Car Antenna Impedance

[Ken1]

I don't know the impedance of a whip antenna, but a longwire antenna on the AM broadcast band has an impedance of 500 ohms. You can start at 50 ohms, and if you don't get enough sensitivity, keep increasing the impedance until you get maximum sensitivity. Also, the lower end of the AM band is more impedance sensitive than the top end, so use a weak station at the lowest available frequency for your tests.

[CeaSaR]

Tried to relocate that URL on the same websearch from yesterday and guess what- it wasn't there!

Ah, the internet DX has bit again! Told you it was possible!

CeaSaR

[ringo47stars]

I tried using a battery for an antennae but the internal conductivities created a hiss that blocked out any other sound. The battery was a transformer type without any charge as it was just built. Why not try an old wall-wart or transformer if you have one laying around. An array of resistors in parallel around the impedance specified might work too. I think adding a capacitor would only add unwanted hiss.

[k7elp60]

I used to work for a electronic distributor, and before a lot of stuff was imported from China. We sold a lot of auto electronics. Most of the antennas had RG-62 coax from the antenna to the motorola male plug. The impedance of RG-62 is 93 ohms.

The sensitivity of good guality AM/FM auto radios is real good and not much of an antenna is needed.

[Bob Scott]

I used to work for a electronic distributor, and before a lot of stuff was imported from China. We sold a lot of auto electronics. Most of the antennas had RG-62 coax from the antenna to the motorola male plug. The impedance of RG-62 is 93 ohms.

Hello k7elp60, are those call letters? If so, what kind of station do you run? Extra Low Power and west of the Misissippi? Where is K7 land?

The sensitivity of good guality AM/FM auto radios is real good and not much of an antenna is needed.

I suppose it depends on the reception range you expect. I had an old 6V tube type car radio in Winnipeg and could listen to WLS Chicago in the daytime, and it sounded as clear and loud as the local staions. WLS was ~800 mi away as the crow flies. That was a long time ago. WLS stopped playing music exactly 20 years ago.

So it's not program content that is interesting for DXing anymore. Who would want to DX for yet another Clear Channel outlet for networked talk radio?

I spent my youth in a small town on the north side of Lake Ontario. I listened to a lot of nights listening to fast talking DJs on WKBW Buffalo, WBZ Boston, stations in Fort Wayne, WOWO, WHAM, and down the coast. WWVA was good for a chuckle, evangelist radio: "Send muh $10 from yo' closet or yowah freezuh or wherevuh you keep your wallit...."

[k7elp60]

I used to work for a electronic distributor, and before a lot of stuff was imported from China. We sold a lot of auto electronics. Most of the antennas had RG-62 coax from the antenna to the motorola male plug. The impedance of RG-62 is 93 ohms.

Hello k7elp60, are those call letters? If so, what kind of station do you run? Extra Low Power and west of the Misissippi? Where is K7 land?

Hi Bob
K7ELP are my amateur radio call letters. I am in Utah(USA). At present I have equipment and antenna's for all the amateur radio HF freqencies as well as 2M and 70CM. I only run about a 100W maximum on the amateur bands.
Ned