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Re: [IRCA] Antenna experiment
- Subject: Re: [IRCA] Antenna experiment
- From: "Ira Elbert New, III" <ien3@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 17 Sep 2005 23:10:59 -0400
Can you take pictures or provide detailed drawings as to how you attached 
this to that, etc.? I can solder and I'm willing to buy all the stuff 
needed, but it's always the technical stuff that bogs me down. It took me 
forever to find out how to hook up the first loop I built.
Oh...I'm about to build a couple of bigger loops and see what they'll do. I 
ordered another variable cap. from midnight science to go with another one 
someone sent me. I'll build a 3' and a 4' and we'll see what happens.
Bert New
Watkinsville, Georgia
Proudly Serving You Since 1964!
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From:  <i>"Craig Healy" 
<bubba@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx></i><br>Reply-To:  <i>Mailing list for the 
International Radio Club of America<irca@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx></i><br>To:  
<i>"Mailing list for the International Radio Club of 
America"<irca@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx></i><br>Subject:  <i>Re: [IRCA] 
Antenna experiment</i><br>Date:  <i>Sat, 17 Sep 2005 22:30:20 
-0400</i><br>> >> I made a new loop antenna today, and initial 
results are very<br>>encouraging.<br>> ><br>> > And then 
you'll build one for those of us on the list who are technically<br>> 
> challenged and ship it to us at a nominal cost...<br>><br>>Heh!  
If you can solder plumbing pipe, you can build this.<br>><br>>I had a 
chance to do a bit more testing.  I wound five turns of #16 
wire<br>>tight through a ferrite toroid.  The toroid is the FT-240 size 
(2 1/2") of<br>>unknown composition.  A SO-238 was soldered to it.  
It was then slipped over<br>>the copper pipe. I had 50' of RG-8 cable 
which I used to hook it to the<br>>homemade tuner I mentioned in my last 
message.  Then, a few feet of smaller<br>>coax to the truck radio.  It's 
a Blaupunkt MP74 which is a good radio.<br>><br>>At the moment, the 
copper loop is leaning against a fence next to my tower.<br>>Hardly 
optimum as one side is sitting on wet ground and it's a number 
of<br>>degrees off vertical.  I tuned through from 530 to 1710, and had 
good<br>>signals on every frequency not blocked by a local.  Far better 
than the whip<br>>antenna on the truck..  Some directionality was noted.  
Boston stations were<br>>weaker as they were broadside to the way the 
loop was aimed.  Signal<br>>strength was almost too strong, especially on 
the low end of the band.<br>>There is no amplifier, all components are 
passive.<br>><br>>Having a loop which could potentially be turned with 
a rotor, and tuned at<br>>the receiver end is something I've been looking 
for.  I imagine this would<br>>work exceptionally well with the PalStar 
MW550P tuner, if I had one.<br>><br>>Tomorrow in the daylight I'll 
solder up the last connection, now that the<br>>toroid is on there.  I'll 
get some rope and hang the thing from some high<br>>point in the yard.  
Then I'll bring out the R8B and see just what it can do<br>>on nulling.  
At 10' to a side, it's fairly unwieldy.  If I build a permanent<br>>one, 
I'll use bigger tubing.  Less floppy when moving it.  Maybe 
1.25"<br>>copper..<br>><br>>All in all, this was a heck of a 
lot less work to build than the usual box<br>>or spiral loop.  If it 
continues to work like the initial crude tests show,<br>>it's going to be 
a useful piece.<br>><br>>After I have a chance to do some further 
tests, I'll make a duplicate.  Then<br>>I will mount them at 90° angles 
and connect them to my MFJ phasor.  It may<br>>not even need to be 
rotated.  With one aimed north-south and the other<br>>east-west, a 
decent null ought to be possible around the compass just 
by<br>>phasing.<br>><br>>Sorry if this is rambling a bit.  I'm 
sorta thinking out loud as I write.<br>><br>>Craig 
Healy<br>>Providence, 
RI<br>><br>><br>>_______________________________________________<br>>IRCA 
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