Early Morning Reception On The Hepplewhite

[19&41]

When pain in my arm wakes me early in the morning, I have been able to get Radio New Zealand Pacific relatively clearly before it changes it's radiation pattern at 06:58 Eastern. It's one of the last real broadcasts available, Apart from WRMI, Radio Havana Cuba and the backwoods radiators.

[electra225]

Your Whipplewhite must have a front end built like a Mack truck. What kind of antenna are you using?

[19&41]

A 50 foot long wire antenna oriented east west with an 8 ft ground stake for antenna and chassis ground. I can get RNZP but can barely get WSM.

[19&41]

For the last two days, the signal from New Zealand has been strong enough to deflect the tuning indicator by about a third. I imagine I had thought it was not able to be received at some times of the year when actually with the time differential for daylight savings and their shifting the antenna radiation for local broadcast It wasn't there at the times I tried during the fall/winter. They sometimes have music programs of eclectic styles. One morning they had a program of their domestic country and western music. This morning it was strange music.

[TC Chris]

How's reception and programming in the wee hours like midnight-1 a.m. Eastern time? I'm at the cottage this weekend and don't have a permanent antenna but can string up a shorter substitute.

Chris Campbell

[19&41]

I haven't listened much earlier than 5AM, but here are their schedule and antenna orientation times.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/listen

Here is their signoff when they change theit radiation patterning at 6AM eastern.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/audio/player?audio_id=2584672

[William]

Rex, what do you have for an antenna?

Bill

[19&41]

It's a 50 foot straight line mounted under the eaves of my house. It's oriented to get maximum reception east and west. This morning RNZ didn't change their radiation pattern at 6AM EST (11PM Saturday evening their time). They're broadcasting an all request music program.

[electra225]

I wish I could get something like that here. I need to get more serious about my antenna, or lack of one.

[TC Chris]

At home my antenna runs E-W, from a rear gable on the house to a pipe secured at the garage eave. Problem is, I planted a couple white pines (one of our native trees) in the back yard and now the antenna runs through them, probably doing the signal strength no good. My lot runs E-W and it follows the log dimension. The other side of the yard is occupied by the power line from the alley to the house. I don't want an antenna near that, for safety and noise reasons. So I put up with an antenna that's somewhat shorted to ground via the tree branches, depending on local moisture conditions. Here at the cottage, I run temporary antennas strung up either inside or out, and can use the flag pole halyard to raise one end when it's outside.

Chris Campbell

[19&41]

One thing people forget when setting up an antenna is to also have a good earth ground if your radio has provision for it's connection. I used my antenna for a short time without one and it made a big difference when I finally connected up a ground stake. I run it in on the shield of the coax that carries the antenna lead. Then if lightning should strike, the shorter distance to ground is at the outside where the stake is tied in. I was having good reception on RNZ up til the sun came up over the horizon this morning.

[electra225]

I had the electrical system in the shop set up so the screw that holds the outlet covers on are at earth ground. I had metal outlet boxes installed, with the boxes themselves grounded to an earth ground. It makes a difference when I connect a radio to this ground. Is it the best ground in the world? Probably not, but it is connected to a six foot long copper rod driven into the ground, then connected to the ground bar in the breaker box. My antenna is only 20' long, running along the eaves of the shop, then around three sides of the shop inside. I wanted it non-directional, which is fine for local reception. Doing like you do will require a better antenna.

[19&41]

It doesn't take a fancy installation nor expensive supplies to do an antenna. I had picked up some small gauge low voltage wire at the thrift store and used it to slip into the underside of the vinyl fascia cover in the eaves. I soldered it to the center of a foot length of RG-8 coax. I dressed the end with a type F connector and put another on the lead in cable. I tied the two together with a bullet connector and clamped that to my ground wire and fastened it to the wall above the ground stake. then ran the lead in under the eaves.