(meteorobs) Newbie - Antenna and transmitter selection

Wed May 9 02:21:14 EDT 2007

Very good Siddhartha.

Just a couple suggestions.... 1) Maybe you could crank up the antenna 
briefly (only at night), during your observations to help in getting more 
distant stations? and then lower it down during the day to avoid 
difficulties with the mgt.

FM radio operates pretty much as line-of-sight propogation & reception. 
Increased height will pull in the more difficult stations.

2) There are some improvements that can be made to that antenna. Here is a 
site which can help you if there is a Ham or Radio technician available to 
you for making the modifications.http://users.tns.net/~bb/rsfmyagi.htm

Kindly note it is the same antenna you have purchased.
Good Hunting!
Larry
YC Sentinel

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Siddhartha Jain" <siddhartha at siddharthajain.net>
To: "Global Meteor Observing Forum" <meteorobs at meteorobs.org>
Sent: 2007/05/08 12:11
Subject: Re: (meteorobs) Newbie - Antenna and transmitter selection

> Thanks, Larry, Tom and George for your valuable inputs. I finally went
> with a Radioshack 6-element antenna (part#15-2163) because it was just
> $25 and I wouldn't have to wait for the UPS guy :) The antenna is
> mounted on a tripod about four feet off the ground and is pointing
> south (north is blocked by my apartment itself) at a small elevation
> of maybe 25 degrees. The setup has done wonders to my signal
> reception. Almost all FM frequencies come in at full signal strength
> now as indicated by the TX-480's signal strength meter. And that's
> also my problem now that almost all frequencies seem to be used.
>
> Will keep the list updated once I find something interesting.
>
> Thanks again,
>
> - Siddhartha
>
>
> On 5/3/07, stange34 at sbcglobal.net <stange34 at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>> I would suggest the Wingard SPR6000 of the two you have selected.
>>
>> The reason:
>>
>> 1) The Philips antenna is designed for multi-band operation covering the 
>> TV
>> UHF & VHF frequencies plus FM. This means you are paying mostly for 
>> antenna
>> elements (the TV stuff) you will not be using.
>>
>> 2) Very little of the Philips antenna is for FM.
>>
>> 3) You should concentrate.... on dedicated high gain FM antennas ONLY
>> without any TV features.
>>
>> You will probably find that given your antenna location and restricted
>> height.... the best aiming point will probably not be in the exact 
>> direction
>> of the Redding station due to reflections from the apt. buildings. Test 
>> this
>> with a folded dipole (on the FM stations frequency) to see what direction 
>> &
>> angular elevation results in the strongest carrier signal from that 
>> Redding
>> station with your radios' S-meter. Do this for any other distant FM 
>> station
>> you might decide to use later.
>>
>> You should also know that the characteristics of a Yagi are influenced by
>> their surroundings and height. They operate at optimum only when not
>> physically confined and subject to re-reflected signals from other nearby
>> surfaces on that frequency.
>>
>> Larry
>> YC Sentinel
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Siddhartha Jain" <siddhartha at siddharthajain.net>
>> To: <meteorobs at meteorobs.org>
>> Sent: 2007/05/03 17:44
>> Subject: (meteorobs) Newbie - Antenna and transmitter selection
>>
>>
>> > Hi,
>> >
>> > I am a newbie to the world of radio expertise and FM meteor
>> > observation. To pursue this interest, I recently acquired a Yamaha
>> > TX-480 FM receiver that is currently hooked to a cheap radioshack
>> > indoor TV/FM rabbit ears antenna. The FM reception with this setup is
>> > rather weak (generally all radio reception including cellular is
>> > pretty weak in my apartment). So I was wondering about enhancing this
>> > setup with an outdoor Yagi antenna. But the apartment complex rules
>> > restrict any antenna sticking above the patio fence which is approx 7
>> > feet high. Does it make sense to install a yagi antenna this low? If
>> > yes, can someone please help me choose between the following two?
>> >
>> > Philips MANT900 20 element antenna
>> > http://www.buy.com/prod/magnavox-mant-900-20-element-vhf-uhf-fm-outdoor-antenna/q/loc/111/90116815.html
>> >
>> > Winegard PR 6000 PROSTAR 1000 FM Antenna - 4 element yagi
>> > http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?PROD=SPR6000
>> >
>> > I understand that the former will have better gain/reception etc but
>> > if the latter can do the job just fine then I would like to avoid the
>> > bulk of the former. From Santa Clara, CA (95051), I am trying to
>> > listen to a 100kW transmitter in Redding CA at 104.3Mhz  that is 230
>> > miles to the north. Is this a good selection monitor?
>> >
>> > Any pointers or help will be greatly appreciated.
>> >
>> > Thanks,
>> >
>> > - Siddhartha
>> > ---
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>>
>>
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