End Of An Era At This Listening Post

[ridgescan]

Ridgescan, I assume the serial number of your SX-88 is 127 but out of curiosity what is its run number? I have a Run 2 and it is in the process of restoration. I too have a ICOM R75 and R8600 but prefer my Perseus but want to get back to the sound of an old time analog tube receiver. Because of deed restrictions on outdoor antennas in my neighborhood have to use an attic dipole which is not that great. How intrusive is a Wellbrook loop?
Regards, Swift.

Hey Eddy it's a run-one. My SX-88 is currently dormant up in one of the 5 bedrooms here-its only job is looking pretty right now. No space for it in the garage shack which is the only "radio-alive" spot in the whole home. I do need to at least fire it up-antenna or no antenna, to work stuff and keep components formed.
Far as the loop being intrusive, I have mine on a short mast/tripod parked at one side of our small back yard and it's not such a bad looking thing aside from unknowing neighbors probably saying to themselves "what the heck is that thing he's got there?"
Here's a short video of the loop in the yard.

 

[Swifteddy]

OK, thanks for the info and video.

My problem for an outdoor antenna is most of the SW at my location comes from Europe. The front of my house faces towards Europe. However perhaps could hide a loop antenna behind one of the taller scrubs.

 

[ridgescan]

OK, thanks for the info and video.

My problem for an outdoor antenna is most of the SW at my location comes from Europe. The front of my house faces towards Europe. However perhaps could hide a loop antenna behind one of the taller scrubs. View attachment 113439

Can you place it in your backyard, but at a comfortable distance from your house? HF isn't so much "line-of-sight" as the higher vhf/uhf and up bands, so you'd still get Europe while at the same time, addressing house RFI. My loop is at the side yard in back, and only about 6' from the house. Most HF bands, the noise floor is super-quiet IE no register on the S-meter to about 2 s-units! I've never had it so quiet like that.

 

[Swifteddy]

The room where my radios are located is behind the cathedral window in the previous photo. The shortest coax run would be just outside the window. Concur that this is not a very practical location for hiding an antenna of any kind. So agree the backyard would be a better location and most likely a more quiet location.

My backyard however is an open field. It would be possible to sort of hide an antenna at the edge of a narrow fir tree lined green zone located at my rear property line which separates my lot from the houses behind me. The coax run however into my receiver room would have to be about 200 feet of buried coax cable which could be somewhat costly. See attached photo.

My attic dipole antenna base noise floor is about 6.5 S-units so it is located in a very noisy location. Would be great to have an antenna with a base noise floor of 2 S-units.

 

[ridgescan]

The room where my radios are located is behind the cathedral window in the previous photo. The shortest coax run would be just outside the window. Concur that this is not a very practical location for hiding an antenna of any kind. So agree the backyard would be a better location and most likely a more quiet location.

My backyard however is an open field. It would be possible to sort of hide an antenna at the edge of a narrow fir tree lined green zone located at my rear property line which separates my lot from the houses behind me. The coax run however into my receiver room would have to be about 200 feet of buried coax cable which could be somewhat costly. See attached photo.View attachment 113469

My attic dipole antenna base noise floor is about 6.5 S-units so it is located in a very noisy location. Would be great to have an antenna with a base noise floor of 2 S-units.

I just bought 100' of Times LMR240 hardline coax from HRO for $108 and this coax is the bury type. But after seeing your latest photo, I think you could place the loop on a tripod like I did, at the left side of your (very nice) home, about 12-15' away from the house. This would make more aesthetic sense than the front yard IMO. And you'd only need about 100' of line.

 

[Swifteddy]

I will take your suggestion under consideration. Also have a ICOM R-8600 that uses an indoor discone antenna for VHF/UHF but this arrangement lacks sensitivity. Running a buried coax outside to a temporary outdoor tripod mounted antenna site for a loop or discone might be a good answer to my home owners' restrictions against any outdoor antennas. What the HOA is trying to avoid are large satellite TV dishes or a huge house top TV or ham radio arrays. No privacy fences are allowed so can't hide an antenna behind it like you did but a ring of trees should be allowable.

 

[ridgescan]

I will take your suggestion under consideration. Also have a ICOM R-8600 that uses an indoor discone antenna for VHF/UHF but this arrangement lacks sensitivity. Running a buried coax outside to a temporary outdoor tripod mounted antenna site for a loop or discone might be a good answer to my home owners' restrictions against any outdoor antennas. What the HOA is trying to avoid are large satellite TV dishes or a huge house top TV or ham radio arrays. No privacy fences are allowed so can't hide an antenna behind it like you did but a ring of trees should be allowable.

Your HOA seems to allow some "gray area" with antennas-this is good. To me, both the Wellbrook and the discone are quite attractive IE not an eyesore. At my old QTH nobody ever objected to either including the building owner. And they couldn't spot the 100' wire looming in the distance for that matter. You could deploy all of these and probably get to keep 'em!

 

[Patch42]

To me, both the Wellbrook and the discone are quite attractive IE not an eyesore. At my old QTH nobody ever objected to either including the building owner.

Weave some faux greenery around the perimeter of the Wellbrook and tell anyone who asks that it's a topiary. The wires going to it are for lights you intend to put up for the holidays.

