How can I get into HF/MW/LW with my SDR?

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I have a NESDR Smart v4, and have seen some addons, but wanted to see what you guys would recommend. Most of the stuff around here is digital and trunked, and I'm finding it's tricky to get it all sorted out. I actually didn't realize there was so much more to listen to, but now I'm intrigued. I decided to get a portable radio (Eton Executive), but I figured since I already have an SDR, I might play around with that, too. I'm currently using a telescoping antenna for the SDR, and I guess for the shortwave game, long wires are the way to go. Is that an absolute must for the SDR, or could I get away with an indoor antenna?

Also, a total newbie question, but why do they call it high frequency? Stuff in the kHz range seems like it should be low freq (compared to FM and higher up in the MHz and GHz range).
 

ka3jjz

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Your NESDR is a RTL-SDR clone, and as such it really doesn't cover much of HF, as it starts its coverage at 25 Mhz. We have a dedicated forum for Software Defined Radios, and I'd suggest you take your questions about this unit there, as it's OT here.



As for antennas for your Eton (or a HF capable SDR for that matter) - while wire antennas are fine for those that have the room for them, they can present a number of issues. Many of the consumer grade SDRs have no real decent filtering to prevent overloading, so putting too much of an antenna on a SDR (or a portable, too) is not a good idea. Any outdoor antenna - wire, loops, etc. - will perform better when they are away from the house as much as practical, to avoid picking up noise sources. An indoor antenna will suffer from this issue as well as attenuation from any surrounding items and backing in the home. I would say that if you are stuck with using indoor antennas, a loop will be the one to use.

We have quite an extensive set of wikis on HF antennas and loops, and I'd encourage you to ask questions about antennas for your Eton in our Receive Antennas forum. Be sure to say something about whether you can put something outdoors, and if so, how much room you have to work with...




Mike
 
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