Shortwave for Beginners part 2 The antenna

In this series for newbies, we talk about the antenna and how and where you should position the antenna

[@lignitedaze]

I was on the verge of giving up on my new, and frustrating, SW radio hobby - until I watched a couple of your videos. Thanks!

[@JamesPawson]

Thank god, finally a channel that covers this topic without a bunch of confusing jargon and geek-speak. Thanks for this, I look forward to watching the rest of this series.

[@neonharp]

Good video . As far as a " random wire antenna " , I had some wire that ran from the utility pole to my house that was used for an old " land line " phone connection . It was cut down years ago when I stopped using land lines and started using cell phones . It is insulated steel wire with a heavy copper plating . The steel gives it strength , and the copper gives good conductivity . I ran about 60 feet of it overhead between my house and garage for an antenna . It works ! and was free ! Cheers , take care , and have a good day !.......73

[@howardhaughery5301]

Sounds cool, just make sure wire is grounded properly or it could be hazardous

[@martymcgill1312]

You can use a coaxial shielded wire from the radio to the outside to keep the noise level down. You just use the center wire for the antenna and the mesh shield will kill the noise created by lights, electronics, etc

[@paganphil100]

Excellent video and some very good advice for "newbies". I live in the UK and I've been using an indoor clip-on wire reel antenna like the one in your video (approx.£5 - £15 on E-bay) attached to the telescopic antenna of my Eton Satellite portable receiver (aka Grundig / Tecsun) for the last 2 years and I've heard radio "hams" from as far away as Brisbane (Australia), South America, USA West coast, Siberia, Japan and Clipperton Island in the Pacific ocean.

[@KhalidAli-tl1px]

Uu

[@chuzengliu7020]

Your voice is very comforting

[@georgequinnell9506]

Thank you for these videos. Just randomly decided to start looking into sw radios, it was a hobby my grandfather did and I never knew much about it. These are really informative.

[@OfficialSWLchannel]

:-)

[@markh.2899]

I wish I could give this video 10 thumbs up ! I just received my General level ham license and love listening to various bands probably more than transmitting.. Thank you !

[@jayceonclay7481]

I guess im asking randomly but does anyone know a trick to get back into an instagram account?? I was stupid lost the account password. I appreciate any assistance you can give me.

[@korbinjericho9564]

@Jayceon Clay instablaster =)

[@jayceonclay7481]

@Korbin Jericho thanks for your reply. I found the site through google and Im waiting for the hacking stuff atm. Takes quite some time so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.

[@abeleballestri612]

Very well and nicely explained how the signal works across an antenna..looking forward of listening to part three of your lesson. Thank you very much..a.ballestri Switzerland.

[@STR82DVD]

I like your pragmatic attitude.

[@mysticstarxxx8185]

Hey, nice video man! I think it's great what you are doing. I wish that more young people today would gravitate towards this great hobby. What an awesome way to learn about the world, different cultures, the hobby itself and meeting new and different people. You put everything in an easy to understand format that makes it fun. Shortwave along with amateur radio has declined with the ushering in of the digital age with new modes and less programming. In addition, right now we are in a poor propagation portion of the sunspot cycle for anyone to make easy contacts. But as you have shown us, with some patience and perseverance, you can log those hard to reach stations.

[@jimberence]

..my late father had worked as special grade technician (Navaids/Leased & Service Channel) at Radio Department. Sadly, I'm not realise that I probably could learn from him before.

[@JackZimmermann]

Great stuff! Got myself a new Tecsun PL-880 and had problems receiving any SSB on 20 meters. Checked around and finally found a quieter place to listen. And it worked! Thanks for the video.

[@TheMichael285]

I have used the high voltage coil out a taser backwards to amplify rf one lead primary side connect to battery ground the other connects to antenna. While the secondary connects from earth ground to 20 feet vertical wire. Polarity should match on high voltage coil. Works as good as twenty years ago.

[@tunahankaratay1523]

If we calculate the length of the waves we can see that the full waves are 50 meters long. So you would need either full, half or quarter wave antenna. So you would need at least 12.5 meters of wire. That means roughly 42 feet of wire.

[@ronaldonmg]

maybe for transmitting, but for receiving it's mostly a matter of "longer is better". Wavelength 50 meters is equivalent to 6 MHz. Shortwave runs from 10 meters (30 MHz) to almost 200 (where mediumwave starts)

[@davidsoule5798]

A Great Video. In my house I have one really good sweet spot where the reception is very good. It is upon the third floor near two windows that face different directions and I am also away from all of our electronic devices etc. sometimes I use a long wire Depending on what Radio I am using.

