Does a shortwave antenna have to be grounded I had a question about an antenna I am building. Be sure to check it out. For these, I use either an indoor slinky antenna I bought on E-Bay; or an active indoor tunable loop antenna. Sep 19, 2012 · PAR EF-SWL to 100' horizontal "L" at 40' up, grounded at antenna to ventpipe-grounded in shack at antenna switch to cold water supply (those give full quieting at MW/LW) plus recently added 40' vertical leg of rg59u that connects to PAR's ground lugs vie center lead only and terminates to building electrical svc conduit that goes underground The Tvideo VV-115 is a very low cost radio and not a good candidate for DXing shortwave. Just don't sharply fold it back on itself. Here are the steps to take: Locate the grounding wire by opening the car’s hood near the antenna. here is the outdoors antenna system I use . For reception, however, a lossy antenna is a good thing. May 3, 2024 · A voltage-fed antenna, like an EFHW, does not need a ground for radiation purposes, (and neither do other half wave antennas, but that's a different discussion), it needs it for high voltage DC shunting generated by static, or lightening protection; you should ground your coax shield with accepted practices. Ground wire should not take sharp turns of more than 90 degrees. Modern transistor Jan 8, 2019 · A passive preselector acts like a tunable 'gate', allowing only those frequencies you've tuned to pass, and rejects others. If I just stuck the antenna in the attic and ran the Coax about 20 feet to the scanner, would I need I have had really great success with 75' of random wire out the bedroom window, connected to a 9:1 balun, one side the antenna, the other going to a stake in the ground. Put the connecting ring of the ground mesh directly on the screw of the ground Nov 20, 2019 · The rf ground is happening via the transmission line braid to the body ground. I thought mag mounts don't need a ground. In a mobile, pos /neg pwr, mount radio, install transmission line and make sure antenna mount is grounded good and thats it. Hey folks! Just joined this sub, but I have been listening (or trying, lol) to shortwave for 17+ years. They can do a decent job outdoors far from noise and strong am or Fm signals. A height of 120 feet Mar 5, 2019 · I starting to have fund with some homemade radio (AM and Shortwave) projects. If you have a tape measure, then measure a mark on the ground to its max span (say 25’ for example) then measure the wire on this span on the ground ten times to get to 250’, then add 12 more. You’ll find either two or three wires running from the antenna. If you look at the 2-wire adapter (included) you will see an antenna icon and a ground (G) marking. I have a long wire antenna, but it needs more shielding. We have been receiving questions about CB antennas in the past few weeks. It was basically using a single feedline from the radio to the antenna. Crane Skywave SSB was not designed to be operated with an external antenna. Common grounding mistakes are when you use multiple ground rods that do not have proper bonding and when wire is installed at a 90-degree angle and not curved. The proximity of the wire to the ground makes this antenna very lossy. I want to put up a long wire antenna out my back garden, I'm able to stretch out a 50ft length of 12-14 awg wire. That’s a HUGE risk! Lightning strikes destroy millions of dollars in property damage each year. Since I'll be using it with a 12VDC mobile transceiver, I could conceivably keep the tranceiver isolated from ground, leaving the antenna & transceiver ground completely separate from the building ground, but that seems quite unsafe if there is a difference in ground potential between the back yard and front yard. Feb 2, 2011 · Each facility should have a master ground bar (MGB) that serves as a hub with all grounding for the building being either directly or indirectly bonded to it. The Signal Corps have a nice training film about putting up vertical monopoles, the ones insulated from ground. In my case, due to my (self-imposed) limitations, the antenna was installed on a balcony. Sep 9, 2022 · The loop of wire can vary in circumference from about 20 to 150 feet and can be a very space-efficient ground-mounted antenna for reception on the low bands. May 22, 2017 · The pcb ground would do the best it could to make the ground, this is why the shield or ground connection (like the barrel of an SO-239 must - must, have a very good coupling to the antenna's ground). Aug 25, 2011 · I am getting interference in the HF and VHF low range because of the other lines near the antenna--and I have read that a lot of common-mode interference gets to the antenna and into the signal if the coax is un-grounded. Newsgroups: rec. f. A single ground rod is not a good RF ground. Tell me more about this diode business? I currently have the antenna wire to the center pin of the external antenna jack and have connected the outer ring to ground. I would like to have information concerning which is the most suitable antenna for use in this radio to be able to receive and hear well the transmissions of shortwave stations from other countries. May 10, 2002 · In an antenna you can ground the mast, the boom, the dish, the director and reflectors of the antenna by contact metal bonding to a ground wire run directly into the earth via a deep ground rod, but you