{"id":18576,"date":"2016-04-28T07:21:52","date_gmt":"2016-04-28T11:21:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=18576"},"modified":"2016-04-28T07:21:52","modified_gmt":"2016-04-28T11:21:52","slug":"have-you-ever-installed-a-covert-shortwave-radio-antenna","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/04\/have-you-ever-installed-a-covert-shortwave-radio-antenna\/","title":{"rendered":"Have you ever installed a covert shortwave radio antenna?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The<\/a>

The Hammarlund RBG CHC-46140 (Photo by Rich Post, KB8TAD)<\/p><\/div>\n

Yesterday, in a comment thread, SWLing Post<\/em> reader Dan described a covert antenna he once installed in a student apartment:<\/p>\n

I’m waxing nostalgic now, but I had a great set-up for a couple of years back in the ’70s. The receiver was a black WW2 Navy surplus Hammarlund RBG CHC-46140. (I still have it).<\/em><\/p>\n

I was a student living in an apartment on top of a two story, wood-framed apartment building. The attic access for that building was from the ceiling of the wardrobe closet. <\/em><\/p>\n

During a Christmas break I was probably the only occupant of the building. I snuck into the attic and installed a set of five switchable dipoles. I had a good 60′ of space to work with and the antennas were broadside to the southwest. This was quite a memorable listening post. <\/em><\/p>\n

When I moved out, I cut the coax to the dipoles and used toothpaste and borrowed pieces of “cottage cheese” to fill the five holes in the ceiling. Those antennas are probably still there.<\/em><\/p>\n

Indeed, I bet they are still there, Dan!<\/p>\n

In reply to Dan’s comment,\u00a0Walt Salmaniw, noted:<\/p>\n

Dan, reminds me when I was stationed in Germany in the early 80’s. <\/em><\/p>\n

We lived in old French officer’s quarters. Basically, 4 story buildings with the upper floor\/attic uninhabited.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The Kenwood R-2000 (Photo: Universal Radio)<\/p><\/div>\n

I put up some nice 60 m dipoles in that space, with a goal of hearing a lot of tropical band DX, which I did using my Kenwood R2000 receiver. <\/em><\/p>\n

Those were the glory days of dxing!<\/em><\/p>\n

Thanks, Dan and Walter, for sharing those stories. The thread reminds me of a post we published sometime back where one young listener installed a wire antenna in his home while his parents were away. (I can’t seem to locate that post at the moment for a link!).<\/p>\n

Though not nearly as elaborate as Dan and Walter’s antennas, I did install a small covert antenna once myself.<\/p>\n

In the early 90s, I lived in Grenoble, France, in a four bedroom house in which three bedrooms were occupied by university students. The landlord was a rather fussy elderly woman\u00a0who lived on the ground floor.\u00a0I never dared ask her if I could string a random wire outside my top floor bedroom window.\u00a0Though she was mostly fair and even sweet at times, I knew what the response would be if I asked for permission: a firm “Non<\/em>.”<\/p>\n

One night, I opened the bedroom window and carefully connected a short wire\u00a0antenna to a nail on the side of the house, above and slightly to the side of the window. I had to stand on the window and hang out of the house to do it.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The Realistic DX-440<\/p><\/div>\n

The antenna dangled there the whole year I lived\u00a0in that room and served me quite well. I’d simply open the window and clip it to my Realistic DX-440. I did remove the antenna before before I moved back to the States, but it was virtually undetectable against the \u00a0exterior wall of the house.<\/p>\n

