{"id":5389,"date":"2013-01-23T18:10:37","date_gmt":"2013-01-23T22:10:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=5389"},"modified":"2013-08-26T06:44:06","modified_gmt":"2013-08-26T10:44:06","slug":"the-truth-about-portable-amplified-shortwave-antennas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2013\/01\/the-truth-about-portable-amplified-shortwave-antennas\/","title":{"rendered":"The truth about portable amplified shortwave antennas"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the past week, I have had no less than 3 email inquiries from readers regarding which amplified antenna to purchase for their portable shortwave radio. \u00a0My short answer? None.<\/em><\/p>\n

In my opinion, there’s one fatal flaw with amplified antennas: they amplify noise just as much as they do the signal you wish to hear.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>The only portable amplified antenna I’ve had any results with is the Sony AN-LP1 (now only available in Japan), and I attribute this success mainly to the fact that a suction cup, mounted at the top of the loop, allows it to be mounted on a window. Even then, results are often only marginally better than with the telescopic whip.<\/p>\n

There may have been a time when portable amplified antennas made sense–a time prior to noisy AC adapters, flat screen TVs, and other consumer electronics which spew RFI (Radio Frequency Interference), polluting our shortwave bands. Today, however, you’ll be\u00a0disappointed with the results of one of these, particularly if you travel–turning on the amplified antenna in a hotel room will increase the noise you hear two-fold, while weak broadcasters will remain lost in the static.<\/p>\n

\"RollUpAntennaReelSangean\"

The Sangean ANT-60 is inexpensive and vesatile<\/p><\/div>\n

So what can you do to improve the performance of your portable while traveling or at home? I’m still a fan of the roll-up antenna; like the Sangean ANT-60<\/a>. \u00a0They’re inexpensive ($12 US), packable, and\u00a0versatile–the clip on the end of the reel allows the antenna wire to be clipped to curtains and blinds. Place it near a window, or even hang it outside. Antennas love being outside–just take it down when not in use.<\/p>\n

In lieu of buying a roll-up antenna, you could simply attach an alligator clip to the end of a 20′ (6 meters) length of wire. \u00a0The alligator clip can then attach to the end of your telescopic antenna, and you now have the same properties of a roll-up antenna for pennies. This is possibly the most cost-effective way to improve the performance of your portable shortwave radio. One note of caution: don’t get too generous with the length of your antenna wire. Some portable radios lack a robust front-end and a wire that’s too long could actually overload the receiver. Some Grundig G5’s were even sensitive to static discharges over a wire antenna. If uncertain, I would not exceed 20 feet in length (6 meters).<\/p>\n

\"An

An alligator clip offers serious bang-for buck–especially if you already have the parts lying around!<\/p><\/div>\n

I’ll never forget: \u00a0one of the first email questions I received on SWLing.com was from a fellow listener in Washington state who wanted to hear stations better on his Sony portable. I suggested the alligator clip\/antenna wire. He wrote back enthusiastically, “This is the most cost-effective improvement I have ever made to anything!”<\/em> He was so encouraged with the performance improvement, he invested in a tabletop and a proper outdoor antenna with grounding.<\/p>\n

So, I urge you to try a roll-up antenna or the alligator clip antenna before you waste money on a portable amplified antenna. \u00a0Just my two cents.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the past week, I have had no less than 3 email inquiries from readers regarding which amplified antenna to purchase for their portable shortwave radio. \u00a0My short answer? None. In my opinion, there’s one fatal flaw with amplified antennas: they amplify noise just as much as they do the signal you wish to hear. […]<\/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":[8,129,43],"tags":[1621,4089,1622],"class_list":["post-5389","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","category-reviews","category-shortwave-radio","tag-amplified-shortwave-antennas","tag-qrm","tag-sangean-ant-60"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-1oV","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5493,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2013\/01\/mikes-home-brewed-amplified-antenna\/","url_meta":{"origin":5389,"position":0},"title":"Mike’s home brewed amplified antenna","author":"Thomas","date":"January 31, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"In my recent post,\u00a0The truth about portable amplified shortwave antennas, I argue that small, portable amplified antennas are, by and large, ineffective. The post comments are interesting, however; many readers agree, and some tout the Sony ANT-LP1 as worthy, but Mike made the following comment about his amplified antenna: The\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Active Ferrite Rod Antenna (Photo: ON2NLT)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/FerriteAntenna-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":38451,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/07\/using-amplified-loop-antennas-with-portable-radios\/","url_meta":{"origin":5389,"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":28543,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/09\/larrys-variation-of-the-w6lvp-amplified-magnetic-loop-antenna\/","url_meta":{"origin":5389,"position":2},"title":"Larry’s variation of the W6LVP amplified magnetic loop antenna","author":"Thomas","date":"September 28, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor,\u00a0Larry Thompson (WPE8EKM), who writes: I\u2019ve just finished building a variation of the W6LVP amplified magnetic loop antenna. I was able to purchase the preamplifier, power inserter, and the power supply separately. I then created my own loop antenna using LMR400Max coax and designed my\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\/09\/Loop-Antenna.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Loop-Antenna.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Loop-Antenna.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":35799,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/01\/sony-icf-sw100-whip-vs-de31ms-active-vs-sony-an-lp1\/","url_meta":{"origin":5389,"position":3},"title":"Sony ICF-SW100: Whip vs. DE31MS active vs. Sony AN-LP1","author":"Troy Riedel","date":"January 30, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"https:\/\/youtu.be\/y3TnREIC1NY Click here to view on YouTube. Guest Post by: Troy Riedel It's been a while since I posted a video on my YouTube Channel (but I've gotten the urge to make several more videos as I've been recently comparing my equipment - 16 portable receivers & many antennas). I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Accessories"","block_context":{"text":"Accessories","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/accessories\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/y3TnREIC1NY\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":30672,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/02\/indoor-shortwave-antenna-options-to-pair-with-a-new-sdr\/","url_meta":{"origin":5389,"position":4},"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":48884,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/05\/the-chameleon-cha-rxl-amplified-wideband-loop-antenna\/","url_meta":{"origin":5389,"position":5},"title":"The Chameleon CHA RXL amplified wideband loop antenna","author":"Thomas","date":"May 12, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"A few weeks ago, Chameleon Antenna sent me a pre-production model of their new wideband magnetic loop antenna called the Chameleon CHA RXL. I've evaluated and reviewed a number of Chameleon's ham radio antennas (primarily on QRPer.com). I find that the quality of their products are second to none. Price-wise,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Accessories"","block_context":{"text":"Accessories","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/accessories\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/IC-705-mediumwave.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/IC-705-mediumwave.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/IC-705-mediumwave.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/IC-705-mediumwave.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5389","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=5389"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5389\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}