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New to DXing

M

MarioMania

I live in an area or Vallejo that not too kind with Analog or Digital Signal...

I have a Realistic "Voice of the World" Radio FM/AM/SW/LW PLL Synthesized Receiver

I have an 10' b/w TV & a Pocket Sony Watchman b/w Model

What's a good Indoor Antanna for DXing, The Home owner(Brother) dosn't allow a outdoor antanna
 
Welcome.

Ya, I recall living out in Long Beach, which gave my Realistic DX-440 grief...wonder if it was the military bases causing the problems??? Anyways, with the right conditions, you're probably in a pretty good spot to snag some trans-Pacific MW DX, although the season is rapidly drawing to a close. :-\

~BG
 
I'm familiar with where you are, about 30 miles or so NE of San Francisco?

You're actually at an advantage, at least on FM because of not as much spill over dominance from San Francisco stations. When I was staying in Fairfield back in the 70s, though, I remember AM stations like 610 KFRC and KNBR seemed like they were right next door.

As far as a good indoor antenna for DXing on AM anyway, I recently got the Terk AM loop which makes a noticeable difference on weak AM signals during the day. At night, the more noticeable difference in some cases is that it can be more directional than the the built in antenna in the radio.
 
For AM DX, either a Terk Advantage loop or a Grundig AN-200 will do. The latter is an AM loop about the size of the TerK.
 
MarioMania said:
and I'm going to DX with TV also

I have to somehow get a long Wire hook it up to my B/w TV for VHF 2-6
Click to expand...

Is the TV digital?

If not, you'll be getting digital hash (basically snow) and looking hard for Mexican and Canadian signals that have yet to make the transition. Or, the occasional low powered station that hasn't flipped yet (though many have). With an indoor antenna, that's a tough assignment and you'd need an excellent tropospheric ducting event or e-skip to make it happen. This used to be a lot easier before the FCC mandated all full-powered signals go digital.

You should have a fun time with AM DXing from there; FM depends on where you are, but in the right spot (higher elevation away from the bay) with a good receiver, you should be able to pick up Bay Area and Sacto stations. Also you can look for Stockton, Napa and perhaps Modesto and Monterey stations. The hills to your east aren't helpful, but if you can locate yourself up on a higher spot it will help a great deal with the FM.
 
MarioMania said:
The Home owner(Brother) dosn't allow a outdoor antanna
Click to expand...

That's pretty sad, not allowing an outdoor antenna. I'm assuming the outdoor antenna is a yagi antenna to be on top of the owner's house. My guess is, the best is a dipole near the ceiling or a "rabbit ears" TV antenna for FM.
 
Loop antennas are your friend for AM The bigger the better. More pickup area and tighter nulls.
 
The TV is Analog Only (hence the B/W part)

I have DirecTV

I have a long coat hanger I straiten out..I don't know how much that would help out
 
MarioMania said:
The TV is Analog Only (hence the B/W part)

I have DirecTV

I have a long coat hanger I straiten out..I don't know how much that would help out
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, having an analog-only TV is going to limit your dxing possibilities to the extreme longshots. Not saying it's impossible, but you'll probably spend a lot of time looking at snow before much of anything comes through. Unless there's a low powered station around there. Otherwise, it's Canada or Mexico. Perhaps you could get signals from Tijuana and/or Mexicali via tropo, which could happen a few times during the summer. In the old days, I recall picking up stations from Louisiana and Nebraska on my little B&W TV with rabbit ears - thanks to e-skip (which I didn't understand at the time). So it is possible.

However, your odds would be better with a nice rooftop antenna.
 
MarioMania said:
Is that a good Radio to DX on??

I have Model DX-380
Click to expand...

I'm no expert, but I'm happy with the DX-440, which is a rebranded Sangean ATS-803A. Your DX-380 is a rebranded Sangean ATS-808. I hear good things about both, with the only complaint about the 380/808 being the lack of SSB, which can be helpful when trying to pull in MW (although SSB is meant for the SW bands). I don't know how large the ferrite bar antenna is on either, but if they're the same, your 380 should prove to be a good little MW DX machine. :D

~BG
 
The Analog TV I'm talking about is my 10' one that had a 6 ft Antanna on it..

The other on is my 2.3' one the Antanna is 1 foot..

I live in a 2 story house..So the 10' TV is going up too the 2nd floor, better highet

I hate the area where I live
 
Your best bet is to use a car radio.. Do you own a car, or know someone who does.. Ive always found that Portables and home stereos just dont DX too well without an outdoor rotar antenna. Especially if you have internet and cable TV, the noise level inside is horrible. Good Luck... :)
 
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