Gil, I'm no antenna expert but - could you put a small pre-amp on the EWE to boost the signals? I had a Sanserino box loop about 25 years ago that came with a small (2 transistor, IIRC) pre-amp. The box loop itself pulled in signals at an "okay" level on its own but once I flipped the switch on the amp, it came to life. The little hobby box that contained the amp and 9v battery holder, also contained a dual gang (?) variable capacitor to tune the loop and a switch for the 2 MW ranges. I guess an amp for a Ewe, Flag or whatever wouldn't need the tuning pieces / parts just the amp.
Question for the entire list: Where can one pick up a small pre-amp like that? If not commercially avaialble how much $ would it take to have one built? I'm a techno-klutz..... I still have the loop, it is burried somewhere in mom's basement. Maybe I'll grab the amp, next time that I'm over there to see what is under the hood. 73, Dave in Indy ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:15:05 -0400 From: Gil Stacy <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Subject: [IRCA] TA's found inside BOG last night (neilkaz) Message-ID: <[email protected]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Kaz, Thanks for the suggestion and heads up on the Africans. Through serendipity I learned that aiming directly at DX with a receive antenna is not always the best choice and that lack of noise can be more important than actual gain. My EWE's beam is directed 130 degrees. My home is 13 miles from the coast and the ewe fires perpendicular to the coast. This is the only direction I am capable of at my qth because of lot size and suitable trees. It is deadly for the Caribbean. It is super quiet. While I have not picked up any European or African MW stations with it, in the late fall and winter, it murders the LW broadcast band despite it firing 90 degrees perpendicular to the average bearing to Europe. My lobes lie parallel to the Eastern Seaboard with excellent rejection towards the back which is most of the US mainland. A portion of one of the lobes cover's Europe and Africa, although shrunken from ideal. It's the quiet nature of it that makes the difference. Perhaps I should try for Benin, Sao Tome and Mauritiana at your suggested times. 73 Gil _______________________________________________ IRCA mailing list [email protected] http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/irca Opinions expressed in messages on this mailing list are those of the original contributors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the IRCA, its editors, publishing staff, or officers For more information: http://www.ircaonline.org To Post a message: [email protected]
