What type of antenna for a tube SW receiver?
 

Hi guys,

While doing some spring cleaning in my garage, I found an old boat anchor tube shortwave radio that I had forgotten I had :D. It's a Goodwill find from a couple of years ago that I never fully explored, a Knight Star Roamer. I understand from my research that these were built by hobbyists from kits back in the day.

It has a metal cabinet, lots of interesting knobs and switches, and "should" get LW, MW (AM), and four shortwave bands. It powers on and makes sounds, but doesn't tune in any stations, so it will need some restoration.

My question to the group is, I understand these need some type of external antenna, but what kind? Is there something available commercially, or will any piece of copper wire of sufficient length work?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Try taking the cover off the bottom and use contact cleaner on the band switch.
The broadcast band should work, as it uses a ferrite loopstick for that band.
Also, look for poor solder connections. A poorly soldered connection will work, when the unit is new, but it will show up later.
Those sets are transformer powered, so there's no hot chassis. :yes:

Those radios were not very high performance. Yes they were kits, from Allied Radio. More useful for the fun of assembly than actual use.

Having said that, you can still receive some interesting stuff. It's not stable enough for pleasant reception of SSB or even CW but for foreign broadcast, WWV, and such it's fine.

You will need an antenna, preferably a long wire outdoors. Don't waste money on a commercially made antenna. I believe the manual would be available on edebris; Google that and you'll find it right away.

Believe it or nutz, I run my Boatanchors off a wire strung around the ceiling of the room they're in...I'll admit its NOT QUITE as good as the 50-60' wire antenna I had strung from the window to a tree on the other side of my property, but it AIN'T bad...

Receiving antennas are much more forgiving than transmitting ones. Mismatch and such may occur but still you can hear plenty. So the signal is weak, as long as ambient noise isn't too strong you will do well.

If you do string up an outside antenna, stay away from powerlines, for safety as well as noise issues.

If your neighborhood has above ground phone lines, connecting with a capacitor to the phone line may work. Use the black or yellow wire of a phone cord, that should (unless you have 2 phone lines) capacitively couple to teh live phone line and give some SW reception. May be noisy though.