"BEN RITCHEY" bravely wrote to "ALL" (02 Jul 05  19:38:40)
 --- on the heady topic of "Antenna"

 BR> I have a weather radio that get's poor reception so I'd like to
 BR> extend and/or complement the telescopic indoor antenna with an external
 BR> antenna. I have a 17 foot piece of insulated #12 copper wire I'd like
 BR> to use. 1st question; does it need to be bare wire? The entire length?

Wire insulation has the effect of shortening the effective electric
wavelength. IOW the antenna will behave as if it was slightly shorter.
This effect might have to be taken into account if a precise length of
wire was required. For a long wire antenna this isn't critical except
perhaps in considering the extra weight and wind resistance.


 BR> By the time I feed outside, that's about 2 feet horizontal. Another 4.5
 BR> feet vertical to the eaves where I can turn and go horizontal for
 BR> another "x" feet, up to 20 feet.

The best advice for any antenna mounting: "height" is key.

There may be an interaction with the metal eaves depending on their
orientation and proximity. It might be possible to control this by
using insulating standoffs or other schemes.


 BR> Full wavelength for a frequency of
 BR> 162.5 MHz is exactly 6 feet (remainder less than an inch), so how long
 BR> should I make "x" above? I cannot extend the vertical
portion longer
 BR> than 4.5 feet ...

A long wire antenna is anything 6 or 8 wavelengths and more but the
gain increases only very slowly after 8 wavelengths. Erecting an
unknown antenna is typically a case of serendipity.

The real trick with any antenna is to have a proper grounding system.
I'll bet that if you simply connect your receiver to a good ground
your reception will improve dramatically.

Greets!

 M*i*k*e

... Press  to Adopt Me!  I need a better home.
--- Blue Wave/DOS v2.30