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City: Waterbury
State, Province, Country: CT
I searched but couldn't find an exact answer. I'm giving my son my 60B that I electrically restored some 8 years ago (I'm redoing the cabinet right now), and it runs pretty good on a short piece of wire, but he would like to place this where a wire would show and would also like to pick up a sports station in NY from CT. To that end, I have several loop antennas salvaged from junk radios over the years and was wondering the best way to adapt one of them. I know it won't replace a long wire, but I think it should work pretty good. Any advice on selecting and connecting one is appreciated.
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It could be hit or miss getting a salvaged loop to resonate for the desired station and it will require some sort packaging to look good in the home...
I suggest looking in Amazon for a Kaito, Tecsun or similar that provides a two wire connection to the radio antenna/ground AND has a tuning condenser of its own. The choice if it has an RF amplifier can be determined if the home is well shielded like concrete, stucco, stone, brick or in the basement. An amplified loop can have a longer cable to the radio and be placed near a window.
Be sure there is an option to turn off the RF amplifier, helpful if there is a lot of RF noise in the home. Most commercial loops have a elegant finished look. I, would avoid those that are brightly colored but that is me...
If it is unsatisfactory Amazon may allow a return...
FWIW The larger the area of the loop the more sensitive and directive it will be...
GL
Chas
Pliny the younger
“nihil novum nihil varium nihil quod non semel spectasse sufficiat”
(This post was last modified: 12-04-2024, 02:54 PM by
Chas.)
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There's also many DIY loop antenna options on YouTube your son may want to check out. Some are quite decorative and can be built to complement the room decor.
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Philco model 60s are not too bad but they still use the typical five tube circuit used in millions of sets right up until the end of the tube era. With a good long wire antenna they can do fairly well, but not as well as a set with a tuned RF amplifier stage, or even one with an extra IF amplifier, I'm not knocking it just stating that it has it's limitations. Actually I think that the main issue in the Northeastern states isn't sensitivity it would be selectivity. There were also some sets that had an untuned RF amplifier stage, so they had the extra gain, but not the extra selectivity, I think that is what you might get with many of these aftermarket loop antennas so read the fine print.
Regards
Arran
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The loop antennas were a part of a tuned circuit, so, depending on how it is connected, it may work or it may not.
People who do not drink, do not smoke, do not eat red meat will one day feel really stupid lying there and dying from nothing.
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Do a search for Joe Carr Receiving Antenna Handbook. One of the best ever. David
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I use a Radio Shack 15-1853 tuned loop, which I have found to work very well on sets designed for a long wire. It uses a 3.5 mm phone plug for the output so I can leave adapter cables connected to the antenna inputs of multiple sets. Unfortunately they don't often show up on the auction site.
Dale H. Cook, GR/HP/Tek Collector, Roanoke/Lynchburg, VA
https://plymouthcolony.net/starcity/radios/
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