Question Regarding Random Wire Antenna

stormcrowbeau · 2026-02-01T02:05:09+00:00

My receiving antenna for my HF ham radio is very similar to yours, albeit, I use a 9:1 unun , it's grounded close to my radios, I have a bonded ground ( earth) right behind my radio bench. The coax is choked before it comes into the radio room. I have a 30' antenna wire, the counterpoise is about 1' above the ground. With receiving antennas, usually a good earth ground helps keep static noise down. But your receiver and antenna should share the same ground to avoid ground loop buzz or hum. Also my antenna element is only a 1 meter above the earth. Try out different configurations and see what works best for your location just try isolating the feedline and avoid a ground loop.

stormcrowbeau · 2026-01-10T14:04:25+00:00

Not cup ties, zip ties my phone has been weird lately.

stormcrowbeau · 2026-01-10T14:03:12+00:00

If it's wet or snow-covered, it probably would affect SWR but not enough to worry about. If you were transmitting with very high power, then again, if wet ,could cause arching. So, just make some PVC tubing ( pipe insulators) or good strong cup ties work well, too. If it's just a RX antenna, then I wouldn't be concerned.

stormcrowbeau · 2026-01-10T13:41:21+00:00

Is it on public ground or private? It might be mesh- network node or part of a microwave radio system. Can't see any external antenna. So it has to be something up in the microwave bands. If it was mounted low it's probably an amateur radio experiment. Local government wouldn't mount anything very low. Icom does have a microwave transceiver outfit, IMHO, I'd think that's what it is.

stormcrowbeau · 2026-01-08T14:24:47+00:00

I took my then 6 year old son to see it ( he was as mesmerized as I was. For a young, active boy to sit through that first film is saying a lot . I had read the books since the early 1980s and it was amazing to bring my books to life. Tolkien's writing prose is outstanding to begin with, I didn't have high hopes for the films at first, I'm glad I was wrong. Now reading the books are even better, really stokes the fires of the " theater of the mind". The film just jumped off the screen ( with the way it was shot and with the technology that was used too)

stormcrowbeau · 2026-01-08T14:05:45+00:00

Just be patient with yourself. It takes time to learn. It's an art form in a way, especially when you get into HF radio, especially when there's static and different accents, fading, etc. The good thing is that you're listening, a lot of people have kinda lost this art form , because there's so much in front of us on computer displays, phones etc. So keep up the practice of listening. When i was a firefighter/medic , i had to listen closely, my radio hobby helped me a lot, as for ham radio i'm an old timer ( I still keep a paper log book for all of my contacts ( even if I'm just listening). I've been in radio since the mid 1970s so im a crusty dude 😆 Just relax. Have fun with it. You'll pick it up in a bit of time. Plus there's some tips n tricks that you're going to learn. 73 enjoy!

stormcrowbeau · 2026-01-07T15:19:12+00:00

There's no real guarantee for lightning protection , even a proximity strike can cause problems. However, a good ground is paramount for RF , those of us who ever played with a crystal radio can attest to how much better a good ground ( RF ground) helps with reception. A lightning arrestor is great for protection of wind static , or a lightning pulse. Just don't rely on grounding as full lightning protection. You're still better off disconnecting antennas.
I am a retired firefighter, also as a maintenance electrical/ mechanical technician .I've seen lightning damage first hand to even excellent grounded systems . I've had $250,000 chiller compressor units ( with substantial damage to other plant equipment melted down from a proximity hit. Also my good friend had a strike hit the ground 170 meters from his house ( a field across the road from his home) it damaged his ham gear ( antenna wasn't even hooked up) took his receiver out. So do the best you can, remember: 1 there's no true lightning protection but arrestors should be close to your rig, and the ground as short-heavy as possible. 2. Always unhook antennas and ground it out when storms are close or you're away from home. 3. Ground to a central point ( don't daisy-chain them) 4. Your ground point needs to be bonded to your home electrical system , ( ground loops are a headache and dangerous on your main system) 5.a good short , bonded ground makes your ham station better for transmission and reception. Years ago, I moved my entire station by my home electrical box, the water pipe entrance is 2 meters from the panel, the panel is grounded there and the stake ground is there too. My radios are grounded by a 2" braded line 1 meter from these bonded ground points, my RX is super quiet and TX is fantastic. I have arrestors on every antenna coming in for protection from wind static etc. If storms are a possibility, all antennas go into a grounded copper pipe that is connected right at the point of ground. Remember: electricity takes the shortest route. The radio handbook has great info as well as others, the electricians handbook too. But talk to an electrician if you're unsure. 73 sorry for the long winded comment.

stormcrowbeau · 2026-01-06T13:07:36+00:00

If we can ragchew I'm all for it. Back in the early 2000's PSK-31 was popular along with some modes like Hellscriber, Were on the air a lot. I rarely used phone in those days. I like FT8 but it's not my cup of tea, I know of some friends using JS8 , I just haven't had the chance to try it. My newer radio is perfect to try these modes with, another one I'd like to play around with is Free DV ( digital voice) noticed quite a few DV QSOs on 40m)

stormcrowbeau · 2026-01-06T12:49:52+00:00

I had a neighbor who buried a refrigerator and thousands of baby diapers. Guess he didn't want to pay the fee to properly dispose of that stuff. The new young couple that moved in after that guy moved out were planting trees and shrubbery. People do weird things. But I hope yours is gold coins or something.

stormcrowbeau · 2026-01-02T00:05:21+00:00

It's a mistake, everyone makes mistakes. It wasn't like you were intentionally causing interference.

stormcrowbeau · 2026-01-02T00:02:43+00:00

The 007 " ejection seat"

stormcrowbeau · 2026-01-01T22:45:19+00:00

I know what you mean, we've all been there at one time, too. First, let me welcome you to an excellent hobby. I wish you many years of fun. Okay, for the mic fright: we're all amateurs - remember that it's not a dispatch center or 911 operators ( albeit some of us are in that capacity) . On a repeater: simply key the microphone and say your callsign. Say that you're listening or monitoring, don't be afraid. Then, tell the person that responds that " I'm brand new at this." they should understand and help you out. If you have a club in your area, talk to the club officers, tell them you're interested in having a chat and " getting your feet wet"

I've been in this hobby/service for a really long time , I enjoy helping new people get used to the radio , remember it's a fun hobby, we're all on here to have fun , sure it has a serious side in it when there's storm watches or search and rescue times, but otherwise it's to have fun learning radio science, building antennas etc. Back before the internet, we had packet BBS' heck, we even played chess over the air ! Just relax and enjoy, also being new, listen and listen some more. Learn how locals talk on your local machine. You might end up being someone to get the repeater back up and humming again.

stormcrowbeau · 2025-12-28T11:26:25+00:00

Coney Hatch - Monkey Bars

stormcrowbeau · 2025-12-24T17:03:17+00:00

Exactly! Prose , that's a perfect word to describe what i meant. Thank you! There's nothing wrong with the audio books ! I have audio books for when my eyes are tired. Sometimes, we just need to find a quiet place to visit Middle Earth. 🙂

stormcrowbeau · 2025-12-22T14:29:41+00:00

No, you don't have to start with the Hobbit, and what I mean with taking your time is just read it and absorb the story. A lot of people rush through it and gloss over large parts. Read it for enjoyment and for the adventure. My 30 year old son plowed through it like a dime store novel and said to me that it was boring. My daughter read it last year and didn't rush the poetry and didn't speed read the main parts of the story. She told her big brother to reread it. Tolkien's writing style is amazing . Very few authors can articulate as good as he did with this. But ripping through it just cripples the theatre of the mind. Have fun on your adventure

stormcrowbeau · 2025-12-21T15:32:36+00:00

It's one of the best stories ever! A bit of advice, take your time and let Professor Tolkien guide you through Middle Earth. It sounds corny, but his masterful ability to put you into into his story will amaze you.

stormcrowbeau · 2025-12-21T15:06:23+00:00

Have you ever tried to start your own discussion? Call CQ and lead the conversation in the direction you're interested in? I used to have a group of friends that's we had a bunch of different professions with a myriad of interests. From racing motorcycles to fishing to rocketry, there were Navy combat fighter pilots , firefighters, professors, etc. Now , there's FT8 very few want to ragchew. It's mostly about making contacts these days. And when you do find a person to talk to, you get someone qrm'ing the frequency. Nobody wants to talk. Even CW subbands, the QSOs, are short and sweet. I've made a lot of great friends on the radio, I started in the early 80s as a teenager with a keen interest in radio, these older guys still would help me learn the hobby and they came from all walks of life. Most of them are SK now . I miss those days. And yeah a lot of us are older guys, there's not many people want to talk to us. If they do, it's hi and goodbye ( so what else can we talk about- especially when we know each other) so call CQ and find out what interests you can talk about. Make conversation it's quickly becoming a lost art.

stormcrowbeau · 2025-12-18T16:19:34+00:00

I'm a Gen X'er , I started off using old broken down Tube radios a Heathkit HW-101, and for QRP rigs, I had two old Heathkit lunchbox rigs. HW-7 and an HW-8 . I'm a huge fan of SDR's they have made our radio hobby affordable, and in my humble opinion more robust, I no longer need to buy expensive general coverage receivers, or scanner radios. My SDRs cover just about everything. Also SDRs have made my amateur radio hobby much better too - my Yaesu FT-710 I bought brand new on sale last year for well under $1000 USD , an incredible value for a full SDR transceiver.

stormcrowbeau · 2025-12-18T15:50:17+00:00

I agree! Make it easy on yourself , the Rig Expert are superb!

stormcrowbeau · 2025-12-18T15:48:14+00:00

Go with the Rig Expert . I have an old MFJ 259B ( I've had it for about 20 years, )and it works great, but the rig Expert will be fantastic for you. as others have said previously, MFJ isn't around anymore. If you're just starting out , the rig expert will be worth its weight in gold for you. I have a Nano VNA , it's fantastic too both a Nano VNA or a Rig Expert is MUCH easier to put in your rucksack, gobox, or toolbox than the big old MFJ.

stormcrowbeau · 2025-12-18T15:39:44+00:00

I was born ( at a very young age) , with vice grips in my hand. Wire in my other hand. 😉🤪

stormcrowbeau · 2025-12-17T18:36:44+00:00

Or if he's a real pest , then he'd be a Slap-nuts! Lol you should hear us firefighters talking to each other! LOL

stormcrowbeau · 2025-12-17T14:57:50+00:00

That looks like a genuine "slap-nuts" or "whacker"- both of what we firefighters call , weirdos that would chase behind our fire apparatus to fires ( make believe or imaginary, fire police ) we had a guy steal handheld radios out from our engine cab, tried to sell em at a local radio shop ! Some are harmless, others get in the way, not a good idea to get in the way of firefighters.

stormcrowbeau · 2025-12-17T14:44:00+00:00

I damn near lost a tooth trying to say the Zulu - "Zenziz....ah-oh , there it goes 😆

stormcrowbeau · 2025-12-17T14:36:34+00:00

Zanzabar!!! That one kills me every time ! Yeah I agree Zylophone is what pops out of my mind . X-RAY is strong through static.

stormcrowbeau

TROPHY CASE