Whats the best antenna for listening to shortwave?

[Beetle]

A maybe dumb ? I've wondered about for a bit.

If an RX antennas role is to "catch" signal, why wouldn't a large section of expanded metal or a web of wire be best?

The bigger the "net" the larger the "catch"?

A radio wave propagating over an area will induce an RF voltage across anything metallic. A single wire becomes an antenna. A "web" of wire or expanded metal becomes an antenna in the same way. Will they be better than a single wire? Difficult to say, but certainly more trouble to install and keep up in the air.

Experiment with what you think "should" work better. If it doesn't, study the problem and figure out the why of it. Then fix things and try again.

 

[W5LZ]

Just for 'grins' I put this question to the 'Rec.Ra.Am.Antenna' use group. Tried to make it as 'general' as possible to keep from recommendations for any one particular brand antenna. Mainly looking for a sort of 'general rule of thumb' sort of thingy. Didn't say what bands, but inferred a sort of "day light to dark" thingy.
So far, it's been a sort of 'longer is better', 'higher is better', and 'there ain't no single antenna that will do everything well', kind of response. Was also told that VHF/UHF are not SWL bands. The 'quality' of an antenna just depends on what you are using for a receiver, some receivers are "hotter" than others. And a few other 'jems' of that sort.
Actually, unless you really get down to specifics, that's the best answers you can get/give, just too many variables otherwise. The general consensus was two antennas, sort of. One was a center fed doublet for the particular band preferred (longer being better than shorter), or for the higher frequencies something like a 'disk-cone' antenna, which covers quite a wide range of frequencies (why it was designed to start with). Those will not be the 'best' in all cases, just sort of better than others, in general. [A 'disk-cone' would be nice on the lower frequencies too, but it just ain't too practical considering the size required.]
The people responding to that post range from really for real experts to people who aren't exactly 'expert', sort of (nicest way I know of putting it ). Take it for what it's worth...
- 'Doc

 

[SR385]

If a tuner doesn't work on receive antennas.....why is it that I can go from an S0 on a given frequency on my 135' wire, but once tuned I'll have signals easily S9 on the same wire at the same frequency?

 

[W5LZ]

Wait, I didn't say that a tuner wouldn't work/help with a receive only antenna. I did say that in most cases they don't really do enough to warrant using one. One of those "it just depends on the receiver and antenna" thingys. Most receivers, the non-communications type, are much more 'sensitive' than required, and usually not as 'selective' as they could be. You really can have too much signal(s) at times. Right?
- 'Doc

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

If a tuner doesn't work on receive antennas.....why is it that I can go from an S0 on a given frequency on my 135' wire, but once tuned I'll have signals easily S9 on the same wire at the same frequency?

In all my 30 years of radio and dozens of differant antennas I have never seen anything more than about 2 S-units differance between using a tuner and not for RX. The thing is as the signal increases so does the atmospheric noise. The signal/noise ratio stays pretty much the same.

 

[SR385]

The thing is as the signal increases so does the atmospheric noise. The signal/noise ratio stays pretty much the same.

I hadn't thought about that, interesting.

 

[TonyV225]

I use a G5RV and thing recieves really good aswell as transmiting very broadbanded with the use of a tuner external tuner is best but I was impressed never the less when I put this thing up in an inverted V form. I was shocked at how low the SWR could be brought to with the tuner all over the band spectrum you can recieve and transmit on these and there all done as far as being built you just pick where you want it and install it

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

I use a G5RV and thing recieves really good aswell as transmiting very broadbanded with the use of a tuner external tuner is best but I was impressed never the less when I put this thing up in an inverted V form. I was shocked at how low the SWR could be brought to with the tuner all over the band spectrum you can recieve and transmit on these and there all done as far as being built you just pick where you want it and install it

Tony,not to shoot you down or anything but, a wet noodle can have a good SWR all across the HF spectrum with a good tuner. Truthfully a good tuner should be able to tune anything,that does not mean that what it is tuning is a great antenna. My tuner will tune a four foot whip to a perfect 1:1 SWR on 160m but that does not mean the antenna is a good one.The G5RV has a love/hate relationship among the ham community and most that love it at first soon learn to hate it when they erect a decent resonant antenna and see the differance it makes.Even a simple dipole cut for the band of interest WILL outperform a G5RV.The G5RV was originally designed by Louis Varney, G5RV himself,as an antenna to provide a slight bit of gain on 20m and ONLY 20m but as it turned out it could exhibit a low SWR on several bands. This was more of an accident than by design. Because of this it has fallen into favour in the ham community especially those who are new and have little/no antenna experiance or those that are looking for an "all band" antenna in a small package.

 

[freecell]

SR385,

pm sent.