Rain Gutter Antenna
Jay
results using metal rain gutters and downspouts as an antenna. Since my
house is on a steep hill it would be a big job to put up a wire so I did a
quick test and I got fairly good results. The back of my house is three
stories high. The rain gutter is aluminum and about 60 feet long. There is a
(guessing) 30 foot downspout at each end. I clipped onto one of the
downspouts and got strong signals all over the sw bands and mw was good too.
I would guess that mw with this "antenna" was quite a bit stronger than with
my Select-A-Tenna. My ground was poor for this temporary test setup (a pipe
that goes into the oil burner in the cellar) but helped noticeably so I
expect a real ground will be better if I make this permanent. There was some
weak electrical interference too but much less than what I get inside the
house.
Has anyone here experimented with such a "Gutter Antenna?" I know it sounds
funny but if I can't manage to put up a random wire because of the height
problems, this may be as close as I can get to an outside signal. I guess I
will also have to do surge and static protection and grounding as I would
with any outside antenna. I could go crazy and tie the front gutter into
the rear to see if that increases things. That would be over 120 feet of
gutter plus the connecting wires!
Would appreciate any comments on my "Gutter Antenna!"
L. M. Picard
wrote:
I admire your ingenuity but I think you are re-inventing the wheel.
Rain gutter antennas have been described in a number of publications
and at least one veteran Dx'er, who logs his catches in "Dx Ontario",
reports using such an antenna.
While it might provide a practical solution in some instances, I would
be concerned that you are still to close to the noise field of the
house to get the best reception. Of course every setup is something
of a compromise.
DXer
else could be done.
Actually for MW DXing an indoor loop antenna worked better then the gutter
antenna, but for the shortwave bands the gutter worked much better then the
whip on the 2010. This was in an apartment. If I were you I would make sure
that all of the gutters and downspouts are making a good conntection and I
would connect the front gutters to the back. The more capture area the better.
With your steep hill situation you could also just have some wires come off
the top of your house and slope downward as sloping dipoles.
With antenna sometimes you never know what your going to get untill you try
it. I once loaded up the downspout and the gutters and worked about 20 states
on 160 meters. But it really messed up the neighbors radios.
Craig
Bill Starkgraf
wire mesh in the stucco did tend to make it an omni directional for transmitt.
I attached one lead to the downspout and the other to a large ground mounted air
conditioner unit.
Now the question is: "How do I get the apartment on a rotor so I can sned and
receive in another direction?"
James Aeschliman
Amatuer radio operators (hams) have been using rain gutters, fences, flag
poles, etc. for years. And for both transmitting and receiving. They
can be very effective.
BTW, if you put in a ground rod for the receiver, be sure to bond it to
the electrical ground rod where the power lines come into your house.
All ground rods must be bonded together to comply with the NEC and for
safety reasons.
73 de KD7MK
In a previous article, jaypo...@email.msn.com ("Jay") says:
>hlink.net!not-for-mail
>
>Here's an odd one for the group. I read somewhere that someone had good
>results using metal rain gutters and downspouts as an antenna. Since my
>house is on a steep hill it would be a big job to put up a wire so I did a
>quick test and I got fairly good results. The back of my house is three
>stories high. The rain gutter is aluminum and about 60 feet long. There is a
>(guessing) 30 foot downspout at each end. I clipped onto one of the
>downspouts and got strong signals all over the sw bands and mw was good too.
>I would guess that mw with this "antenna" was quite a bit stronger than with
>my Select-A-Tenna. My ground was poor for this temporary test setup (a pipe
>that goes into the oil burner in the cellar) but helped noticeably so I
>expect a real ground will be better if I make this permanent. There was some
>weak electrical interference too but much less than what I get inside the
>house.
>
>Has anyone here experimented with such a "Gutter Antenna?" I know it sounds
>funny but if I can't manage to put up a random wire because of the height
>problems, this may be as close as I can get to an outside signal. I guess I
>will also have to do surge and static protection and grounding as I would
>with any outside antenna. I could go crazy and tie the front gutter into
>the rear to see if that increases things. That would be over 120 feet of
>gutter plus the connecting wires!
>
>Would appreciate any comments on my "Gutter Antenna!"
>
>
>
--
Looking froward to A.D. 2000. The LAST year of the 20th Century.
Jim Aeschliman bb...@scn.org
Black Diamond, Washington KD7MK
Beverly Walker
antennas on your roof?...a coat hangar...an unused cable line running to
your house (or your neighbor's, just ask first!)...an antique pair of
television rabbit-ears...a bad extension cord...if you can hook it up to
your antenna jack, what the hell, try it! You never know...
DJS127
<bevw...@centuryinter.net> writes:
>Subject: Re: Rain Gutter Antenna
>From: Beverly Walker <bevw...@centuryinter.net>
>Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1998 02:11:26 -0400
Your TV Antenna if you are now using cable can be a good antenna for 15Mhz and
higher. You might need a special attachment from the COAX to your rig
but you can get that at Radio Shack. I use one for my Drake R8 along with
the Radio SHack antenna kit for 2nd antenna and you would be suprised what I
get.
David Snyder