Looking for a Good Active Antenna

BucSoprano

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Mar 10, 2011, 4:10:56 AM3/10/11

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Any recommendations? Rich from Lebanon, Pa

RHF

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Mar 10, 2011, 6:35:09 AM3/10/11

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On Mar 10, 1:10 am, BucSoprano <BucSopr...@gmail.com> wrote:

- Any recommendations? Rich from Lebanon, Pa

1st : ? What type of Active Antenna are you
looking for : ? Indoor ? -or- ? Outside ?

2nd : ? What Frequency Ranges : LW? AM/MW?
Shortwave/SW? VHF? UHF/FM?
.
.
Here are some Ready-Make SWL Active Antennas :
.
RF Systems DX-One Professional MkII
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/sw_ant/1246.html
.
LF Engineering H-800 "SkyMatch" Active Antenna
http://www.grove-ent.com/ANT15.html
.
MFJ-1024 Outdoor Active Antenna
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/sw_ant/1132.html
.
DX Engineering’s Active Receive Antenna Systems
http://www.dxengineering.com/Products.asp?ID=220&SecID=79&DeptID=12
.
Dressler Active Receiving Antennas ARA 100
http://www.bptec.com/antennas.html
http://cgi.ebay.com/220281565843
.
Sony AN-12 Wide Range Active Antenna System
http://cgi.ebay.com/390292267737
.
Sony AN-LP1 "Portable" Loop Active Antenna
http://cgi.ebay.com/140519324821
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/sw_ant/3676.html
.
.
-used- McKay Dymek DA-100E Active Antenna
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/sw_ant/0328.html
.
.
Do-It-Yourself : Active Antenna Kit
-by- North County Radio
http://www.northcountryradio.com/Kitpages/actant.htm
.
.
-read- The In-Door Shortwave Listener (SWL) Antenna
-with- An Out-Side Antenna Element
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.shortwave/msg/80a916f4cc134e1d
.
-read- Indoor Antennas and Active Antennas
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.shortwave/msg/02a05ebb94d76b0b
.
-read- SWL -Newbies- Beyond the "Tiny-Tenna"
-DIY- Active Antenna Kits and a lot more . . .
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.shortwave/msg/b5d90a539eb30f90
.
-read- SWL's - Taking the ZigZag Out of Your Back Yard Antenna . . .
http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive/Rec/rec.radio.shortwave/2008-06/msg01687.html
.
-read- # 7 "The Wagner Active Pre-Selector Antenna"
http://www.dxing.com/tips.htm
.
hope this helps - iane ~ RHF
.
.

Wimpie

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Mar 10, 2011, 6:37:11 AM3/10/11

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On 10 mar, 10:10, BucSoprano <BucSopr...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Any recommendations? Rich from Lebanon, Pa

Hello,

What is your preference with regards to frequency range, loop or
vertical whip, etc?

Why you prefer an active antenna instead of passive?

Some makers: DX Engineering, Wellbrook. If you like electronics,
there are various building plans on the web for both whip or loop
active antennas.

With kind regards,

Wim
PA3DJS
www.tetech.nl
please remove abc in case of PM

BucSoprano

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Mar 10, 2011, 10:29:29 AM3/10/11

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Sorry, i forgot to say that...

>1st : ? What type of Active Antenna are you
>looking for : ? Indoor ? -or- ? Outside ?

Indoor

>2nd : ? What Frequency Ranges : LW? AM/MW?
>Shortwave/SW? VHF? UHF/FM?

.5 - 30 Mhz

BucSoprano

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Mar 10, 2011, 10:31:26 AM3/10/11

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>LF Engineering H-800 "SkyMatch" Active Antenna
>http://www.grove-ent.com/ANT15.html

"Due to high amplification, not recommended for shortwave portables
which tend to overload easily."

BucSoprano

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Mar 10, 2011, 10:41:06 AM3/10/11

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Thanks for all the links!

BucSoprano

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Mar 10, 2011, 10:43:26 AM3/10/11

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>What is your preference with regards to frequency range, loop or
>vertical whip, etc?

>Why you prefer an active antenna instead of passive?

>Some makers: DX Engineering, Wellbrook. If you like electronics,
>there are various building plans on the web for both whip or loop
>active antennas.

Sorry bout that... indoor whip is fine, telescoping is also fine. I'm
just researching right now to see what you all like...