 

[Boombox]

Nice back yard, Ridgescan. It looks excellent. AFAIK, the palm frond shouldn't affect HF or MW. It's only at UHF frequencies that foliage causes some reception issues. That said, I don't know anything about your loop but if the palm can ground it out (like when it rains, if it even does rain there where you live), maybe it would cause some issues, but that would depend on how the loop is constructed electrically. I'd leave the palm branch there. It helps hide the loop.

 

[ridgescan]

Nice back yard, Ridgescan. It looks excellent. AFAIK, the palm frond shouldn't affect HF or MW. It's only at UHF frequencies that foliage causes some reception issues. That said, I don't know anything about your loop but if the palm can ground it out (like when it rains, if it even does rain there where you live), maybe it would cause some issues, but that would depend on how the loop is constructed electrically. I'd leave the palm branch there. It helps hide the loop.

You're correct because yesterday it was heavy rain and sustained 30mph winds and that palm tree branch was slapping against the loop. I had the R8600 running and there was zero effect on reception

 

[scanman56]

Hey Eddy it's a run-one. My SX-88 is currently dormant up in one of the 5 bedrooms here-its only job is looking pretty right now. No space for it in the garage shack which is the only "radio-alive" spot in the whole home. I do need to at least fire it up-antenna or no antenna, to work stuff and keep components formed.
Far as the loop being intrusive, I have mine on a short mast/tripod parked at one side of our small back yard and it's not such a bad looking thing aside from unknowing neighbors probably saying to themselves "what the heck is that thing he's got there?"
Here's a short video of the loop in the yard.

ya know, some folks use their garages for vehicles. don't let that happen to you!

 

[prcguy]

I browsed through this thread and wonder why the loop antenna or any other antenna is not on the roof? Attach the rotor to a vent pipe then 1ft mast to the loop keeping it low and paint the loop a dull light grey to match the sky or darker to match the roof if that is the background the neighbors would see.

You can run coax and other cables into a rain gutter to get near the radio room then drill up into the eaves near the wall without hurting the wall leaving the cables in the attic. Then its not that bad drilling from the attic down through the top plate into the wall and install a wall plate down low in the room with various connectors on it. For a ground floor room you can even run the coax down through the gutter downspout leaving it at ground level and the entire run would be invisible in either case.

I have a flexi bit for the top plate and fire breaks and as I said before, don't make me come up there.

 

[krokus]

Have you considered a loop on ground? Use a dark colored wire, and it will never show from under your grass.

 

[ridgescan]

ya know, some folks use their garages for vehicles. don't let that happen to you!

? What you mean by that? It slips by me. I have three in my garage.

 

[ridgescan]

I browsed through this thread and wonder why the loop antenna or any other antenna is not on the roof? Attach the rotor to a vent pipe then 1ft mast to the loop keeping it low and paint the loop a dull light grey to match the sky or darker to match the roof if that is the background the neighbors would see.

You can run coax and other cables into a rain gutter to get near the radio room then drill up into the eaves near the wall without hurting the wall leaving the cables in the attic. Then its not that bad drilling from the attic down through the top plate into the wall and install a wall plate down low in the room with various connectors on it. For a ground floor room you can even run the coax down through the gutter downspout leaving it at ground level and the entire run would be invisible in either case.

I have a flexi bit for the top plate and fire breaks and as I said before, don't make me come up there.

I like it near the ground-the S/N is fantastic! You don't really want a Wellbrook up high anyway right? And as for the discone, it seems the whip on the back of the scanner gets me what I need here since everything's in VHFhi.

 

[ridgescan]

I sure miss you guys and I wanted to say so. I got COVID pneumonia at Christmas and just got home from the hospital 2 days ago. I almost didn't make it and I just wanted to express that I consider you guys my friends. You know I don't usually say stuff like this but I felt I had to tell you guys. Bottom line-just checking in, my RR buddies and hope you all are OK in your lives. I'm lucky to be able to say that.

 

[ems55]

I sure miss you guys and I wanted to say so. I got COVID pneumonia at Christmas and just got home from the hospital 2 days ago. I almost didn't make it and I just wanted to express that I consider you guys my friends. You know I don't usually say stuff like this but I felt I had to tell you guys. Bottom line-just checking in, my RR buddies and hope you all are OK in your lives. I'm lucky to be able to say that.

Hey, glad you're home safe and sound !!
Take care of yourself !!!!
Michael
WA1UZO

 

[HavenBTS]

I sure miss you guys and I wanted to say so. I got COVID pneumonia at Christmas and just got home from the hospital 2 days ago. I almost didn't make it and I just wanted to express that I consider you guys my friends. You know I don't usually say stuff like this but I felt I had to tell you guys. Bottom line-just checking in, my RR buddies and hope you all are OK in your lives. I'm lucky to be able to say that.

Although we have never communicated here on RR, I am happy that you are home from the hospital. I pray that you will feel stronger and better every day!

 

[theoldcop]

So very glad you got through it! I pray you find peace and better health very soon.

 

[mass-man]

Oh man, get better quick! We’ve been exchanging tidbits here on RR for a long time!