• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

External Antenna Question

kilogulf59

kilogulf59

Attention Mods: This seemed like the forum to post this in. If it’s not, you have my apology and can you please move it to the appropriate board?

Let me start off by saying I know nothing about radios. I can plug ‘em in, put batteries in ‘em, turn ‘em on, listen to ‘em, and that’s about it. Anything more than that and I’m completely ignorant.

I had an old Redsun PF2100 PLL radio that I gave to my grandson. The radio’s hardly been used, however the mast antenna snapped off (my fault) and I cannot find a replacement online. I am still searching though. The radio has FM from 87 MHz - 108 MHz, medium wave and shortwave 1'711 kHz - 30'000 kHz, divided into SW1, SW2 and SW3. I’d like to get external antennas for this as there’s sockets, as the manual calls them, on the back (ref pic below). Here’s some additional information.

From the manual:
EXTERNAL ANTENNA FOR FM/SW
External antenna for FM (75 ohm) or external antenna for SW (50 ohm) can be connected to the EXT. ANTENNA Socket for FM and SW for better position and FM-DX.
The INT. / EXT. ANTENNA Switch on the side of the radio should be set to external antenna (lower position).
EXTERNAL ANTENNA FOR MW
The EXT. ANTENNA Sockets for MW on this radio is for
connection of a long wire antenna (red socket) and to the ground (black socket).
When there is a thunderstorm, please disconnect the external
antenna from the radio and place it in a safe place.
AM IF OUT
This radio has an AM IF OUT socket that is for extended functions, such as SSB, DRM, SSTV, etc. (Please read other related materials re these topics).

The antenna connections on the back are two Flex F connectors (female) for FM/SW and AM IF OUT (whatever that is?) and a two spring clip terminals for the MW (ref pic below). The expandable thumbnail pics are below and I can provide a PDF of the manual is that would help.

I have no clue as to what type/kind of antennas to get. These would be used indoors, no towers or house mounts. BTW, we are rural, no electronics stores to visit either. All of this has to be done on-line. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 
For a quickie to try, assuming you are in a major metro area, without major engineering. Find some solid 18-24 gauge Copper wire.

Cut a 30" piece and remove about 1/2" insulation at one end. Fully extend the wire and push into the center hole of the FM F Connector

Cut a 10' piece, Fully expend it, and connect it to the red socket.

Do NOT do anything with the IF socket.

Tune AM and FM and report the results. We'll see if we need to do anything more sophisticated (e.g. Rabbit Ears or Loopstick)
 
Thanks for the assist, @K6JHU .

We’re rural and I’ll have to get some solid copper wire. There’s none at the house.

The F connector (yellow arrow?) has a pin in the center, no hole.

The ten foot piece goes into the red socket (red arrow), correct? What snout the ground?

Rabbit ears, like an old TV antenna? What’s a loopstick?
 

Attachments

  • rs5-A.jpg
    rs5-A.jpg
    96.3 KB · Views: 6
kilogulf59 said:
Let me start off by saying I know nothing about radios. I can plug ‘em in, put batteries in ‘em, turn ‘em on, listen to ‘em, and that’s about it. Anything more than that and I’m completely ignorant.
Click to expand...
I can get easily confused with I'm not familiar with, such as radios and electronics, in general.

@radiofan2023 that would work but my F commentor is different. You'd think these things would be standardized. Well, I guess they are but there's a bagillion "standard" types, or so it seems.

This isn't worth the BS. Thanks for the help folks. I thought I could save a good radio, however trying to do this completely online and with my excruciatingly limited knowledge it just isn't worth the hassle. I mean, I have a lot of hours into this for not.

Thanks to all for your assistance, it's very much appreciated.
 
kilogulf59 said:
I can get easily confused with I'm not familiar with, such as radios and electronics, in general.

@radiofan2023 that would work but my F commentor is different. You'd think these things would be standardized. Well, I guess they are but there's a bagillion "standard" types, or so it seems.

This isn't worth the BS. Thanks for the help folks. I thought I could save a good radio, however trying to do this completely online and with my excruciatingly limited knowledge it just isn't worth the hassle. I mean, I have a lot of hours into this for not.

Thanks to all for your assistance, it's very much appreciated.
Click to expand...
Just get this adapter for the antenna I gave you the link to:

Don't give up so easily.
 
MarioMania said:
I never seen this before, Doesn't look like a F Connection

postimg.cc

rs5 — Postimages

postimg.cc postimg.cc
Click to expand...
Like I said, "Let me start off by saying I know nothing about radios. I can plug ‘em in, put batteries in ‘em, turn ‘em on, listen to ‘em, and that’s about it. Anything more than that and I’m completely ignorant." When you are trying to do things like this online and with zero knowledge it becomes a PITA quickly.


