In rural areas, where medium and short waves are still widely used and even in places where FM signals are weak, it is common to use a piece of wire as an antenna. One question that arises is the following: I am going to use a piece of wire as an antenna for my medium wave radio, because in the region where I live the stations are distant and weak. Do I need to strip the wire? The answer: It is not necessary to strip the wire, because the plastic or other material cover is a dielectric and, therefore, radio waves pass through. You can keep the cover on and it is even better, to avoid contact with other objects that could divert the signals to the ground. For medium waves, stretch the wire away from metal objects or large structures that could affect propagation or even divert the signals to the ground. Avoid proximity to power transmission lines, because they radiate interference. The higher the better, preferably attached to two masts. In the image, an “outdoor” antenna using a tree and a stretched wire.