[@szaki]

Far as I know, the telescopic whip antenna on the radio, Omni directional, is made for FM stations from 88-108 Mhz. The fully extended whip antenna length is tuned to the happy medium 98Mhz frequencies. Antenna for AM is built into the radio, it's a ferrite antenna with copper wire wound on it, it is also directional. SW , under 30 Mhz, needs long antenna, the longer the better to receive these long waves, also the height of the antenna is important (10-30 ft), to keep it away from ground if possible, which wood add resistance to the wire antenna.SW antenna is Omni directional, it works even in vertical or slanted mode.

[@mountainsunsets]

Thanks again for your excellent video and info.

[@rustygearboxnuts5327]

And I always thought coil tube inside the radio was for AM radio side and telescopic for FM Only

[@Kennynva]

You can get a mono plug not stereo that will go into the antenna jack...I use this on my G3 Grundig..works great...A simple antenna that works on a FM AM stereo will work also..just use on wire...of the antenna...

[@Foxsoup]

Great video and thanks for the excellent advice. Would love to see part 1 but I can't find it even through a search! Can someone post a link for ir, please?

[@yash1one556]

I used to listen to radio on sw mainly voice of america , bbc etc back in 1996 in india when i was kid

[@skateboarding118]

Thank you, I just got a reel antenna but the noise was through the roof, now I know why

[@victorjcano]

sometimes you need to get away from the house. too many electrical devices that create AM noise

[@skivvywaver]

I have found that a shorter wire works better for my immediate situation. I have a 23 foot reel with only about half of it reeled out. Any longer and it picks up massive noise. I need to get it outside somehow. I live on the second floor of a 3 floor building. It is old brick and the walls are literally 18 inches thick. The 3rd floor is storage and I can get up there. I am thinking of taking a speaker wire and making a dipole of sorts. Run it up normal and then split it and stretch it down both sides of windows on the top floor and I should be good to go. I'll let y'all know how that works.

[@Silverline2572]

Appreciate your videos for beginners! Confused a bit on ‘noise’ coming from the signal meter and an actual ‘strong’ signal coming in well and showing up high on the signal meter. How do you judge the two? Actual hearing something other then static/noise? Usually a strong signal on a meter=good,aka you’re able to hear it well. Then we have ‘noise’ that can jack up the signal meter and interfere with incoming signals. I understand noise is basically interference coming from all types of other electronics, but when should you use the signal meter to find lower noise levels rather then the actual strength of a broadcast or station? Thx for helping a noob!!

[@brucecorbettn9bh398]

Maybe sad it is called noise. It is a local RF signal. Unintentional transmission. It’s from power lines, street lights at end of life, air conditioners , furnaces, dishwashers, computers, etc. You might find the noise is generated in your home. You can try turning things off, even the main breaker in your home. And work from there.

[@gmcenroe]

I recently bought a Tecsun 501x and live in California. First try in my office and I did not receive anything on SW bands. I took it out on my deck around 8:00PM and I did receive many signals but with a lot of background noise and in the lower frequencies there were many signals with 2 channels on the same frequency, very little on high frequencies. I bought that Sangean wire antenna and will try that next. If that does not work I will go for a simple longer wire. With the Sangean external antenna do I need to set the radio to external antenna or does it do it automatically? I think the Sangean also comes with a clip on adapter for the antenna already on the radio. Since I am a beginner I am still learning and hope to improve my SW listening. Thanks for your videos.

[@dougbrown479]

Much to learn. Could you explain how technology has made shortwave outdated? I used to be a long haul truck driver, and always had a Rand McNally Road Map and a good CB radio in my truck. The other day I met a young truck driver. I asked what kind of CB Radio he had. He didn't have a CB radio. I asked why. He said he did't need one because of his cell phone. This kid also said he didn't need maps, because his maps were on the computer screen in his truck. This freaked me out. Is this sort of thing happening to short wave?

[@dhaneshnalanda]

part one I didn't saw

[@prof.hectorholbrook4692]

Great tips, thanks

[@dhaneshnalanda]

which type of antenna is best for home listening

[@pukkadriver]

The lower the frequency the longer the wire. 1.8 MHz - 1800 khz - (160 metres) needs a longer wire than 7MHz - 7000 khz - (20 metres) It should always be connected to a balum and 50 ohm radio impedance cable through an Antenna Tuning Unit to prevent overload. The ATU cannot artificially lengthen an antenna but takes a long wire and artificially shortens it to match the frequencies resonance

[@noth606]

For TX and ham gear yes, which isn't what this is about

[@wisaininmanee]

I quite familiar with this voice from another channel I followed.

