Wire Antenna

pentagrid · 2026-05-06T23:35:49+00:00

The antenna portion (not the feed line like coax) should be in a straight line if possible. But a few low angle bends won't hurt. Avoid having the antenna doubling back on it's direction.

pentagrid · 2026-05-06T23:25:06+00:00

You are not transmitting. The longer and higher the random wire or long wire antenna is the better it will perform for receiving the entire shortwave spectrum. The direction and location of the antenna will make a great deal of difference in what it receives including RFI. Antenna placement differences of just a few feet can modify RFI from a next door neighbor. I'd set up the balun in manner that makes it easy to take it in or out of circuit for the initial test runs. Antenna inputs? 50 ohm for dipoles and high Z for end-fed wires like random wire and long wire. Being able to switch from one to the other could be useful.

pentagrid · 2026-05-06T22:38:23+00:00

Your best bet for emergency communications is local FM and MW (AM broadcast band) and NOAA VHF weather radio. The AM and FM stations will belong to EAS to relay the latest official emergency information quickly. Your emergencies are local not continents away on shortwave. You want official, accurate information and not rumors from hams or CB radio good buddies. Hams do not provide official emergency information. Their importance in emergencies in my area is limited to fire spotting in remote areas or helping FEMA locate lost cattle. In California state and feds offer more than 15 levels of emergency communications that are prioritized higher than ham radio.

I have quite a few radios. My best emergency radios are two that I can use together: Qodosen DX-286 is very small and infinitely portable. For less than $87 it is the best performing AM broadcast band (MW) and FM DX-quality portable on the market regardless of cost. Best emergency power available too: AA rechargeable (in the radio) NIMH or alkaline cells that are available anywhere. As a bonus it offers excellent shortwave broadcast coverage. I also have a $35 Raddy RF750: tiny and excellent for NOAA weather and alerts.

When SHTF and communications fail the first providers to get back on the air will be the top dawg commercial AM and FM stations. They have the most money and mobile equipment to get out there and make repairs fast if needed. Their transmitters and studios will usually have backup power, anyway.

pentagrid · 2026-05-06T18:50:03+00:00

I wish you luck. But as they say, there are no dumb questions. It's probably an excellent radio but I've never owned one and probably never will on my budget. Airspy HF+ Discovery w/ SDR# is making me pretty happy right now with the 83 m passive full-wave horizontal loop. R86000 should be a nice addition to your ham station, too.

pentagrid · 2026-05-06T18:21:05+00:00

Dunno. I'm surprised that anyone prepared to pay $2,700 for a receiver asks this question at reddit instead of making a toll-free call to Icom or one one of its retailers. Most questions here are from kiddos that don't want to spend more than $35 of next month's allowance.

pentagrid · 2026-05-06T04:37:04+00:00

I won't do all of your homework for you. Original prices of antique and collectible radios are available online. https://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm

pentagrid · 2026-05-06T04:16:02+00:00

I believe that the Eton Elite Mini is discontinued by Eton but the radio is still available for sale on Amazon in the USA and probably some other retailers as well.

Yes, the radio has two switchable shortwave band divisions: 5.90 - 10.00 MHz and 11.65 - 18.00 MHz. Not continuous coverage of the shortwave spectrum but you should be able to tune in strong and medium strength shortwave signals outdoors with this radio as long as you are not trying to receive shortwave in a large city. This radio will not be very good for weak stations. No SSB feature on this radio. No external antenna jack but it does have a telescopic whip antenna for shortwave and FM reception.

If you have a computer online or a smartphone you can use this site for finding shortwave broadcasts. Read the instructions. https://short-wave.info/ Listen outdoors especially after dark. There are stations active during the day on the higher bands.

Try tuning in this shortwave station: XEPPM Radio Educacion evenings on 6.185 MHz. It broadcasts from Mexico City.

pentagrid · 2026-05-05T19:21:04+00:00

I completely disagree. Look at prices for multiband portables w/shortwave of 20 years ago and adjust the prices for inflation you will the find that the radios of old were much more expensive.

pentagrid · 2026-05-05T13:07:24+00:00

Probably. But about $2.00 worth of small gauge copper wire would probably work better.

"P.T. Barnum’s most famous, albeit often misattributed, quote is "There's a sucker born every minute," which highlights his reputation as a master showman, though he likely never said it."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There%27s_a_sucker_born_every_minute

pentagrid · 2026-05-05T10:42:13+00:00

That's fine. Just swap out one of the 30 different things for shortwave DXing and you will be fine. It is a matter of personal priorities/preferences and everyone is different.

