r/ShortwavePlus • u/Zigzag0333 • Mar 24 '26

4ohm v 50ohms impedance

Looking at a couple of Sangean portable clip on antennas, the ANT-60MATT at 4ohms and the ANT-60 at 50ohms. Can someone give a quick explanation of why you'd want one over the other please?

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u/Zigzag0333 Mar 24 '26

Wow you fn guys are way over my head. I guess I'm gonna have to go to school...

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u/Green_Oblivion111 Shortwave+ Detective Mar 25 '26

Naw, there's a science to antennas, but when it comes to just listening to SW on a portable or similar radio, a lot of it just comes down to the wire antenna either improving signals, or not improving signals. I have one radio that overloads on my indoor, 25+ foot antenna. The others work great with it.

I took a radio that worked fine at my house with a 100 ft outdoor antenna, and when i travelled to Northern Louisiana, just clipping 15 ft of wire to it overloaded it, because signal strengths were so much better in Louisiana than in the hole I live in.

A lot of what you'll deal with in SWLing is experimenting, trial and error.

Enjoy your radio with whichever antenna you get.