Ok what is it

[k1agh]

I recently acquired two Realistic DX-100 receivers and one of them came with this antenna in the box. The connectionon it doesn't fit on the receivers which leaves me to believe the person who sold them to me had no idea it didn't go with them. Any ideas on what type this is? Theres no markings on it. It looks like a shortwave antenna from the websites I checked. The seller claimed it was a HY-Gain but I can't find anything on their site or past catalogs.

 

[W8RMH]

That is a Motorola connector commonly used on vehicle radios. Those were used on scanners many, many years ago.

 

[k1agh]

I figured so is it a scanner antenna or can it be used for shortwave if I cut the connector off?

 

[W8RMH]

It looks more like a SW antenna.

 

[k1agh]

Yep that's what the guy said and he said it was a hy gain but I can't find anything on their site. It's old but should still work.

 

[W8RMH]

Looks home made. He probably meant High Gain.

 

[jackj]

I don't know who the manufacturer is but it looks like an end fed, short-wave antenna. A lot of companies threw them together and sold them with cheap, general-coverage receivers. A good profit item, a few bucks worth of parts and you could sell it for 5 to 10 times the cost. Seems like I had a cheap Hammarlund or Hallicrafters receiver that used a Motorola connector as well as two screw connectors.

 

[elk2370bruce]

Hallicrafters used the motorola plug on their low-end receivers, Hammarlund used SO-239 on their rigs so an antenna like this could be easily converted. They are not great antennas but better than internal or simple extending whip antennas. I agree that this a simple end-fed antenna for SWL.

 

[k1agh]

If I was to put this outside, How high up should it go and should I ground it?

 

[Boombox]

Put it up as high as you can, and I would ground it when not using it, for lightning and static discharge protection.

Even a low wire outside will bring in stations. I had real good luck with a 100 footer that was maybe 15-20 ft up.

But in general they say the higher the better.

 

[jackj]

Tom,
It really won't make any difference how high you put this type of antenna. The major effect height above ground will have is on the radiation pattern. I don't believe you should put any wire in the air without some type of lightning protection so work out a ground system that will protect both you and your equipment.