Wimpie

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Mar 10, 2011, 10:53:54 AM3/10/11

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Hello,

From the above I assume you have a portable (with or without external
antenna input).

With today's interference from electronic equipment, a simple outdoor
antenna may give better S/N ratio then the best indoor antenna. Most
portables have sufficient sensitivity to work properly with a passive
antenna.

A too large/long antenna may result in receiver overload. If so, you
will note a strong increase in noise like signals and reception of
same station at several positions on the dial (or frequency readout).
Longer or larger doesn't automatically means better.

If you need further info, don't hesitate to come back.

Wim
PA3DJS
www.tetech.nl

dave

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Mar 10, 2011, 11:19:18 AM3/10/11

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On 03/10/2011 01:10 AM, BucSoprano wrote:
> Any recommendations? Rich from Lebanon, Pa

MFJ makes a bunch of different ones.

Larry

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Mar 10, 2011, 7:54:00 PM3/10/11

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Myself I use an Ameco TPA as opposed to the MFJ-1020C(had) ... Just seems to
work better. The case is plastic so you may want to add some type of
weight inside to keep it in one spot when tuning. Some have added interior
shielding as well but seems to work fine for me the way it is.
The MFJ-959B is good as well as an older Grove tuner/amp that I have.
Myself and a few others have not had any luck with the MFJ-1024 outdoor amp.
The Palstar AA30 isn't even reviewed on Eham net.
The following should help you decide.
http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/3810
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/sw_ant/1512.html
http://www.mtechnologies.com/ameco/othel.htm
http://www.amecocorp.com/electronic.html
http://www.dxing.com/tips.htm
http://forums.radioreference.com/hf-mw-lw-general-discussion/127396-mfj-1020c-indoor-active-antenna.html
Just remember you will most likely be amplifying a certain amount of RFI
along with the chosen setting. That's why it so important to find that
sweet spot (area of the house or property less affected by RFI). A quick
walk-around with a portable tuned to the SW band will soon locate the area
of least man made noise. For me it's the centre of the kitchen, nice clear
reception. The rest of the house sounds like it's raining RFI. My outdoor
antennas are another story.

"BucSoprano" <BucSo...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:9b5hn6ppi86k6ramm...@4ax.com...

> Any recommendations? Rich from Lebanon, Pa
>

__________ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 5943 (20110310) __________

The message was checked by ESET Smart Security.

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arthr...@webtv.net

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Mar 11, 2011, 1:34:01 AM3/11/11

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On Mar 10, 4:10 am, BucSoprano <BucSopr...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Any recommendations? Rich from Lebanon, Pa

What radio are you intending to use ? Many receivers (even very dear
ones ) don't agree with Active Antennas due to insufficient (or
absent) pre-selection plus low dynamic range : 'anemic' front end is
NOT that rare at all .

RHF

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Mar 11, 2011, 7:40:25 AM3/11/11

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OK so if you are using a Shortwave 'portable' Radio
and require an indoor Shortwave Antenna
-then-

Sony AN-LP1 "Portable" Loop Active Antenna
http://cgi.ebay.com/140519324821
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/sw_ant/3676.html
.

-or--read- The In-Door Shortwave Listener (SWL)

dave

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Mar 11, 2011, 9:25:18 AM3/11/11

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On 03/11/2011 04:40 AM, RHF wrote:
> On Mar 10, 7:31 am, BucSoprano<BucSopr...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> LF Engineering H-800 "SkyMatch" Active Antenna
>>> http://www.grove-ent.com/ANT15.html
>>
>> "Due to high amplification, not recommended for shortwave portables
>> which tend to overload easily."
>
> OK so if you are using a Shortwave 'portable' Radio
> and require an indoor Shortwave Antenna
> -then-
> Sony AN-LP1 "Portable" Loop Active Antenna
> http://cgi.ebay.com/140519324821
> http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/sw_ant/3676.html
>

What part of "discontinued" eludes you?

Support people who support you. Sony doesn't care about shortwave.

http://www.mfjenterprises.com/Search.php?searchit=active+antenna

BucSoprano

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Mar 11, 2011, 11:29:01 AM3/11/11

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>If you need further info, don't hesitate to come back.

Thank you! I do have a couple Yacht Boy 400's with externals inputs so
yes i will consider your advice...

BucSoprano

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Mar 11, 2011, 11:30:42 AM3/11/11

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>> Any recommendations? Rich from Lebanon, Pa

>MFJ makes a bunch of different ones.

