From: Les Rayburn<les@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [IRCA] [NRC-AM] Building a "state of the art" MW DX station
To: irca@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Monday, January 2, 2012, 8:38 PM
Russ,
I had considered flags, EWE, or the new "Super-loop"
antennas, but
unfortunately, the property doesn't lend itself well to
them.
The subdivision was basically "stripped bare" of trees when
it was built
four years ago. The trees that are in my yard are less than
15 feet
high, and not configured properly for an antenna. We have a
privacy
fence, but it's very low in height 6 feet, so no joy there
either.
I agree that verticals are not generally a good choice for
MW reception.
Both of the LF Engineering whips pick up a lot of noise on
the roof. Any
other ideas? Would the Wellbrook loop work well if it was
oriented in a
horizontal plane?
Any other ideas on how to reduce noise levels?
Les Rayburn, Director
High Noon Film
130 1st Avenue West
Alabaster, AL 35007-8536
(205) 621-7500
(205) 621-7505 FAX
(205) 253-4867 CELL
http://www.highnoonfilm.com
On 1/2/2012 7:24 PM, Russ Edmunds wrote:
Les, you may want to consider a "stealth" antenna of
another sort - a flag.
It can be mounted in a rectangular array on an outer
wall or an interior wall or between trees if they're
situated properly. Since the wire used can be fairly small,
it hides well.
That also requires a matching transformer. Details can
be found amongst some of Conelly's articles or Bruce
Conti's.
I'm just not sold on a vertical in a high noise
location. Most man-made electrical noise is vertically
polarized, and the use of a vertical frequently increases
the signal/noise ratio.
Russ Edmunds
15 mi NNW of Philadelphia
Grid FN20id
<wb2bjh@xxxxxxxxx>
FM: Yamaha T-80& Onkyo T-450RDS w/ APS9B
@15'; Grundig G8
AM: Modified Sony ICF 2010's barefoot
--- On Mon, 1/2/12, Mark Durenberger<Mark4@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
From: Mark Durenberger<Mark4@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [NRC-AM] [IRCA] Building a "state of
the art" MW DX station
To: am@xxxxxxxxxxx
Cc: "Mailing list for the International Radio Club
of America"<irca@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Monday, January 2, 2012, 8:19 PM
About 4:1 ratio should work.
Most folks like to roll their own but you can
also try:
http://www.minicircuits.com/products/Transformers.shtml
Should work if you're not near any high RF fields
Regards,
Mark Durenberger
--------------------------------------------------
From: "Les Rayburn"<les@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, January 02, 2012 6:39 PM
To: "Mark Durenberger"<Mark4@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: "DX @NRC"<am@xxxxxxxxxxx>;
"Mailing list for the International Radio
Club of America"<irca@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [NRC-AM] [IRCA] Building a "state of
the art"
MW DX station
Mark,
Excellent points regarding the change in
"mindset"
when using a SDR
receiver. Hadn't really thought it about it
that way.
I might be able to erect a "fold over"
vertical
antenna that I could
deploy only during listening sessions.
Assuming
something like 30 feet
in length, what would I need for a matching
transformer?
Les Rayburn, Director
High Noon Film
130 1st Avenue West
Alabaster, AL 35007-8536
(205) 621-7500
(205) 621-7505 FAX
(205) 253-4867 CELL
http://www.highnoonfilm.com
On 1/2/2012 6:23 PM, Mark Durenberger wrote:
Hi Les...good for you!
As a general comment addressing two of
your
questions: The "real" SDR
is a tool you'll fall in love with.
However...you'll have to make
somewhat of a tradeoff from the original
way of
thinking. We've all
used loops to pinpoint and tune a
specific
frequency. That's sort of
counter-productive when you're using an
SDR to
capture the entire band
because you usually don't want to favor a
unique
channel.
So if you're doing wideband with SDR
you're
probably going to want to
do a Beverage or a vertical. Sounds
like a
Beverage is out for you.
I've had tremendous luck with a 30-foot
vertical
and a Perseus SDR.
No amplification needed; just a matching
transformer.
It also sounds like you expect a lot of
local
noise. So you'll
probably want to look at a real
noise-cancelling
antenna.
Google Dallas Lankford's vertical antennas
and
some of Mark Connelly's
work.
Regards,
Mark Durenberger
--------------------------------------------------
From: "Les Rayburn"<les@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, January 02, 2012 6:02 PM
To:<am@xxxxxxxxxxx>;
<irca@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>;
<Tvfmdx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [IRCA] Building a "state of the
art" MW
DX station
iAfter an absence from medium wave
dxing due
to a move to a new
deed-restricted QTH, I find myself
itching to
get serious again.
While my present home is far from idea
(HOA,
and high local noise
levels), I'm determined to make the
best of
it.
Presently, I have the following
equipment
available for us:
Icom 746 Pro transceiver
RF Space SDR-IQ receiver
Wellbrook AL-1530 Loop antenna
Radio Plus Quantum Phaser
LF Engineering M-601C Active Whip
antenna
LF Engineering H-800 Active Whip
antenna
LF Engineering N-300 Group loop
isolator
My questions are numerous, but here
are the
general ones:
1.) To build a state of the art
system, would
you recommend
up-grading the SDR-IQ to the Perseus
or new
WinRadio SDR?
2.) Are there active whip antennas
that
perform better than the LF
Engineering models? (I have mounted
these to
my roof vents, painted
them black--and so far, no complaints
from the
neighbors.
3.) I have a undeveloped drainage
ditch next
to my home that offers
the possibility of a beverage on the
ground
antenna that would run
N/S for 500-800 feet. What couplers
would you
recommend for this use?
4.) Anyone tried the LF Engineering
M-607
Active Loop antenna? Pricey
at $390 but perhaps worth it?
5.) Any other station accessories that
would
improve things for me?
Primary interest is in domestic MW
DXing,
though I don't mind logging
TA signals when they "in" (rare here).
Love to
DX stations in the
Western part of the country most of
all.
Thanks for the advice, and 73,
Les Rayburn, N1LF
Alabaster, AL (Near Birmingham)
--
Les Rayburn, Director
High Noon Film
130 1st Avenue West
Alabaster, AL 35007-8536
(205) 621-7500
(205) 621-7505 FAX
(205) 253-4867 CELL
http://www.highnoonfilm.com
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Opinions expressed in messages on this mailing list are
those of the original contributors and do not necessarily
reflect the opinion of the IRCA, its editors, publishing
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To Post a message: irca@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx