YoungMeezy
Member
Disappointed to learn my local area(Colorado Springs) is switching 6 sites to simulcast. I am already experimenting with paper clip for fun, just to see reception levels from the sites. crossing my fingers when it goes live
The Paper Clip Antenna
- Thread starter KC0CSE
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D
DaveNF2G
Guest
Some paper clips are made entirely of plastic. This means that there is no coating to remove. They come in a variety of colors, so one can make a decorative antenna that matches the radio, the station decor, or whatever you are wearing during a listening session.
Be sure to heat the plastic paperclip before trying to straighten out the bends. Otherwise, it might snap.
Antennas made in this fashion are guaranteed to receive no interference whatsoever.
:twisted:
Sometimes even the paperclip fails in very high rf dense areas. You may have attenuated signals quite a bit, but I had a UHF pager overloading my scanner with no antenna at all! 
Using a tuned antenna, such as a non-counterfeit Comet Miracle Baby CH-32 did the trick much better than a paperclip. Especially at 800/900 mhz.
Test:
Can you still receive NOAA or other pagers with the paperclip even if 800mhz is your thing?
Compare unwanted signal levels from a specialized tuned small antenna.
The overall receiver s/n ratio improved by a tuned small antenna, not to mention better input impedance matching, may be useful for those where even the magical end-fed high-impedance clip is not enough.
And, in some really bad cases, even the paperclip is enough for the scanner to be receiving itself - display, cpu, etc. The tuned small antenna has helped me in that regard too.
Don't get me wrong - for many, the paperclip is the magic bullet. Hard core cases may want to try a small tuned antenna instead.
Using a tuned antenna, such as a non-counterfeit Comet Miracle Baby CH-32 did the trick much better than a paperclip. Especially at 800/900 mhz.
Test:
Can you still receive NOAA or other pagers with the paperclip even if 800mhz is your thing?
Compare unwanted signal levels from a specialized tuned small antenna.
The overall receiver s/n ratio improved by a tuned small antenna, not to mention better input impedance matching, may be useful for those where even the magical end-fed high-impedance clip is not enough.
And, in some really bad cases, even the paperclip is enough for the scanner to be receiving itself - display, cpu, etc. The tuned small antenna has helped me in that regard too.
Don't get me wrong - for many, the paperclip is the magic bullet. Hard core cases may want to try a small tuned antenna instead.
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A few years ago, I was travelling through Minnesota, and I had my HP-1 in the car for entertainment (coupled with the GPS puck). However, I had forgotten to bring my screw-in antenna. When I arrived to my hotel room in Minneapolis, I asked the front desk for a large paperclip, which he gave me. I fashioned it into a rudimentary antenna, stuck it into the antenna socket, and it worked great! I was able to monitor the state digital system no problem.
sveeden
Member
DJ11DLN
Member
Just fire up the plasma cutter.:lol:Is MAPP gas enough, or should I use acetylene?
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