For a new MF dxer getting your first TA station is a big achievement. Replacing the usual long wire with a Flag antenna will almost guarantee that you will receive TA stations during the season.

This is a short example of how directional the Flag Antenna is:

The video shows the power of the Flag Antenna . The Perseus SDR is on 1368 KHz and you can hear BBC Wiltshire which is to the west of my location. Flag is orientated north west at 300 degrees. Then I switch in an Inverted L antenna which has traps for the amateur 80 and 160 band – antenna runs west to east – on MW it operates essentially  like a long wire. Wiltshire disappears and you can hear BBC Surrey which is to my South, I switch between the Flag and Long Wire, and Wiltshire and Surrey come and go. Thanks to David H in Scotland for introducing me to the Flag antenna.

The Flag is a piece of wire – arranged in a rectangle – mine is 10m x 3m. So 26m of wire all together. In the middle of one short end break the wire and insert a balun. I am using the FLG 100 balun/pre-map from Wellbrook. I have also used a balun supplied by eBay seller kafa2500. He is in Canada and is good guy. The feedline to receiver attaches to balun. The other short side break the wire and attach either a resistor around 900 Ohms or a variable resistor – again I use one from kafa2500. The short side with the balun is the direction from which signals are strongest and you tune the variable resistor to null out stations 180 degrees away. With ground wave nulls are very deep – obviously sky wave propagation nulls are variable. However I do a good job of nulling the Dutch station on 1008 to allow 1010 through (Spain is also on 1008).  My Flag is beaming around 300 degrees – towards New York.

Here is link with more info on Flag antennas http://www.hard-core-dx.com/nordicdx/antenna/loop/flag/index.html

Here’s an eBay link where you can buy baluns/resistors: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Flag-Pennant-Diamond-Ant-Kit-50ohm-SO-239-connector-/320476300212?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4a9de043b4 Worthwhile to look at all the items he has for sale.