[IRCA] Connecting External FM Antennas to the Grundig G8

[D1028Gary@xxxxxxx]

Hello All,
 
The unanimous praise of DXers for the breakthrough FM performance of  the 
new Grundig G8 (and its Tecsun PL-300WT clone) has inspired a  related 
interest in Ultralight FM-DXing, and the connection of effective  external FM 
antennas to the models.
 
Although the G8 and PL-300WT perform remarkably well with just their  stock 
22" whip antennas, hard core FM-DXers are eager to connect  their monster 
Yagis and Quads to these DSP-enhanced radios, and discover what  the units 
can do with "real" antennas. Although the G8 and PL-300WT pocket  radios have 
no external antenna provisions, Tecsun's full-sized DSP  portable, the 
CR-1100, does have an external FM antenna connector, and provides  a few clues as 
to how a fanatic "Dark Side" DXer would go about  transforming the G8 into 
a dream FM-DXing machine.
 
The CR-1100 is a unique AM-FM full-sized portable, which uses the  same 
Silicon Labs DSP chip as the G8 and PL-300WT. Designed for great audio  
quality, the CR-1100's DSP chip is apparently programmed for a wider selectivity  
setting than that of the Ultralight siblings, resulting in more local  
splatter on both AM and FM. Despite this, the CR-1100 has its own FM  external 
antenna connector on the back panel, a standard video-cable type  female 
connector such as those used for cable TV signals. The  CR-1100's brief English 
manual mentions nothing about this connector, but the  Chinese manual 
instructs the user to connect a "50 ohm" FM antenna--  despite the type of connector 
used (which is certainly not designed for 50 ohm  antennas).
 
Disassembly of the CR-1100 revealed that this "FM connector" was nothing  
more than an unshielded 6" connection to the same circuit board point as the  
whip antenna's 5" unshielded connection, making the "50 ohm" instruction 
pretty  irrelevant. Serious communication receivers and amateur radio  
transmitters use shielded cable between external antenna connectors  and circuit 
board points, with the cable's impedance matching that of the  external 
antenna cables used. Perhaps this is too much to expect in a consumer  radio like 
the CR-1100, or the related Ultralights. But for a fanatic FM-DXer,  the 
ultimate solution would be to install such a shielded, impedance-matched  cable 
(and connector) to the radio used, which would match the impedance of the  
external, high-gain FM antenna used for DXing.
 
For the 95% of DXers who would not care to do this, simple clip-on  antenna 
systems (like those described by Gil Stacy and others) can provide a lot  
of FM-DXing excitement with the G8. My own system uses a  full-wave FM loop 
on a 50' tower (with rotation capability) having  one lead clipped on to the 
G8's collapsed whip antenna, and the other lead  connected to the radio's 
ground (through the battery connector's negative  spring). This simple system 
receives stations on almost every FM channel here in  the "isolated" NW part 
of the country, with many British Columbia and  Oregon stations booming in 
(in addition to those from my home state of  Washington). For those new to 
FM-DXing, elevation is a key advantage for FM  antennas, much more so than 
for MW systems. If you take your G8 to a local  hilltop, you will probably be 
amazed at the FM-DXing performance increase  (and in the process, become 
hooked on FM-DXing like the rest of us :>)
 
Experimentation is continuing on connecting directional FM antennas to  the 
G8, such as the 2 element Cubical Quad models mentioned previously. Some  
type of hand-held portable FM-DXing center would be an exciting summer 
doldrum  project, in my opinion. In summary, the fantastic FM performance of the 
G8 and  PL-300WT may well be the equivalent of the inspiring AM performance 
of the  SRF-59 in late 2007, which kicked off the original AM-Ultralight 
radio boom. For  those of you still on the fence, summer is the best season to 
make  your move!
 
73, Gary DeBock (in Puyallup, WA)
 
 
 
 
                           
**************Summer concert season is here! Find your favorite artists on 
tour at TourTracker.com. 
(http://www.tourtracker.com/?ncid=emlcntusmusi00000006)
_______________________________________________
IRCA mailing list
IRCA@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/irca

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 staff, or officers

For more information: http://www.ircaonline.org

To Post a message: irca@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx