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Success Stories If you have successfully repaired or restored a piece of equipment, why not write up what you did and post details here. Particularly if it was interesting, unusual or challenging. PLEASE DO NOT POST REQUESTS FOR HELP HERE! |
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31st Mar 2018, 7:13 am | #21 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Rugeley, Staffordshire, UK.
Posts: 8,835
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Re: My long awaited outdoor AM aerial
Well, I don't want to enter into a debate about loops vs long wires. Suffice to say, my outdoor long aerial works perfectly well for my needs. Bags and bags of signal level, stations, and very low noise. Like I said above, almost FM like in quality. It cost about £50 all in including the rigger, is VERY authentic in the vintage wireless idiom, is nice for an enthusiast like myself to look upon, and it works a treat with no power supply, no power consumption and no electronic parts to fail. It is the defacto way to receive AM signals and for me it's a resounding success!!
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A digital radio is the latest thing, but a vintage wireless is forever.. |
31st Mar 2018, 10:21 am | #22 | |
Hexode
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Royal Berkshire, UK.
Posts: 471
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Re: My long awaited outdoor AM aerial
Quote:
I have toyed with the idea of making one of these:- http://bovan.net/gmweb2/The%20FS%20Loop.htm Graham Maynard (sadly no longer with us), & I had email tennis a few years back regarding his phono stage, works a treat, the loop antenna on his site looks an interesting project. Mark |
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31st Mar 2018, 2:52 pm | #23 |
Nonode
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Dukinfield, Cheshire, UK.
Posts: 2,038
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Re: My long awaited outdoor AM aerial
Indeed Mark. I built a copy of his 'ferrite sleeve' antenna a few years ago and I continue to be mightily impressed. Placing it a few inches from my portable causes a vast increase in signal level and as long as the local noise is low it can bring an almost non-existent signal up to full readability.
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Andy G1HBE. |
31st Mar 2018, 3:13 pm | #24 |
Guest
Posts: n/a
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Re: My long awaited outdoor AM aerial
You could always put a drip splodge of silicone and inch from the frame.
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2nd Jun 2018, 8:43 pm | #25 |
Heptode
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Wellington, New Zealand.
Posts: 653
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Re: My long awaited outdoor AM aerial
What sort of protection do you have against lightening strikes?
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3rd Jun 2018, 7:59 am | #26 |
Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Fife, Scotland, UK.
Posts: 22,903
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Re: My long awaited outdoor AM aerial
You may need more than a hard hat when lobbing wires up trees:
A friend in the Dunfermline club was putting an antenna up into a tree in the park for a special event station. He tied the wire to the ring end of a spanner and threw it into the tree. It swung round a branch and he got the spanner back in his face. A&E to put his lip back together. I get on well with all the neighbours. I fix the odd thing for them and provide advice on electronics, vehicles etc. So I seem to get seen as a valued local resource. I got a lot of help when I was ill some years ago and there's usually a spare pair of hands around when I need something holding. During the recent deep snow, my range rover got most of the cul-de-sac's shopping trips done. Living in a street where everyone helps each other is, well, civilised David
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Can't afford the volcanic island yet, but the plans for my monorail and the goons' uniforms are done |
3rd Jun 2018, 1:39 pm | #27 | |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Cornwall, UK.
Posts: 13,454
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Re: My long awaited outdoor AM aerial
Quote:
Lawrence. |
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4th Jun 2018, 8:25 pm | #28 |
Heptode
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Croxley Green, Hertfordshire, UK.
Posts: 979
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Re: My long awaited outdoor AM aerial
Great job, I'm wondering if I should rig up something like this. I get a lot of interference on my sets in the house whereas I get very little with my sets down the end of the garden in my various sheds.
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Clive |
4th Jun 2018, 8:27 pm | #29 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Rugeley, Staffordshire, UK.
Posts: 8,835
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Re: My long awaited outdoor AM aerial
Thanks. Go ahead and do it, the difference is like light and day!
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A digital radio is the latest thing, but a vintage wireless is forever.. |
5th Jun 2018, 11:52 am | #30 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: London, UK.
Posts: 3,496
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Re: My long awaited outdoor AM aerial
Nice one, Steve!
I remember when I made a long-wire to listen to my first crystal radio set when I was . From your account, it seems like a good way to outflank the hash on AM these days, and an alternative to building a loop aerial. I’m happy for you that your set-up is working out. Keep us posted, happy listening!
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Al |
5th Jun 2018, 12:22 pm | #31 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Ramsbottom (Nr Bury) Lancs or Bexhill (Nr Hastings) Sussex.
Posts: 5,817
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Re: My long awaited outdoor AM aerial
There's not much to lose Clive, especially if you've got wire available. Steve has gone for the "Full Monty" but a receiving aerial can be done on the cheap and it might depend on where the receivers are located. The higher the better as they said in your period [the 20's and 30's] is the usual rule but you can often run something just along fence and get good results. So many factors and ideas but just try it out. I've used biro cases and all sorts of things as insulators in the past. Mostly neighbours are fine but I don't advertise and many rigs have been pretty much invisible anyway
Dave |
5th Jun 2018, 1:01 pm | #32 |
Triode
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Somerset West, Cape Town, South Africa
Posts: 25
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Re: My long awaited outdoor AM aerial
Having read through this thread, reminded me of an anecdote once told me by a garage owner in the town where I grew up.
In the early 1920's, a Sir Charles Leonard imported a pair of kerosene engined plowing 'engines' for his wheat farm. These engines were based on the same concept as the steam traction engines, but fitted with internal combustion engines. The engines were shipped to South Africa, with a commissioning mechanic coming with. After the demise of the engines, Mr Christopher Ferrandi moved to the nearby town of Villiersdorp, where he opened up a motor garage. He did not only sell and service motor cars, trucks and such, but also started selling 'wireless' sets. His modus operandi was this: He knew that every afternoon after 5:30, the SABC's Cape Town service would play 'boeremusiek', featuring the concertina, accordion, violin, banjo and guitar in waltzes, polkas, etc, and this was a 'hit' with the local Afrikaans folk. He'd charge a 6V car battery during the day, and then see to it that by 5 o'clock in the afternoon, he'd have his horse-cart all ready, put a radio, battery and a good length of aerial wire on the back, and on a leasurely trot set off for a nearby farm. Once he got to the farm, the aerial wire was quickly looped up into a bluegum tree (eucalyptus), the battery connected and the radio switched on. He'd then tune to the Cape Town station, waiting for the music to start up. His son Derrick told me: 'You know, the old man never came back with a radio'. Part of the deal was that the new owner of the radio also bought a 'charged' 6V battery. When the battery went flat, he could come and exchange it for a fully charged one from mr Ferrandi. Ferrandi's Garage remained in business till 1997 when a new owner sadly 'managed' it into bankruptcy. |