Not a big mfj fan...

BucSoprano

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Mar 11, 2011, 11:33:05 AM3/11/11

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>..............The rest of the house sounds like it's raining RFI. My outdoor
>antennas are another story.

Thank you for your advice!..

bpnjensen

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Mar 11, 2011, 11:32:47 AM3/11/11

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I've had surprisingly good luck with them. The few "little black
boxes" I've purchased from them have given me years of mostly trouble-
free good performance.

BucSoprano

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Mar 11, 2011, 11:36:03 AM3/11/11

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>What radio are you intending to use ? Many receivers (even very dear
>ones ) don't agree with Active Antennas due to insufficient (or
>absent) pre-selection plus low dynamic range : 'anemic' front end is
>NOT that rare at all .

I have a couple of Yacht Boy 400's for the .5 - 30 Mhz range...

BucSoprano

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Mar 11, 2011, 11:37:49 AM3/11/11

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>I've had surprisingly good luck with them. The few "little black
>boxes" I've purchased from them have given me years of mostly trouble-
>free good performance.

I'll give em another look...

bpnjensen

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Mar 11, 2011, 11:44:12 AM3/11/11

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One other item I've tried and have had fun with is the Radio Shack
amplified shortwave antenna 20-280. Just a little plastic thing, but
it does the job. Again, it can pick up RFI so you have to find a
quiet spot for it - but as remote port-a-tenna it's a blast.

dave

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Mar 11, 2011, 3:37:19 PM3/11/11

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You're allowed to try to fix them; even if you destroy it in the process
you don't void the warranty. You can call the guy who designs the shit
and ask him questions (try doing that with Kenwood).

Man, if MFJ had been around when I was a kid my whole life would've
turned out different. They make some cost-effective fun stuff.

dave

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Mar 11, 2011, 3:44:56 PM3/11/11

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Dangerously close to the dreaded [rhymes with "shiny henna"]

arthr...@webtv.net

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Mar 11, 2011, 11:52:05 PM3/11/11

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YB 400 by Lextronics (now Eton) ? Good portable , I had the pleasure
of owning one a while ago . Very sensitive ,btw . They produced two
versions, afaik . Namely , YB400 and 400PE . Wouldn't recommend an
external preamp on either one . Passive antenna (space permitting )
will invariably bring in much better performance . Solar Cycle 24 is
warming up lately ,so it may not be needed at all .

arthr...@webtv.net

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Mar 12, 2011, 12:01:11 AM3/12/11

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The variable conrols they used were of dubious quality . Never seen
such low grade potentiometers ever, must be from the bottom of the
barrel . Had their dual time zone clock (2 side by side) where both of
them lost time immediately irrespect of the other ... Just hope they
improved their QC, had very bad experience with M-F-J in the past ...

bpnjensen

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Mar 12, 2011, 12:50:24 AM3/12/11

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I agree, I have to spray the pots quite often.

arthr...@webtv.net

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Mar 12, 2011, 12:54:29 AM3/12/11

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> I agree, I have to spray the pots quite often.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

One of them froze or corroded internally so badly I threw the unit
into my parts box . And labeld the box appropiately : NFG .

BucSoprano

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Mar 12, 2011, 9:35:11 AM3/12/11

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>YB 400 by Lextronics (now Eton) ? Good portable , I had the pleasure
>of owning one a while ago . Very sensitive ,btw . They produced two
>versions, afaik . Namely , YB400 and 400PE . Wouldn't recommend an
>external preamp on either one . Passive antenna (space permitting )
>will invariably bring in much better performance . Solar Cycle 24 is
>warming up lately ,so it may not be needed at all .

Thanks! I will also consider this!..

BucSoprano

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Mar 12, 2011, 9:36:27 AM3/12/11

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>One other item I've tried and have had fun with is the Radio Shack
>amplified shortwave antenna 20-280. Just a little plastic thing, but
>it does the job. Again, it can pick up RFI so you have to find a
>quiet spot for it - but as remote port-a-tenna it's a blast.

Oh interesting, i didn't even know Radio Shaft made one... hmm...
Thanks!..

BucSoprano

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Mar 12, 2011, 9:38:44 AM3/12/11

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>.....................................................................Just hope they

>improved their QC, had very bad experience with M-F-J in the past ...

And that's Xactly what i've heard about mfj...

