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?
912 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 ...
2k views

### How does a "chip antenna" work?

How does a tiny surface-mount "chip antenna" for the 2.x thru 5.x GHz frequency bands work? What allows such a tiny item to radiate or receive RF with some amount of efficiency? What allows a chip ...
34k 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 ...
775 views

### If two antennas of 50 Ω and 377 Ω have VSWR=1:1, then which one is more efficient?

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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
176 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 ...
271 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, ...
621 views

### Choosing capacitor for high-pass filter with cutoff of about 160 MHz

A strong (100 kW) local FM transmitter causes interference to or overloading of receivers in the VHF/UHF bands. It seems like a single, properly chosen, capacitor could make an effective passive high-...
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 ...
7k views

### How to construct a loop antenna for receiving HF?

I have a unused hula-hoop in my garage, and I ran some stranded speaker wire around it once, and attached one side of the wire to the coax shielding, and the other to the coax core wire. Is this the ...
697 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 ...