Doing further investigation on a discovery made by
Steve Ratzlaff and confirmed by John Bryant, some testing was done on a Slider
E100 tuned to an image frequency of local pest KSUH-1450 (on 540 kHz).
Without the coil peaked on 540 kHz, KSUH-1450 was
blasting in on 540 kHz, sounding like a local. When the coil was peaked on
540 kHz, however, KSUH's image signal went completely down in the noise, barely
audible way under legitimate 540 kHz signal CBK in Saskatchewan. The KSUH
image was completely inaudible except when the Slider loopstick
was broadside to the pest, in which case is was barely above the noise
level.
The discovery has major implications for those
DXers who love the classic Sony ICF-S5W, but dislike its congenital image
problem. With a Slider loopstick, the ICF-S5W would not only drop the
images, but have a huge sensitivity boost as well. The 455 kHz Murata
CFJ455K5 filter can also be transplanted into the ICF-S5W, like it has been in
the E100 to provide razor-sharp selectivity. Sounds like an interesting
winter coming up.