cannot directly ground the driven element or active element of the antenna. Still another way is to block common mode waves by burying the cable. Should I be using shielded wire for both the antenna and grounding wire while they are in and near the workshop to avoid interference from my electrical wiring? The antenna needs its own earth ground. At higher frequencies you can still have a 'ground' but it can be a ground plane formed by radials That wouldn't be so easy my dishy is 100 ft away from the house I'd have to run a fairly heavy ground wire that distance and then you couldn't just tie into a receptacles ground that would only be a 14 gauge wire you would really have to run all the way back to the breaker panel that would be a distance of almost a couple hundred feet at least Mar 20, 2013 · Hi all, I just had a vintage Grundig Majestic 5017 tube radio restored. A taught straight wire is NOT necessary for good performance and can over stress the antenna components and coils. If you do run a grounding wire, keep it as short as possible. Jul 26, 2023 · Try winding about 10 turns of wire around a couple if crossed wooden supports and connect to the ground and antenna terminals. If your 20 foot discone antenna and a mountain top repeater is at 2,000 feet then 63 to 69 miles is possible. 7designs Member. they run so much Jan 24, 2019 · An RF ground (defined here as either very conductive ground, or a radial or grid system of wires beneath the antenna with a radius at least 1/4λ from the antenna center) isn't required. A vertical antenna suffers much less from this effect. I have it properly grounded and have an insulated 30 ft. Tune for loudest signal. May 3, 2019 · This grounding or “earthing” helps prevent the lightning strike from having nowhere to go but into your home. View All TV Antenna Bundles >> 5G MIMO Antennas. Don’t use a balon as it will decrease your signal. Jul 26, 2023 · Ham radio operators are few and have moved to digital packet radio. Sep 24, 2004 · The far ends of the antenna are closer to the ground, and the antenna itself should form an 'L' shape if you tilt your head. Saying I need to pull the felt pad off and scratch up some paint or bond a wire to the magnet and mount it to the frame of my vehicle. You could have easily pointed out better info than my hasty first post Lightning strike is subjective, sure if lightning hits the antenna all the circuitry will be fried, a fire may start; but to say people and gear will be vaporized is ridiculous. Not does the height need to be the same, no need to have it parallel with the ground. The antenna mounted on a luggage rack crossbar that is painted. The radio I'm using is an old Rhapsody RY-610. DO put some sort of counterpoise ground wire out. That way, you can apply it to other portables. HOAs do suck, but the premise that without an HOA the neighborhood will go to pot and that they are profit motivated is incorrect. Jan 31, 2024 · Use an Ohm meter to make sure you have a 0 or near 0 Ohms between the connection of your 84 feet of wire to the UnUn, and ground! And if you don't have any low resistance connection to ground, put a 1k-2k Ohm resistor between the bare wire and your ground. I run a Raspberry Pi & TAPR/WSPR board combo. In fact, digital antennas are often more susceptible to interference than analog antennas, so proper grounding is especially important. Apr 13, 2020 · You’ll need a good antenna to do that, which is where this homebrew loop antenna for the shortwave radio bands shines. Aug 29, 2021 · Mangosman August 30, 2021 at 6:31 am. Or if this subreddit can give me any other antenna ideas that would also be great. However, that ground system improves the conductivity of the ground, which can have a positive effect on the radiation pattern, but little to no beneficial Sep 14, 2010 · TV Antenna Bundles. Even wet, your soil may not have great conductivity, so you'll still need to do more if you require a very good ground. wire antenna in the attic. If your antenna is up 20 feet then the xmt antenna is the same height then 6 to 12 miles. What you have there is an unusual form of ground plane antenna, where a plane of metal (or approximation by wires) is used to Dec 27, 2018 · I would consider a VHF/UHF antenna over a huge metal roof ground plane similar to an HF antenna over earth ground. If you find resistance, you'll need to either scrape away the paint to create a metallic conductive surface or run a grounding wire from the mount to a grounded part of the vehicle. It's better to connect a counterpoise wire to the 9:1 unun and follow that with a 1:1 current choke on the coaxial cable between the unun and the rig. If you are using a balanced feedline it's probably still best to run coax from the transceiver to the station entrance ground, then have a balun outside. " So, we listen to shortwave radio including shortwave broadcasts, numbers stations and utilities on our radios, called receivers. Just because it looks like there isn’t any metal doesn’t mean there isn’t. Your effective RF ground is the outside of the coaxial cable shield and everything connected to it. Most antenna systems are more efficient when the antenna, the part that is designed to radiate, is up high. Most of the hams that I know hammer a ground stake into the ground nearby their shack and use that to create a separate ground for everything radio related. The arms have a