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Antenna - need some advice please

 


    • Hello I am looking for some help or advice, I have two Yaesu Musen FRG-7 recievers that seem to work equally good . I have an attic antenna ,it goes 22 feet along the beams and then 6 feet across the back of the house and then back along the beams on the other side of the peek for another 22 feet , it is bare copper antenna wire and then goes to my receiver in the basement with a single plastic coated lead wire , this lead in wire runs down from the attic and thru the closet floor into the crawl space and this run is about 35 feet , I also have 24 feet of slinky stretched out on the inside attic peak and can join this with the single antenna wire below the attic in the closet or use them separately, I did buy and try a MFJ 1020 C indoor active antenna , I sent it back it did nothing for me . My shortwave pick up is there but not that good and at times there is not much at all , I think these FRG-7 sets are good for shortwave receiving but I am thinking the antenna is the problem , I can’t run an antenna outside the house I have to have it inside and I think the attic is best , is there any advice you can give that will help me out , perhaps a different antenna I could buy or make myself , I would be very thankful for any help or advice , thanks for your time all the very best Rick
      ? ? ?email?rdelaplante@...? OR ?rdelplante@...
 

Consider a loop antenna from Mini Kits in Australia.



They are low noise, reasonable in cost and work well. Some soldering required.

Good luck

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-------- Original Message --------
On 6 Feb 2022, 2:45 am, Rick < rdelaplante@...> wrote:


    • Hello I am looking for some help or advice, I have two Yaesu Musen FRG-7 recievers that seem to work equally good . I have an attic antenna ,it goes 22 feet along the beams and then 6 feet across the back of the house and then back along the beams on the other side of the peek for another 22 feet , it is bare copper antenna wire and then goes to my receiver in the basement with a single plastic coated lead wire , this lead in wire runs down from the attic and thru the closet floor into the crawl space and this run is about 35 feet , I also have 24 feet of slinky stretched out on the inside attic peak and can join this with the single antenna wire below the attic in the closet or use them separately, I did buy and try a MFJ 1020 C indoor active antenna , I sent it back it did nothing for me . My shortwave pick up is there but not that good and at times there is not much at all , I think these FRG-7 sets are good for shortwave receiving but I am thinking the antenna is the problem , I can’t run an antenna outside the house I have to have it inside and I think the attic is best , is there any advice you can give that will help me out , perhaps a different antenna I could buy or make myself , I would be very thankful for any help or advice , thanks for your time all the very best Rick
      ? ? ?email?rdelaplante@...? OR ?rdelplante@...
 

Hello Rubbersoul , if I buy the already assembled unit in an enclosed box I think I have to buy
?a loop antenna and coax cable for the unit ,I think , or could I just hook the unit to my long wire antenna and
?then get the length of coax cable I need plus the connectors I need , if I need a loop to go with the
?unit where could I get the right one , I have no idea where to get this loop or what type to use , thanks
?for your time and help , take care stay safe all the very best Rick
 

Hello Rick

A few questions there.? Mini Kits does offer the option of having some of their products pre-assembled.? I am not sure if that is the case for the loop antenna module, but it may be so.? Best to check with Mini Kits direct on that point.?

I assembled mine myself and it was straightforward enough as the circuit board contains only through hole components from memory.? I have built numerous kits though so have had some experience.? Keep in mind you will also need a bias tee which powers the module.? Again this is a kit you can purchase from Mini Kits - check with them if they will pre-assemble the bias tee for you if you are not confident.? These are both pretty easy boards to build and you will have fun doing it and learning some new skills.? There are plenty of you tube videos to guide you on your way.

Now for the antenna wire itself.? The instructions on the Mini Kits page will guide you there, but all you need is approximately 3 metres of wire or coax shaped roughly into a circle / triangle / square to make up the antenna.? I have attached a photo of my loop which I built using coax.? You will need something to support the antenna in shape.? I used some PVC plumbing pipe I had lying around.? It looks crude, but it all works very well.? You can also see from the photo that the loop need not be very high above the ground in order to work okay.? This is good if you have antenna restrictions in your neighbourhood

So to coax for a feedline.? I am not sure where you live, but I am guessing North America because you have an attic :) You may be able to buy this locally from an electronics retailer or Home Depot.? To feed mine I use RG6 75 ohm coax which I think is used for TV antennas.? It was cheap.? RG58 50ohm coax is commonly used in radio applications and is available from ham radio outlets and electronics retailers.? You will need some connectors on your coax of course.? The Mini Kits module accepts a BNC connector.? At the bias tee end I have an SMA connector (because the board is very small) and an SMA/BNC adaptor to connect the BNC at the end of the coax.? So you will need a length of coax with a BNC connector at each end plus two adaptors.? Some ham radio outlets will make these cables up for you.? Just specify the length you need and the connectors (don't forget to buy two adapators).? You will need a length of coax to go from the bias tee to your radio.? This could a BNC connector at the bias tee end (plus an SMA/BNC adaptor) and a PL259 to plug into your radio.? I would not buy coax from Mini Kits as the postage cost would be prohibitive.? Buy locally if you can.

Confused?? You can buy plug and play magnetic loop receiving antennas from ham radio outlets such as DX Engineering and Ham Radio Outlet in North America.? I've not dealt with either company so cannot comment on their service.? I think MFJ in the USA also sell a loop antenna.? I also have an English Wellbrook loop which works tremendously well and is very quiet.? These options will cost you a lot more than the Mini Kits antenna though.

Like most things it can come down to your wallet and pain threshold.

Hopefully the above helps a little.? Do a search on you tube and you will find some videos on various loops.? They are a great option if you have limited room, antenna restrictions and/or a high noise environment.

73

Phil

loop1.jpg

 

I've tried several loops that really helped drop the noise floor but varied widely in sensitivity.? My favorite is the W6LVP active loop.? It has a low noise preamplifier on the loop powered by an included bias-T power source between the loop and the receiver.? Not cheap but an excellent performer that should fit in your attic easily, and it'll far outperform the long wire you're using now.

More information here:??

Passive loops like the "youloop" work but are far less seensitive.? You can get one from Amazon here:?


Russ
 

Hi fellows thanks for the help , I like the W6LVP but the price is a bit high at $295.00 for
?the unit and $100.00 shipping , I live in Canada in Ontario and would have to check the cost for ?shipping
?to my address , plus the exchange , it’s getting up there . The EME 234 assembled and in an enclosure is
?$106.00 , then I have to get a loop and attachments , the coax cable I would buy here and would need it
?for etheir unit , I will be contacting both companies to see what the total cost would be shipped to my?
?address , thanks again for the help all the very best Rick

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