Active Antennas

Over in Smug Corner sits the owner of a portable receiver. He knows - and we have to admit - that the performance of these sets is on the up. Flat-dwellers can forget all that has gone before and not bother about the politics of outdoor antennas and buy a portable happy in the knowledge that it will perform very well. They can also see if this is the hobby for them or check out local interference by getting one of the many entry-level sets coming out of China and still have FM stereo to fall back on if the bands are quiet.

Don't you just hate it when that happens!

Yet they still enjoy their listening without all the discussion and installation of any special aerial array.

How do they do it? The telescopic rod antenna on the portable is all they are using...

Remember what we said about any length of wire or rod antenna acting as an aerial as long as you can match its end-impedance to the tuning circuits in the radio? This is what the portables have done for years. The telescopic whip and the impedance transforming electronics form the basis of The Active Antenna. This is already a part of the portable, but if we separate them to allow the whip to be sited for best reception, if we go for pure design with less thought for cost and power consumption to improve IP performance, we start to have a real solution for those who do not have the space for a conventional antenna. If you are rowing the Atlantic in a dinghy this year, your dealer can supply an active antenna to receive from, but not send to, dear old Blighty.

If you have the space for any kind of wire aerial, then do it.

Experiment to your hearts content, but just do it. To get an active antenna to turn in a real performance equal to our much-maligned "bit of wire" can lead to an investment near to the cost of the radio itself. Circumstances alter cases, so with the wide range of active devices available now, performance will not be compromised too much for the spatially-challenged. But do choose carefully...

Meanwhile in the snug of The Duck and Fruitbat, your scribe relaxes with several pints of Old McReekie's Intestinal Purge ready for some real radio. Just what are the Wild Waves saying?

The set is bought and installed by the book, the neighbour is already on to a legal beagle after seeing the antenna. But no matter. Time to turn on, tune in and drop out with the New Zealand fatstock prices.