Don Blevins writes in a message to Scott Christensen
 DB> The present antenna I am using is some 200 feet of the 12 ga 
 DB> stranded wire.You say to ground one end with a resistor...which 
 DB> end and what Ohm resistanance on the grounded end and how grounded? 
That would create a "Beverage" antenna, but it isn't nearly long enough.  To 
be effective, a Beverage antenna must be at least a wavelength long - 
preferably, many wavelengths.  200 feet isn't going to cut it below about 10 
MHz.
  
I don't have the difinative information on the terminating resistor - I 
believe it would have to be the same as the impedance of your antenna - I 
believe about 75 ohms would be about right - but like I say, you will need 
more wire strung to work less than 10 MHz.
  
You will be better off just running the 200 feet as a random length wire - 
like you are now.  You would then be able to receive well down below the 
broadcast band.
  
 DB> the overhead electrical wires since in any directin i go I 
 DB> am within say 30 feet or less of them.Mind you this thing is 
 DB> some 20 feet in the air
Any hum or buzzing?
  
 DB> Something else of interest and I have not seen much written 
 DB> on these, is the possible outcome or reception in a vertical 
 DB> antenna. Any guess's on that area?
I am an ex broadcast engineer.  I have known many engineers that borrow the 
big vertical stick to do a little DXing after the station is off the air for 
the night.  They work great!
  
 DB> IT wasn't until some four or five years ago I did educate myself 
 DB> on the benifit to an external antenna attached to the telescopic 
 DB> by means of a clip,with out running a ground.Now since I see 
 DB> the idea of FAX and such reception with a better than occassional 
 DB> use table top model,( Drake is what I'm thinking of),I really 
 DB> do have to give a huge amount of considration to some other 
 DB> type of antenna config.Any help you or your readers can offer 
 DB> would be most welcomed..
A nice radio with a real antenna jack is always a good idea...
 
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