Ok... lol... seems that this thread kinda got a bit disorganized :) so my "replies" may be likewise a bit out of order.


So apparently you can use a ceramic tile saw to cut a ferrite rod. Would it be possible to cut a rod down its length so I could put a 4" (or 5") Amidon-61 rod in the spot where the normal loopstick is?

Or, would it be better to consider putting Eneloop (or other slow-discharge) AAA batteries in the spot where the loopstick now is, and putting the 5" (after it's cut to size) 0.5" Amidon bar in the spot where the 2 batteries in line are (while leaving the 3rd AA there)? Also, considering I don't really want to have to unscrew the back of the radio every time I need to charge the batteries (normally I pull the dead set out and put a new one in, then charge the flat ones), is the built-in charger hardware smart enough to charge those different types of batteries (different capacity, etc)?


Jim_kr1s, no, I didn't need the heat. :) We have a wood-burning stove, and before I went to bed (around 5am) the temp on my PL-380 was showing 70°F.
I just have trouble hearing ANY hets at all - am I just trying at the wrong time, or using the wrong techniques or something.... or should I give up on trying to get a TP sandwiched between a local station's main signal and its IBOC carrier, when that local station is 63dBu and 25dB S/N?


(Gary Debock:) "Your comments remind me of the Words of Wisdom a fellow tinkering fanatic shared with me during my Navy days: "You can do almost anything you want to boost up the performance of a circuit, depending upon how much time and money you are willing to invest." :-) Since you have been in the ULR group since the very beginning, no doubt you have been amazed (and amused) as various innocent Ultralights have had their IF filters and loopsticks ripped out and discarded, in favor of bizarre modifications to increase transoceanic reception. Having been the culprit primarily responsible for this demolition-related activity, I take full responsibility for my actions."

LOL. :)

I do have a $$ limit (getting the 7.5" Amidon rod would be a stretch, but a 4" or 6" might be doable, plus the Litz wire), but I'm much more flexible on time.


I don't really care much about any longwave boost (in fact I don't think I even have anything close to me that would even be detectable WITH a 7.5" Slider loopstick -- anyone have a suggestion for a website for me to check? btw I'm within about a mile of 32°46'N 116°57'W), but I do want a sizeable boost on MW if at all possible. At minimum, I'd like an improvement comparable to what you got, Gary, on longwave. (I really didn't notice much of a boost on mediumwave in the examples you posted.)
If I could get a boost like the one in the link below, that would be nice.
http://cid-6bdd1917662288cb.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/AM%20radio%20files/SW20^JSAT%20compare%20-%20670^J%20930^J%20970^J%20980.mp3
That's my previous radio (Panasonic RQ-SW20), barefoot then with the Select-A-Tenna, on 670, 930, 970 and 980.


I'll eventually want to build one of those several-foot-diameter loops to inductively couple with the PL-380, though. My Select-A-Tenna just doesn't cut it anymore. Would it be possible, say, with a 6' diameter loop (or should I keep it to 4'?), to have a sizeable boost -- say, take a signal from completely undetectable on the stock barefoot PL-380 (and maybe only just barely hetting on Gary's stealth PL-380), to a full 63dBu, 25dB S/N signal with the loop? Another way to put it, I guess, is with a multi-foot external loop, I'd want performance comparable to what Bruce Carter (he posts as rbrucecarter5 on the radio-info.com board) gets with his antennas, or better if possible.


Also, when I do the loopstick mod, I don't have a (LCR/inductance/?) meter, so anyone have suggestions for how to do it without one? Also, I understand you usually will check 1700kHz to make sure you don't get the lockup on the high end of the band with the coil winding. I have a local on 1700 that is right now (2:10am) showing about 33dBu and 15dB S/N - is that too strong of a signal already to use as a test signal? Or should I use the weak TIS from about 15 miles away on 1620 that is next to a semi-local (comparable signal to 1700, or maybe a bit weaker) on 1630? Or, what about the one from about 85-95 miles away on 1670 that in the daytime is basically undetectable most of the time, but at night is about as strong as 1700? (Or, what about the San Diego Airport TIS on 1690, that even before 1700 was on the air, was barely detectable on my previous radio even WITH the Select-A-Tenna?)