Tecsun Radios

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rocky28965

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Well the AM loop antenna worked out just fine.
Set it up out on the patio one night under the stars.
Worked my way through the list of 87 NZ AM Broadcast frequencies.
Wasn't very many I couldn't pickup.

Just thinking about another challenge now.
A similar loop antenna, but for the VHF AM Airband.
As with the AM, this radio has no input for the airband either.
Any one made one of these ??
 

WA8ZTZ

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Just thinking about another challenge now.
A similar loop antenna, but for the VHF AM Airband.
As with the AM, this radio has no input for the airband either.
Any one made one of these ??

You are working with a rapidly moving target that can arrive from any direction.
A discone is the generally accepted choice for VHF air.

btw, good work on the AM loop
 

WA8ZTZ

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There is no airband antenna input on a PL-660

The SW/FM antenna jack may also work for airband reception. Give it a try as others seem to have had success with it.

Unless you are interested in monitoring only one frequency at a time and don't mind the background noise, a scanner with squelch that covers airband is really the way to go for serious listening. They will also generally have provision for an external antenna.
 

WA8ZTZ

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OK, did a little internet research and it looks like the external antenna input on your radio is nothing more than a circuit shorting jack that normally connects the built-in whip to the input of the radio. Inserting a plug into the jack opens the whip circuit and inputs whatever antenna is connected to the plug.
A simple ground plane antenna would probably make that radio really perform on airband.
 

rocky28965

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OK, did a little internet research and it looks like the external antenna input on your radio is nothing more than a circuit shorting jack that normally connects the built-in whip to the input of the radio. Inserting a plug into the jack opens the whip circuit and inputs whatever antenna is connected to the plug.
A simple ground plane antenna would probably make that radio really perform on airband.

You would be correct about the manor in which the antenna socket functions.
I do have an airband ground plane antenna on the roof which works very well with my Uniden BC365CRS but does very little to the 660.
I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't even connected to the wip antenna.
Anyway I was thinking it may have been a good challenge to build an induction loop to function on that band, after the success I had with the AM loop.
 

WA8ZTZ

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If you really want to build a loop, there are plans in the December 2018 QST for a VHF/UHF loop antenna.
However, a loop antenna is bidirectional. You really want an omnidirectional antenna for aircraft reception.
Your AM loop is inductively coupled to the ferrite loopstick in the radio. The same trick won't work on VHF.
 

rocky28965

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If you really want to build a loop, there are plans in the December 2018 QST for a VHF/UHF loop antenna.
However, a loop antenna is bidirectional. You really want an omnidirectional antenna for aircraft reception.
Your AM loop is inductively coupled to the ferrite loopstick in the radio. The same trick won't work on VHF.

That settles it then, I'll discard the idea.
 

Boombox

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An external antenna for Airband may be a fun thing but not necessary, as planes are in the air, and VHF is line of sight.

I once heard the beep-beep-beep of a weather satellite as it went over, on my Realistic SW60 portable analog radio with Airband -- just off its whip antenna.

If it's in the air, and has a decent signal, and it's line of sight, you technically should be able to hear it.
 

rocky28965

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Im just getting used to a new Tecsun S-2000.
A bit bigger & easier to use than the 660.
I have one query for anyone who has this model or similar Grundig.
This one has a hard wired power cord as well as batteries if you wish.
With a set of batteries installed & connected to power, I cant see any indication as to weather the system is running from AC or battery.
The battery icon still shows as full if I take out the batteries.
I haven't found any reference to it in the manual either.
 

majoco

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Jay Allen wrote a review of the S-2000 and I'm not too sure whether he liked it or not! The multiple peaks as he tuned through an AM station sound like the DSP is phase locking at 2kHz steps and he doesn't give top marks for the audio quality which I thought was supposed to be the main point of DSP. I'll stick with my Sony CRF 5090 as a table radio!

Incidentally the Sony has a 'nose' on the power plug which contacts a microswitch as you plug it in which disconnects the batteries - the dial scale lights are always on when you are running on external power. That produced a problem for the previous owner - the dial scale warped with the heat from the lamps - I changed the lamps for LED's while sorting the scale problem. I would imagine if the battery icon on your S-2000 shows full when running on power with no batteries installed then that's your indication. It would be nice if there was some positive indication - it's easy enough to plug in the power cord in but forget to flip the switch then find that the batteries are flat!
 
