On the surface, this sounds like a stupid question, but how do I know
my shortwave wire dipole antenna is picking up all it can?


Just look at ground around the antenna. If you do not see any stations rejected
and dropped in the mud, then your antenna is doing fine job and picking up
everything it can.

Get some books on antennas and propagation, it is fascinating reading and will
answer many questions and provide food for some experimentation in your quest
in hearing everything.

BUm

On 26 Aug 2003 19:47:14 -0700, (Walter)
wrote:

On the surface, this sounds like a stupid question, but how do I know
my shortwave wire dipole antenna is picking up all it can?

If I live in the St. Louis Missouri Area, is there a list of stations
X, Y, and Z that I should be able to pick up? (thinking shortwave
here, not local stations)

And if so, If I can pick up station A from Egypt, station B from
Japan, and station C from Moscow, then I'm doing really good?

Just wondering.

Thanks..

Hi Walter,

This is a tough nut to solve lacking comparisons.

So, it must be done by comparison. One way to judge band conditions
is to maintain a log of familiar and fairly constant sources. Among
those, WWV and WWVH (or CBUT in Canada, and other time signals
throughout the world) offer that across many frequencies. However,
this goes only so far unless you manage to DX those remote time
standards (WWV is not very far away in the scope of things).

There are also stations known as beacons transmitting in the Amateur
frequencies (as well as commercial beacons) that transmit for this
very purpose. Use a web search engine to find beacon forecasting
software (try using the term Tabor, who is one source).

All this aside, it says nothing of the inherent sensitivity (or lack
of it) for your receiver. Barring your having been hit by high
voltage due to a nearby strike of lightning, you stand every chance of
having all that you are going to get (the receiver will be fairly deaf
otherwise).

Right now I am listening to Radio New Zealand that comes in with
broadcast quality, you may not be so lucky, but on the flip side, you
may get Europe with far more ease than I do (the North magnetic Pole
is the pits for the Pacific Northwest). VOA, BBC, CBC, Deutsche
Welle, Radio Nederland (actually out of the Caribbean), Radio Habana,
Radio South Africa, Radio Australia, HCJB, NHK, Radio Moscow, and
others are also often quite strong. Get to know their schedules
through the day and night, and visit frequently while taking notes in
a log. Patterns should begin to emerge (and then shift as the year
progresses, and shift again as the sunspot numbers fall).

73's
Richard Clark, KB7QHC

On 26-Aug-2003, (Walter) wrote:

On the surface, this sounds like a stupid question, but how do I know
my shortwave wire dipole antenna is picking up all it can?

One indication of your antenna's effectiveness (on HF) is if the receiver's noise output increases
when the antenna is connected. If so, the antenna is providing enough signal to overcome the
receiver's internal noise. Effectiveness on a particular station's strength can only be judged by
comparison with another antenna at the same site or with another receiver and antenna at a nearby
site. What you may be able to hear at a given time on a given frequency depends a lot on antenna
directivity and propagation.

-ken-

Walter,
Other than in very broad terms, there's not really
any answer to that question. If you're hearing stations
in Egypt, Japan and Moscow, then I'd say your antenna
wasn't doing bad at all. Could you beat it's performance
with some other antenna? Probably, but do you have the
resources to put up that better antenna? Beats me...
'Doc

Very interesting subject. It's sort of like getting new eye glasses. You
don't realize how bad the old glasses were until you get new glasses.
With regards to antennas we had the tin (steel) roof on our home
replaced with a normal roof. After a few months I have come the
conclusion my antenna system is working much better now. It was like
getting a new antenna. I had no idea the steel roof was effecting the
antenna performance. The SWR is the same but the 3 elment beam seems to
work better with the new roof.

Dick, aa5vu

You don't!
It is this way: If You put up the antenna high enough, You might hear
A, B and C. However, You might not hear X,Y and/or Z, or at least
have very poor reception, as the radiating angle is to low for short
skip.
X,Y and/or Z might end up in the "skip zone". If You LOWER the antenna,
the semi-locals turn up, but You lose A,B and C.
So Your dipole CAN not pick up everything simultaneously.

N

Walter wrote:

On the surface, this sounds like a stupid question, but how do I know
my shortwave wire dipole antenna is picking up all it can?

If I live in the St. Louis Missouri Area, is there a list of stations
X, Y, and Z that I should be able to pick up? (thinking shortwave
here, not local stations)

And if so, If I can pick up station A from Egypt, station B from
Japan, and station C from Moscow, then I'm doing really good?

Just wondering.

Thanks..

There is the World Radio Handbook, also called the Passport to World Radio
in later editions. It lists all the SW foreign broadcast stations,
frequencies and times of operation.

Good luck,

Time to study for a ham license!

Bill, W4WNT


"Walter" wrote in message
om...
On the surface, this sounds like a stupid question, but how do I know
my shortwave wire dipole antenna is picking up all it can?

If I live in the St. Louis Missouri Area, is there a list of stations
X, Y, and Z that I should be able to pick up? (thinking shortwave
here, not local stations)

And if so, If I can pick up station A from Egypt, station B from
Japan, and station C from Moscow, then I'm doing really good?

Just wondering.

Thanks..