{"id":47597,"date":"2021-02-03T07:20:17","date_gmt":"2021-02-03T11:20:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=47597"},"modified":"2021-02-03T07:20:17","modified_gmt":"2021-02-03T11:20:17","slug":"rob-compares-horizontal-and-vertical-swl-random-wire-antennas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/02\/rob-compares-horizontal-and-vertical-swl-random-wire-antennas\/","title":{"rendered":"Rob compares horizontal and vertical SWL random wire antennas"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Many thanks to SWLing Post<\/em> contributor, Rob Zingarelli, who shares the following guest post that originally appeared on his blog in October, 2020<\/a>:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Shortwave Antenna: Vertical or Horizontal?<\/h1>\n

by Rob Zingarelli<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is a question that has circled around on the fringes of my consciousness for years now, but one that I’ve never quite found time to test. \u00a0And it is a simple question:\u00a0When using a random wire antenna with a portable shortwave receiver, is it better to string the wire vertically or horizontally, or does it even matter?<\/b>\u00a0Mostly this is a question when out camping, because arranging a 19′ wire vertically is usually a good bit more involved than just stringing it out along some nearby bushes.<\/p>\n

Before going any farther, I want to point out that this is an exercise in ordinary backyard shortwave listening with relatively inexpensive equipment. \u00a0There are many, many better-engineered and more costly solutions to the technical challenge of shortwave scanning, and this does not address any of those sophisticated approaches. \u00a0This is for the person who opens up the box and wonders about the best way to hang the included long-wire auxiliary antenna.<\/p>\n

Equipment:<\/strong> \u00a0Tecsun PL-660 SW\/AM\/FM\/Air Band receiver, with its included 19′ random-wire antenna. \u00a0Internal battery power used.<\/p>\n

Conditions & Time:<\/strong> Clear local weather.\u00a0\u00a0hamqsl.com’s nowcast of band conditions<\/a>\u00a0were fair from 3.5-14.35 MHz, and poor for higher frequencies, with SFI = 72, SN = 26, A = 5, K = 1. \u00a0Time was 21:00-21:30 UTC, or 4-4:30 pm local CDT.<\/p>\n

Procedure:<\/strong> \u00a0Out in the backyard (typical residential neighborhood, well-spaced ~150′ between houses, above-ground power lines 125′ away), suspend random wire from ground to its full length. \u00a0This was achieved using a length of paracord over a tree limb, with the tree trunk ~30′ from the radio’s location. \u00a0With the PL-660’s antenna gain control set to “Normal” (i.e., the mid-setting of Local-Normal-DX) and the bandwidth set to narrow, use the receiver’s automatic scan function to see how many stations were received. \u00a0Make notes of the number of transmissions detected, reception characteristics and quality, and any perceived noise levels. \u00a0Re-orient the antenna to a low horizontal position, over two sawhorses approximately 3′ high (see picture), and repeat.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Sawhorses spaced ~17′ apart. Radio and notepad can be seen on ground in front of the near sawhorse.<\/p><\/div>\n

Results:<\/strong> \u00a0For the vertical antenna orientation, 32 stations were detected between 5959 \u2013 15730 kHz. \u00a0Nearly all were intelligible, with those at the lower end more steady and those a the higher end much more variable in strength. \u00a0For the horizontal antenna orientation, 21 stations were detected between 9265 \u2013 1570 kHz. \u00a0Similar overall signal quality was heard for the received stations in either antenna orientation. \u00a0More noise was noticeable at the lower frequencies between the stations for the vertical antenna orientation. \u00a0However, this was significantly below the received signal levels, and not an issue in the overall listening quality.<\/p>\n

Conclusions & Discussion:<\/strong> \u00a0Suspending the wire antenna vertically worked better, especially at the lower frequencies.<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0Getting a wire up 21’+ vertically is usually not as convenient as stringing it horizontally, but it may be worth the extra effort, depending on the location, campsite, nearby trees, etc. \u00a0The overall conditions were typical for fall camping weather, with fair-to poor radio propagation conditions, so this result should be broadly applicable for how SW portables are often used. \u00a0This result may change with propagation and radio noise conditions, both for atmospheric and local noise sources. \u00a0Testing will continue as propagation conditions improve with solar cycle 25 getting underway.<\/p>\n

——-<\/p>\n

Addendum, 10\/12\/20:<\/strong> While writing this up yesterday evening, it occurred to me that I hadn’t tested the PL-660’s built-in whip antenna. \u00a0This comparison is important, because sometimes the wire antenna is too cumbersome to deploy. \u00a0So, how does the whip antenna compare?<\/p>\n

Conditions & Time:<\/strong> Overall, very similar to yesterday. \u00a0hamqsl.com reports fair conditions from 3.5\u201314.35 MHz, and poor for higher frequencies. \u00a0SFI = 72, SN = 26, A = 3, K = 1. \u00a0Same time of day as yesterday’s testing.<\/p>\n

Procedure:<\/strong> Repeat of yesterday, with the whip antenna added to the test. \u00a0The whip was oriented vertically.<\/p>\n

