Another newbie antenna question, please

[Nightshade]

I understand that the antenna end of SWL is trial & error most of the time while it is also part of the fun of the hobby. That said, I'm doing my research to decide what outboard antenna will work best on my Gundig 800. My concern is that I live in a rural county with no cities nearby and much of what I can get now either blast in or is so faded I can't hear a thing.

I'll try the radio bare first to see if any improvement is even needed,but, I've come up with two candidate antennas that I'm guessing (at this point) may give me the best bang for the buck on my limited income.

If I find I need to improve the signal capture I've picked these two antenna's as candidates for the Grundig 800 for my SWL.

The first choice for SW is........
Apex Radio 303WA-2 Shortwave antenna. ApexRadio

The second choice for AM is........
Terk Advantage AM Antenna

At present I've added a hardware store 300ohm dipole that really peaked up my Grundig 350! So as soon as my Grundig 800 arrives I'll start experimenting with it if need be. ( I'm sure it will need a "little" help too!)

What would help me is a general consensus of how these two different antennas perform for those that have tried them.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Robb]

Antennas that are do-all aren't quite as efficient as antennas that work within a specific/narrow range of frequencies. But this 30khz to 30mhz antenna you mentioned will probably do everything that your SWL will need. Although it is advertized as having this much frequency coverage; you might experience some weak points along the way.

As far as the AM antenna you had a link for - you may be better off with an antenna that is external/outside your building. That is; if you want it to be top-notch. But it should be OK if that is what you want.

 

[Nightshade]

As far as the AM antenna you had a link for - you may be better off with an antenna that is external/outside your building. That is; if you want it to be top-notch. But it should be OK if that is what you want.

Please...expand on what you mean by Outside AM antenna. If you mean a long wire I no can do. Don''t have the place to run long wire. Will a sinky work inside as well as a long wire?

 

[Nightshade]

Ok, did a little more digging and came up with this.......

Winegard HD 6010 Omnidirectional FM Antenna (HD-6010) - Winegard - HD-6010 - 615798398125 - PR6010 PR 6010 PR-6010 HD-6010 HD6010 HD 6010

Looks like a possiblity along with the Apex for SWL.

Opinions please.

 

[wambulance]

That which Rob mentioned is spot on. The important thing to remember is that on SW there is next to nothing on the higher frequencies. I've found almost nothing above 12mhz, and rarely anything above 10mhz.

Most of your SW is going to be from 5mhz-10mhz. So, if you got an antenna for those frequencies specifically (if that even exists, I don't know I'm pretty new myself) you wouldn't be missing much.

As for an AM antenna, I'd rather make my own than purchase one. They are so simple and so easy and it just shocks me to see the price on some of them. I'd just google the subject matter and look that way.

As far as being rural, I'd consider that a plus for SW. Remember, SW goes a long, long way. Unless by rural you mean the south pole, it shouldn't matter much. Also, remember that the best time for SW listening is at night. It's hard to get anything during the day wherever you are.

 

[Simon004]

Ok, did a little more digging and came up with this.......

Winegard HD 6010 Omnidirectional FM Antenna (HD-6010) - Winegard - HD-6010 - 615798398125 - PR6010 PR 6010 PR-6010 HD-6010 HD6010 HD 6010

Looks like a possiblity along with the Apex for SWL.

Opinions please.

The antenna you linked to here looks like an FM broadcast antenna, and will be useless for SW listening. If you want to listen to HF you need a big antenna, no real way around that. Wambulance is bang on the money though, the HF bands come live after dark, and I would LOVE to be in a rural area. Your main enemy whn listening to short wave is the noise, usually generated by either your or the neighbours electronics, no neighbours = no noise

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Best bang for the buck is a piece of copper wire as long and as high as you can get. If outside antennas are not permitted then get a wire as high inside the house as you can,across the ceiling or better yet in the attic.Run it around the permitter of the space if you have too and just run the end back to your radio. Try and not run it alongside any electrical wiring if possible.If the radio just has a telescopic antenna use a clip lead to attach the wire to it. IMHO the first antenna linked to,the 30Khz-30MHz will not work very well on the lower freqs,or any freq for that matter, because it is a simple 6 foot verticle that is passive,no preamp.:thumbdown:

 

[Nightshade]

The antenna you linked to here looks like an FM broadcast antenna, and will be useless for SW listening. If you want to listen to HF you need a big antenna, no real way around that. Wambulance is bang on the money though, the HF bands come live after dark, and I would LOVE to be in a rural area. Your main enemy whn listening to short wave is the noise, usually generated by either your or the neighbours electronics, no neighbours = no noise

Yes, I know it's FM only which was my point of choosing but thank you anyway for sharing that with me. Us newbies gotta help each other....right?

 

[Nightshade]

Best bang for the buck is a piece of copper wire as long and as high as you can get. If outside antennas are not permitted then get a wire as high inside the house as you can,across the ceiling or better yet in the attic.Run it around the permitter of the space if you have too and just run the end back to your radio. Try and not run it alongside any electrical wiring if possible.If the radio just has a telescopic antenna use a clip lead to attach the wire to it. IMHO the first antenna linked to,the 30Khz-30MHz will not work very well on the lower freqs,or any freq for that matter, because it is a simple 6 foot verticle that is passive,no preamp.:thumbdown:

The heck of it is for me is I can't climb ladders anymore. That said I'll try a ceiling perimeter wire before I spend any bucks, my wife can climb a short ladder to help. I do have a tendency to over think things at times.

Thank you again.

 

[W5LZ]

I know it sounds a little silly, but a simple wire thrown over the roof of your house (maybe several times, sort of 'zig-zag' it?) will work amazingly well. Some sort of small insulated wire, maybe the same color as your roof, should do just fine.
Neighbors want to know what you are doing? Tell them it's 'thermal' wire, it keeps the snow/ice melted off of your roof. (They think you're crazy anyway, what's one more 'proof' of it?)
- 'Doc