Here are my observations about using the THF6 as an SW receiver.

1. Don't even try it with any antenna wire longer than 20 feet.

2. With a wire length of less than 20 feet, you will still need to use the
attenuator for some signals.

3. Some noise and birdies can be reduced, or at least controled, by using an
antenna tuner. To do this, I use a short patch cord which converts the SMA
to an SO-239, and then connect a small MFJ tuner to this cable. The wire is
then connected to the wire terminal of the tuner. I have found that for some
shortwave frequencies, peaking the signal with the tuner makes the THF6
perform reasonably well. For other frequencies, especially those near a
strong BC station, the signal must be attenuated slightly by adjusting the
tuner.

MFJ sells what they call a "passive pre-selector" which reports to add
filtering to block frequencies outside the selected range. This too would
probably work well, but most of us can usually find used MFJ tuners for a
small price. The ideal tuner for this application is the 160-10 wire tuner.
It's small, simple, and costs less than $70 new. Any small tuner from any
manufacturer will do the job.







Mike Duke, K5XU
American Council of Blind Radio Amateurs