External antenna for AM brodcasts

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YoMoma

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What is a good external antenna to use with a shortwave receiver to pick out those AM "skip" stations from half way across the states?
Picked up a SW receiver recently and the cold weather is keeping me from putting up a SW antenna at this time. Whip isn't doing so well so far. So just wondering about a good AM antenna that will help pick up those distant stations.
 

N3JI

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AM broadcast is roughly 530-1700 kHz. Resonant 1/2 wave antennas are quite long down there, but if you're really interested in listening there, the best bet is the longest dipole you can practically put up, and put it up nice & high. I have an HF dipole for the 80m Amateur band in an inverted-V configuration at ~50' at the apex that works fine for AM broadcast. I usually just listen to the "local" ones around, so I don't do a lot of the "skip" listening.
 

ka3jjz

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This has nothing to do with Scanners (and not really broadband receivers, either...) - I will have this moved...

I understand the Wellbrook and Pixel loops - which can be mounted outdoors - would really do this well, but they're quite expensive. Let's see if we can do this on the cheap...and we can.

By far, the weapon of choice are loops. Not necessarily external, as in outdoors, but very effective tools nevertheless. There are TONS of plans on the web, and our wiki has just a few of them (some commercial, others with construction plans)...

Loops - The RadioReference Wiki

What radio are you using? Mike
 

k9rzz

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LOOPS! Absolutely. Unless you own a few acres of land, loops are hard to beat. Beg, borrow, build, or buy ... they are your answer and the reason why is that you can turn the loop to null out strong, everyday stations enabling you to hear more distant stations farther away. I just built a loop on a wooden frame that's 6 feet in diameter. Yup, it's big and ugly, and works like a champ. :)

The next best would be to phase two -dissimilar- antennas to null loud, 'pest' stations. For example phase a horizontal wire against a vertical. You can either pick up a commercial phasing unit, or build your own (I can describe a simple LC circuit if you'd like). I had VERY good luck doing this at my old QTH.

Try a loop. :)
 

jwt873

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I have a 160 meter dipole (260 feet long). it works well for the AM BCB and for the Non Directional navigation beacons down in the 200 to 300 Khz range. But I live in the country on an acreage so a 260 foot antenna isn't a problem

AS k9rzz points out.. Loops work well for the broadcast band. If you Google for "AM Broadcast Band receiving loop" you'll find lots of plans to build one.
 

AB4BF

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I have a Grundig Satellit 800 that I have owned for about ten years. I had a long wire just lain up in the attic and the whip which did fair, but I wanted something better to pick up the side bands and long wave beacons.

However for the AM/FM, I opted for the Pixel AFHD-4 high definition antenna. I mounted it up in my attic as high as I could get it. I ran RG-6 from the antenna to the radio, about 50 feet. The antenna comes complete with everything to mount it and hook it up, but no cable. It has a splitter to separate the AM from the FM. I cut two 3 foot pieces of RG-6 and ran one for the AM to a 75 ohm to 300 ohm balun (supplied) and the other straight to the FM F connector on the back of the radio.

To say that the antenna was an improvement is a tremendous understatement. AM/FM pulled in stations from everywhere AM especially even in the daytime. I went to the HF bands and you would not believe the signals I can now pull in. WWV comes in stronger than ever and I receive it on just about all the WWV broadcast frequencies as well as Ham bands and oversea broadcasts. Needless to say, I'm impressed.

I bought the antenna from Solid Signal.

Pixel AFHD-4 AM/FM Outdoor High Definition Radio Antenna (AFHD-4) from Solid Signal
 
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YoMoma

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This has nothing to do with Scanners (and not really broadband receivers, either...) - I will have this moved...

Thank You, sorry for the inconvenience.

What radio are you using? Mike

A Grundig Satellit 750

Also may I ask another question since you are a moderator?
I am a licensed Amateur radio operator. How do I go about getting a tag of the sorts under my profile?

Thanks
Larry
KC0ZOS
 

krokus

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What is a good external antenna to use with a shortwave receiver to pick out those AM "skip" stations from half way across the states?
Picked up a SW receiver recently and the cold weather is keeping me from putting up a SW antenna at this time. Whip isn't doing so well so far. So just wondering about a good AM antenna that will help pick up those distant stations.

If you have the room, a Beverage antenna would work well. They are directional, which can be good and bad.

Sent via Tapatalk
 

n5ims

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I am a licensed Amateur radio operator. How do I go about getting a tag of the sorts under my profile?

