Gutter Shortwave Antenna

The indoor shortwave antenna is a compromise when you cannot install an outdoor antenna.

Gutter shortwave antenna.

I did a quick coax run to the outside gutter and grounded the braided side then connected the feedline to an old mfj tuner. The results have been surprisingly good for shortwave listening using the crane ccradiosw shortwave receiver. Here are the main types of commercially made indoor shortwave antennas from the least performing to the best performer. Also an effective hf performer.

I have used just about every kind of material for an antenna for shortwave listening that would conduct a radio frequency including window frames bed springs rain gutters conduit aluminum tubing coffee cans soldered together old cb antennas tv antennas curtain rods copper tubing aluminum trim from kitchen counter tops and on and on. Even then a small indoor loop antenna installed temporarily out on the balcony when you need it is better than an indoor one. Stealth gutter antenna for ham radio or shortwave. Most all portable shortwave radios will have a telescoping antenna as well as one built inside mainly for am radio band reception.

So i just ran an appropriate length of 18 awg speaker wire inside the plastic downspout and horizontal section sealing the ends with waterproof silicone caulk and attached the antenna segment to the main wire of some rg 8 coax while i connected the. Another hf rain gutter antenna connection. Some radios usually the higher priced models will have an external antenna jack usually a 3 5mm 1 8 where you can plug in your own external antenna. This one is used primarily as a shortwave receive antenna.

Well i live in a ranch style home that has wooden roof with shingles but has an aluminum flashing around the bottom as well as metal gutters and downspouts. They do not reach the ground but go into plastic pipe so they are not grounded but was wondering the best way to try this as an antenna. In hopes of finding a low profile antenna for shortwave listening the rain gutter and downspout on the back porch were tried as a random length antenna. Rain gutter antenna an end fed multiband antenna larry nelson k5ijb.

I have wanted to try this for a while but never got around to it until today. After reading shortwave monitoring they were talking about stealth antennas. Unlike gregg s gutter antenna the spout and long horizontal section were made from plastic.