Radio Question

Run the reciever off the TV antenna?

I had a cell phone one time, which had a screw connector. I got a mobile mount antenna, and stuck it to the window AC. Ran the wire inside. Worked well.

Can you run a vertical wire parallel to the lead in wire from the roof antenna? I remember a recipe for a vertical coaxial ground plane, folding the shield back over the black plastic.

But, that was for TX. Perhaps a RX antenna would be more forgiving.

Just thinking a bit here, nothing that I've tried and had succeed.

There's a business idea, the "Mobile Home" mobile antenna. Better get your trademark filed.

Trees?

Gunner

Rule #35 "That which does not kill you, has made a huge tactical error"

If you see an op here, feel free to pursue. I'll say again that I don't know if this would work or not.

Theory can be very useful and I use it a lot, but proof is when ideas are tried and found to work or made to work -- or found not to work with experimental evidence that clearly shows the idea is flawed and should be scrapped. The latter case is progress if the experiments were done well because it serves to focus energy forward. The trick is to persistently pursue good ideas while drowning the weak doomed pups ASAP. Popular opinion (as from marketing pukes) can be the worst possible gage for such decisions.

I'm a retired research puke and prolific inventor with I forget how many patents, all assigned to corps who care about such truck. I don't own any and don't want to own any. Inventing is easy, converting inventions to money is work and defending patents is expensive.

I retired to fart around and I'm enjoying the hell out of it. I'm in give-back mode now. I'm also in NIU (nothing is urgent) mode. I can still get urgent for those that care to pay me enough to get me off me enjoyably indolent retired arse, but that doesn't happen much. I didn't book 200 hours last year and I expect to do somewhat this year. Gone fishin'. Iceout is imminent in MN.

I have a ground wire RF choke toroid sitting here on the bench with Gunner's name on it. It's 48 mm OD, 35mm ID, 9.5 mm thick. Jerry Martes sent me several such ferrite toroids and I'm glad to share. I'd even pay postage because I'm curious to see if this would work. I think it might, but I don't have an RV to try it with.

I expect that Gunner will find field-expedient quickfix.

In Re: Radio Question on Thu, 07 Apr 2005 06:02:56 GMT, by Gunner, we read:

You've gotten some good suggestions.

To meet your conditions for AM and SW its hard to beat the rooftop horizontal.

Use 18 gauge multistrand copper antenna wire (Radio Shack), or copper covered steel core cable, around the perimeter. Do not use lamp cord or just any insulated wire lying around for an antenna.

The antenna must be mounted on insulated standoffs and as high as practical.

Bring both ends of the antenna to separate standoffs above the window which will take the leadin wire.

Solder one end of the antenna to the center wire of a 59 ohm coax and the other end to the coax braid. Insulate. Bring the coax down to the window and inside.

Mount a multibus electrical connector (Home Depot) to a short piece of 2x4 and affix near the window.

Ensure adequate length of coax to the radio and cut. Solder the coax to a 259 female connector. Connect to the radio. Run 16 gauge copper solid from the radio ground to the multibus and run a separate 14 gauge solid copper wire from the multibus out the window and down and properly afix to a 8 foot ground rod driven into the ground.

That's a loop antenna. For experimentation you could leave one end of the antenna open on the roof and run the other through the center coax as before. That approximates an end fed short wire antenna. Another configuration is a dipole.

The 18 gauge multi strand antenna wire will be broadbanded and give you a bit more signal. Of course ground wire should always be heavy.

Now solder 14 gauge copper to the computer box and the monitor frame and run to the same multibus ground connector.

Use at least two ferrite loops on each AC line cord in the trailer; one near the AC wall plug and the other close to the input of each appliance. I would also take ferrite doughnuts and loop the AC cords through it twice.

I would also ground the trailer frame. At least six feet deep in that sand and pour in some water for good effect.

To minimize noise you could run the radio off a battery or use a standalone UPS. This would also be additional filtration for the computer and the radio.

Now you have a real antenna and a real ground and you've grounded eveything in the trailer.

Additionally you can use an in-line signal amplifier for AM and SW.

For signal above 25 mHz, use a vertical antenna, simple or fancy. Since you only need a 1/4 wave, 130 inches will handle 11 and 10 meters. Height is important here. Mount a telescopic mast to the side of the trailer and use the same leadin and ground methods as before.

For the rooftop antenna you can build a 2x4 frame and attach the standoffs to it. Or construct a 2 inch PVC pipe frame. Run the antenna on the outside of the pipe.

All you need now is a Drake or Icom receiver and you're in business.

A piece of cake.

To obtain the (folded) dipole, break the antenna conductor midway between the feedpoint.

Jim

Well in the case of Taft maybe you could use oil derricks instead of "trees".

When I was there 40 or 50 years ago they were all over the area. Probably all gone now.

Bill K7NOM

Congrats, Ed! I think they're assigning 2x2 calls for Extras now. If you're not aware, the FCC allows you to request a vanity call sign for an extra fee. You could get your old call back, if nobody else has it - check at

73,

-Ron N2JSO

antenna.

You are only going to RX right? So, why not do a long wire, or how about a clothes line lookthing thing strung above your roof? You could put a "T" at each end of the trailer or opposite corners, then space insulators, at 6", and make a one strand clothes line. You could do it in horizontal, or vertical, the birds will love you.

Hmmm a few sheets of galvanized and a CB antenna, and you got a ground plane. Agood set up for a CB antenna. Even a steel cookie sheet and a magetic mount antenna works.

What about a scanner antenna? RadioShack sells an Outdoor VHF-Hi/UHF Scanner Antenna Catalog #: 20-176 for $24.99

A long wire can be suspended from a weather baloon, or a kite, if you really had to.

For a mast, what I've done was to take two 20'lengths of 1-1/2 Rigid Electrical conduit, and coupled them, then stand it on a rock or concrete base, and run bailing wire to tie offs along the roof. Be sure to sink a 5/8" copper plated steel ground rod into the ground and run a #6 bare copper to the mast.

aluminum

How do you do that? I'd love to get my old call back, and it doesn't seem to be reissued: W8CNK. ( I am now W0LAP)

Good info here:

If you're willing to pay someone to do it all for you:

-Ron

2 X 6's laid on their 6" side around th' perimeter with eyebolt standoffs screwed in every couple of feet to string th' wire through. Time to move? Just dismantle and throw 'em inside.

Snarl

Ayup. A very few still standing. The wooden one at the Oil Museum came down in a strong wind storm last year.

But..we can count pump jacks.

Gunner

Rule #35 "That which does not kill you, has made a huge tactical error"

Thanks, Ron. My old calls were in Pa and Mich: KN3NSR and WB8KYW. I realize that you can get a call in any area through the vanity system, and that it's cheap, but I'd rather have a call with the region number 2 since that's where I am now.

I'll try for the Extra first and see where that leaves me. Then, maybe I'll go for the vanity call.

BTW, I'm in the market for a *cheap* 2M HT.

-- Ed Huntress, a Real Cheapskate

damn...my old call sign is still unused. Or at least not in the data base

Gunner

Rule #35 "That which does not kill you, has made a huge tactical error"

Not bad...not bad at all. Well done!

Gunner

Rule #35 "That which does not kill you, has made a huge tactical error"

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Yeah, I may wind up there. There are enough of them around, though, that I may be able to pick one up from a member of a local club.

-- Ed Huntress

Us trailer trash have to help each other out, doncha know .

Snarl