[PCR-1000] Antennas for the PRC1000

[tfugate]

I have been a active SWLer for over 30 years.
I bought a PCR1000 3 years ago, and I have had
mixed feelings about it the entire time.
It is a good radio, but it does have some glaring weaknesses
and irritations. 

I have played with all sorts of antennas in an attempt to get good reception
and not be overloaded by strong signals. Low pass filters, and antenna
marchers help. 
But there is a simpler way. 
The following URLs offer one way to improve the noise and overload situation.
A good ground is only the first step in decent reception.
http://www.anarc.org/naswa/badx/antennas/grounding.html
John Doty offers one viewpoint on why conventional "long wires" have problems.
http://www.anarc.org/naswa/badx/antennas/SWL_longwire.html
And I have found his 9:1 step down transformer to greatly reduce the QRN, QRM
and RF overload.
http://www.anarc.org/naswa/badx/antennas/low-noise_antenna.html
My antenna consists of a 80' "long wire", with Mr Doty's 9:1 (30:10 turns)
transformer, and at the entry
point to my home I uses a 1:1 (10:10 turns on the same type core used for
the 30:10)
RF isolation transformer in which I do not maintain ground continuity. 
By trial and error, I found this to give me the best reception with the
lowest "background" noise.
I borrowed this idea from a beverage antenna site, but I have lost the URL.
Everything is bonded to the same ground system, a set of 3 ground rods, in
a 10' triangle, bonded with 
1/4" copper  pipe brazed to the rods. My radios and PC are bonded with 3/4"
tinned copper braid that makes 
a separate run to the ground system.
By not having the antenna coax act as a ground, I reduced the computer
noise by several S-units. 
After the 1:1 I have a home brew  preselector. 
This has almost eliminated overload.
While the preselector adds some improvement, it is minimal and if I where
doing it again I wouldn't bother. 
I had built it before trying the 9:1 and added it because I had it.

My main expense, besides the PRC1000 and PC, was the ground system.
Everything else, ferrite cores etc, was "scalvage". 
A word my wife coined to combine scavenge and salvage, which describes how
I get a lot of parts.
I am not offering this as the "end all", "last word"  or "perfect" system,
just a low cost setup that has 
helped my reception.
Terrence Fugate
WN4ISX