My house roof ridge is 70 feet from end to end, and I am thinking about installing a wire aerial above it at a height of 25 feet from the ground to the wire. Is there a particular type or manufactured antenna that would be most suitable? I will be installing this in the spring when the weather is good. I want to be able to use it with my Grundig Majestic 7000 US console (SW/FM/BC (AM)) tube radio, (circa 1958). Right now, I am able to get AM and FM from local stations, but I'd like to be able to pick up SW broadcasts too. The roof dimensions are approximately 70x20 feet. I am wanting to be able to receive these frequencies -

Shortwave bands (meter bands), 13, 16, 19, 25, 31, 41, 49 {6 to 23 megacycles}
Broadcast band (AM), 500 - 1600 kilocycles
FM - 88 - 108 megacycles

So I'd like to find the right type and configuration of a wire aerial for the best signal reception that I can install and that will be the easiest to install and maintain as I have to rely on someone else to work up on that roof. (I'm a disabled Vietnam vet and I don't do ladders - too difficult from a wheelchair.)
The simpler the better. I began thinking about a simple wire suspended above the ridge, but I am not certain if it should be end tapped, or somewhere along the length for the down lead into the house. I also thought about running the perimeter but I don't know how much is too much, and what components are the best without going overboard.

My thanks in advance for any advice you can give me.

 

Get on youtube search for Long wire antenna or Random wire antenna,

ideally longer will pick up more stations, it's better to use an antenna tuner ATU, to filter out the noise, there are two types of mounting, straight line or inverted V.

 

Get on youtube search for Long wire antenna or Random wire antenna,

ideally longer will pick up more stations, it's better to use an antenna tuner ATU, to filter out the noise, there are two types of mounting, straight line or inverted V.

Thanks for the info and the tip. I will check it out!

 

A simple long wire antenna will do you fine. The wire can be insulated or non-insulated, single or stranded.
If it is not insulated, make sure that it does not touch anything that is conducting. If you want to get fancy you can use two "egg" insulators and guy wires.

Egg insulator

One end of the wire goes to your radio.

Drive a grounding rod into the ground and connect this to your radio ground. If you know for certain that your cold water pipe is metallic all the way to the ground you can connect a ground wire to the water pipe using a hose or pipe clamp.

Here is your basic setup:

I have done this for years and still do today.

 

Thanks for the illustration and the pictures. I am considering using electric fence wire - either aluminum or galvanized steel. It is very strong, easy to work with. I thought I'd use the electric fence posts with insulators like you suggest. I am not sure how to attach the down lead to the aerial. should I go with some sort of coax and a terminal block on one of the posts? I am also going to put an 8 foot ground stake in and I am not sure how to attach the ground wire to the aerial. I know this is pretty basic stuff for you, but I've never had to put up a wire antenna. All of the military antennas I've worked with were built before I got to the LP and we really didn't have to maintain them, we had techs for that.

Thanks for your patience and indulgence.

 

Best to connect the long wire with coaxial cable, solder the Inner to the long wire, and the braid/screen to the metal ground post with a jubilee clip or nut bolts.

 

Go vertical.

 

I would run the down feed straight to the antenna input of the radio, no coax cable required.

The ground wire does not go to the antenna. It goes to the GND connection on the radio. Sometimes this can be connected to the chassis of the radio. Check to make sure that the chassis is not LIVE before connecting to the ground wire.