length of about 3. If you do not have a correct path to ground, your antenna will most likely be an attractant to lightning! As the wind blows, airborne dust particles collide with your metal antenna and mast. Let’s dive in! Grounding an Antenna for RF Performance. My antenna does not require a DC ground but I do have my coax on a switch that has a center off in case a storm is real bad and I remember to put it in this position. Don’t Skip This Step! You can get a great TV picture without grounding. The Satellit 800 has three different antenna inputs for hf: 500 ohn (wire clips), 50 ohm (coax), and the on-board whip antenna. Oct 5, 2015 · the signal's phase at the first antenna has to be shifted by 180° relative to the signal's phase at the second antenna (thus producing a "mirror image" of the signal received at the second antenna) its amplitude at the first antenna has to be adjusted so that it is the same as the signal's amplitude at the second antenna (also called an antenna tuner or antenna coupler) to transform the antenna feed- point impedance to a value the transmitter can deliver power into. Don't ask me why. Oct 22, 2013 · In a perfectly unbalanced antenna, such as a 1/4-wave vertical, an RF ground (aka counterpoise) is absolutely necessary to "complete" the antenna and make it whole. I’ve just followed your recommended tools for grounding an antenna and it works like charm! I just hope it will last for 10 years 😀. My SW radio has the option for a 3. shortwave Subject: Grounding is key to good reception, was: Experience w/NRD-535 In your recent post you advised that coax should be grounded at two sites, first at the antenna and then just before entering the house. Otherwise you'll unbalance the antenna. EVERY antenna has a metal part so every outdoor antenna needs to be grounded. & d. Oct 16, 2015 · Some shortwave receivers have a wire antenna as a standard accessory delivered with the set. With that said, these loops offer significant reductioms to the E portion of EM interference, deep rejection of signals and/or EM noise in the loop's null, can be very broadband (mine, a Pixel Pro, performs well from below 50 khz to beyond 30 MHz), are far more compact than wire antennas with May 4, 2012 · Shortwave Antenna Grounding Pt. Lightning ground. 2) How High Should a CB Base You will have to really compromise with an attic antenna as far as the band coverage is concerned for a short wave antenna to perform adequately. A beam type of antenna at a height of 70 feet or more will provide greatly superior performance over the same antenna at 35 feet, all other factors being equal. This antenna is not recommended for outdoor use because of grounding/lightning issues that you may not wish to get involved in. The best ground for such a purpose will be a earth ground near the antenna and far from utility lines. The length for short wave listening is not critical. It does overload sometimes. Put up the whole 85 feet if you have room. Then you would have a luxury to choose the best Hello I have a portable shortwave receiver - a Tecsun PL-880, and I'd like to improve the reception. Buy a bundle, save a bundle with 25% off retail price! We have everything you need to get started. Corrective Action: Grounding for lightning protection places a heavy wire in a loop around the outside of a house, which are bonded to ground rods spaced at twice their depth. Please comment if you can on antenna usage. • kirchoff’s law dictates that current flow out through a circuit must equal current returned. C. For example, a quarter-wave monopole above a ground plane of radials or saltwater works well. Roll with it. Thank You very much! angle, meaning that an antenna must be placed high above the ground in terms of the wavelength of the radio wave being transmitted. 2 - YouTube . View All 5G MIMO Antennas >> Mar 3, 2017 · I'm not an expert on this but generally speaking, some amount of tuned 1/4 wavelength ground radials will decouple the vertical antenna from its mast sufficiently where no RF currents will be flowing on the mast or coax and at that point the elevated antenna is its own entity and further grounding to earth with ground rods or radials below will have little or no effect on its performance. 05 meters) - will give very good results over much of the shortwave frequency spectrum. Aug 9, 2022 · I have seen my coax spark across the connector with the electricity of many thousands of volts. 1 Special cloth wrapper Installation and Setting： 1. Do not over tighten or stress the wire. Use lightening protection! Make provisions to disconnect and ground the antenna when not in use. Jan 9, 2024 · This is a presentation given to the Midland (Texas) Amateur Radio Club on how to build a loop-on-ground antenna with a discussion and demonstration of its pe grounding) 4. As most good-quality portable short wave radios are designed to be used without an external antenna, adding one can sometimes cause the radio to overload making the signals distorted, so making a permanent shortwave antenna without experimenting first is not recommended. A built-in 21" telescopic whip antenna is provided for shortwave reception, but you can always experiment. these collisions build up a static charge. Grounding does improve the efficiency of a handheld VHF, however. Although it’s advisable to have your car radio antenna grounded by a technician, you can do