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rocky28965

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Jay Allen wrote a review of the S-2000 and I'm not too sure whether he liked it or not! The multiple peaks as he tuned through an AM station sound like the DSP is phase locking at 2kHz steps and he doesn't give top marks for the audio quality which I thought was supposed to be the main point of DSP. I'll stick with my Sony CRF 5090 as a table radio!

Incidentally the Sony has a 'nose' on the power plug which contacts a microswitch as you plug it in which disconnects the batteries - the dial scale lights are always on when you are running on external power. That produced a problem for the previous owner - the dial scale warped with the heat from the lamps - I changed the lamps for LED's while sorting the scale problem. I would imagine if the battery icon on your S-2000 shows full when running on power with no batteries installed then that's your indication. It would be nice if there was some positive indication - it's easy enough to plug in the power cord in but forget to flip the switch then find that the batteries are flat!

Your Sony would be an oldie but goody.
Not sure on it's age, be but I used to work for a guy 45 years ago, who brought one very similar back from Aus.
Still getting familiar with the S2000. I find it like a big brother to the 660.
I love the big tuner, lot easier for me to use.
I have Neuropathy in my hands.
I read all the reviews I could find before I bought it so had a fare idea what to expect.
What I wasen't expecting was the big power plug on the cable.
Won't fit into the pocket at the back.
I bought it direct from the Tecsun dealer in Sydney & I am assuming they would have fitted that to match our mains, as it is a screwed type.
I have emailed them regarding that.
 

WA8ZTZ

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Im just getting used to a new Tecsun S-2000.
A bit bigger & easier to use than the 660.
I have one query for anyone who has this model or similar Grundig.
This one has a hard wired power cord as well as batteries if you wish.
With a set of batteries installed & connected to power, I cant see any indication as to weather the system is running from AC or battery.
The battery icon still shows as full if I take out the batteries.
I haven't found any reference to it in the manual either.

The Grundig 750 does not have a power cord that plugs into the house mains.
It has a separate 6 volt "wall wart" that plugs into a house power outlet.
IMHO, just run off the D cell batteries. They will seem to last forever and
operation will be quiet.
 

rocky28965

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The Grundig 750 does not have a power cord that plugs into the house mains.
It has a separate 6 volt "wall wart" that plugs into a house power outlet.
IMHO, just run off the D cell batteries. They will seem to last forever and
operation will be quiet.

Just on that.
I made a couple of changes today.
I found a 6 volt power supply & the appropriate plug to suit the S2000.
Have removed the plug from the mains cable & coiled it up in the rear pocket.
As Martin mentioned, when the adaptor is plugged in it disconnects the batteries.
I had noticed a low hum when using the mains cable & assumed it to be coming from whatever internal device it has to reduce the voltage.
.
 

majoco

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I don't quite understand. Rocky said:
This one has a hard wired power cord as well as batteries if you wish.
...so how did you manage to...
Have removed the plug from the mains cable & coiled it up in the rear pocket.
...if the cable is hard wired to the radio.... or which plug did you remove from the mains cable - the 240volt three-pin plug or the 6-volt concentric plug which I believe is centre pin negative voltage - OR (brain working.... !) is there a mains power cable hard wired AND a 6-volt socket?
 

rocky28965

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I don't quite understand. Rocky said:

...so how did you manage to...

...if the cable is hard wired to the radio.... or which plug did you remove from the mains cable - the 240volt three-pin plug or the 6-volt concentric plug which I believe is centre pin negative voltage - OR (brain working.... !) is there a mains power cable hard wired AND a 6-volt socket?

It has a hard wired mains cable & a 6 volt socket.
I have since shortened the length of the earth pin which isn't connected anyway & it will now fit in the pocket.
I imagine this probably started out with a small moulded 2 pin US type plug.
 

majoco

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I have since shortened the length of the earth pin which isn't connected anyway & it will now fit in the pocket.

Good idea - pity the manufacturer didn't fit the two-pin flat power plug - also a pity you can't buy them, most of the leads that have those plugs are moulded. I tend to save power leads, they'll always come in handy sooner or later - usually much later...... :)
 

rocky28965

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I have just done another mod.
With it sitting on my desk, I found it needed to be angled back for more ease of access.
I had the front propped up on a couple of erasers.
This morning I cut one of them up & siliconed it to the front feet.
I can always remove them if I finish up building some shelving to mount my increasing amount of gear on.
 
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