How far out are the sources of your desired signals? NVIS and DX require different setups, for better performance.
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Good HF Antenna?
- Thread starter TailGator911
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That would have been in Richardson, TX, a couple of miles down the road from my Texas ham station..
For what it's worth, worrying about so-called NVIS antennas is a waste of time. Almost every wire antenna I have ever had falls in that NVIS category. That has not stopped me from doing several awards, WAS, WAC, and few non-ARRL awards requiring far off station contacts.
The one wire antenna that was the exception to that NVIS thing was a temporary one with the feed point about 50 feet high and the ends something like 20 feet up. That was at work, was moved to a different station so had to come down.
The one wire antenna that was the exception to that NVIS thing was a temporary one with the feed point about 50 feet high and the ends something like 20 feet up. That was at work, was moved to a different station so had to come down.
I second your choice for the W6LVP loop. Using one with my 3 RXs (RX350, R8 and FDM-S2). My neighborhood here is RFI hell, and the loop certainly eases a lot of the pain. Mine is on a tripod and cheap rotator, about 15' on the roof. It is substantially quieter than my "extended" PAR EF-SWL which is 95'. I am just down the road from you, so if ya need to have a look, just PM.
TailGator911
Silent Key/KF4ANC
I might just take you up on that invite when I get back from the summer trip and begin to re-situate my End-Fed PAR and add the loop. Making the wire longer and see if that helps. Also, how do you have your tripod secured to the roof?
Standard TV antenna tripod, un-guyed, just wood screws, sealed w/liquid tape. Small enuf it has very low wind loading.
I think the RCA rotator was like $90 at Menards. If you are wanting something portable until you decide, you can have my Blackmore speaker tripod, which I don't use. The W6LVP mast fits it nicely.
I considered one but went with the super antenna for now. But a loop antenna is in my future. That looks sweet
Tailgator, another thing to consider if you do get the loop, I know my FDM-S2 overloads from the nearby AM stations (980, 1290 and 1410) which results in a "ADC Clip" warning on my receiver - I had notch filters added to my loop to help null these to good effect, so much so I can now run without a bandstop AM reject filter.
ka3jjz
Wiki Admin Emeritus
W6LVP Larry is very good about this - I double dare Wellbrook or Pixel to do something like this for their customers.
tuihill
Member
Yes, when you order your loop Larry asks about nearby BCB transmitters and will configure your order as required.
TailGator911
Silent Key/KF4ANC
Wow, thanks for that offer, but I already have 2 heavy duty Jam Master speaker tripods from my DJ wedding days that will do nicely for any tripod configurations. They held huge JBL loudspeakers and they are very sturdy. I think I have everything I need except the rotor, which I will look at when I return. Making my list and checking it twice 
Thanks for the rotor suggestion at Menards, too. Love that store
Thanks for the rotor suggestion at Menards, too. Love that store 
No need for dipoles for receive-only. Dipoles on SWL have always limited my results around their approximate length - plus or minus 50% or so. Even with open-wire feed. For example, my 66-foot dipole is OK for about 4 to 11MHz. A 100' long wire at the same height will work beautifully across the entire HF (and MW) spectrum.Need good recommendations for an HF receive antenna. Already have the end-fed PAR 40-ft wire to my Icom R75 and R8600, but when I recently went to a few online SDRs and did some comparing, I found I was seriously lacking good signal reception. I am thinking I need a longer and better wire. I am partial to dipoles, but feel free to steer me to something new if you want, I am open to suggestions. I do mostly utility monitoring, milair, amateur radio, and some international and domestic shortwave broadcast. Taking my General class test here soon, and I already have a pair of trip beams scoped out that I plan to purchase the day I pass my test. I have plans to upgrade from a 746Pro to something bigger and better. But, right now, I am just in the market for a good HF RX antenna. I have about 125 ft of space from my antenna mast to a tree in my backyard. I also have space on my mast. Thanks in advance for all of your suggestions. I truly value the technical information here and the opinions and suggestions from people who know their stuff. So, fire away
JD
kf4anc
There is only one basic rule for SWL wire antennas: "put up as much wire as you can, as high as possible." A longwire and a simple counterpoise will do wonders.
If you can afford it, the only alternative I would suggest is a loop - preferably the Wellbrook.
I have the Wellbrook as well as the Pixel...sometimes good and sometimes not so great. Propagation has not been something to brag about as of late. In my opinion you are right about the 100 foot wire. I have 100 feet attached to my EF-SWL after I took off the 42 foot fiberweave. Made a world of difference. Sometimes the loops get through the QRM/QRN, sometimes not. Actually I prefer the wire over the loop. YMMV
As for the W6LVP loop, I heard both the Pixel and Wellbrook are better, especially for permanent situations. Looks too flimsy after my friend bought one and returned it. Looked too weak compared to the other 2 loops. Not only that but there was not enough amp in the receive side. Again...YMMV
TailGator911
Silent Key/KF4ANC
Thanks for the
I have this loop bookmarked to get when I get back home at the end of the summer. Maybe I have some more reading & research to do on loops. Thanks for the input.
I have this loop bookmarked to get when I get back home at the end of the summer. Maybe I have some more reading & research to do on loops. Thanks for the input.
w2xq
Mentor
TailGator911, what antenna did you put up?
TailGator911
Silent Key/KF4ANC
I haven't yet - I decided on the W6LVP loop for one and extending my EF-PAR to about 85ft (40ft now) but it's going to be a project when I get back from summer vacation (rv trip to AK) and hopefully have enough time to do it before fall. I want to have them both situated before winter for sure.
ka3jjz
Wiki Admin Emeritus
Don't make the mistake of comparing the loop to a wire antenna - they're not the same animal and work very differently. I think you'll find that the advantage of being able to null out noise (and on MW and LW, interfering signals) is going to be your big plus
Put another way, don't compare signal strength between the 2 - loops simply don't work that way. Rather look at the quality of the signal - is there less noise, fading, more stable - and evaluate it that way. Sure propagation isn't going to be kind to us for several years to come, and there may be times when the signal is better on the wire. But propagation, like luck, is a very fickle thing - one day the wire is better, the next the loop might be.
The LVP loops have a great reputation - I want to get the kit when I get my SDRPlay this fall...enjoy...Mike
Put another way, don't compare signal strength between the 2 - loops simply don't work that way. Rather look at the quality of the signal - is there less noise, fading, more stable - and evaluate it that way. Sure propagation isn't going to be kind to us for several years to come, and there may be times when the signal is better on the wire. But propagation, like luck, is a very fickle thing - one day the wire is better, the next the loop might be.
The LVP loops have a great reputation - I want to get the kit when I get my SDRPlay this fall...enjoy...Mike
I find the W6LVP loop would be fine if it were the only HF receive antenna I had and I've had many. I think it will really shine over a wire antenna if your into AM BCB hunting or VLF like 135Khz through 500KHz stuff where you can null out noise and unwanted stations to hear things otherwise buried in the noise.
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