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I read here (in the ideas section) that an old shortwave radio can be used as a receiver for listening to Jupiter but am unsure about how to do it.

MY radio has both a whip and ferrite antenna, should I remove both which would I replace with my own antenna?

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    $\begingroup$ The mentioned "Ukaranet SEARCH page" can't be found, and since even google "ukaranet jupiter" didn't brink out too much reliable content, I'd declare this a bit of a slightly dead end. What about NASA project radio jove, though? $\endgroup$
    – Marcus Müller
    Commented Mar 2, 2019 at 19:49
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    $\begingroup$ (also, whenever the answer to something is "use old radio equipment", my impulse is to say "or, use modern radio equipment and get better signal"; it's really not the case that engineers have gotten dumber over the years.) $\endgroup$
    – Marcus Müller
    Commented Mar 2, 2019 at 19:50
  • $\begingroup$ I have read much about hearing signals from Jupiter since I was a boy. IIRC, it doesn't take much to hear those ~13 MHz signals. That should be especially true since terrestrial signal levels are way down in this part of the sunspot cycle. What about pointing a 20m beam towards Jupiter when it is low on the horizon? $\endgroup$
    – Mike Waters
    Commented Mar 2, 2019 at 20:34
  • $\begingroup$ @MarcusMüller Really? The link works for m. Also yes Radio Jove looks like an interesting project for the future but I was just curious as to how cheaply I could detect the signal and the shortwave radio is the cheapest receiver I have seen mentioned. Unfortunately they don't make them much anymore which is why I said old. $\endgroup$
    – cal
    Commented Mar 2, 2019 at 20:55
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    $\begingroup$ @MikeWaters Yeah that is pretty much what i am doing (except for 21Mhz) my question is about replacing the antenna from a shortwave radio with my yagi and using the radio as a cheap receiver. $\endgroup$
    – cal
    Commented Mar 2, 2019 at 21:00

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Receivers for listening to Jupiter signals must have the AGC control turned to OFF. Also, the optimal frequency for reception should be in the vicinity of 20.1 Mhz.

The antenna should be a dipole, built to a wavelength of approx. 15 meters, oriented East-West (Northern Hemisphere).

Also, please take into account the following: "When the sun is active, as it is near solar maximum, the earth’s ionosphere is heavily ionized during daylight hours (due to solar UV and X-ray emissions). The ionosphere is then opaque to Jovian signals from shortly after sunrise to a few hours after sunset."

Bibliography: https://radiojove.gsfc.nasa.gov/

https://radiojove.gsfc.nasa.gov/telescope/Single_Dipole_suppl_man_rev_1-1.doc

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