the task yourself. People Also Ask. Best explained as if the SO-239 was soldered to the pcb or the satellite's case - or both. c. Do a little experiment by tuning to a weak station and connect and disconnect the ground. When its lower than a few wavelengths and at multiples of 1/4 wavelength like 1/4, 3/4, etc, the pattern of a vertical antenna can be pushed upward and away from the horizon a bit, lowering its gain at the horizon. In this guide, we'll cover the importance of grounding your ham radio antenna and the steps to do so correctly. There is a DC connection of the antenna directly to the ground through the balun. From that antenna and mast must be a hardwire to an earth ground electrode. This is required only for some antennas-- ones which require current flow to ground to complete the antenna circuit. Separate must be the ground from that antenna lead to the service entrance earth ground - also called the single point earth ground. The LoG antenna is another variation of the close-circuited loop, only it lays flat on the ground. This is because we did not have three wire house plugs with the ground connected to your mains. For details, see the (great) ARRL book "Grounding and Bonding for the Radio Amateur". And it will benefit significantly with a good RF ground. The dipole antennas use one conductor as a reflector; therefore, there is no need for grounding. I have already the following antenna: ICOM AH-8000 discone antenna. Apr 21, 2017 · I've always heard that "grounding is grounding" (except when it comes to lightning) but is that always the case when it comes to a normal ham radio antenna setup? I'm wanting to ground my vehicle ham radio antenna to improve 6 meter transmission and transmission. 4. supply/load circuits. Have the ladder on a secure footing, and have someone there to hold the ladder. Oct 3, 2014 · I have a 33' long sloper end-fed antenna. 2: Run the wire, 40-50 feet long, a few inches above the roofline on the back of our house. In ideal world you would have antenna farm with wires to 4-8 directions. if its under 10MHz IMO so its movable for the best reception in the room your in. That means you will need two wires for your antenna. Jun 14, 2023 · It does not need to be straight. To do some antenna comparisons on my Satellit 800. Such antennas do have sharp directivity nulls and can be used to reject inteferrers. You need to connect them properly when using an external antenna. It is "A community dedicated to shortwave radio broadcasters, experimenters, and listeners. Joined Mar 23, 2011 Messages 110 Location Upstate SC, near Charlotte. Keep in mind, the higher the better. Feb 25, 2022 · Can I connect my HF rig/station's ground to my house's ground rod or do I need a stand-alone ground rod for my station? I was told I need to ground my HF transceiver even if I didn't have an antenna attached to it most of the time. the 21 meters long wire is in a zigzag pattern from the roof to the backyard and back. I have a Nagoya RB-MJPL mount and I just met up with some local guys and they're recommending I ground this mount. Antenna ground is a misnomer, it's really just the other half of the dipole when working with a quarter wave monopole. It does a decent job on strong, local SW stations. circuit wants to be complete too. Yagi (beam) antennas also do not require ground, but simple long wire antennas (as for your crystal set) do require a ground. You will just have to experiment with tuning and positioning to get best performance. Two yardsticks or something similar could be used. transmission/antenna systems have similar qualities to complete proper a. Now we get to the Loop-on-Ground antenna, or LoG. https://www Feb 22, 2023 · If you do not have a good ground, you are actually inputting noise. Feb 5, 2023 · Do not use a separate ground than the one for the house if you are going to ground the other antenna connection. Nov 2, 2004 · I have been receiving horrible reception on my shortwave radio. Grounding the antenna ensures safety and enhances your radio’s performance. So totally i have 4 elements on each side. I ran it or some months with a random length long wire - something like 50 feet or so. BBC and CNN will give you two sides to a story. So the short answer to your question of how can they compare is that they don’t. radio. This is a common problem for mobile antennas. Most radio companies issue a statement to ground the radio separately for electrical safety in case the antenna comes in contact with high voltage power lines or some other situation that would put the user in danger of electrocution. I just tossed it in the trees, unspooled it and suspended it from one tree to the other pretty far up so nothing will interfere with it. In your case, it could be the shield of the coax, USB cable, laptop and perhaps AC power supply and the mains ground pin. Nov 20, 2012 · That really doesn't even make sense, as Jarvant said the coax is isolated from the Dish, but even if it wasn't (Like DirecTV) the "static charge" (cough cough BS cough cough) would be drained at the ground block, and even if it wasn't grounded, it would be drained by the ground prong at the receivers power plug. thus the r. It is an Icom base radio receiver and has the capability of receiving a wide range of shortwave frequencies. Think of what that can do to the tiny circuits that are specifically made to be sensitive! This