SW/AM antenna

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ka3jjz

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For what radio, Mark? This is a very important question to answer....best regards..Mike
 

markchen

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I am absent minded as usual :)

I have a Panasonic RF-B45 and Icom R20. I am currently using a wire antenna indoors and get average reception. Was wondering is there is a better antenna out there.
 

ka3jjz

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As he specified this is to be indoors, that first link's data won't work all that well unless he's living in a very big apartment/condo whatever; and while the Wellbrook would probably work OK on the R20 (assuming here that the gain can be cut down - the R20 can be overloaded without pushing too hard) it wouldn't work as well on the B45. But you are on the right track by recommending a loop...

Kaito has a couple of low gain loops which would be suitable for both radios. For example, you would need a little jumper for the KA33 to go from the mini plug to the R20's BNC, but that should be do-able somewhere. That antenna would also be fine for the B45, since it has a mini jack on its side for an external antenna. Universal sells this one - and I'm sure there are more that could be found with a well structured search.

If you have some construction skills and know how to solder, the Carpet Loop would work fine with both radios. The link for that can be found in our Loops wiki...

Loops - The RadioReference Wiki

Another possible solution, though a tad expensive, might be the North Country Active Antenna - it's available pre-assembled, is fairly low-gain and the short element can be moved around to find the quiet spot in the room (there's always at least one - you need to hunt to find it). I'm not real fond of these antennas, frankly, because sometimes they end up making you hear more noise than signal. But the reviews look good.

You're really a bit limited with those radios and what antennas work well with them. You need to be careful about overloading and noise issues (particularly indoors, where almost anything can cause it...), but these would likely fill the bill...best regards..Mike
 
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