100' random wire will...

[woebbers]

overload a grundig satellit 800......I got up early today and decided to do an antenna test... I have been using some wire antennas of diffrent length with mixed results. So i strung a 100 foot wire thru the trees and hooked it up to a 9:1 balun and plugged it into the back of the Grundig. Early tests in the 9500 khz band where very promising. I went down to do so 40 meter listening and thats where I noticed that a power house in Phila 1060 AM was bleeding thru. As i went into the 80 meter band it got worse...

so a fix? do i cut some of the wire back until i loose this thing or what? Im expecting to get another radio in a few weeks and im not sure the Icom will have this same overload..


Sal

 

[K9WG]

This sounds like a common problem for the Grundig.

Grundig Satellit 800 Product Reviews

Hopefully the Icom is better.

(I have the IC-718 and the receive in it is excellent)

 

[ka3jjz]

If the breakthrough is occurring due to overloading on MW, then a MW filter will help - just make sure to take it offline if you want to DX on that band. We have several distributors listed at the bottom of...

HF Equipment and Accessories - The RadioReference Wiki

Unfortunately these won't help much if the RF from the station is leaking through the case, but it's worth considering...best regards..Mike

 

[SCPD]

Try 50ft or less and see what happens.

 

[rexgame]

Would a simple bandpass filter block the AM broadcast?

 

[k9rzz]

You can also try a simple antenna tuner. Adjust it for the freq. that you're listening to and it will attenuate all others.

 

[K9WG]

You can also try a simple antenna tuner. Adjust it for the freq. that you're listening to and it will attenuate all others.

Good idea. The tuner will work as a bandpass filter. You really should ground it or the AM-broadcast might still get into the receiver.

 

[woebbers]

Thanks everyone...I just ordered a simple antenna tuner from Universal radio and im gonna give it a try...ill get back with some results when it comes in


Sal

 

[ka3jjz]

Would a simple bandpass filter block the AM broadcast?

As I mentioned earlier, yes it would be very effective, assuming the overloading is coming from the antenna, and not being bled in through the case of the radio.

The obvious way to test it would be to disconnect the outside antenna and keep the whip collapsed - note if there's any junk coming in from the Philly powerhouse the OT mentioned. If not, extend the whip and repeat. If there's still no junk (or perhaps just a little) then the test is successful, and the filter would do the job.

best regards..Mike

[edit] I just thought of something, and it's something that happened to me when I lived nearby to a MW antenna farm. I got RF from the AC line cord acting as a crude antenna. Fortunately choking that off solved most of my issue - I wound up getting a filter for it to kill it completely - but that too is a simple test. Run the radio off batteries.

 

[woebbers]

I used a few diffrent antennas and never had that problem. I hooked up the 100' wire and WAM...I tried what you said and the radio works ok...antenna connected it comes right in...thanks for the advice!


Sal

 

[N1BHH]

It's a common issue with nearly all portable type short wave radios, not just Grundig. The input only needs the short wire that is provided with most radios to hear with decent results. The radios are pretty sensitive as they are and adding all that wire just makes it too vulnerable to overloading. Plus a random wire will not present the proper input impedance required.