"Jeff D" wrote in message
...

"amdx" wrote in message
...

"Jeff D" wrote in message
...
The GE Super Radio is what I normally use to catch baseball on am 670,
especially at night, but after about 10pm local time I get a Mexican
station overpowering 670. I'm aware of the internet option but MLB
doesn't allow broadcasting, they want you to buy their MLB network
subscription. But anyway the ideal setup for me would be a good am table
radio and antenna setup that I can input to my stereo system and not
fight with Mexico over the channel.

That's why I ask about the GE, if you can get it to work, you can
cobble audio into your stereo.
Regarding the interfering Mexican station, this a great application for
a
loop, you can turn it to null out that offending station.
Even without a loop you should be able to turn the GE to null out the
Mexican Station.
Method;
Rotate the radio so the long dimension points at the Mexican station
(caution it might be in Cuba) :-) When you find the correct aim the audio
from the offender will attenuate. Also sometimes it helps to
tip the end that point towards the offender up a little.
Mike
PS. I hate it when baseball preempts talk radio programs:-)


yep that's exactly what I do with the GE which helps but it's still pretty
scratchy and at the most 30-40% recognizable audio
Hmm, do you get a good null? Sometimes environmental materials can
mix the signals and you don't get a good null. See if you can take the
GE radio outside away from the building and get a null on the Mexican
and a better signal on your prefered station. If not I don't see where a
larger loop is going to help.
Just had a thought, If the Mexican station is actually a Cuban then trying
to null the Cuban would also null the Chicago station. They are about 180*
apart on either side of you. I'm in Fl. the Cuban stations are my
interference.
Mike

"Jeff D." wrote in message
...

"amdx" wrote in message
...

"Jeff D" wrote in message
...

"amdx" wrote in message
...

"Jeff D" wrote in message
...
The GE Super Radio is what I normally use to catch baseball on am 670,
especially at night, but after about 10pm local time I get a Mexican
station overpowering 670. I'm aware of the internet option but MLB
doesn't allow broadcasting, they want you to buy their MLB network
subscription. But anyway the ideal setup for me would be a good am
table radio and antenna setup that I can input to my stereo system and
not fight with Mexico over the channel.

That's why I ask about the GE, if you can get it to work, you can
cobble audio into your stereo.
Regarding the interfering Mexican station, this a great application
for a
loop, you can turn it to null out that offending station.
Even without a loop you should be able to turn the GE to null out the
Mexican Station.
Method;
Rotate the radio so the long dimension points at the Mexican station
(caution it might be in Cuba) :-) When you find the correct aim the
audio
from the offender will attenuate. Also sometimes it helps to
tip the end that point towards the offender up a little.
Mike
PS. I hate it when baseball preempts talk radio programs:-)


yep that's exactly what I do with the GE which helps but it's still
pretty scratchy and at the most 30-40% recognizable audio
Hmm, do you get a good null? Sometimes environmental materials can
mix the signals and you don't get a good null. See if you can take the
GE radio outside away from the building and get a null on the Mexican
and a better signal on your prefered station. If not I don't see where a
larger loop is going to help.
Just had a thought, If the Mexican station is actually a Cuban then
trying
to null the Cuban would also null the Chicago station. They are about
180*
apart on either side of you. I'm in Fl. the Cuban stations are my
interference.
Mike



I don't even try indoors because it pointless, I go outside, but I've got
some geographical problems being in a valley that's in a pretty dense
woods. The Mexican or Cuban station has a period to it's interference,
it's about a 60 second interval with a 20 second duration. I've been
following the White Sox for 50 years and they've been on almost every
Chicago am station, 720, 780, 890, 1000 but 670 is by far my biggest
challenge to get good reception. I'll be happier when they move to another
station.

Wow 50 years, maybe it's time for something new.
How about curling :-)
Mike

"amdx" wrote in message
...

"Jeff D" wrote in message
...

"amdx" wrote in message
...

"Jeff D" wrote in message
...
The GE Super Radio is what I normally use to catch baseball on am 670,
especially at night, but after about 10pm local time I get a Mexican
station overpowering 670. I'm aware of the internet option but MLB
doesn't allow broadcasting, they want you to buy their MLB network
subscription. But anyway the ideal setup for me would be a good am
table radio and antenna setup that I can input to my stereo system and
not fight with Mexico over the channel.

That's why I ask about the GE, if you can get it to work, you can
cobble audio into your stereo.
Regarding the interfering Mexican station, this a great application for
a
loop, you can turn it to null out that offending station.
Even without a loop you should be able to turn the GE to null out the
Mexican Station.
Method;
Rotate the radio so the long dimension points at the Mexican station
(caution it might be in Cuba) :-) When you find the correct aim the
audio
from the offender will attenuate. Also sometimes it helps to
tip the end that point towards the offender up a little.
Mike
PS. I hate it when baseball preempts talk radio programs:-)


yep that's exactly what I do with the GE which helps but it's still
pretty scratchy and at the most 30-40% recognizable audio
Hmm, do you get a good null? Sometimes environmental materials can
mix the signals and you don't get a good null. See if you can take the
GE radio outside away from the building and get a null on the Mexican
and a better signal on your prefered station. If not I don't see where a
larger loop is going to help.
Just had a thought, If the Mexican station is actually a Cuban then
trying
to null the Cuban would also null the Chicago station. They are about 180*
apart on either side of you. I'm in Fl. the Cuban stations are my
interference.
Mike



I don't even try indoors because it pointless, I go outside, but I've got
some geographical problems being in a valley that's in a pretty dense woods.
The Mexican or Cuban station has a period to it's interference, it's about a
60 second interval with a 20 second duration. I've been following the White
Sox for 50 years and they've been on almost every Chicago am station, 720,
780, 890, 1000 but 670 is by far my biggest challenge to get good reception.
I'll be happier when they move to another station.