Results:\u00a0<\/strong>For the vertical 19′ wire, 31 stations were found<\/b>\u00a0by the auto-scan function between 2380 \u2013 15770 kHZ. \u00a0Electrical noise was low but audible in the 3 MHz region, fading to none at higher frequencies, and not a significant source of interference with any stations. \u00a0For the horizontal wire, 15 stations were found<\/b>\u00a0between 9265 \u2013 13630 kHz. \u00a0Electrical noise was barely audible. \u00a0With the\u00a0whip in use only 1 station was found<\/b>. \u00a0Switching the antenna gain to its DX (most sensitive) setting,\u00a06 stations were found<\/b>.<\/p>\n

Revised Conclusions:<\/strong> \u00a0Adding to yesterday’s conclusions,\u00a0the whip antenna functioned but was vastly inferior to the wire antenna in either configuration, even with the gain set to DX.\u00a0<\/b>\u00a0Today’s results with the wire antenna were, unsurprisingly, very similar to yesterday’s, given that the ionospheric and weather conditions were nearly identical. \u00a0Noise was not a factor in receiving for any of these antennas or configurations, but did noticeably increase for the vertical wire antenna.<\/p>\n

\n

Thank you for sharing this, Rob! It’s experiments like this that help us determine, especially, what antenna setups work at our own particular locations since RFI characteristics can vary so much.\u00a0 I’m guessing had your horizontal wire been elevated to even 20′ off the ground it might have produced better results, but sometimes this can be difficult to achieve. I like how you used the auto search function to determine the number of stations you could receive with each setup and it was a great addition to include the built-in telescoping whip.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thank you again for sharing your results with us!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Rob Zingarelli, who shares the following guest post that originally appeared on his blog in October, 2020: Shortwave Antenna: Vertical or Horizontal? by Rob Zingarelli This is a question that has circled around on the fringes of my consciousness for years now, but one that I’ve never quite found […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","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":[3607,3194,627,3,43],"tags":[4342,332,9119,9120,2872,479,330],"class_list":["post-47597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-antennas","category-guest-posts","category-how-to","category-news","category-shortwave-radio","tag-guest-posts","tag-pl-660","tag-random-wire-antennas","tag-rob-zingarelli","tag-shortwave-antennas","tag-tecsun","tag-tecsun-pl-660"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-cnH","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":52581,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2022\/05\/the-satellit-800-the-tecsun-pl-880-and-two-indoor-antennas-an-afternoon-of-experimentation\/","url_meta":{"origin":47597,"position":0},"title":"The Satellit 800, the Tecsun PL-880, and two indoor antennas \u2013 an afternoon of experimentation","author":"Thomas","date":"May 1, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to\u00a0SWLing Post\u00a0contributor,\u00a0Jock Elliott, who shares the following guest post: The Satellit 800, the Tecsun PL-880, and two indoor antennas \u2013 an afternoon of experimentation By Jock Elliott, KB2GOM A search for \u201cshortwave listening antennas\u201d on the internet landed me on the page for the Par EndFedz\u00ae EF-SWL receive\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\/2022\/04\/TG6-PL880-wire-antenna-001-001-Medium.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/TG6-PL880-wire-antenna-001-001-Medium.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/TG6-PL880-wire-antenna-001-001-Medium.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":38451,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/07\/using-amplified-loop-antennas-with-portable-radios\/","url_meta":{"origin":47597,"position":1},"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":49295,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/06\/jock-designs-a-horizontal-room-loop-to-cope-with-reception-issues\/","url_meta":{"origin":47597,"position":2},"title":"Jock designs a Horizontal Room Loop to cope with reception issues","author":"Thomas","date":"June 17, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jock Elliott, who shares the following guest post: Got reception issues? An idea worth considering: the \u201cHorizontal Room Loop.\u201d by Jock Elliott (KB2GOM) When my radio room was in the front of the house (on the east side), it was easy to run 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\/2021\/06\/Jock-Elliott-Horizontal-Room-Loop-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Jock-Elliott-Horizontal-Room-Loop-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Jock-Elliott-Horizontal-Room-Loop-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Jock-Elliott-Horizontal-Room-Loop-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Jock-Elliott-Horizontal-Room-Loop-1.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":51178,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/12\/airspy-hf-discovery-shortwave-portables-having-fun-with-the-airspy-youloop\/","url_meta":{"origin":47597,"position":3},"title":"Airspy HF+ Discovery & Shortwave Portables: Having Fun with the Airspy YouLoop!","author":"Thomas","date":"December 14, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bill Hemphill, who shares the following guest post: YouLoop Antenna Fun by Billy Hemphill WD9EQD Like many listeners, I live in an antenna restricted community.\u00a0 While I have strung up some hidden outdoor wire antennas, I have found that they didn\u2019t really perform that\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\/2021\/12\/Screen-Shot-2021-12-14-at-06.15.01.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Screen-Shot-2021-12-14-at-06.15.01.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Screen-Shot-2021-12-14-at-06.15.01.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9167,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2014\/04\/tecsun-pl-660-nevada-efw-2-winning-combo\/","url_meta":{"origin":47597,"position":4},"title":"Tecsun PL-660 + Nevada EFW-2 = Winning Combo","author":"Thomas","date":"April 4, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Shortly after posting my Traveling Light, SWLing Right article yesterday, @LondonShortwave shared a video of the portable set up he uses for SWLing in London public parks: Click here to view a video of his Tecsun PL-660\/Nevada EFW-2 combo in action. 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