type of balun shorts all of that, or most of it, to the ground. Sep 4, 2018 · I do get pretty good reception on my Grundig Satellit 800 and Tecsun PL-880. Apr 8, 2023 · Lightning ground; Electrical ground; Antenna ground; Electrical ground is irrelevant for antennas. I recommend that every antenna be grounded twice, actually. Feb 3, 2021 · If the antenna is much less than a half wavelength above ground, the radiation from the antenna and from the ground add in a way that hardly energy is radiated along the ground. Is there a reason to / benefit for grounding the antenna of a receive-only setup like a scanner? Jan 19, 2015 · A J-Pole is a 1/4 wave (λ) parallel transmission line, shorted on on end, with the other end feeding a 1/2λ radiating element, with the transmission line (coax) feeding the 1/4λ wave transmission line at the 50 Ohm point; so the overall antenna is 3/4 of a wave length, with only the 1/2λ element at the top, radiating, and allowing the A ground rod doesn't contribute much to any sort of antenna system unless it's hit by lightning. Aug 22, 2021 · Certainly, the radio will be electrically grounded to the house ground too, but the secondary ground serves to ground the radio chassis and antenna to a common ground. If the two ground rods are not tied together there can be a difference of potential between them and cause there to be a voltage across the receiver and the house electrical socket it may be plugged into which could fry the radio. So the antenna is deliberately ungrounded. Now days, having computers, modems, cable TV boxes, etc, cause a lot a noise on HF and hooking the shield of the coax to your radio and through your walwart to your I have found that an end-fed outdoor shortwave antenna - 138 feet long (42. I have a current balun 1:1 on top of a 6meters mast installed on the roof of a building and then after having all elements properly cut to accurate length where my swr reached 1:1 i then tied each element with insulators and ropes at the ends. Hi All - I have a Grundig Satellit 800 in my workshop, and I've rigged up a long wire antenna to it. All metallics including the water pipe, building structural steel, electrical equipment and the power ground must be bonded together and tied to the MGB. radios there was often a tradeoff. 022" solid copper strap will lower the Nov 5, 2019 · I’m so glad that I have found your article about grounding an antenna, this is a good tutorial for people like me who decided to cut the cord. In Australia virtually every dwelling has a TV antenna except remote areas which have the Viewer Accessed Satellite Television system which is free to air, but encrypted. One end is 25' up in a tree (isolated from the tree limb itself by an egg insulator and 4' of rope, of course) and the other end is atop a 10' pvc mast where it connects to a 9:1 unun transformer (the one sold by EARCHI). In fact, you don't even need a ground. this static charge does two things. Is the MLA-30 a good short wave antenna . Or that the lightning protector may do the same. Feb 21, 2021 · Even though the installation process is 2 steps long, it requires time and due discretion. I have builded a fan dipole multiband for 7, 14, 21, and 28mhz. I'd suggest trying a longwire, extending the length as much as you can (a minimum of 15-18 meters) and as straight as you can get it. the path has to be dark. 1: Keep my existing longwire antenna, which is about 50 feet long, running west-east along a wood fence (5-6 feet off the ground) from the top of our backyard to the bottom of it. Feb 2, 2016 · When you see an antenna that looks like one wire sticking out, there is actually something else forming the other half, usually being whatever the circuit ground is (possibly a metal casing or a power supply ground). It is also best fed with a balun. If you have a fence line that's even better and if it's a quarter of a mile or so that's enough to make a big difference on HF Mar 21, 2010 · I did not have either end of the shield grounded in this case as it seemed to be acting as a noise antenna. For specific bands at VHF+, a gain antenna could help boost the signal of interest (and can be built with scraps). ka3jjz Wiki Admin Emeritus Feb 20, 2011 · What matters is whether you get hit by lighting or not. This radio design places a premium upon high performance with small size. Since there are only two contacts on a mono plug this should be difficult to mess up. 5 mm jack external antenna and was wondering does it have to be a mono jack or can I use any 3. KK5JY has the preeminent article on the Loop On Ground antenna, with illustrations. It all depends on the design of the antenna. You can choose the most convenient point on the electrical system ground, for example anywhere on the fat ground wire run between the panel and a metal main cold water pipe close to 3 days ago · If you had no antenna or coax connected to this equipment at this point, your equipment and its electrical potential behaves like any other electrical device in your house, like your TV or your Fridge. I sometimes feel this is overkill. Most designed during the last 35 years use a 3. You won't need a balun or antenna tuner for a receive-only random wire or long wire antenna without coaxial cable. Ground poles or Ground Rods can be purchased at an electrical supply center or home store. Oct 20, 2020 · A part of the antenna system (system = antenna + transmission line) that is truly grounded can't radiate. Several ground rods, about as far apart as they are deep, connected with 6 AWG solid wire or even better 0. Or if you don't have space, then maybe try playing around with randomwire antennas that you can basically just throw on the ground. You would have roughly 4 to 8 miles. Oct 17, 2022 · This will prevent the voltage from bouncing back to the antenna. I also ran a grounding wire to a piece of rebar that I drive into the ground. We have answered them here: 1) Do Magnetic CB Antennas Need Grounding? Yes, they do. Ideally you would have both, but in older. NEVER connect the antenna directly to the whip when you have another option, and in this case, you do. This video shows what can be achieved with a simple wire antenna for Shortwave Radio Listening. Dec 3, 2020 · Just ensure to put the antenna as high as possible and, if you have room make the arms as long as possible. Nov 21, 2021 · There's a rather fun way to see what the shape of an antenna can do in the real world. 3. The ground aircraft works better on the frequency variety it is tuned to, but if you're looking at a complete sort of antenna, they function just as well. I only use a 20 footer. If you want to know the kind of radios we use go to Amazon and look for "shortwave radio" in the The C. Aug 15, 2020 · The FT-450D only requires 12 volts from a power supply or battery to operate, no separate ground is required for the radio to work. But it might provide a cleaner (less domestic noise) if you do it a bit different. I want to build a random wire antenna (well, actually 2, I am planning to create a 21-24 ft one for indoors use, similar to the ones that come with radios and a slightly longer version for sporadic outdoors use) for a shortwave radio I will be purchasing in the near future (only have 2 RTL-SDRs for now) and I will be placing an order with DigiKey soon for some stuff including a spool of wire Oct 27, 2021 · Recently, I was using the time stations 5, 10, 15, and (even) 20 MHz. Unfortunately, connecting through a wire is not an option. Mar 12, 2021 · Easiest way to get around that are to bridge a couple of 1N4148 diodes, opposite of each other polarity-wise, across the antenna center input and chassis ground. Of course some DSP receivers do have filter circuits on the front end, but they do rely on more than just the telescope antenna. If you do not have enough room for a 138 foot end-fed sloper, try a 67 foot sloper. Sometimes, you can use a number of different length wires connected together at the center and insulated at the ends to widen the bandwidth of the inverted V. Ground a CB antenna cannot happen in haste. I do get pretty good reception on my Grundig Satellit 800 and Tecsun PL-880. Also I do not have the skills or equipment to make my own. Buying or building a magnetic loop may also be a useful antenna to use. May 4, 2022 · THE LOOP-ON-GROUND ANTENNA, or LoG. Assume your antenna is 8 feet high and other transmitting antenna is same height. Soil is a very effective absorber of RF energy at close range. You didn't tell how much space you have and to which direction. Ground Aircraft. Jul 29, 2024 · The dipole antennas do not require a grounding connection because they already have two conductors to generate or receive signals, unlike monopole antennas that use a metallic conductor and ground. It also shows the practical impact of having a good "ground" Oct 14, 2022 · Learn how to construct a REALLY EFFECTIVE shortwave antenna in about 10 minutes using common household junk - and THEN how to ground it out to improve the pe Nov 25, 2014 · Lighting protection is one of the main reasons to ground an antenna if the antenna does not require a ground to function properly. First, an active loop just about has to be mounted on a rotor for MW and low SW band signals. I live on a Mar 21, 2024 · if you must have a shortwave receiveing antenna indoors? use a rotating loop tunable or tuned circuit on a stand. Jul 20, 2018 · I recently purchased an ICOM IC-R8600 radio. If a multiband portable radio does not have an external antenna jack don't expect huge improvements in shortwave from a random wire antenna alligator clipped to the whip they come in great in Maine, which is something like the closest state to Europe, but curiously, the closest state to Africa (with north Africa having some of the real powerhouse 2MW LW stations), from an hour or two after dark til a few hours before sunrise, which means a couple hours a night at summer solstice and about 50% of the time midwinter. (Plus, the higher up you get it, the better it works). The trouble with utilizing both, though, is exactly how they carry out. Grounding a ham radio antenna can be vital for optimal radio frequency (RF) performance. Such grounding will help protect your system from near strikes, but if you take a direct hit, you will usually suffer some damage. Maybe this is why some do-it-yourselfers skip this step. It has no external antenna jack. 1 Ground mesh 10 strands (tear off as needed during use, usually 3 strands are enough) 7. The antenna was deigned to work against a ground plane but the 10ga wire is an inductor connected to a ground plane. You’ll avoided this simply by grounding your If a portable multiband radio with shortwave is intended for use with an external antenna it will have an external antenna jack on the radio. You're not transmitting so it's not super critical. Grounding only becomes relevant for <30MHz, just due to the relative size of a wavelength. Many radio amateurs use horizontal antennas for the lower bands, like 80m, for distances up to about 1000 km. You will notice that the radio does not have an external antenna jack. That would be two 8-foot ground rods 4 feet apart, with 4 gauge wire run between them. The main draw for short-wave was news but you can get that anywhere now. Thank You very much! If you did not have an earthen ground for the antenna and received outside electrical impulse (lightning), the charge would then attempt to travel through the signal cable into the electronics attached to the antenna and from there, through your house's electrical ground to the earthen ground. RF waves do not “see” the difference! antenna and counterpoise basics • r. I'd like to brew some kind of homemade setup that doesn't require an antenna ground. May 28, 2013 · I have my system grounded with #4 stranded (I know solid is recommended) wire into a 8' home depot ground rod. That needs to be outside the house away from noise sources and fed into the house. Feb 16, 1995 · Hi. Unused wires can be connected to receiver ground to give pattern a boost. It is very important to have a good ground! Take extra care to find a nearby cold water pipe, use sand paper to get a nice clean connection and run that to your radio. 5m stainless steel rod antenna (customized and thickened) 6. It will do a certain amount of matching, but that's not it's primary role. Mar 20, 2024 · By the way this also applies to any antenna shrouded in plastic. This 9:1 unun does NOT have a Dec 18, 2014 · Use your multimeter to measure any resistance between the mounting surface and the battery terminal. Jun 16, 2021 · Avoid these risks by knowing how to ground a TV antenna then doing it. I expect only a few hams actually have a quality safety ground where the RF enters the shack. To use you antenna with one of these radios your antenna wire should be soldered to the center pin of the plug and your wire to the ground stake should be soldered to the sleeve contact of the plug. Jul 27, 2019 · This all assumes a good ground, which isn't cheap. Many folks do this modification internally in the radio, but an external connector can easily be made to do so as well. Do you need more? There were those listener-help programmes like Waveguide, Swiss Short-Wave Merry-Go-Round and Media Network that dragged us anoraks in. Make sure your antenna is in a safe place, high enough so people or pets won’t walk into it by accident. The requirements for a ground for lightning protection are much more stringent than for a safety ground as a lot of energy must be safely dissipated. However to do it right is no small affair. It is Australian made, and covers 6-18 MHz. TLDR: I need a good indoor shortwave antenna inside an apartment building; lots of electronics around, may need shielding. A ground pole will need to be inserted in the ground so you can attach these wires to it. In a mobile installation, if you start running ground straps from cases to ground, you will 100% start causing ground loops. Hey! I have one of those Sangean rigs (well, the equivalent Realistic DX-440) with a longwire antenna, and didn't know they were prone to getting burned up. Your antenna WILL work, no question about that. To be honest, pretty much any chunk of wire will do as an antenna for most Mar 6, 2014 · You can also drive a ground rod in the vicinity of the antenna but this ground rod should be connected (using a #6 copper wire) to the electrical system ground. In those days, a "Shortwave" antenna and ground was wired as if it was a low frequency circuit because few had a good understanding of antennas, transmission line impedance and radio waves. As they say, the ground image of your quarter wave antenna is the "other half" of the antenna and current will flow in this ground. Is there an advantage in grounding at more than these sites? With grounds the most common experience isRead More Random wire has to do with it's resonance on a given frequency and has nothing to do with grounding. The other "rub" is the ground connec- Tying the lower tip end of the sloper antenna wire should be done to allow a gentle “bow” or slope to the wire. Jul 9, 2024 · I have an MLA-30 mounted about 7' off the ground, about 25' off my house perimeter. An antenna design that requires grounding to suppress the common-mode or improve efficiency is a poor antenna design, unless significant effort is made to make a low-loss ground. An effective ground doesn't necessarily need to go deep: it can also go out. First, ground the antenna and second ground the mast. There are several other problems with your regen receiver. 50 years ago Ham radio equipment needed a ground. 