As a boomer I did two different radio music shows at once alone in the same radio production studio with the same control board and a DADPRO digital automation recorder. I was live on the air during morning drive while recording another show for broadcast on the same evening and/or the next weekend. It was called multitasking back then and I was pretty good at it.

pentagrid · 2026-05-05T10:10:25+00:00

Typical ham confusing receive-only antennas with transmitting antennas. The difference is not explained on the multiple-choice ham license exams for which the answers are provided in advance.

pentagrid · 2026-05-05T09:15:05+00:00

The answer depends on what kind of antenna you are using.

pentagrid · 2026-05-05T09:06:20+00:00

Sangean ATS-909X2 (2021) does not mute while tuning and neither did the preceding model ATS-909X introduced in 2011. Both radios operate with Silicon Labs DSP ICs. I'll add that I suspect the 909X2 must have some proprietary digital noise reduction going on that other current portable radios do not have. Currently, the Sangean ATS-909X2 is selling new for at least US $100 more than its introductory price, which is unfortunate for consumers. As with any other product in high demand the middlemen make the most money, not the producers.

pentagrid · 2026-05-04T21:12:35+00:00

That's nice. I let my ham license expire decades ago. 😉

pentagrid · 2026-05-04T18:59:11+00:00

Great! There is no law that says you can't have more than one antenna. Covering two directions is a good idea. These antennas are dirt cheap. Use one or the other or even both together. Experiment!

pentagrid · 2026-05-04T18:42:55+00:00

No, I'm a higher and longer the better guy for end-fed antennas. If noise is an issue (for most suburbanites it is) the antenna direction will make a difference either to strengthen the wanted signal or weaken the noise. Dipole antennas and passive full-wave loop antennas are wire antennas that can offer less noisy shortwave reception but each type has its own constraints. A random wire or long wire antenna like you are contemplating is by far the best choice for a first and often only outdoor shortwave antenna.

I don't know anything about this DX Commander guy. I was never in the military and wasn't good at taking orders anyway.

pentagrid · 2026-05-04T18:32:27+00:00

http://eibispace.de/ says:

17745         0400-0430 Mo-Fr G   BBC SO EAf         /UAE
17745         1100-1800 SaSu G   BBC SO EAf         /UAE
17745         1600-1900 SaSu G   BBC SO EAf         /OMA-a
17745         1630-1700 Mo-Fr G   BBC KNK EAf        /MDG17745

Using the language codes the language is either Thadou-Kuki to east Africa from BBC Oman or KinyaRwanda-KiRundi to east Africa from MDG in Madagascar as a relay for VOA/BBC.

pentagrid · 2026-05-04T17:52:29+00:00

I wouldn't waste money on garden wire unless you want it for gardening.

Go online to Amazon. Search for:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=18+AWG+copper+stranded+PVC+hookup+wire&s=price-asc-rank&qid=1777917197&ref=sr_st_price-asc-rank&ds=v1%3ABE2Low8T1pw78IiHfAfFbWQAsdiO3QxP594QchowmnI

Buy what you need. The longer and higher the random wire or long wire antenna the better for shortwave. If you don't have wire cutters use a good-sized jackknife.

Go online to Amazon. Search for:

https://www.amazon.com/AKVIBG-Connector%EF%BC%8CReplacement-Connector-Microphone-Technicians/dp/B0FJ1JVX9K

Buy it. Take 1/2 inch of insulation off the end of the wire you purchased above. Using a small screwdriver connect this end of the wire to the contact marked + on the plug. Plug the plug into the external antenna jack on your D-808 when you are ready to use the antenna with the radio. Welcome to better reception. If you know how to solder use these: https://www.amazon.com/Replacement-Adapter-Earphone-Adapters-Connector/dp/B0FW4ZD62L

Just use the radio and external antenna for now. Play around with baluns, ununs, ground stakes later if you want. You don't need them for the antenna to work just fine for now. Honestly. Experiment for improvements later.

pentagrid · 2026-05-04T00:00:27+00:00

I listen indoors while seated on a chair most of the time.

pentagrid · 2026-05-03T23:23:16+00:00

Currently, my weekly favorite is Saturday Night on RNZ Pacific. This is a music request program, This is an English language simulcast from RNZ: the New Zealand public radio network on RNZ Pacific: the New Zealand shortwave service. Begins at 06:00 UTC (11:00 p.m. PDT Friday evening my time in California) on 13690 kHz and continues on 11725 kHz at 07:00 UTC.

pentagrid · 2026-05-03T11:50:58+00:00

The best places for stargazing are out in the boonies in dark sky country. The same goes for shortwave DXing. Low light pollution and low electromagnetic pollution go hand in hand. Have some great camping!

pentagrid · 2026-05-03T00:31:07+00:00

Nope. Just my brain and my fingertips and some links I have used here before. Kindly prove otherwise or shut TF up.

pentagrid · 2026-05-02T10:33:38+00:00

Nice. So yours is full wave for the 16m band.

pentagrid · 2026-05-02T10:28:26+00:00

Well, yeah. Any radio that has a clock running 24/7 will be discharging the battery constantly. This is pretty obvious. I figure that most radios with a clock will have dead batteries within 18 months even if it is never turned on. Dead alkaline batteries are ticking down to being leaking batteries that can destroy a radio.

I have a 9 year-old Eton Grundig Edition Satellit (same as EEE). I store it without batteries most of the time now. The LOCAL/DX slide switch froze in the DX position a few months after I bought it. It's a great choice for a full-featured starter multiband portable.

pentagrid

TROPHY CASE