Tuner and OCF

[commando57]

I listen around the HF bands and was wondering if I hooked up a tuner would I be able to hear more stuff? Is the tuner just for transmitting? VSWR is 3 to 1 and up with no tuner.

 

[Beetle]

If you're JUST LISTENING, you won't need a tuner. SWR has no real meaning except when you're transmitting.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Agreed with Beetle. A tuner may make a very small difference in signal strength but nothing that you will hardly notice.

 

[TonyV225]

On the other hand I have seen recieve strength go up and down while tuning my HF rigs. I would say if you have a tuner put it in line and try it Im interested to see what you come up with or notice.

If you do put a tuner inline PLEASE post and share your results

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

On the other hand I have seen recieve strength go up and down while tuning my HF rigs. I would say if you have a tuner put it in line and try it Im interested to see what you come up with or notice.

If you do put a tuner inline PLEASE post and share your results

Usually that tuning causes the SWR to swing far higher than what the antenna impedance causes and thus introduces even more loss. Also on HF the difference seen using a tuner will not make the difference between hearing something and not hearing it as was the original question I believe about hearing more stuff with a tuner. It's like using a preamp on 80m. Signal strength is not the limiting factor. Noise is.

 

[TonyV225]

Ok C.K. I gotcha.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Ok C.K. I gotcha.

Tony, I used to do a LOT of SWLing and AM broadcast band DX'ing and tried various antennas and even a tuner inline.Unless the antenna was VERY short or the wavelength very long a tuner made a very small difference in signal strength but never would it allow me to hear something I could not hear without it. It simply brought up the noise as well at the same rate the signal increased so the S/N ratio was the same. With a very large inductor (wound toroid) and an 1100 pF tuning capacitor I could make my 600 foot long wire antenna perform a little better down on the broadcast band and into the LF range but nothing drastic and again nothing that would allow me to hear something I couldn't otherwise hear.Again, down there it is all about S/N ratio and not sensitivity. In fact nowadays I turn the preamp OFF in my FT-857 when below 160m to avoid front end overload and increase the dynamic range of the receiver.

Using an indoor loop about 3 feet on a side however was a different story. The loop had to be tuned to resonance in order to hear anything and it is surprising what even a loop that size can pick up. In this case it is not quite the same thing as using a tuner inline as you are actually tuning the loop antenna to resonate at the desired frequency.