Other covert antenna installations?<\/h1>\n

Please comment if you’ve ever installed a hidden antenna as well. (I love this stuff!) Besides…who knows…your antenna might benefit someone in need of a hidden antenna today!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yesterday, in a comment thread, SWLing Post reader Dan described a covert antenna he once installed in a student apartment: I’m waxing nostalgic now, but I had a great set-up for a couple of years back in the ’70s. The receiver was a black WW2 Navy surplus Hammarlund RBG CHC-46140. (I still have it). I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3607,8,627,3,43],"tags":[5023,5024,5022,4172],"class_list":["post-18576","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-antennas","category-articles","category-how-to","category-news","category-shortwave-radio","tag-covert-antennas","tag-covert-radio-antennas","tag-hidden-shortwave-antennas","tag-low-profile-antennas"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-4PC","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":20248,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/08\/selecting-a-budget-antenna-for-urban-radio-listening\/","url_meta":{"origin":18576,"position":0},"title":"Selecting a budget antenna for urban radio listening","author":"Thomas","date":"August 1, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday, an SWLing Post reader contacted me with questions regarding budget antenna choices for an urban apartment.\u00a0He's about to purchase an SDR, but knows that a decent antenna capable of coping with urban radio interference is a\u00a0critical\u00a0component. I suggested that, since I'm no expert with urban interference, he pose his\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Urban-City-Cityscape","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Urban-City-Cityscape-e1470052384993.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Urban-City-Cityscape-e1470052384993.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Urban-City-Cityscape-e1470052384993.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Urban-City-Cityscape-e1470052384993.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":33941,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/09\/shortwave-antenna-options-for-apartments-flats-and-condos\/","url_meta":{"origin":18576,"position":1},"title":"Shortwave antenna options for apartments, flats and condos","author":"Thomas","date":"September 4, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Tim, who writes: I am a regular subscriber here, but until now have not formally commented. I've been an avid SWL since 1977. I am intrigued by your in-depth article on understanding and setting up SDR's. But, what about an antenna? How well will\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Antennas"","block_context":{"text":"Antennas","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/antennas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Photo by jay blacks on Unsplash","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/apartment-urban-hotel.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/apartment-urban-hotel.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/apartment-urban-hotel.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/apartment-urban-hotel.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":38451,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/07\/using-amplified-loop-antennas-with-portable-radios\/","url_meta":{"origin":18576,"position":2},"title":"Using amplified loop antennas with portable radios?","author":"Thomas","date":"July 11, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Marty, who writes: I have a question about loop antennas; specifically which type is \"better,\" passive magnetic loops or active electric loops? I know, \"It depends.\"--? I live in a ground-floor apartment, with a small porch, lots of RFI and restrictions against visible antennas.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Antennas"","block_context":{"text":"Antennas","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/antennas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Klaus-Mag-Loop-Antenna.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Klaus-Mag-Loop-Antenna.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Klaus-Mag-Loop-Antenna.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Klaus-Mag-Loop-Antenna.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":30672,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/02\/indoor-shortwave-antenna-options-to-pair-with-a-new-sdr\/","url_meta":{"origin":18576,"position":3},"title":"Indoor shortwave antenna options to pair with a new SDR","author":"Thomas","date":"February 9, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Chris Freitas, who writes: \"I am thinking of the new RSP1A SDR. Would you know of a good indoor antenna that would work well with it?\" Your antenna question is simple, but the answer is complex! First off, I think the RSP1A is a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Antennas"","block_context":{"text":"Antennas","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/antennas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/RSP1A1-1024x708.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/RSP1A1-1024x708.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/RSP1A1-1024x708.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/RSP1A1-1024x708.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":50098,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/wire-antennas-vs-mag-loop-antennas\/","url_meta":{"origin":18576,"position":4},"title":"Wire antennas vs. mag loop antennas","author":"Thomas","date":"August 29, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"In the past few weeks, I've gotten a lot of questions from readers who are trying to decide if they should install a magnetic loop antenna or a simple wire antenna at their home. Obviously, most of the questions come from shortwave radio listeners, but some have come from ham\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Antennas"","block_context":{"text":"Antennas","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/antennas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Elecraft-KX3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Elecraft-KX3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Elecraft-KX3.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":30560,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/01\/kenneth-is-impressed-with-the-w6lvp-magnetic-loop-antenna\/","url_meta":{"origin":18576,"position":5},"title":"Kenneth is impressed with the W6LVP Magnetic Loop Antenna","author":"Thomas","date":"January 28, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor,\u00a0Kenneth Wigger, who writes: One Friday evening I contacted Larry W6LVP and asked a question about the kind of coax that he would recommend for his Magnetic Loop antenna. I was surprised to get a response with technical information within an hour or so. With\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Antennas"","block_context":{"text":"Antennas","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/antennas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/W6LVP-Mag-Loop-Antenna-772x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/W6LVP-Mag-Loop-Antenna-772x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/W6LVP-Mag-Loop-Antenna-772x1024.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18576","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18576"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18576\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18576"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18576"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18576"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}