"Steve" wrote in message
oups.com...

DeWayne wrote:
"Invader3K" wrote in message
oups.com...
I admit to never having used either model, but from reviews and such,
the R8 is supposed to be great for DXing both shortwave and medium
wave. Perhaps improving your antenna would be the better route to go.
The AOR is supposed to be a good loop, but perhaps you could try an
outdoor antenna to improve reception?


Can't have an outdoor antenna.

What about an outdoor antenna that no one can see? Such an antenna
would deliver better performance for a fraction of the cost.

There may be a way that I haven't tried, but I'm not sure it's worth the
hassle. I'm happy with my SW performance, just wondering if adding a
portable would do better for MW with my AOR loop.

DeWayne,

[Hidden] Loop Antennas
- Big "Fancy" Flower Box with a Wood and Wire Trellis
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortw...a/message/9150

Once knew a guy "The BlackSmith" who could not have an
Out-Door Antenna to use with his Yaesu FRG-7700 Receiver.

So he built his Wife a two Big "Fancy" Flower Boxes
(2' W x 8' L) and each had a nice Wood and Wire Trellis
{Loop Antennas}

The Flower Boxes sat in a rear corner of the backyard
(at 90* to each other) with a Fountain and small Pond
between them.

Each of the Trellis had Two Rectangular (6' H x 8' L)
Loop Antennas :
* One-Turn Shortwave Loop Antenna
* Ten-Turn AM/MW Loop Antenna.
http://www.mindspring.com/~loop_ante...loop_calc4.htm

NOTE - Having these Four Loop Antennas [Hidden] in the
Trellises of the Flower Boxes did require that he run Four
Coax Cables to an Antenna Switch in the Shack and then
he used a MFJ-956 -or- Grove Tun-3 Pre-Selector and
Antenna Tuner to Dial in his Loop Antennas.
http://www.universal-radio.com/catal...amps/2964.html

FWIW - I suggested that he only use two Loop Antennas
each AM/MW Ten-Turn Loop and a DC Relay that could be
Turned "ON" from the Shack to 'Open-Up' the Loop at the
Coax Cable Shield's Side to the Loop-End Juntion and
have it function like a Bent Random Wire Antenna about
280 Feet long. He like his design using the Four Loops.

OBTW - One small problem that he did have was that the
Fountain - Pond Pump Moter had to be turn "Off" when he
wanted to Listen to the Radios ;-(


DeWayne - So may be you could build a nice Flower Box
with a Trellis for a Window or two ) - iane ~ RHF
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Shortwave-SWL-Antenna/

DeWayne wrote:
"Steve" wrote in message
oups.com...

DeWayne wrote:
"Invader3K" wrote in message
oups.com...
I admit to never having used either model, but from reviews and such,
the R8 is supposed to be great for DXing both shortwave and medium
wave. Perhaps improving your antenna would be the better route to go.
The AOR is supposed to be a good loop, but perhaps you could try an
outdoor antenna to improve reception?


Can't have an outdoor antenna.

What about an outdoor antenna that no one can see? Such an antenna
would deliver better performance for a fraction of the cost.

There may be a way that I haven't tried, but I'm not sure it's worth the
hassle. I'm happy with my SW performance, just wondering if adding a
portable would do better for MW with my AOR loop.



Magnet wire can be used for an antenna that is all but invisible.

"John S." wrote in message
oups.com...

DeWayne wrote:
"Steve" wrote in message
oups.com...

DeWayne wrote:
"Invader3K" wrote in message
oups.com...
I admit to never having used either model, but from reviews and such,
the R8 is supposed to be great for DXing both shortwave and medium
wave. Perhaps improving your antenna would be the better route to
go.
The AOR is supposed to be a good loop, but perhaps you could try an
outdoor antenna to improve reception?


Can't have an outdoor antenna.

What about an outdoor antenna that no one can see? Such an antenna
would deliver better performance for a fraction of the cost.

There may be a way that I haven't tried, but I'm not sure it's worth the
hassle. I'm happy with my SW performance, just wondering if adding a
portable would do better for MW with my AOR loop.



Magnet wire can be used for an antenna that is all but invisible.

There aren't even any small satellite dishes here. I couldn't put anything
up without being seen. I'm looking at the Ccrane twin coil ferrite antenna
for $100. But I still don't know if it would be any better than my AOR loop.
Anyway thanks for all the help folks. There are a lot of very helpful people
here when someone needs it!