5m each and the feedpoint (in the image above) sits at about 9m off the ground. A Transmatch is an extremely useful device, but it would be nice if you didn't have to use one, especially if you've just spent your last penny on a transceiver. Even if it is roughly half the length, its performance will only be slightly degraded when compared To connect a 9:1 unun to a long wire, you must have a counterpoise or true RF ground system connected to one terminal and the wire antenna to the other. Mar 30, 2017 · If you are going to properly ground the antenna to a single point ground, assuming you are using a coax feedline, use a balun and ground the coax shield. A doublet (a dipole) with a 1:1 balun would be good. Just hook the end of the wire to the antenna terminal marked 500 ohms and you will be good to go. I know I need an antenna but I am a bit overwhelmed. It's great, but has almost zero shortwave reception. This is one of the models past reviewed by you. 5 mm jack. When a plug is inserted into the antenna jack of the radio the internal rod antenna is disconnected. It's quite annoying to have to run a long wire to a cold water pipe or other suitable ground. Feb 4, 2006 · If this will be used in an attic, the same applies. Could it be the band conditions Some of the other replies here have mentioned that the antenna may have a bleeder resistor or other mechanism to safely discharge static electricity on the center conductor to the ground shield. So I have two questions: First, in the picture below, would the two plugs at right, next to the FM antenna, be Jun 29, 2020 · For SWLing, just about any length will work. I don't really understand grounding despite reading quite a bit on it and I can't find a clear-cut best practice. This is a quick and temporary INDOOR antenna which will give good performance compared to a sectioned pull out antenna which may come with some receivers. Jun 11, 2015 · $\begingroup$ Well, yes, experimenting is profitable if you are able to do it. Jul 28, 2013 · These antennas do not need a ground, but the coil is directional, so you might have to point the radio in a certain direction to receive a good signal. This can short out your electronics and quite literally burn your house to the ground! Which Antenna Should be Grounded? Cell phone boosters have two antennas: an indoor and an outdoor antenna. The selectivity is in the software, not the hardware. Apr 20, 2005 · Lets say I got a Scantenna or a Diamond Discone antenna and put it in my attic (I have a standard Bi-Level with plywood roofing and regular fiberglass shingles or whatever they are made out of. 5 mm mono (1/8" mono) jack for plugs of the same type. On the other hand a dipole is a balanced antenna and requires a balun in SOME but not all cases depending on it's specific design and feed point impedance which determines the type of balun, voltage or current balun if required. If you can hear some band noise then you have all the gain you need. This is a much bigger concern for those transmitting, since an unmatched antenna can create many undesirable results. c. Slope does not matter that much. However occasionally I do go camping there and try to put up some sort of 500 foot antenna if I'm going to be there for a few days. Plenty of areas, in fact, the most lucrative real estate markets in the country have fine homes, are impeccably maintained and have no HOAs…I suspect that in the long run, HOAs actually lower property values due to their inherent ability to attract anti-property Grounding the radio can help eliminate noise and provide a better signal. RF ground. Increase data speeds and reduce latency in areas that have trouble with Internet reception. On a radio it's called a jack, on a computer it's called a port. See the TIS Page on Lightning Protection. With handled VHF units, the antenna will have an integrated ground plane, so it does not need additional grounding to work. In the case of a dipole, having a balanced antenna helps similarly compared to a random wire. Make this L-Match tuner in about 30 minutes. Use the dimensions of your attic and compare them with the lengths of the long wire and dipole type antennas in this article above and choose the one that you can "fit" into the attic. I have a great dipole antenna in my yard but the signals seem to be filled with static. Common enough that Wilson manufactures fiberglass antennas with a flying lead that electrically lengthens the antenna when the lead is grounded to the antenna mount. Oh my, someone is a grumpy head. Discone Antenna vs. K. It's not necessarily about how strong the signals are, but having a low signal to noise ratio. Sep 28, 2008 · An end fed antenna working against ground is unbalanced to begin with and does not require a balun. They instruct to keep the thing grounded until there is a feed line with ground attached, otherwise the charge on a 100' mast could accumulate enough to shock or kill somene touching the mast. Keeping a close eye on the signal strength meter, I could see which antenna performed better. The shape should be as close to a diamond or square as possible. We don't yack on them. May 30, 2012 #2 Sep 7, 2024 · Do I Need To Ground My Indoor Antenna If I Have A Digital Antenna? Yes, even digital antennas need to be grounded to prevent electromagnetic interference and ensure a clear signal. All an antenna tuner does is match the impedance of the antenna to the expected impedance seen at the radio. VHF/UHF antennas and masthead amplifiers which can be observed from outside of the USA seem to have a poor selection. 4 Alumina tubes (black), size 19×320mm 5. J-pole antennas don't need to be "grounded" because they are a half wave end fed dipole instead of a quarter wave monopole. Just use an antenna tuner. Power lines 20’ away will not affect it that much. To the OP: Grounding, when done right, will improve your reception. 1 Top 2. lsqh onz sneiaot sude tabl obpl bulmbe gxqzsb gebkd bsyh