I totally agree with using a loop antenna, though you may need to experiment with 'back shielding' [since you want to 'knock down' signals, coming from the undesired direction]. Too bad you couldn't latch on to some of the radio compass units, I maintained while in the USAF.

But, BEFORE screwing around with antenna connections [etc] get out your trusty AC voltmeter, and with the radio connected to power, VERIFY, to a known good ground reference, that none of the antenna connections/other exposed metal parts are 'live'. Older radios, particularly Shortwave units, had what is known in the repair trade, as a 'HOT CHASSIS'; where-in they lacked a power isolation transformer, & usually had non-polarized power cord plugs [both blades the same dimensions. Depending upon plug insertion, into the receptacle, it can put the full voltage of the power source, onto any metal, attached to chassis. Flip the plug over, and the chassis is no longer 'HOT].

Best to replace the plug with at least a newer version, with one wider blade. Or the latest '2 wire w/GND' style. Look at your receptacles, and note there is a longer slot (this is the a/c 'neutral' line {WHITE wire connection}, the short slot is the 'HOT' line {BLACK wire connection}, and if the receptacle is newer, it has the '3rd' wire round GROUND {GREEN wire connection}. If you don't know how to verify, find someone who does, like a member of your local Amateur Radio Club, Electrician, etc.
There is an inexpensive device to plug into the latest receptacles, and verify some connections; but may not always confirm that the GROUND/ Neutral are, in fact, seperated clear to the Utility Panel. Not verifying, can result in DEATH.

A neumonic, to help remember proper connections: 'BLACK on brass to save your ass', referring to the brass colored terminal. The WHITE goes to the silver screw terminal, and Green goes to {duh} the Green terminal.
NOTE: if your mounted receptacles are orientated with the Ground terminal UPWARDS, then 'WHITE on the RIGHT' applies.

blitz wrote in message ...
Roy Lewallen writes...

blitz wrote:

If you can't get Chicago at night on the GE SR, it's going to be a
challenge on any radio.

I think TJ is right- if you're going to bother with a long wire, it
needs to be about 150' to get resonant (as in, tune the frequencies
you want) down to 670 AM. My antenna, like yours (wire, then coax into
the house) at 150', overloads most radios. So it needs some
throttling. Otherwise, it's a monster for signals.

Making the antenna resonant won't help your signal/noise ratio at all.
And it makes no sense to make the antenna larger to increase the signal
(and noise), then adding an attenuator to decrease it so it doesn't
overload your receiver.

Depends on the receiver. I wish I had *more* signal for the R8. It
might not matter, but I'd like to find out.

The Sony I referenced (and most other digital 'hi-fi' tuners) do need
attenuation. Some of the older analog tuners don't.

Noise levels also vary. On some bands it's already down at S1, so I'd
be willing to accommodate a stouter signal.

OTOH, a loop might really help you sort out the competing signal.
. . .

Yep.

A lot of amateurs get confused about the requirements for sending a
strong signal and those for receiving signals clearly. At HF, they're
quite different. And a lot of amateurs have the mistaken idea that
there's something magic about an antenna being resonant. That confusion
is why you keep getting advice to make your antenna longer, higher, and
resonant, while those aren't the solution to your problem at all, and in
fact are likely to create additional problems due to receiver overload.

I equate it (length) with meat-ball impedance matching, which upped
the number of stations considerably (BCB and international SW). It
could also be the 100' of coax into the house.

Roy Lewallen, W7EL

I bought the Sony XDR-F1HD and I really like it, no problem getting am 670
even with my crappy long wire installation, daytime signal is very clear.
Haven't tried the nighttime signal but I'll probably need a loop as noted by
others to get rid of the Latin station interference. The fm is very good
also, good value for $75 or so. I'm looking at different options with the
coax. It's routed around the perimeter of 3 walls then into another room and
down a parallel wall before getting outside. I have 4 cheapo 8' fluorescent
lights inside the 3 walled loop of coax and they create an annoying level of
interference. I've confirmed the polarity and grounding on all the ac stuff
so I'll write the hum off as noisy Chinese ballasts and leave the lights
off. But anyway the move to the Sony tuner was a quantum gain. I have a
tower from a conversion to satellite tv I'll erect this spring and install a
fm directional and am loop antennas with a rotor. At that time I should be
able to cut the coax down to a 20' run to the outside in metal conduit and
buried another 20' to the tower in plastic conduit.