The DYI Corner: Supercharging the Tecsun PL-380

Supercharging Tecsun PL-380 or how to breathe new life into a portable radio.

I found this radio in my storage-room, almost forgotten, it no longer has the shortwave stylus antenna and I also remember removing the internal ferrite with the remaining intention of using it in another project. So, after reading about the projects of Dx'er Gary DeBock, I took the decision to revive it, at least for medium waves. It was not complicated to carry out the project: I took a 16cm long ferrite with a 5mm diameter, put thin double-sided tape over it and wound it with 80 turns of 20x0.05 litz wire. I connected the wires to the radio's circuit board, where the internal ferrite wires were, and then placed it on a piece of ruler above the radio.

The little Tecsun is reborn and works excellently, if used in conjunction with an FSL antenna you can make very interesting listening.

The DYI Corner: You-Loop Hoola Hop Antenna

90cm passive you-loop hoola-hop antenna, balun made with 140/43 toroid instead of ferrite rod, RG/213 cable, connections as shown in the photo: in the box one end of the cable is connected to the centre, the other to the centre and to ground as seen in Giuseppe's project "QrpRadioLstnr" which you can find on YouTube, the ground of the RG/213 cable where the connections are made with the leads must remain together. The RG/213 cable is inserted inside a rhythmic gymnastics hoop. The antenna works from the medium-wave frequencies up to the 10-metre short-wave band.

I have to say that the connection of a wire to the centre and ground (the you loop design involves connecting the wires to the two centres) and the use of the 140/43 toroid, as well as the diameter of the loop, is the key to being able to pick up stations in HF with low power.

I use it with my portable receivers, but with an SDR receiver, which I do not yet own, the results would be even better.

The windings you see in the photo were excessive, which made the antenna deaf on medium waves, I reduced them to six, resulting in better reception on short waves and finally being able to listen to medium-wave stations as well.

Supercharching the XHDATA D-808

"Supercharged” D-808. I removed the ferrite from the cabinet and added two 16cm ferrites. At first I had made too many windings so the antenna was deaf, I drastically reduced the number of these and now it works like a charm. In combination with an FSL antenna it's the best.

73, and good DX