Message has been deleted

arthr...@webtv.net

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Mar 13, 2011, 3:02:33 AM3/13/11

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On Mar 12, 3:42 pm, Bob Dobbs <chupaca...@operamail.com> wrote:

> Em Effin Jay for the longest had a well deserved reputation of vending
> partially assembled 'kits', that is, all the parts were in there and cold
> soldered (tacked) into place such that you had to supply the finishing touches;
> like reposition components, reflux the solder, and tighten the screws.
> In their behalf, I did get a 949e tuner awhile back that required no additional
> effort.
> IOW: It was serviceable and ready, out of the box, from the get-go.
> Maybe Martin read the feedback from damn near all his customers?
> --
>
> http://bit.ly/g2PCII

More like 90% returns ! That will sober up any self-respecting
businessman .

BucSoprano

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Mar 13, 2011, 7:37:30 AM3/13/11

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Well thank all of you who helped me decide not to get an active
antenna. As i said i have a Yacht Boy 400 and might not need anything
more than an outdoor antenna. Thanks one and all!..

RHF

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Mar 13, 2011, 3:32:35 PM3/13/11

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Read these two Posts About an Antenna Designed
to use with 'portable' AM FM Shortwave Radios :
.
"Portable Wire Antenna" [PWA]
-by- Tom Sevart [N2UHC]
-Info-at- New WebSite 'Reo Cities .Com'
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.shortwave/msg/c9a8047b73e81ae8
-and-
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.shortwave/msg/ab6b775bec8a4d4c
-and-
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.shortwave/msg/568cc0a15b6e7fbc
.
Indoor Two-Wire "Portable Wire Antenna" [PWA]
-by- Tom Sevart [N2UHC]
-Info-at- New WebSite 'Reo Cities .Com'
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.radio.shortwave/msg/25d76b985ca6a879
.
iane ~ RHF
.
.

BucSoprano

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Mar 14, 2011, 12:19:20 PM3/14/11

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>Read these two Posts About an Antenna Designed
>to use with 'portable' AM FM Shortwave Radios :

Good read! Thanks...

Larry

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Mar 14, 2011, 7:12:04 PM3/14/11

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In Yahoo Groups, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EtonE5/files/
Files section/Inductive Couplers for Whips
there is an excellent coupler for getting the signal from your outdoor
antenna to your YB 400 or any portable for that matter without the risk of
direct connection(static discharge to your radio). The amount of coupling
is variable to prevent overload.
If you are not a member of this group, email me and I can send the files to
you. Less than 1 meg download.
zud...@hotmail.com

"BucSoprano" <BucSo...@gmail.com> wrote in message

news:m0bpn65hdnprmc2ob...@4ax.com...

> Well thank all of you who helped me decide not to get an active
> antenna. As i said i have a Yacht Boy 400 and might not need anything
> more than an outdoor antenna. Thanks one and all!..
>
>

> __________ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus

> signature database 5953 (20110314) __________

>
> The message was checked by ESET Smart Security.
>
> http://www.eset.com
>
>
>

__________ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 5953 (20110314) __________

BucSoprano

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Mar 16, 2011, 7:14:09 PM3/16/11

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>In Yahoo Groups, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EtonE5/files/
>Files section/Inductive Couplers for Whips
>there is an excellent coupler for getting the signal from your outdoor
>antenna to your YB 400 or any portable for that matter without the risk of
>direct connection(static discharge to your radio). The amount of coupling
>is variable to prevent overload.
>If you are not a member of this group, email me and I can send the files to
>you. Less than 1 meg download.
>zud...@hotmail.com

I must be doing something wrong. I'll e-mail you for the files and an
explanation of trying to unsuccessfully join the group...

RHF

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Mar 16, 2011, 8:55:58 PM3/16/11

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On Mar 16, 4:14 pm, BucSoprano <BucSopr...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >In Yahoo Groups,http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EtonE5/files/

You usually have to 'Join' the Group First to see the
Files Section using the [Join This Group] Button on
the Main Web-Page -here-
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EtonE5/
.

BucSoprano

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Mar 20, 2011, 5:50:50 PM3/20/11

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>> I must be doing something wrong. I'll e-mail you for the files and an
>> explanation of trying to unsuccessfully join the group...

>You usually have to 'Join' the Group First to see the
>Files Section using the [Join This Group] Button on
>the Main Web-Page -here-

I've tried several times to no avail... Forget it, i despise yahoo
anyway...