Indoor antenna

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lizzyfan

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I own a Tecsun PL-600 that has a telescoping whip antenna and also has a 1/8 external antenna jack. I'm in a decent location but the telescoping whip is great for FM but terrible for SW. Included with the radio is an external wire that doesn't work much better....any suggestions for a decent indoor antenna for SWL?
Thanks!
 

krokus

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I make use of the abandoned coax cable run along the building. I use an alligator clip to connect to the shield of the coax to the telescopic whip.

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PACNWDude

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I have used some AM antennas and boosters from the C Crane company that have helped with indoor reception of SW. Might work for you as well. Just search their name and AM antenna or booster.

Should be something that will help your reception without having to resort to an outdoor antenna. One of their boosters worked for me, even in a house with metal foil insulation and construction.
 

majoco

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IMHO I would not connect anything to the whip antenna on the radio - there is a very sensitive transistor at the base of the whip and it is prone to going pop due to static electrical discharges. Not great crashes of lightning - you can generate enough charge by shuffling across a wool/nylon carpet. Just connect an external antenna to the proper antenna socket.
 

ka3jjz

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Did you look at either side of the radio and see if there's an 'internal/external' (or similar) switch? Many of these types of radios have this

You can't put too much of an antenna on portables like this - too long, and it will overload. You'll start hearing stations where they don't belong - one typical symptom is hearing local AM stations on the SW bands.

In this case, loops are your friend. For example, this one would likely work pretty well...

Kaito KA33 Active Loop Antenna KA-33

They are much more resistant to man made noise than other antennas.

If you have some soldering experience and know how to work with small power tools, this would be a major step up from the typical 'throw the wire down on the floor' syndrome...

The Carpet Loop -- antenna special on hard-core-dx.com

Mike
 
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