1) Get into the Forums section and log in (if not already logged into the forums).
2) Click on the first Forum Menu selection, "User CP"
3) Click the option "Edit Your Details" under the link list on the leftmost part of the page.
4) Click the "Edit Email & Password" button (true, not the most intuitive part)
5) Enter your call sign in the "Amateur Radio Callsign" text box.
6) Press the "Save All Changes" button.

This should associate your call sign to your RR ID. It may take a bit for the badge to appear though.
 

SCPD

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Larry please search the HF antenna forum for answers to your questions. We've only answered this one about 1,931 times in the past few years. Thanks.

Also, be sure to read this PDF from start to finish. Then read it backwards. :p

http://www.zerobeat.net/r3403c.pdf
 

ka3jjz

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While that PDF is interesting, it really doesn't have much in the way of antennas you can easily use (without a bit of space, anyway) on AM (or MW, as some call it). Most all of those antennas lack in one very important function in MW DXing- the ability to null one station from another. The famous ARRL Antenna Handbook is another excellent reference, but like your handbook, doesn't have quite so much to say about antennas you can easily use on MW

As has been said earlier (by me and others), unless you have the space for several Beverages (and very few of us do), loops are the tool of choice for DXing on this band

Larry, keep asking questions - we might have a few MW DXers here that can help. Alternately the 2 major organizations that are heavily involved in MW DXing - The International Radio Club of America and the National Radio Club - are 2 places that would very likely have a lot to say about antennas on MW

Mike
 

NDRADIONUT

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Throw a long piece of coated wire up through a tree branch and hook it up... Am stations are vertically polarized...
 

Boombox

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If your new radio has an internal ferrite loopstick antenna for the AM band, then your whip antenna is doing nothing on purpose. Whip antennas on 99.99% of the radios out there are meant for SW and FM, not the MW/AM band.

The best thing you can do in the short term is get a Terk loop or an Eton loop (or a Select-A-Tenna, if you can find one used). They are tunable loop antennas that boost the signal into your radio's own internal loopstick antenna. You just set the external tunable loop next to the radio and tune it, and the signal will peak in the radio. Most radios I use a loop with will get an increase in signal of 1-3db or so.

It also helps with directionality. You can't change the direction of an outdoor antenna unless you dump a lot of money into one that's designed to do that.

Later on you can try a long wire antenna or whatever outside, but a good tunable loop will match the performance of many wire antennas. And they cost less than $50 for the most part.

Or you can make one of your own. 110 or so ft of wire wrapped around a plastic milk crate, tuned by a tuning capacitor out of an old radio (or a 365 pf tuning capacitor bought online) -- works pretty well.
 

YoMoma

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My Satellit 750 does come with a rotatable AM antenna. I`ve been able to pick up broadcasts recently from Cuba and Romania. So I guess the standard antenna does do what it is supposed to. I guess I`m one of those guys always wanting more.
 

Boombox

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My Satellit 750 does come with a rotatable AM antenna. I`ve been able to pick up broadcasts recently from Cuba and Romania. So I guess the standard antenna does do what it is supposed to. I guess I`m one of those guys always wanting more.

Well you *can* get more, relatively cheaply, with an external, tunable portable loop.

Most MW DXers I know use a loop of some sort. I do. Even with my Superadio or PR-D5, both of which are very good MW performers on their own. That extra db or two can often make a big difference.
 

pendulous

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I have been doing a lot of broadcast band dxing lately. It depends how fancy you want to get. If you do not want to make your own antenna and want something small and portable, get the quantum loop from dxtools plus. this is a very powerful ferrite tuned loop. it works great. i have received am stations as far away as cuba, miami, and mexico.

if you really want to get fancy, build yourself a Misek microswa (steerable wave antenna) It can be as small as 60 feet in length. I have several from 60 to 200 feet and these things are amazing. I can null an am station that is close by by 40db to uncover lower powered stations. The SWA can be grounded or ungrounded. it can be made from zip rod, speaker wire, or ladder line. I have both. You can mount them on the ground like a BOG or above ground. You will need a phasor box (NCC-1 from DX engineering or quantum phasor from DXTOOLS plus) and you will need terminating baluns. you can buy them for make them. pretty easy. I recommend a search on google for dr. dallas lankford experiments with misek swa. these guy has done a ton of experimental work on receive AM antennas for dxing. very cool stuff.
let me know if you have questions.
 

ridgescan

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San Francisco, Ca.
My Satellit 750 does come with a rotatable AM antenna. I`ve been able to pick up broadcasts recently from Cuba and Romania. So I guess the standard antenna does do what it is supposed to. I guess I`m one of those guys always wanting more.
You got medium wave BCs from these places?
Your rotator antenna doesn't get you SW signals-the whip does.
 
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