Post Pics&Videos Of Your SWL Antenna!

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ridgescan

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I for one would love to see what everyone has for SWL antenna systems. This can give others some good ideas for installing their own SWL antenna. Be sure to show your ground situation as well-very important.
I start with mine:)
YouTube
 

Rt169Radio

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That's a good idea. And where did you get those tripods?
 

ridgescan

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That's a good idea. And where did you get those tripods?
Thanks 169-I hope others add theirs in here-it'd be a fun thing to see, and can be visually informative as to what setups are working well on shortwave for people. I got lucky and found both tripods at a garage sale for $5 each. The 5' and 10' masts are from a Radio Shack closeout a few years back and were a buck a foot.
 

ridgescan

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3eec829b.gif
 

Rt169Radio

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Thanks for the info, I would post my SW antenna setup pictures if I had one.
 

ridgescan

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I appreciate that 169:) I'm beginning to realize this may have been a tall order to ask of folks for various reasons such as-no camera, or not wanting to show their QTH etc. I still hope we can see some in here for our own reference. There are lots on youtube though-I was quite surprised to find that out when I put mine up.
 

Jimru

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Post Pics&Videos Of Your SWL Antenna!

Hey Ridge,

Maybe you'll have inspired folks to take pics of their setups if they hadn't already, but it might take time.
 

n0nhp

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If you think I am going to go out and stand under the 20' metal mast on a metal roof during monsoon season just to get you some pictures !! ;-) !!

I'll get around to it one of these days and let you guys drool (Hah)

Now Token's setup would be drool worthy though.

Bruce
 

ridgescan

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Hey Ridge,

Maybe you'll have inspired folks to take pics of their setups if they hadn't already, but it might take time.
True:)

If you think I am going to go out and stand under the 20' metal mast on a metal roof during monsoon season just to get you some pictures !! ;-) !!

I'll get around to it one of these days and let you guys drool (Hah)

Now Token's setup would be drool worthy though.

Bruce
hey looking forward to when you get out there:) I too would love to at least see a diagram and detail of what Token has. Same with prcguy if he runs a SWL setup. Jim you're right, this thread may bloom out nicely over time:)
 

SCPD

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Wellbrook 1530S+ with 75ft LMR-240 and RCA Channelmaster Rotator + Clifton Labs Z10023A HP Filter == Perseus SDR

1530a.jpg
 

majoco

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Ok, here's some pix of my more modest setup....

Up on the mast there's a discone for feeding to the Yaesu VR5000, a cut down TV antenna with elements for the VHF aero band which feeds a Uniden BCT8 and the middle of an OFCD. The long leg of 66ft goes nearly down the length of the house to another pole which has the TV antenna on it and - Yes, it does pick up the TV noise! The short end of the OFCD disappears through the shrubbery about 20ft to a fence post. At the bottom of the mast is a 9:1 transformer from the OFCD to the coax back to a splitter and preselector/switch which can feed my NRD515, Kenwood R2000 and a Winradio G303e SDR. If you think the antenna is not very high, in the next post I'll show you the view to the northwest and maybe a pic of me playing with the radios....
 
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majoco

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So here's a pic of the view to the northwest - if you can make out the hill (?) on the horizon that's Mt. Ruapehu which is about 75 miles away.



And then here I am playing with the radios. Hand on the morse key is a prop, although it is a proper (and rare!) Amplidan key that I've had for years. One day I'll get active again on the ham bands, CW only of course!
 
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ridgescan

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Just plain awesome. Beautiful home in a gorgeous setting, impressive radio shack, smart antenna system and you on the key brings it all together well in there Marty.
If I recollect, you made your own balun? Any grounding to that dipole?
 

Jimru

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Post Pics&Videos Of Your SWL Antenna!

I'm digging the vintage equipment with the fluorescent displays!
 

majoco

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Yup, it's a homebrewed transformer constructed as per John Bryant's file..

www.dxing.info/equipment/impedance_transformer_bryant.doc‎

and

www.dxing.info/equipment/impedance_transformer_bryant2.doc‎

except I don't have a ground on either side of the OCFD - the only ground is to the shield of the coax at the antenna end. A 6ft ground stake is hammered into the soil just below the mast and a single wire connects that rod to the mast and the coax outer. I have a plastic bottle cut in half over the ground rod like a funnel that I dribble water into from the garden hose when it gets dry. I tried to isolate the grounds at the receivers by insulating the SO239 sockets but was not fully succesful - there is still some hum currents flowing in the shield but must be capacitive as there is over 100kohms DC resistance to ground if I lift the 'real' ground at the stake. The only real noise I get is when the TV is on and I suspect most of that noise is coming from the digital-to-analogue STB and even that is below S0! WWVH 10MHz at the moment 0800z is S7 to 8, but if I tune off to 9990kHz the noise is predominantly atmospheric - I don't think I can get any better than that!
 
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SpectreOZ

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My SWL is merely a basic random length of wire insulated at one end (20ft mast) then dog legged (30 ft mast) at the other with the wire continuing down to the rear of my DX300 (earthed via connection steel structure) :D

Weather and side projects permitting a T2FD will replace my current antenna...
 

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