[R-390] R-390 Balanced Antenna Input

[Bjarne Mjelde]

Being a very new (and still unexperienced) R-390A user, I may not have  
much to contribute to this thread.  However, some may find this of  
interest:
Using the balanced input significantly increases sensitivity over the  
unbalanced input in my setting.  My setting is:  550 meter beverage,  
coax-fed via a 1:9 transformer to a BNC connector. Monitoring the  
Mediumwave. When using the unbalanced input, signal recovery was  
noticeably lower than that of the JRC NRD-545 (which acted as a sort of  
"reference receiver" since the sensitivity figures of it is known, i.e.  
0.4 - 0.5 uV in AM Mediumwave, 6 kHz bw, 30% mod).  I monitored stations  
on, or just above the noise floor. When I utilized the balanced input via  
the UG971/U and UG636A/U, signal recovery was noticeably better than the  
NRD-545.  I have no idea if this means that the balanced input is  
significantly more sensitive than the unbalanced input; however signal  
recovery indicate that it is indeed the case.

The short version of the above:  I will never use the unbalanced antenna  
input for my beverages.


-- 
 From The World's Northernmost DX-er
Bjarne Mjelde
Berlevag, Arctic Norway
www.kongsfjord.no