[@maritimehal]

Helpful, thank you

[@petebromel6865]

Great helpful video. But couldn’t get my eye off the loose hair on radio. 😉

[@OfficialSWLchannel]

it's cat hair ... the beauty of living with a cat !

[@petebromel6865]

Lol, sorry. I love cats and totally understand. Love you videos too, very very helpful. I’ve purchased 3 Tecsun radios (PL 380, PL-660 and now a PL-330) based on some of these youtube videos and am enjoying the hobby. Back in the late 60’s I visited relatives in east Germany -the DDR and enjoyed SW on my Schaub Lorenz portable radio. Great fun! Thanks!

[@tanviryalagi3332]

nice video

[@mikemcmanus3918]

I usually try to get stations going out from North America although I live there.

[@usernamemykel]

I ran a wire to my home's rain downspout, which means that the downspout and all the gutters on the roof have become my "antenna". I also ran a wire from the downspout to ground, hoping that if I forget to detach my "antenna" from the radio during thunderstorms, the radio won't fry if the "antenna" gets struck by lightning. Good ideas or not?

[@mullman71]

Does it matter if the wire is hanging horizontally or vertically?

[@tunahankaratay1523]

Chris Muller No

[@mysticstarxxx8185]

Just make sure that if you have a vertical, you also have a sort of ground plane to balance it all out. (Radials or counterpoise) This will assure the efficiency of your signal.

[@ronaldonmg]

@ Chris: if the waves you want are polarised horizontally or vertically where you are receiving them, yes it matters

[@metaphoricallyspeaking8987]

@@ronaldonmg Please explain.

[@ronaldonmg]

@@metaphoricallyspeaking8987 horizontal antennas receive less of a vertical signal, and vertical antennas receive less of a horizontal signal. At least that's my experience with a 1.4 meter 27 Mhz-antenna.

[@thomasmarquardt5483]

if I use a reel antenna can I run it through a window screen and the metal fram of the window?

[@tonybernhoffer9684]

I had 40ft of antenna wire rolled up in a coil and on a dark and stormy night in 1985 i picked up TWR Monaco and they verified my reception but a lightning strike did damage my Sony ICF 2010. But u kept using my damaged radio because i did not have much money

[@scottdaniel8909]

How do outdoor antennas connect to this radio? Do they have a coax jack?

[@KongKingman]

Novice here...when u plug an antenna into the Jack input, is that going to the am ferrite bar or Antenna? Thank you

[@flintdavis2]

I have 2 CB whips can I use them?

[@blackhat1894]

Can you please recommend me a good external antenna for this Eton field grinding bt , or do you think with the internal antennas it's more than enough ?? I'm planning on using more for sw radio Thank you

[@paulmorrey733]

Thanks

[@mickcollins113]

So I bought xh data own reel antenna for £10 that is barely 10 feet long a rip off should be at least 30ft do they have a shortage of wire or something I bought my own wire 50ft for less than£5

[@dang25272549]

Thanks 👍.

[@stanleyarokianathan]

Good video. I liked it. Thank.

[@kpxoda1]

If you are really trying to emphasize how important noise is maybe it would be a good idea to define noise and explain what you are even taking about when you say "noise" or "quiet"

[@bestestimesreborn]

Will tecsun ever update their displays?

[@edwardkenas2559]

Hi, May I have the e-mail for the manufacturer for this sw receiver tecsun

[@lunes-1]

👍

[@prl4407]

Can I use tin foil for an antenna? I used to work at a grocery store and have many boxes of it. Probably enough to run up into my attic. Thx.

[@KiloWatt304]

Yes I used to have an antenna made out of aluminum foil wrapped it around the top of my ceiling taped it with clear tape and connected a wire to it then to the antenna on the radio

[@thedoors73]

Where is part 1?

[@dhaneshnalanda]

where is part one for beginners

[@ammarrufaey5888]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/nqaVk2V8gr52hdE

[@thefriendzi3841]

Could you put a so 239 jack in a little radio like this?

[@OfficialSWLchannel]

not really too big, but you can use a adapter that will have pl-259 to 3.5 mm

[@OfficialSWLchannel]

SO-239 to 3.6 mm

[@timedriverable]

Think you have better luck on the east coast vs the pacific.

[@mickcollins113]

When I got my xh data d808 recently for £85 it came with external antenna which is barely 6 feet long what am I supposed to do with that? Pathetic really

[@amenserm949]

What about lighting?

[@erikk77]

In a lightning storm disconnect your external antenna.

[@robertvandervelde60]

No.1 rule...ALWAYS DISCONNECT OUTDOOR ANTENNA FROM RADIO AFTER USING, NO MATTER WHAT THE WEATHER LOOKS LIKE.....