about gauge? The bigger the better?
>
Larger diameter wire has less resistance, but the real factor is physical strength.
> 3) What about length? The longer the better?
>
All other things being equal, yes. But a smaller antenna away from the RFI that's generated in your home and your neighbors might out perform a larger one that starts closer to the house.
> 4) What anout an insulation covering? Seems like I read that it did not matter
> if the wire was insulated or not. Is this true?
>
The wire I use has insulation. I figure it'll slow down corrosion of the wire a little, and in any case, it was handy.
> Or, does any of the above matter?
Here's a description of the antenna I put up last year. It solved lots of RFI problems I was having. I've tweaked a few things since then, but this is 99% of it.
Regards,
Mark
Rev. John M. Evans
I use copper or copper clad wire. Seemed to work okay.
>2) What about gauge? The bigger the better?
The thicker the wire the broader the frequency range in any given wavelength.
10 ga. Seems to be easy to handle.
>3) What about length? The longer the better?
If you use a tuner, the longer the better for RX.
>4) What anout an insulation covering? Seems like I read that it did not
>matter
I use uninsulated wire but have used both in the past. My Ham Antenna for QRP
was insulated and worked fine.
The above is just my opinion and I have made many a contact using the advise
above. Best 73 de John N2QCE/4
--
Rev. John M. Evans
John Evans Ministries
revere...@pastors.com
starman
snipped
>
> There are those that fret about " Front End Overload "
> BUT if theres a very very weak signal out there,
> longer will pull it in.
> Too much of a good thing is just wonderful.
How will you hear that "very very weak signal" if it's wiped out by
intermod's caused by too much antenna? (AKA "front-end overload")
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RHF
some of the 'concepts' of the "Low Noise" Antenna 'design' presented
by John Doty.
Here is a LINK to 'Diagrams' of Several "Low Noise" Antenna Types.
* Random Wire Antenna (Most Common)
* Inverted "L" Antenna [The 'BEST' Choice]
* Sloper Antenna (Lazy "L")
* Tri-Angle Antenna (Open)
* Loop Antenna (Vertical)
* Windom Antenna (Something Different)
Here is a "Make-A-Shorter-Link" URL-Key to the above group of Low
Noise Antenna Diagrams:
GoTo=> http://makeashorterlink.com/?F1CB12BB4
- Please Wait . . .
- - Several Seconds: tic, Tic. TIC !
- - - For the URL Transfer to Process.
~ RHF
.
.
= = = rhf-...@usa.com (RHF) wrote in message
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