One of the many disavantages of living in an apartment
complex/condomium.(actually,there are no advantages in living in places
like that,but that is only my opinion) Check out
www.ramseyelectronics.com

I think I saw something there about antennas.By the way,the Drake R8
Radios are far and away much better than anything Eton can ever come out
with.But that is only my opinion too.
cuhulin

John S. wrote:

I think I understand the point you are trying to make. But clearly
there are selected portable receivers that will outperform selected
tabletops.



For instance?
--
Brian Denley
http://home.comcast.net/~b.denley/index.html

John S. wrote:

I think I understand the point you are trying to make. But clearly
there are selected portable receivers that will outperform selected
tabletops.

If you look really hard to find the crappiest tabletop receivers ever
built, then maybe. In general, though, if you want real performance, go
for the tabletops. And most of all, remember this cardinal rule of
receiver purchasing:

A $500 dollar portable is still just a portable. (It's also an
extremely bad deal, but that's a story for another time...)

In article . com,
wrote:

DeWayne wrote:
I have a Drake R8 and an AOR LA-380 desktop loop antenna. MW seems ok with
this setup, but I am wondering if I could get noticeably better MW with the
Eton E1 and this antenna.

I have the original Drake R-8 & the Eton E-1. I only use my R-8 for
longwave beacon DX now. The Eton E1 has a better sync detector, not
only as far as locking on a faint signal, but also it sometimes seems
to reduce adjacent interference and slightly improve sensitivity, using
the 6 kHz or 4 kHz filters. It also has a slight effect sometimes on
electrical noise. If I don't bother to adjust the passband tuning, the
2.3 kHz filter splits off stations better with sync off, but with
slight reduction in volume. If the SYNC is used in 2.3 kHz, adjusting
the passband tuning seems more necessary for sharper selectivity. The
SYNC even locks on to signals under sideband splash.

Last October I got audio from 28 MW trans-Atlantics on the E1, using
only the tiny un-amplified Radio shack loop as my antenna. Plus
detected several dozen weak carriers. They seemed weaker & harder to
detect on the R-8, using an amplified loop. Maybe I forgot something
that made the comparison unfair. On selectivity comparisons, I got
pretty good audio separation from stations as close as 180Hz on the R8,
using the 1.8 kHz filter, & 120 Hz on the E1, using the 2.3 kHz filter.

Of course most signals aren't faint & buried in splash, so I guess
usually you may hear no difference. Some people will say real radios
don't run on internal batteries, but with the E1 using rechargeable
batteries, I can reduce noise if it is coming in more through the power
lines than the air. The E1 image rejection of greater than 90 db
surpasses many expensive tabletop models.

My R-8 is rather elderly by now & maybe needs a tune-up? But they are
both great radios. Make some comparisons on the weak signals mostly
buried under adjacent interference & you may or may not notice a
difference. George (MN)

You will need a hefty battery such as a car battery but there is a 12V
DC connector on the back panel of the R8. Using a battery on the R8
might make the comparison more fair by lowering the noise floor.

But aside from AC power raising the noise floor the E1 has an improved
sync detector over the R8.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California

DeWayne wrote:
"John S." wrote in message
oups.com...

DeWayne wrote:

"Steve" wrote in message
egroups.com...

DeWayne wrote:

"Invader3K" wrote in message
glegroups.com...

I admit to never having used either model, but from reviews and such,
the R8 is supposed to be great for DXing both shortwave and medium
wave. Perhaps improving your antenna would be the better route to
go.
The AOR is supposed to be a good loop, but perhaps you could try an
outdoor antenna to improve reception?


Can't have an outdoor antenna.

What about an outdoor antenna that no one can see? Such an antenna
would deliver better performance for a fraction of the cost.

There may be a way that I haven't tried, but I'm not sure it's worth the
hassle. I'm happy with my SW performance, just wondering if adding a
portable would do better for MW with my AOR loop.


Magnet wire can be used for an antenna that is all but invisible.


There aren't even any small satellite dishes here. I couldn't put anything
up without being seen. I'm looking at the Ccrane twin coil ferrite antenna
for $100. But I still don't know if it would be any better than my AOR loop.
Anyway thanks for all the help folks. There are a lot of very helpful people
here when someone needs it!

Post some pictures of your dwelling and we'll give you some suggestions
for external stealth antennas.

On Sat, 22 Apr 2006 23:36:00 -0400, "Brian Denley"
wrote:

John S. wrote:

I think I understand the point you are trying to make. But clearly
there are selected portable receivers that will outperform selected
tabletops.



For instance?

SW8 vs FRG-100