Antennas; Rubber Duckies; Shortwave Antennas; Making A Simple Mw/Sw Antenna - AOR AR1000 Manual

AR1000 Accessories

Antennas

The antenna is probably the most important element for getting good reception
on the AR1000. The AR1000s in the USA come with one general purpose
rubber antenna, while the units available in England and Europe come with
several antennas. While the general rubber ducky is fine for average listening, you
will get the best reception by using an antenna cut for a specific frequency range.
In addition, you will get significantly improved reception by using a roof-
mounted antenna.

Rubber duckies

The rubber duckies available for the AR1000 will give good general coverage in
the VHF and UHF ranges. You may want to purchase a cellular phone antenna
(with a TNC to BNC adaptor) to get superior coverage in the 800 MHz range.
MetroWest sells a variety of rubber duckies cut for the VHF, UHF, and 800
MHz bands. In addition, Radio Shack sells a center-loaded telescoping antenna
(Cat. 20-006) for $9.99 that gives you selectable coverage from 25 to 1300 MHz.
By collapsing or expanding the antenna, you can optimize it for different fre-
quency bands.

Shortwave antennas

To receive good coverage in the shortwave and medium wave (AM radio) spec-
trum, you will need a different kind of antenna. The simplest antenna for SW
and MW is simply a long wire attached to the scanner. Get an insulated piece of
wire 10 to 30 feet long. You can attach it to the scanner in several ways. If you
pull off the rubber cap of the included rubber ducky, you can attach the long
wire to the metal tip of the rubber ducky. Solder an alligator clip on one end and
clip it on to the metal end of the rubber ducky.

Making a simple MW/SW antenna

An excellent, low-cost solution for SW and MW reception is to construct a wire
with an alligator clip on one end and a BNC connector on the other. Use a wire
that is 8 to 12 feet long. Attach the connector to the scanner and clip the other
end to a metal door or window frame. Sliding glass door frames are perfect for
this. The frame acts as a very good antenna. You can also clip this to many other
metal objects that will work well as antennas. We've found good results attaching
the clip to the door of a refrigerator, a fireplace screen, and even a long metal
ruler. Experiment! All kinds of things act as good antennas.

Discone antennas

For best overall reception, use a discone antenna mounted on your roof. Two
recommended antennas are the Radio Shack discone (Cat. 20-013) for $59.99
and the Grove discone antenna Diamond D-130J for $79.95. Discone antennas
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