Shortwave Stealth Antenna DIY Project

[TailGator911]

A few years back I read somewhere - maybe Monitoring Times or PopComm? - about this antenna project that I just had to try. The writer described how he built an antenna that could not be seen by anyone in his neighborhood, yet it encircled his entire house and pulled in the signal very well. He went to a Tractor Supply outlet and bought a spool of steel fence wire for $42, some nail-on insulators (he measured and bought one for every 10ft I believe), and some plastic cable TV coax nail in clips. He hung the wire tucked just under his gutter spouting all the way around the house. When he was done, if I remember right, the only thing you could see was the coax coming down at the feed point and going into the window. I bought the electric fence wire and some insulators, but ended up getting busy with my horses and putting it off..and off...and off until I moved, saw the box and loaded it on the moving truck thinking one of these nice sunny spring days I might just finish what I started. Well, the time is here, and I am rebuilding and renovating and revamping my entire radio shack. No time like the present!

The part I don't remember about this antenna is what kind of balun he used, or did he run a bare wire into a tuner in the house? Would like very much to hear some design suggestions from some of you experts out there, and if anyone recalls that article I would like to somehow read it again. If I knew the month/year/issue that would help alot, as I am sure there is an online outlet somewhere to buy archived issues. I always thought Pop Comm and Monitoring Times were great magazines and I subscribed to both, but did not keep all the old mags. They made great starter kindling in the fireplace

As always, thanks for the expert advice -

John
kf4anc

 

[prcguy]

A 9:1 balun is typically used to connect a random length wire for HF/SW reception. If your gutters are plastic then it will probably work ok but if they are metal then the gutters will interfere with your new antennas pattern.

If you have metal gutters why not bond them together with self tapping sheet metal screws and attach a 9:1 balun to one of the down spouts. That would be more invisible and accomplish the same thing.

Be aware that you probably have RF noise making devices in your house and its best to get an antenna up in the air and away from the house to avoid having your computers, routers, switching power supplies, etc, interfere with your SW reception.
prcguy