KenoGuy said:
Bad angle, but it looks like a BNC connector to me. Should be able to pick up a cheap whip with a BNC on the end.
Click to expand...
I'll look. for one, Thanks.
 
Here's the manuals. The C. Crane manual refers to them as "PAL connectors". It even have an assembly section on them.
 

Attachments

  • REDSUN PF2100 RADIO MANUAL.pdf
    453.8 KB · Views: 1
  • CCRadio SW Manual.pdf
    577.2 KB · Views: 1
So, the radio has a male PAL connector, actually two. I would need an antenna with a female PAL connector.
 
Try any piece of wire two or three feet long to test it out. An old CAT 5 cable you can sacrifice, or a AC cord to a phone charger (using one of the pins that plugs into the wall), I mean with it NOT plugged into the wall. Or even the proverbial coat hanger. Just have bare copper, and you may need to strip insulation off a wire unless it is already bare. Tune into a station you can barely hear with the radio as is now, then touch the wire to what is left of the telescoping antenna and see if reception improves. Carefully touch the inner pin of the left side EXT antenna connector, and also try the red connector you insert the wire in. The wire can be solid, stranded, whatever. Actually anything that is conductive and is a few feet long.

If reception improves doing this, then reception with a portable at your rural location is viable. Then you can get fancy.
Don't stress or overthink it. There will be plenty of time for that later.

How is AM/FM reception in your car when parked at home? Just trying to get a sense of what you have to work with, in terms of incoming signal level from radio stations. If you can't reasonably hear anything on a good car radio, the portable is probably not going to be better.
Just reflect on the fact you are truly out in the middle of nowhere, and enjoy it.

And kilogulf59, welcome to this group. Stick around, the group here is well-rounded.
And you are getting better technical advice here than you would from the general Internet.
 
Last edited:
kilogulf59, im not an engineer.. i just play one on the radio.. lol.. but you can find an adapter for almsot anything... sometimes you cant go from A to B in one shot.. sometimes you have to go A to Y to F to get back to B

If theres a connector thats been used on a rado, gaurenteed, somehow someway youll find an adapter.
 
kilogulf59 said:
So, the radio has a male PAL connector, actually two. I would need an antenna with a female PAL connector.
Click to expand...
You just need a F-Type Female to PAL Female Adapter

www.ebay.com

2pcs Nickel F Female Jack to TV PAL Female Jack Coaxial Connector Adapter Metal | eBay

RF coaxial connectors. Quantity: 2Pcs. - F-Type Female Jack to PAL Jack Female. USB/VGA Connector Adapter. - For connectiing to RF cable enable you can Jack into CATV TV/FM Antenna Wall Jack, RF Signal Amplifier and Antenna Booster, etc.
www.ebay.com
 
Greg Strickland said:
Try any piece of wire two or three feet long to test it out. An old CAT 5 cable you can sacrifice, or a AC cord to a phone charger (using one of the pins that plugs into the wall), I mean with it NOT plugged into the wall. Or even the proverbial coat hanger. Just have bare copper, and you may need to strip insulation off a wire unless it is already bare. Tune into a station you can barely hear with the radio as is now, then touch the wire to what is left of the telescoping antenna and see if reception improves. Carefully touch the inner pin of the left side EXT antenna connector, and also try the red connector you insert the wire in. The wire can be solid, stranded, whatever. Actually anything that is conductive and is a few feet long.

If reception improves doing this, then reception with a portable at your rural location is viable. Then you can get fancy.
Don't stress or overthink it. There will be plenty of time for that later.

How is AM/FM reception in your car when parked at home? Just trying to get a sense of what you have to work with, in terms of incoming signal level from radio stations. If you can't reasonably hear anything on a good car radio, the portable is probably not going to be better.
Just reflect on the fact you are truly out in the middle of nowhere, and enjoy it.

And kilogulf59, welcome to this group. Stick around, the group here is well-rounded.
And you are getting better technical advice here than you would from the general Internet.
Click to expand...

Gotya, plug in a coat hanger to a wall outlet and touch it…BRB

OK, sorry about that; too much coffee this morning. I will try that out @Greg Strickland and see how it goes.

FM reception’s good in the truck. I’ll try AM and see how that goes.

We’re not quite in the middle of nowhere (I wish), but we’re rural, in the woods, and out of the darned city (almost 19-years) and loving it.

Thanks to everyone else for the tips.
 
Touching a wire coat hanger to the antenna stub did improve FM reception.

In the truck, AM reception isn't good, two stations come in clearly. That seems to be the case for AM reception around here.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom