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Old 11-09-2016, 10:36 PM
kramden66 kramden66 is offline
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Question on antennas for 1930s radios

This may be common knowledge but what are the best antennas for 30s radios?
I'm told just Hook up a wire but it's not that great is it because I need a 300 foot wire coiled up?
There are two terminals antenna and ground should I create a dipole or leave the ground alone? Can't run a wire outside so that's out , anyway look forward to what suggestions can be made.
Mike
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Old 11-10-2016, 07:18 AM
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zeno zeno is offline
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Loop antennas are best for AM most the time. Search for
" AM loop antenna" for some new ones & easy DIY projects.
Probably best to get or make a passive one.The biggest
problem with AM is interference. It can come from almost
anything now AC or battery. Getting rid of it is all but
impossible unless you are in a major black out.

Long wires are fun if you are in the sticks. I had one going
out in my back yard abt 1/4 mile & could get Miami & the
US VI almost any nite from N.H. very listenable.

73 Zeno
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Old 11-10-2016, 08:27 AM
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Electronic M Electronic M is offline
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If the radio don't have it's own loop or one shown on the schematic (possibly meaning yours is missing), then it was meant for a long wire. 50'-150' between your building and a tree will work well...Another option would be to string the longwire in the attic (if you have a metal roof and or siding reception won't be worth a crap indoors no matter what you do).

I've had some luck hooking 40's loops to sets meant for longwire ants, but performance will not be close to what the set was meant to do.
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Old 11-10-2016, 10:05 AM
dieseljeep dieseljeep is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Electronic M View Post
If the radio don't have it's own loop or one shown on the schematic (possibly meaning yours is missing), then it was meant for a long wire. 50'-150' between your building and a tree will work well...Another option would be to string the longwire in the attic (if you have a metal roof and or siding reception won't be worth a crap indoors no matter what you do).

I've had some luck hooking 40's loops to sets meant for longwire ants, but performance will not be close to what the set was meant to do.
In the newer sets, the loop took the place of the antenna coil. Maybe best to disconnect the antenna coil and connect the loop in its place. Touch up the RF trimmer on the tuning gang around 1400KC.
Of course, this only holds true for single band superhets.
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Old 11-10-2016, 05:57 PM
kramden66 kramden66 is offline
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It's a RCA t60 table radio just so you know what I'm talking about..... I did find a dipole helps with interference when i lived in a different location However a different radio but can't really rig anything outside or in the attic
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Old 01-22-2017, 05:39 PM
Captainclock Captainclock is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kramden66 View Post
It's a RCA t60 table radio just so you know what I'm talking about..... I did find a dipole helps with interference when i lived in a different location However a different radio but can't really rig anything outside or in the attic
The radio you have was from 1939 and is considered a Superhetrodyne Radio meaning that you can use any kind of antenna on it for general Broadcast (AM) Reception without any issues, it also has Shortwave (which you'll not find much on there these days), the kind of radio you're thinking of that needs the really long length of wire strung out for the antenna are the old TRF radios from the mid 1930s and earlier, I happen to have such an example of a radio a U.S. Gloritone Model 99A Cathedral Radio from 1931 (which was made by the United States Television and Radio Corporation of Marion, Indiana).

Last edited by Captainclock; 01-22-2017 at 05:46 PM.
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Old 01-22-2017, 07:35 PM
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dtvmcdonald dtvmcdonald is offline
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That radio is a predecessor of the AA5, just with a transformer. A 34 ohm
antenna coil (for broadcast band) means it is high impedance input,
300-1000 ohms. Short wires are expected.

If a short wire inside does not work you need a loop antenna. Without modifying
the radio there is no choice but using a tuned loop, with its own
tuning cap that you tune in sync with the radio. Its easy to make one
like I did, to try out. Get a 360 to 450 pF tuning cap and a cardboard box
15 inches square. Wind 14 turns of wire on it, spaced to fill 2 inches.
(a 15 inch square loop.) Twist taps one, two, and three turns from one end.
Hook the boom of that end to the tuning cap and radio grounds, and the other
loop end to the tuning cap. Try each of the three taps to the radio antenna
connection to see what works best. If you like the results you can
build a nice looking loop. Mine works well with all the radios I have,
from one like that to old A-K coffin TRFs to various boatanchors (which have
100 ohm inputs).

There is no substitute for a tuned loop without a modified radio!

For SW a 10 foot wire will work well, or rather,
would if there were any signal ... this winter the bands are dead, dead, dead.
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Old 01-23-2017, 12:52 AM
Titan1a Titan1a is offline
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I use a Wellbrook ALA1530LN antenna. My reception is phenomenal! There's no comparison with a CC Twin-coil unit and requires no fine tuning.
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