834 views

### How can I calculate the effects of an LNA, antenna gain, etc. on noise performance?

There are many things I might do enable my station to hear weaker signals that would otherwise be buried in noise. Just a few possibilities: Install a nice LNA Increase antenna gain Reduce feedline ...
171 views

### Why aren't “ghosts” and intersymbol interference due to unmatched impedance (high SWR) a concern for HF receivers?

In amateur radio, we care about impedance matching when we need to keep the load within the equipment's specification (for best performance, or just to avoid damaging a transmitter), when we want to ...
243 views

### If receive performance doesn't depend on SWR, then how can I tune my manual HF antenna tuner by band noise?

The popular question "What is the relationship between SWR and receive performance?" asks if a receiver with a well-matched antenna (low SWR) beats a receiver with a poorly-matched antenna, ...
33k views

### Is there a simple, DIY, antenna suitable for HF receive only?

So the antenna I'm thinking about doing might be* way too large for my property. Is there another simple, cheap, DIY antenna I could try on my receiver? I know I'm going to want to hook it up and ...
5k views

### How do I extend broken coaxial cable?

I have a piece of 75 ohm coaxial cable of unknown type (outer diameter is around 7 mm) which has developed a breakage in the center conductor (which is stranded). This cable is an adapter cable which ...
2k views

### Determining Impedance With An Antenna Analyzer

I need some help interpreting some information from my antenna analyzer (RigExpert AA-35). I want to use the information to impedance match my AM receiving antenna system to AM radios. No ...
2k views

### How to attach a magnetic loop antenna to the 50Ω coax of an RTL SDR?

I'm planning to make a magnetic loop antenna mainly for receiving LW, MW, and SW radio broadcasting bands, as well as perhaps the 2.2km band and 630m band. (Not all of them with the same antenna, I'mm ...
666 views

### Signal path to maximize RFI rejection in an urban environment

Urban ham here (Cambridge, MA - FN42ki - KC1JZE) looking for tips to make this hobby possible in the city. I rarely can hear both sides of HF phone transmissions, and have yet to make contacts despite ...
14k views

### How can I reduce the noise coming in from an RTL-SDR dongle?

I've recently received an RTL-SDR dongle, and I'm picking up a lot of noise that is probably coming from my PC, especially a lot of "spikes" on the 2M band. I've already started using a USB extension ...
3k views

### Turn 75 Ω TV “Rabbit Ears” with a balun into a 50 Ω dipole antenna

I got myself a TV "Rabbit Ears" module originally for a TV. It came with a small length of coax, permanently attached to the antenna foot, and a Belling-Lee connector on the other end. My idea was to ...
1k views

### What impedance matching do I need between my 300Ω feedline and Softrock receiver?

I will be assembling a Softrock Ensemble II HF receiver, and I know I'm going to want it on air as soon as I build it, so I'm challenging myself to build an antenna for it first. The plan is to do a ...
454 views

### Receive directionality of a sub-optimal Yagi

How do I build the best antenna for a given VHF frequency given that an optimal design is too large? I am trying to understand the properties of a directional antenna of sub-optimal design. All the ...
8k views

### Why do I need to tune an antenna?

I've heard that when an antenna is set up, it needs to be tuned to reduce reflective power back into the radio. Is this always necessary, and if so how would I go about tuning it?
If there are two antennas of 50 Ω and 377 Ω (same as the intrinsic impedance of air) impedance with 0 $\Omega$ ohmic resistance, and they are exactly matched with their transmission line, then which ...